The humble circumstances of Christ's birth

Well this week has been pretty Awesome!! Because we had a lot of lessons and found a lot of new investigators to teach and we also got some of our current investigators to progress and to help them with some of the things that they are struggling with. It has also been a sad week because one of my best friends on my mission, Elder Wood, and I know you asked about him dad and yes we have a special friendship bond that can never be broken, left Kamloops and is going home on Wednesday so that was kind of sad but that's the mission life. 

Will and Elder Wood in their matching suits "Looking Fresh", farewell Elder Wood!

It was also really awesome because Elder Walker, my MTC companion, is in my District and Elder Kelly is the District Leader so he went on exchanges with Elder Walkers companion and Elder Tolman and I got to go on exchanges with Elder Walker so we reunited the MTC duo. It was awesome to be in the field with Elder Walker because he is awesome and I thought I might never see him in the mission but it was really cool. 

The Dynamic Duo has been reunited! Elder Walker & Will

While we were on exchanges we didn't have a ton of lessons but we did get to have quite a few member visits and they were so great. We went and visited Ray, who is a YSA in our ward, and he served a mission in New York City, Chinese speaking. He was really cool and we taught a really good lesson about the video the church put out "He is the Gift" and we have been committing all of the members that we teach to give a Book of Mormon to someone they know this Christmas season and share with them the same thing that brings them so much joy and peace.

Working out in our apartment

The 'tripanionship' of Will, Tolman and Kelly

One of our trees with our new fireplace, Thanks Mesquite 2nd Ward Relief Society!!

      We also had Zone Meeting on Wednesday and we were told to read the talk by Elder Holland called "Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come From a Store", which is crazy because that is the same talk that my Mom sent me 3 weeks ago. When I read it one thing that he really talks about is how humble the circumstances that Jesus was born into. Which is something that I have never really thought about but as I was studying I realized that Jesus could have been born in to a Kings family and been treated very well and been someone of great importance and still accomplish the Atonement the same but he was born in the most humble of circumstance and probably lived the hardest life that anyone has ever lived so that he would know the pain that everyone goes through in this life so that no one could say they had it worse than Christ did. He literally was born in a stable, was a carpenter, was homeless and went through the Atonement at the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross for all of mankind. There is not one point in Jesus Christ’s life when we can say that he had it pretty good and that life was easy for him. There is no reason for us to be prideful and not use the Atonement because he did it all for us. He lived that life for us. Not for himself because he was perfect and didn't need the Atonement to live with God again but God and He knew that we couldn't accomplish it with out that so he volunteered to give his life so that we may have eternal life. He loved us so much and wanted us to live with him again. This is something that I never really thought about until I came on a mission and started to really discover this gospel and what Christ truly did for us. This time of year is when we should really focus on Christ and what he did for us and it is a time when we should share it with others who do not know it so they may feel the same joy and peace that Christ has brought in to our lives. This is the time to share the true meaning of CHRISTmas and what it is really a holiday for. So during this Christmas season really reflect on the savior and all that he has done for us personally and strengthen your personal relationship with him. This is something that I have really been trying to do over the last few days and it is something that brought me even more joy in my life. This Gospel is the thing on this Earth that can bring us the most joy in this life and this time on earth can be so much more enjoyable if we just put Christ in our lives and truly rely on him and also to share this with others even if it is hard. Trust me I know how hard it can be sometimes but if we rely on Christ we can did it!! Talk to you next week

Love Elder Slack

A lot of firsts...

Well a lot has happened in the last few days like I rode my first train and on my first plane, that I can remember and left the country for the first time in my life. So a lot of firsts on Wednesday. So on Wednesday we left the MTC at 6:05 am and took a bus to the train but when we got to the train there was a lot of instruction on how to board the train but not which train to board or when so there was a little confusion but after sitting there for 20 minutes we finally got on the train that took us to Salt Lake and then we caught a mono rail( I think or something like that) to the Airport and when we got to the Airport there where people who knew exactly what we needed to do and were we needed to go because this happens every week. So we got in line to get our tickets and for them to take our luggage and while I was waiting for them to weigh my luggage I saw Quentin L Cook!!!! which was Awesome so when me and Elder Jang got done with everything we waited and tried to build up some courage to go talk to him but thankfully Elder Aua, who is from Papa New Guinea but I never saw him at the MTC and didn't even know he was going to Vancouver, just went up and talked to him so me and Elder Jang and Elder Walker followed him and talked to him for a minute and shook his hand which was Awesome!! You could  just feel the spirit around him but what was really funny is when me and Elder Jang saw him we started to act like a five year old and the people who were weighing our luggage apparently were not Mormon and couldn't figure out why we where acting so weird. So we then go and find where we are going to board the plane and run into Sister Burt (Mission President's wife) who was supposed to meet us in Vancouver but we found out that she came down to help her daughter with her new born baby and President Burt arranged for her to fly back with us, which was really awesome and apparently is very special and never happens. So that was really cool. Then we went and called home, sorry mom maybe if you had answered your phone more when I was home I might have called you {what!!...ok he got me there...}, after we boarded the plane and took off to Canada and I did not like turbulence because it felt like a mini tower of terror except 10,000 feet in the air. When we actually got to Vancouver we had to go through customs which was terrible and I didn't think it would be that hard to get in to Canada but they asked a lot of questions and I passed so I got to stay. then when I went over by the exit where President Burt, Sister Burt and the Canadian missionaries where. The Humidity was terrible I felt like I was taking a shower. Then we went to the Mission Office and had some orientation and had our Interview with President Burt not to much to write home about but then we got to say at a hotel and went to bed at 9:50 instead of 10:50which so amazing. Then the next day we got up and had breakfast and went to our transfer meeting to find out where we are going and who our trainer would be. So my trainer is Elder Kelly and he is from Lehi,Utah and he actually went to school with Elder Walker. He is really cool and way funny and he is a really good singer. He has been out 3 months and only left on July 9th he is way cool. We are Serving in Kamloops 2nd ward. After then meeting and we had lunch we went out and went door knocking until the Elders that we were staying the night with came to pick us up and that was pretty interesting and very terrifying but we did that for about 30 min until they came and then we went to white rock which is their area and drop our stuff off then we went and Knocked on some more D's for 3 hours and some of the people were not very nice and one lady, who was Buddhist, told us about how she was trying to spread the message the technology is bad and phones can harm your body and with perfect timing the phone went off in my pocket and she told me that having a phone it your pocket can make you able to not have kids so that was pretty interesting. Then we met a lady named Anetta who was really Awesome and was asking a lot of questions and we gave her a Book of Mormon and she seemed really willing and ready to accept the gospel. That was so Awesome to find someone who was really ready to accept the Gospel and it made the other 2:45 worth it. Then the next day we had to get up at 5:50 to get to the greyhound in Langley that we would take for 5 hours to Kelowna and that was for ever so most of the time i just slept but it was so long and finally when we got to Kelowna we met the Zone Leaders Elder Kennedy and Elder Smith and they are so funny. then we finally got to our car and loaded it up and got some lunch and started our 2 hour drive to Kamloops after that we went and met the Bishop and a few other people and that was the day pretty boring and uneventful. The next day I got to do weekly planning and that took almost 4 hours and was so long and then we met some members and met an Investigator Brian who really loves to talk and always never seems to be fully sober but when we go to teach him 40 min of the lesson his him talking and telling stories and 20 min is us actually teaching but it was cool because he came to church on Sunday and so did some other Investigators. Sunday was so busy we went to church and then contacted a referral and then went the the other wards sacrament meeting with an other investigator and then went and taught a lesson and then went to a member family's house and then went to another members house for dinner and then we went to another members house and finally back to our apartment but that was a very long day that didnt even feel like a Sunday. So yeah it has been a crazy couple of days and I know this is really long but a lot has happened and its really crazy to think that a week ago i was still in the MTC doing laundry. Its been great!

Love Elder Slack

***

following the email he sent some final pictures of his district from the MTC

This one of our other teacher brother Metcalf 

from left to right Elder Spitler, Elder Vanleeuwen, Elder Hancock, Elder Payne, Me, Elder Walker, Brother Metcalf, Elder Jang, Elder Crapo

"This is the classier half of our MTC district"

We also received his new mailing address for anyone interested:

Elder William Slack

2080 B Westsyde Rd. 

Kamloops B.C V2B 0E7 

"and yes it is supposed to be a y in Westsyde"