Conference

Hello Everyone!!!

Man it felt like I emailed you two hours ago! Last week was the longest then this week was the shortest! Thanks for your emails! I wanted to say Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Thanks for being the best parents I could have and for all of your support and love! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Thanks for the testimony that you helped me receive and for all the things you have sacrificed for your kids! We are all so grateful!

I'm glad everything is doing fine! Everything is doing great in Official Town! Sometimes I sing "Won't you take me to, Official Toowwwn." Everything has been sweet though. This week we focused on getting to know members and teaching them as well as recent converts. Something I learned from my last area is that if you baptize someone with just you and your companion, then when you go on transfer they will also go on transfer. So the best thing in the world to do as a missionary is work with members. Plus you get to make really good friends along the way! So in the long run missionary works becomes way more fun! Good heavens I love this people.

I'm already getting used to the area which is good, and I'm remembering people's names which is also good. Something sweet in this area is the American Store! There's a store with peanut butter, ketchup, and even Fries!!! So I have been enjoying that a lot. It has been a long time since I've tasted a potato so that was a great experience.

I was able to attend the first Saturday session of conference! It was so great! I wanted to see the other sessions but we just didn't have time! But my favorite talk in that session was Elder Stevenson's talking about priesthood keys! That is something that we really have to get people to understand here because there are so many churches here! Plus it was so fun to hear how that one Elder Talked about he went with Elder Bednar to Africa because I was there when they visited Ghana! Plus it was also a tender moment to sing the congregational hymn because I knew my family was on the other side of the world singing the same words of "Secret Prayer." Also when the choir sang Come Thou Fount I thought of choir and all the great experiences I had there. So conference was a wonderful experience! I was glad I was able to see at least a little bit. I know that we have authorized leaders today and that we are all directed by divine authority. I know that God loves us and continues to watch over us! I am so grateful for all the blessings he has given me. I know that I am where God needs me to be at this time. Over the past couple of Months lots of missionaries have been coming home due to illness or other reasons. I just feel bad that some missionaries don't realize what opportunities they have and that this time won't be like any other in their life! So I am so grateful to have that desire to serve and that I'm healthy! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior! I know families were meant to be eternal!

-Elder Ballard

Sorry the network is bad so it won't let me send pictures :( '

Love you!