Hello family!

I am officially training now. My companion is Elder Colten Mortensen from Paradise, Utah. He is really awesome. Very dedicated. He really wants to work hard and be obedient. The perfect trainee, practically. Of course, it is a huge, gigantic, stressful change for him. But that's how it is for every missionary. So it's a pretty exciting thing, overall. The transition is a really interesting thing, going from having a companion that is totally capable, to having a companion who knows literally nothing about being a missionary.

We're going to go down to Tulsa on Saturday and hear Elder Nelson speak to us for a couple of hours. That's incredibly exciting. I'm stoked!

I would also just like to say "Hi" to the Hardman family, if you're reading this. I am so excited for Jason to serve a mission! It's such a wonderful thing! :)

This morning I read through the first section of Joseph Smith-History. It was a wonderful experience. I read it slowly and carefully. Really thinking about what he was saying. Trying to put myself in his shoes. Relating it to myself. I looked up the definitions of a couple words I didn't know. Then when I was finished I sat, pondered, and prayed about it. I felt the Spirit very strongly. I challenge you all to do the same thing. Read over the account of the First Vision, and sit and think about it for a few minutes. Then talk with your Father in Heaven about how you feel and what you think about it. I know you will feel the Spirit, too. One interesting thing I thought about as I read, was the Prophet's total incapacity to write. He is such an awful writer. Very sincere and heart-felt, but lacking in skill. There is no possible way that the author of The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith-History are the same person. No way. He was completely, totally, %100 incapable of such a task. So that is my invitation to you this week(as well as my usual reminder to attend the temple).

The last couple weeks we have been doing our laundry at a Laundromat. My first time. I am so impressed. I want to own a Laundromat. Such a simple business. Huge initial investment, but it would pay for itself in no time. The key, I think, is the location. I'm very intrigued by it.

I don't know what else to write about this week, honestly. But I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Love,
Elder Bracken