Dear Family

Wow, y'all actually saw a tornado in the Rexburg area? I wonder if that has ever happened before... We've had a lot of tornadoes here in Texas. There were a couple that touched down in the Cooperas Cove Area and the Kileen area. One of them actually passed over Gatesville without touching down, and then started heading back towards us. Luckily it turned away before it got close enough to be a threat. There was a bunch of pretty sweet lightning.
Also, that humongous amount of wind that we had... two weeks ago? Well, it was a 'Heat Burst', as they call it down here. It's when a thunderstorm collapses and releases all of that stored up energy into the air (at least that is what I gather from what I have been told), which causes a temperature spike for a couple of hours and strong winds. It spiked the temperature up to about 90 degrees F. It had been a long time since one of those had happened, and apparently the one before last caused a temperature spike to 140 degrees F. At least that's what I'm told.

It's raining today, apparently across the majority of the mission. We really needed the rain. It's about 50 degrees outside right now.

Anyways, we've had a lot of ups and downs this week. Elder Randle left for the Colleyville Zone, and I got a new companion: Elder Smith. He's from the Twin Falls area. He's a really great missionary and wants to see this area move forward as quickly as it can. He's got a stutter, but that doesn't stop him from testifying of the truth that he knows. The first day we went tracting we got many return appointments, which hasn't happened in the history of this area for quite a while. I was amazed at how strongly the Spirit testified to his words.
Unfortunately, Satan has also been working hard. Nearly all of our appointments have punched. There is one that has a lot of promise. They are an older couple living near our apartment. He's a pastor at a local church, and her mother was a member. We met her first, and she didn't really open up until we prayed with her. Then she started asking us about baptisms for the dead, and she got really excited about the subject. When we came back for our appointment yesterday, she feeling rather ill, which her husband informed us on, but she swayed to the door to apologize and ask us to come back later when she was feeling better. Just by looking at her I could see how badly she was feeling. But I could see the determination in her eyes to talk with us.

Have you sent that package full of clothing, Mom? I haven't received a package yet. If you did, did you send it to the Gatesville address or to the mission office address?

Thank you for the $50 dollars in my bank account; I will use it wisely.

Yes, Morgen, it is always painful to run in Texas; you can't step anywhere without landing on a pair of spurs. ;) Oh, and could you tell Emily for me that I haven't been hit by a tornado? Thanks!

Love,
Elder Barney