March 21st Email !!!

Hey Everyone,

For being spring break this past week we did a great job at staying busy and the Lord blessed us for it. We announced in church last Sunday that we needed things to do this coming week because of spring break and the members stepped up. We were able to give 6 church tours this past week! Thats great on a normal week. We started the week by going to the golf range with one of our members and it was a blast. Never hit so well in my entire life! Maybe it's because I'm on a Mission and my Mission President is a Pro Golfer. But a had a few drives, with a rented club, that went 300 yards and best of all they were going straight haha. Wednesday we went to Clearwater for Institute and afterwards one of the members said that his friend was here and wanted him to be taught. So we got to know him and answered his questions and taught a little bit of the first lesson and set up a return appointment. Elder Cook and I were talking after the lesson and something seemed a little different. So when we arrived at his the address he gave us on Friday as we were driving through there were nurses and doctors walking with people around and mini play grounds for adults so we pieced together what we thought was a little of a couple nights before, but I'll let you piece that all together. Because of the distance we couldn't travel there enough each week so the missionaries in Clearwater will teach him. We were asked by a member on Sunday if we could come over Thursday to give her a blessing. We arrived with our male member, so all bases were covered haha, and when we walked in the room her some of her roommates were watching TV and she walked up to the TV and shut it off and said that the Elders are here to teach us now and another one came out of the room and sat down and they all looked at us just waiting for us to teach. Elder Cook and I looked at each other like "I thought we were here to give a blessing?" so we proceeded to share the First Lesson with them. 2 of the 3 wanted a copy of The Book of Mormon and hopefully will continue to progress. Afterwards we went in the other room to give her a blessing and said sorry for not giving you a heads up on the lesson when I was going out to meet you at the front desk I told them that I wanted the missionaries to share a message with you and they were all willing. Obviously we replied that no apology was needed and thanked her for the opportunity to teach them. We had a great dinner at our Ward Mission Leader's house for St. Patrick's Day and had corned beef and cabbage and a green soda stuff. The Sister's in our zone had a referal for us and we were able to teach him on Saturday and he is solid! He taught us about the Great Apostasy and told us that stuff in the Bible had been lost over time in translation, he has accepted the committment to read The Book of Mormon and do as Moroni says to "have a sincere heart, real intent, and having faith in Christ" and we'll be meeting again with him this week. Crystal asked her Dad about baptism this past week and she said it went pretty good and she wants to get baptized here in Tampa and soon. We are meeting this Friday with her and are going to let her set her own date for when she wants to be baptized. Another member called us up and said that his friend had deep doctrine questions and wanted to meet us at the church. It went really smooth and she has agreed to start taking the lessons. The member approached us at church on Sunday and said that his friend has another friend she wants to bring to learn about the church as well!!! Finally things are starting to turn around here!!! Saturday morning we had a service project at the VA Hospital in St. Pete and we painted the basketball court and spread molch and it was a blast! The whole St. Pete Stake did it and it was great to see a lot of the member's that I knew in the Clearwater Ward. Transfers are this Saturday!! I don't wanna leave but I'm pretty sure I'm leaving.

I Love You All

Elder Salmon