Email received 11/3/09

Well, hello hello from Collinsville,Virginia!

We had some real excitement this week! We got to carve pumpkins! You guys wouldn't believe the prices of them here!!! How much would you expect to pay for a 23lb. pumpkin? $15? $20? well, i got mine for $8!!! Yey me!

We got to have a 'practice' lesson with one of our members' families. We were teaching their kids the second lesson, the Plan of Salvation. Then on Wed. night we got to drive all the way to Rocky Mount to stay the night at another set of missionaries apartment, because on Thurs. we had a Zone Conference in Roanoke(if you look at a map, you'll see that Martinsville/Collinsville is REALLY far from Roanoke). At the conference we had a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy speak to us. That was so COOL! Man, really great experience! Well, after the conference, we went on splits with the missionaries there so that we could cover more area(we were spending the night there again).

On Fri. we got to have an interview with Pres. Thornock, our mission president. He is sooooo cool! He is one of the most loving people i've ever met! That same day we switched drivers(one companion drives for 3 weeks and then we switch for the last 3 weeks[6 weeks are in a transfer]).

After we got back to Martinsville/Collinsville we got to head back over to the McVickers(a new convert family). They have had H1N1 for the past 2 weeks so we've missed them alot! We also got to see John again. He has quit smoking...cold turkey! We are so happy for him!!!!

Sat. was our Chili cook off and Trunk-or-Treat. that was really fun. Oh, and, heres an interesting fact, as missionaries, we cant actively proselyte or tract on Halloween! People think we're trick-or-treaters! Silly isn't it? O well.

Sun. was the BEST day of my mission so far! We had a baptism of a girl who has been waiting a whole YEAR to be baptized, right? Well her grandparents who were the ones who were against it finally agreed to let her be baptized and even attended it. But thats not the only unbelievable thing about it. There were about 134 people at Sacrament meeting ok? Well there were in excess of 106 people at her baptism!!!!! 106!!!!!!!! Thats THE largest congregation I've ever seen at 1 baptism before! OH...MY...GOODNESS!!!!!!!

Ok, I've got to move on....Mon. we had service at Blue Ridge Rehab Center(nice name for "old folks home") like we do every Mon. and Fri. but this time we had to pass out activity calenders...THE most BORING thing I've done there yet...and I've done Bingo! AND the Gospel Tone[deaf]s. I've never wanted to destroy a violin so much in my LIFE!!!! His playing caused me physical PAIN. Thats how bad it was. N e ways, that was my week this week. Hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!(i doubt it) lol

Love,
Elder Mulks
xSOIx