Hello there!

Great to get your emails!!! Thank you so much!

Bishop Prince- Thanks so much for your email. Got a good laugh and am glad to hear that everything is going well. I love you Bishop. Merry Christmas and thanks for being the best!

Leah Lasike-Thank you for your letter and the sweet Redfish sticker. Glad to hear that you are doing well. Have a great Christmas and enjoy school break!

Sounds like you are all doing well. I was sad to hear about your brother Grandma. Thank you for having such a great testimony and wonderful example. I love you and Grandpa and I hope that you enjoy your Christmas season.

I sure hope that David gets feeling better. I will be praying for him and Rio and all of his family. What a scary thing to have a motorcycle accident as that. He has been such a good friend to our family and especially Brennen and Alex. Prayers to him. Redfish family is family!

This week was a excellent week and I really enjoyed it. The highlights were doing visits with Enzo Martinez, the Bishops son, and Factundo Currelef.

Picture of youth member who has his mission papers in!

But most of all is the baptism of Miguel Angel and Martha. They are so awesome and the ward is so happy for them. Martha is a social person and is just learning so much and making all the friends possible. Miguel was a big tango dancer and now that he doesn't have his leg he was depressed, and he has changed so much...he feels hope. He is so happy and they are just pumped. He had a great week this week working with the members and we had a good turnout at the baptism. Elder Costanzi confirmed Martha and I confirmed Miguel Angel. That is a really special experience.

Baptism of Martha and Miquel

I love the ward here. I would love to have all my time to work with them, but I am grateful for what I have. The mission is preparing for transfers and for Christmas.  Also tomorrow the 22 zone leaders are coming in and we have a one day conference with them. Then I am planning on going to Necochea to do observations. We have had two low baptizing months in a row now and so we are trying to see what we can do to change that. I love the mission so much, there really is just so much oppurtunity. I love that.

This week I really enjoyed my studies. I am trying to finish the new testament before the end of the year. I will make it.  Somewhere I heard a scripture in D&C 95:13 that talks about not living the ways of the world. I have loved that in my mission. It is so freeing to know that every morning when I wake up I have one purpose and that purpose is to invite everyone to Christ through faith, repentence, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and then to stay strong in the Gospel. Oh man, that is the best. I also learned this week the importance of relying on God. When I got here in the office for the first little while I tried to do it all be myself and the last little while I have changed my attitude and trusted a little more in God and huge blessing have come. (Helaman 4: 12-13)

This week is the last week of the transfer and then next week it will be transfer in the begining of the week, then Christmas prep, the conference, Christmas, and then in the first week of January we have the next round of zone conferences. So I have to use the time in my area very wisely. It goes by like nothing.

Dad- I hope that you are doing awesome. I am sure that you were happy for all the sporting events this week. I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Devotional yesterday. I will try to watch for it on the internet here this week. I sure love you Dad. Thank you for your outstanding example. This week I was doing a practice with an Elder for comp study and I have my pencil jar covered with the picture of you all at the Hoover Dam and we acted like we were teaching you all as investigators. It was actually interesting because I realized that if I could teach everyone with the same love that I have for you all it would be a really more powerful teaching. Charity fights all complacency, or things average.  Have a great one Pops!! Your'e the man.

Mom- Thank you for your email. I loved your soup story for Pack Meeting...(stone soup idea) ...and don`t worry I don't think I have had to eat anything like that here! I dont think I have ever ate soup with members. Tell Tom, Jon, and Mikaela that if they pass by Bahia Blanca on their way to Patagonia to look up the mission office. I am here Monday through Friday 11-5. haha No, I dont think we can have visits, but they can come and we will teach them!! I love you Mom SO MUCH!

Mikesell-Great job, great job in your race!! I am really happy for you. It sounds like you are crazy busy but happy. I love you Mikesell so much. Enjoy the stress of finals and live it up. I ran three times this week, I have lost all of my sprint. But I can walk for days. I love you Mikesell. Peace.

Brennen- Hey Mr. Newly ordained Priest, that is awesome!! I am super excited. That is great that you are taking some fun classes. Sounds like you will need surgury on your knee huh. That is no fun. Hopefully it will help you. Take some pics of your sled and show me. How is Bridon doing? Is he engaged yet?  :)jk  I love you Brennen!! Keep playing really hard, living hard, and being awesome.

ALEX- Sup bro. How is life? I miss you man. I am going to whip you into shape on that Kitchen door hoop though dont you worry. How is your testimony? What do people know you for?
I love you buddy. Represent the good stuff in life.

Harrsion- Every picture I see of you, you look more grown up. That is good. Are you going to play rec ball this year. I love you buddy. Keep being awesome....

McCall- WOW!! Where did your teeth go? You are going to need dentures if you don't start growing in some teeth where you have lost those babies! That is incredible. I love you McCall. What stories are you reading these days? Are you looking for Elfy every morning?

Well Fam,

I love you all more than air. I hope that this week is wonderful and that you know that I love you and am so grateful for you.

Keep being the best. Love you all.

I love Heavenly Father and this work.

Elder Austin