hey everyone!

this week went by pretty quick but was a great one. we had interviews on tuesday and in my interview with president colton it was so great. we have grown very close in the past week and a half its amazing. it was weird at the end of the interview we normally end with a prayer and as we were about to we both looked at each other and before i could say it he said he just had a feeling to ask if i wanted a blessing instead and that was exactly what went through my head! the blessing was so amazing president colton has diffenantly been called of God. he gave me the exact same blessing that my stake president had given me as i was set apart to come out this last time almost word for word identical! for those who weren't there for my setting apart can ask my mom but in short i have a lot coming my way and i need to mature quick both as a person and in the understanding of this gospel. teaching this week has been unreal i finally feel like i am were i am supposed to be on my teaching skills. i am with some book smart missionaries and thanks to the advice from my boy big hoot i realized that i needed to be the people person that i am. instead of thinking scripture to read during the lesson i listened to both my companions and the investigators and let the spirit guide me in what to say. that was a lot of what elder neil l anderson said while he was here is that the spirit is the converter not you. it was like the handicap was finally taken off and it made so much sense. we set two baptismal dates this week for the 29th of this month. behold the field is white and ready to harvest! so like they say up here in Zephyrhills "GET ER DONE!" haha. debbie is the name of one of the investigators but i want to talk about the other one doris storer. she is 81 and couldn't be more golden. we taught the first lesson and after we told her the joseph smith story and the first vision we asked her what she thinks and she replied i believe he was a prophet and was annointed at that time to restore the gospel. holy cow!! since when do you get that reply at the end of the first lesson?! she has been through a lot in the past few years she has lost both breasts to breast cancer and is about to start treatment for her third case. i would ask all of you in your prayers to pray for her. i had the great opportunity of giving her a blessing and i don't think i will be able to tell you what i said but i know that with all our prayers she will be fine. i'm so blessed for these opportunities that i have been given the past week and a half and i won't leave my mission with any regrets. i read the talk "come what may and love it" i've been keeping positive no matter what and it makes the adversary weak and i love it! i'm low on time but mission conference was unreal and seeing all the missionaries in the mission was great! i have been so welcomed and loved for returning. i want you all to know that i found out as of right now i will be coming home august 1-3 of 2011

i love you all

elder salmon