Dear Shanell,

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!

On Christmas Eve I helped President Gray do transfers. I get to go out to Elizabeth the end of December, and I'm excited! Then we went caroling with 5 of the office Elders and Sisters Dulics, Kuhn, Hoffman, and Fawcett.

On Christmas day we went to the Barossa Valley and arrived at the Charltons at about 10:30 am. Elders Chapman, Steed, and I got some letter-writing sets from them. They are neat! Then Elder Chapman got dressed up like Santa and the kids got little stockings and even the adults sat on his lap. He got very hot!

We ate dinner with Peter Hollow and visited with his friend, Joseph, whom he baptized on his mission in Melbourne. Then we went up to the Snell's home and it was fun! They gave us boxes of candy! 

On Friday we had a Book of Mormon marathon. Elders Bleyl and Webb started at 5:30 am and finished at midnight. A grand total of 18 hours! Pretty good! Since I had already done a marathon, I decided to study the Old Testament. I gained a better understanding of the book of Ruth and how it fits in with the Bible. 

On Saturday we drove President and Sister Gray to the airport to go to Port Lincoln. Then the whole office staff watched "It's a Miracle" at the President's home. 

On Sunday a man by the name of Brad Pierce called and asked to come to church. He is a member from Provo, Utah, and we found out he is a world class tennis player. He played Boris Becker, Jimmy Conners, and Pat Cash (Australian). He is in Australia to play again. Elders Bleyl and Webb brought him to our ward and he was called to bear his testimony. It is neat to say I've rubbed shoulders with him. 

On Monday I spent $200 on souvenirs. Elder Steed and I went to Rundle Mall and I bought 2 cuddly koala bears, a book on South Australia, 7 postcards, and a big Red Kangaroo skin. Afterward we called everyone about transfers and I packed up to leave the office flat the next morning. I hope I can be a good follower to my zone leaders. It will be humbling.

On Tuesday I loaded my stuff in a car and Elders Angst, Steed, and I drove to our new flat. It is the nicest flat in the mission. It is beautiful! It was a very hot and humid day and we had stayed up so late talking the night before that I crashed on my new bed. At 6 pm we went to a zone meeting. Elder Norris told me to be quiet twice and Elder Zurzolo just jokingly leaned over to me and said, "Eating humble pie, huh?" It was funny.

At 7:45 Elders Steed, Angst, and I picked up Elder Adams from the airport. He came back from Alice Springs and it was so great to see him again! He is cool! We took him to visit with President Gray and then went back to our flat to get to know each other better. It was great to see him again!

Love,

Elder Wallentine