Birthday and Merry Christmas!

Here is my really cheesy Christmas card for everyone
"I for-goat to get you a Christmas gift.  Sorry.  Merry Christmas anyway!"

Hey Everyone,


    So I am emailing a bit earlier than I thought I would.  The Christmas party was shorter than I thought.  It was fun though.  We watched the two MoTab Christmas clips we downloaded and ate hamburgers and fried chicken.  This week was cool.  We found some cool new people to refill our teaching pool.  We even found a bunch of serious people who I think will actually baptize.  Working with Schreadel is cool.  Since we are both from Utah, we can talk about home things and understand each other.  Yes, I do follow the books, but I choose not to kill myself with or others around me by keeping the letter of the law.  For example, I really should keep emailing down to one hour, but then I can't write president, and home, and friends in one sitting.  And I don't expect everyone around me to be perfect either.  In this way, I can have a good relationship with all my companions and apartment mates.  (We asked in our email if he's been obedient to the rules.)

Elder Schraedel and me

     The main part of the week was not very interensting.  We just taught lessons and contacted people.  We met a guy named Amid who is built like an american football player and is a cool guy.  He works a lot and his schedule is crazy but he still loves to listen when he can.  Temple failed another baptism interview.  I think he is afraid of the interview or something like that.  I am going to ask him if he really wants to follow Jesus and get baptized.  I don't want to drop him but we may have to.  Mbiah decided that he was better enough to come to church yesterday.  He and his grand daughter, Portia, were baptized yesterday.  We plan on having 2 next week also, Maxwell and Akasi.  I am excited.  Cool birthday gift to me.

Mbiah and Portia With Elder Schraedel and I

    So my birthday.  I wasn't able to make my cake yet because the kitchen was being use to make party food, so maybe tonight I will make it.  On Saturday, Schraedel and I went to a restaurant and bought burgers.  They were great, except the menu said bacon was included, and I didn't see any, but it was still really good.  I opened the first package yesterday too.  Thank you all for the stuff.  The meat will be great.  I have been using the other for indo mie (top ramen) stir fries.  It is really good.  And the puzzle books will be great.  The spider man figurines were fun too.

On Christmas, I assume you still want me to Skype?   I am really excited to talk or call! 

My birthday dinner  

    I don't know how great numbers will be, the lesson numbers, will be on Christmas. On Friday, the branch will be having a Christmas party, and we invited a lot of investigators to it.  So we have to make an apearence and eat the food.  Fufu and rice. 

    I got a bunch of letters sent around Thanksgiving from all of you.  I really enjoyed the pictures Grandma sent and all the letters from everyone else.

Tell the Hein's and Smith's I say hi. And tell Julia thanks for the email.

Love you all,

Love Elder Warner Ashby