Elder Jon Daniel: 3-24-14

Hello my amazing family and friends!! I have been thinking about you all and hope everything is going well.

You guys have got to send me a video of y’all getting your wisdom teeth taken out. I want to see the crazy antics you guys do after being knocked out from the laughing gas.

This week I went on two exchanges out of my area. I was able to see my trainer Elder Thompson, he lives with the elders I went on exchanges with in a four man apartment. He goes home in 4 weeks and has loosened up a lot. I can’t believe that it was almost a year ago that he trained me in Fallbrook. So crazy. The exchanges went great. I was with Elder Daley and he is a stud. There was hardly any down time because their area is booming with people to teach. It was awesome. You feel good when you feel effective in helping bring souls unto Christ. We had a lot of fun too, being in a four man apartment is a blast. We got to use our Spanish while I was there too, they’re in a lower income part of the city and there are a ton of Hispanic people out and about. I love it here, the rolling hills, the vegetation and the palm trees are amazing. I catch myself just staring at the beauty all the time.

Not much else happened this week. Yesterday we got to be a part of one of our recent converts, Steve’s ordaining to the Aaronic Priesthood. I wish you could see this guy, he’s about 6 foot 3, about 300 pounds, tattoos all up and down his arms. He's a very intimidating man. He has done some jail time in his past and has been in gangs, but found the gospel through his niece and has completely changed his life. It builds my testimony every day of how completely miraculous the gospel is and how it can transform people’s lives who you would absolutely never think would accept it. It’s just amazing to see the happiness that is in his life now, if you met him you would think he had been a member his whole life. After we shook hands with him and Steve was walking to his car, Elder Peterson looked at the other Elders and I and said “look, that is a man that holds the priesthood of God." It was so awesome. I love this gospel, there is not a doubt in my heat that it is true.

I want to thank all of you guys for the support you give me, it gets tough a lot of the time out here, but you guys are the ones that make it bare able and keep me going.

I love you all,

Stay true, stay strong, and look out for each other while I’m away, alright?
-Elder Daniel