Festival of Lights!

Festival of Lights

View of the Temple from the beltway

 

 

Dear Family!

This has been a pretty great week regarding most things! This week has been most filled with finding activities again so that has been quite the fun filled week. We have had some great lessons at the door  at metro stops so that is very exciting. The weather here has basically been sunny for the entirety of the week. It's about 35-50 depending on the day but the humidity makes it bone chilling. I did indeed receive my package and I thank you very much for it!

On Tuesday we went to our district meeting as usual. And after that we got to go to the farm! It was such a great time. We got to go and do this thing called riding. We walk on the side of the horse while down syndrome kids do their riding lessons which is just tons of fun to do! We get to do that until it's time to be in so it takes the day up. We get to do a lot of farmy things. We get to plant garlic, clean stalls and such! It really is so much fun though because we get to be with other missionaries! 

Wednesday we got to go and do another session at the temple. It is always just such a joy to go and do! There are members of our ward that work on Wednesdays just because they love when all the missionaries come in. Following the great temple trip, Elder Timmerman had a birthday on Monday so we had lunch at Olive Garden because he had gift cards! It was a great lunch and we then got to go and contact before our dinner appointment. It is still very nerve racking for me to contact people but I am slowly getting better at it. 

Thursday night was the first day of Festival of Lights. It was our first opportunity to go to the visitor center and watch the performances they have on there. We are allowed to go every night if we have a member with us or an investigator. Our ward is really great at going to these so we have been able to go a couple of times. They have set up tons of lights at the visitor center so it is a pretty big public attraction! 

Friday night we were supposed to go on exchanges with President Cooke. We had an appointment scheduled with our investigator David. President Cooke got stuck in a meeting and wasn't able to make it out in time for our appointments. Since our last appointment of the night cancelled, we went to the nearest metro station and went caroling with our roommates district.  

 Saturday night was the ward Christmas party and there was a really great turn out. The ward was really great at putting it together and there were different things that happened with it. Santa even came! 

Sunday night we got to go to the Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency. It started at 8 though so we were late getting in. After the devotional had ended I felt like we needed to stay for some bizarre reason. Elder Johnson was trying to get us out of there but I didn't want to leave. As we were finally walking out of the door a member called us who was there. He had already returned home and couldn't find his cell phone. So we were able to go in and locate his phone to take home to him. 

It's been a really great week and the members are really taking care of us. 

Love,

Elder Bentley