Engineering Merit Badge

This week was a great week. It was the most exhausting week of my life. I felt like I could have run a marathon but the problem was that it was so mentally draining. It’s felt so good to be focused on one thing for a long time. I really learned how inspired president is and how stressful his job really is. Wow. Yikes it’s a tough one. Many many special things happened this week though. It was a really rewarding yet tough week. I had a great time.

Spiritual: Jackie, who was just baptized in the Almaden ward, came up to us the day of her baptism and told us how the night before she couldn’t sleep a wink. She told us how the night before she had all of the sudden remembered all of the terrible things she had done and they plagued her that entire night. She said that every little evil thing that she had done had come back to her and she said that she felt like garbage. Think of what that would feel like to all of the sudden have the painful guilt come back to you and be all around you that strongly. She said that it was the most horrible thing she had experienced. After she was baptized and she came up out of the water she turned to the people watching and with a huge smile on her face she waved. It was a miracle to witness her change of countenance. I am so proud to say that I am a witness the Atonement in action. I have talked a lot about how the Atonement enables us to become better than we are. The Atonement is so all encompassing that it cannot only give us the ability through the Holy Ghost to see things as they really are and to not be deceived by the reflections that look like happiness, but through the Atonement we can be clean to experience the full power of the Holy Ghost. We can stand firm knowing that because we are clean Heavenly Father will bless us with strength and give us guidance when we need it. I wish that you all could have seen the change that happened to Jackie. She is a changed woman. It made my heart just burst to think of the path that she has just entered on. It made me feel an increase of gratitude for our Savior Jesus Christ and for His Atonement. It is real. The power that is contained is strong enough to overcome all. Even the worst of the worst. I know it because I have felt it and seen it in action. My invitation to you would be to ACT. Repent. Whatever that means to you, do it. If the Spirit pricks your heart enough to talk to your Father in Heaven and recommit to give up a particular favorite sin, or if that pricks your heart enough to go talk to your bishop, do it. The results are real. I bear this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Funny: When we went to the outgoing fireside we got to the building and we found that the pulpit was broken. It was stuck at the highest point and wouldn't come down. That was pretty bad news for us because some of the lovely, talented and delightful sisters in this mission are a little bit vertically challenged. It took some good old fashioned American ingenuity to fix this problem.

Where I am at: Almaden is awesome! Great ward! We are so excited for the work to explode right now. We have a lot of things to do right now as far as transfers are concerned but things are coming together. If you are a missionary and are reading this, or if you are a member a little frustrated with the current mission president, please know that that man is inspired of God. He has been called and set apart by real divine power and called to preside over the mission. No matter what you might think. It’s real. It’s Super Cool. I am doing great! Getting excited for Christmas! I love you all!

This is their Christmas tree photo of numbers night. (I think they get a little punchy on these late evenings.)

He actually emailed us last night late so I think this may be a theme.

From Ammon "So, our ward Christmas party had a theme of dressing up like a character from the nativity and a member of the ward had a few things that she let us borrow. as a joke she gave us an extra for president. I don't know what in the world made him put it on, but it was awesome."

Personally I call this one "Wise guy driving"