December 22, 2014

Hola Familia/ Amigos 

     Well I should probably start off by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! This week has been a lot of fun, but as usual there always seems to be a few trials that throw me for a loop!!

     Leaving Rio Vista last week absolutely just crushed me. However I just knew that it was probably what was best considering the situation that I was put in. However, leaving those people there that I loved so much was definitely one of the hardest things I have done throughout my mission. 

    When the time came around to pack the car up Wednesday morning to head to our all mission Christmas party, I realized that my bike had been stolen that night! Not having a lot of time because I still had to travel to Santa Rosa, and we had to be there at a certain time, I called the police and filed a police report. It absolutely crushed me knowing I had to leave the area, and I had no time to try and look for my bike. So, feeling, frustrated I figured my best option was to just go and pray to the Lord, to be able to talk with him, and discuss my frustrations knowing that he would help me over come the situation.  

    Well, then we were on our way to Santa Rosa. We had the wonderful opportunity to have a great Christmas party as a mission. It was a ton of fun, and we were able to feel the spirit throughout the entire evening. It was super weird not seeing people like Elder Payne there though!  However, it was a lot of fun, and the food was great! 

    My arrival in Sebastopol has been absolutely amazing. It has been a lot of fun, working with my new companions Elder Young, and Elder Green! Elder young is from Montana. He went into the military before his mission, so he is definitely older but is a hard worker, which is great. Elder Green is from Grand Prairie, Alberta Canada. He is super cool, and we are training him! 

    We are having a lot of fun working hard here in Sebastopol. We were at church on Sunday and a member named Brother Swank came up an asked me, if I was the Albertson who lived in Nampa Idaho! Small world, but this is the grandson of Brother Swank who dad and I home taught when we lived in the 18th Ward. It was a ton of fun talking with him about all of the families that he knew, and such. He is such a great guy and I look forward to getting to know him more and more. He is awesome! 

    I am doing so well. I'm happy, and doing great. I have come to know my Savior so much more in these past few weeks, than I ever have before in my entire life. I feel so much closer to him as well. I can honestly say my mission has completely changed the way I look at things now, like loosing my bike. 

I love you all, an am so grateful for your prayers and support. I can't wait to talk with you all on Thursday! 

Love you! 

Elder Albertson