Happy 2017!!

I am grateful that new years landed on a Sunday this year! It made for a great sacrament meeting with a lot of reflection about the new year. It was also really special because Fátima was confirmed a member of the church on the first day of the year!! Her baptism was on Friday and I had the privilege to perform the ordinance! She was so excited and happy on the day of her baptism!!

I wanted to relate Fátima's conversion story a little better for you guys. A while ago, a member gave us a referral of a locksmith so we went to talk to him. When we saw that he wasn't very interested, I asked him who he knew that could be, and he indicated Fátima, who lives close to his key store. So we went to talk to Fátima, who he informed us had a smoking problem and depression. She seemed a little scared when we first came to her house and didn't let us in, but accepted a pamphlet about the restoration. A few days later we came back, gave her a Book of Mormon to read, and marked to come back the next day. Ever since we taught her the first lesson she began to change very quickly. She received an answer to her prayers through a dream and started reading the Book of Mormon a lot. She is really intelligent and basically memorizes the contents of the chapters and then relates them to us! We gave her a priesthood blessing to stop smoking and drinking coffee and she never broke the word of wisdom since, she loved church, and she is finally happy. Her birthday is this week and I will give her a triple combination! She is already doing her genealogy and is excited to go to the temple soon to do baptisms for the dead!! She was truly prepared for the restored gospel.

Other than Fátimas baptism, we did an exchange this week and found a family that have visited temple square in Salt Lake City! They are traveling now, but when they come back in a couple weeks we will continue to teach them. One of them Has a Utah Jazz hat!

I am so excited for this new year! It's crazy to think that I have been serving a mission during all the year of 2016. I have missionary goals for this new year and am determined to achieve them. I know that all things are possible through diligence and faith and I also know that God has many souls prepared for me still on my mission. I love you guys and hope you have a wonderful start to the new year!

Elder Searle

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