Goals

Its weird to think that I will be home for Christmas next year. I want to prep you a little bit just in case it does happen but I was talking to Sister Cotterell and telling her about how Ian was baptized on the 18th of December ( I think anyways, I haven't heard yet) and how I wanted to attend the temple with them but I go home the 14th. She said that missionaries have extended for a week or so to go to that. So I think they are planning to go to the temple on the 20th maybe and if they do I might extend till right before Christmas. I hope you don't mind but I think it would be a really neat experience to be able to see them progress to that point. Its far away but I wanted to give you a heads up of what I was thinking.

It was really wonderful to converse with President this week. I am so grateful for his guided inspiration and love for me. I truly feel it every time I get his LTP'S and every time I speak with him. I am thankful for all the prayers directed towards me and all his thoughts that really help me. I am so grateful to read in the Tar Heels each month and know that is exactly what I needed for that month. I am thankful that he is worthy of the spirit to help me become what my Heavenly Father wants me to become. I will be forever grateful for him and his wonderful wife, Sister Cotterell.

This week has been a very interesting week for me. Elder Petersen, as you know, has been pretty sick all week and its been hard to go out and work just because he was hit hard with something. I have had alot of time to reflect on my year as a missionary and make some great goals that will help me become a better missionary this next year. I am so grateful for my Savior and his Atonement. I have been doing a thorough study of it and have found my love for the Savior increase and deepen. I know that through His Atonement all the mistakes I make can be forgiven and forgotten. The hardest part is forsaking the sin but when you study out of the Book of Mormon every day it really makes things easier.

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Wichiers. He is a great missionary and Leader. We had a really great time sharing the gospel with whoever we came in contact with and had a great lesson with one of their investigators, Brittany. I learned a lot from him. We had a really great study the next morning that will change me as a missionary. We studied accountability and I also studied goals. It was a very eye opening experience for me. I came to the conclusion that I need to be more accountable for my work to you and the Lord. So I hope you don't mind but this is more for me but I am going to write down the goals that I have made for myself this week and our companionship goals. So this week I am going to Read from the Book of Mormon for half an hour each day, I am also going to my make sure that I exercise for half an hour each day not just 15 minutes, I am going to be more diligent about writing in my journal each day and I am going to drink three Nalgene Bottles of Water each day. As a companionship we are going to be making sure we update the Area Book Daily and make our calls for the day at 3:00. I think that this will help me be more accountable for my goals.

We have had some great success in the area. We are going to be teaching alot of new people this week under the direction of the members. They are truly helping us out a lot with people to teach. Its so wonderful. I am so grateful for the members of the ward. They have been a true blessing in my life. Like I said in interviews, as we have made the effort to reach out to every member and visit them and try and teach them a lesson my love for them has grown. We also have made these forms for the members so that we can fill out the people they have said they want to share the gospel with and we review them every night and make sure whenever we are with them that we ask them how their friends are. I really believe that we have great member trust and it can only get better. I am very grateful for my companion. Elder Petersen is a great missionary and I am definitely blessed to be with him. I truly love him.

We have been working a lot with Steve this week helping him prepare for his Baptism. He is doing GREAT!!! We made a plan with him to overcome his addiction and it is really working. He says that he is 100 percent clean. We are really excited for him. We have been meeting with him at least twice a week and have been making daily contact which he says has really helped him. He also loved the baptism. He has never been to a convert baptism so it was a really neat experience for him. I am so grateful for him. He is a wonderful individual who needs the gospel in his life. I see that he has a lot of potential and that the Lord has great things in store for him. What a blessing it has been to be a part of his life.

Well I hope y'all know that I love you so much. You guys are so wonderful and it was great being able to speak with you this week. I hope y'all know that I love you very much.

Love Elder Butler