Elder Caleb Leonhardt: December 2013

Monday, December 23, 2013

December 23, 2013 "Merry Christmas" from Arizona

Hello From Arizona!

We had transfers and
I am staying here in the same area with the same companion but someone I
was living with. Elder Moore from Utah left and we got a different
missionary living in the apartment with us. It was nice to go to the
meeting and see so many of my mission buddies and we got a picture
with Elder Wardle, Elder Empey, Elder Wolfgramm and I showing the
lineage of trainers, it was very cool. By the way I apologize for the
writing, it is different typing with this small keyboard and I don't
like it yet. I might just go get an old big keyboard and hook it up to
this and use that or it would be cool to get one of those role out
keyboards that are rubber. That might be a little to fancy for me
though. (I have now been given permission to email from my iPad and
will now be doing that from this time on.)

While we were in the church the other day doing online time and
sharing spiritual messages with people we got a text from our Mission
President and in the text he explained to keep Jan 11th open because
of a tri mission conference with Elder Holland and a few members of
the 70 who want to speak to us. This will be the first time I get to
see someone from the Quorum of the 12 in a smaller setting. Our
Mission President, now looking back at it eluded to another possible
time that the whole mission will be together all at once again before
they leave in June. With the number of possibilities I hope we get to
see another member of the Quorum of the 12.

By the way thank you so much for all of the gifts and letters from
family members and friends in my Christmas gifts. I have loved hearing
from all of you and the exciting things that are to come soon. Thank
you Matt for the address of my new storage unit, your house. I will be
sending you some stuff soon enough

In one of the wards that we serve in my companion and I were asked to
give talks in this coming Sunday worship meeting. This will be the
first time the both of us have spoken in church on our missions. When
the member of the Bishopric asked us to speak in church and we told
him that we both never had spoken they were thrown back and startled.
It was quiet funny. In that ward the members really love us, in fact
it's almost to much. While in the other ward it seems like the Bishop
likes us and the youth do but some of the other leaders who forget that we
are in the room. Which is understandable with the lack of a large
stature on my end...thanks mom

The other night my companion and I went to say a prayer with a family
in the area and after the prayer the father asked if we could help him
for a second. This was at 8:20 with a 15 min drive home ahead, so we
had sometime before we had to get on the road. He asked us to help
move this piano. It kind of looked like the piano we have back in
Baraboo but a little bigger...and heavier. This piano weighted like a
1000 pounds. With the 3 of us it was a struggle to move it into the
garage. They were getting rid of it because they got a new hollow
grand. First time seeing one of those too. Anyways we finally got it
out and the other piano in and helped him set it up and then had to
hightail it out of there, keeping the law of course. This man isn't
just a ordinary man either. Nor is he a normal piano player. It was
William Joseph. So we related this to playing catch with Brett Favre
or something like that. He then Played in the Sunday Christmas special
program and was amazing. It was actually the best Christmas program I
have ever been to. The children sang and did a fantastic job as well
as the choir.

We had a really good lesson Sunday night with a lady who hasn't come
to church for a while but came this past Sunday. She first started off
saying that she wasn't ready to come back yet but after awhile of
talking with her she finally explained that she needs to and that she
was missing it. Her mom and son were their. Her mom comes a lot and
was making some negative comments like that person didn't talk to you
on purpose and they don't like you. Eventually she told her mom that
she doesn't need those negative thoughts and that those thoughts are
not her's, she wants to think positively towards situations. They
asked their grandma to stop making those comments that it would be
better for her and then committed herself to coming to church and
reading and praying daily. It was a great lesson.

I am So excited for this Christmas Day to relax and have some fun
with some other missionaries.

I love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Love Elder Caleb Leonhardt

Sent from my iPad
--