Toploftily

Hello Family. Gobbldy gook and whatnot. Happy Thanksgiving week/start of the Christmas season. My week was pretty good, here goes the breakdown (I kinda like this style now).

Monday- Nothing really happened.

Tuesday- Lots happened. I went up do Denton on exchange! Woo! (speaking of Denton, I used to go to Aubrey all the time, but they recently were swallowed up into the Dallas mission. Boo.) It was so fun! Haha, it was like going home kinda, I got to see a lot of members I used to visit, and even one of the people that got baptized while I was there. It was a super awesome day for sure.

The Barrera Family (Elder Long and I found them on my first day in the mission. She told me I looked a lot skinnier than the last time she saw me... #fatcole).

Denton! Elder Burningham, me Brown, and Cook

Wednesday- We went to an english district meeting up in Denton and it was really weird. Haha, it felt super weird to be in a meeting like that. We drove home from Denton (bye home), and right when we got home we started another exchange with one of our district leaders, so I was in our area doing the day Elder Cook had planned the night before. Haha, it ended up going really well. I forgot to take a picture of that exchange whoops.

Thanksgiving- We exchanged back in the morning, then went to a thanksgiving lunch. It was a pretty traditional one with turkey and whatnot, and the family had invited their non-member friends as well as a craftily disguised ploy haha. It was really cool though. Then at night, we went and saw a mexican family and had a really nice mexican dinner with no turkey involved whatsoever. It was cool to get the both sides. Haha, we taught the family why we celebrate thanksgiving and whatnot, and they started to tell us about all of the weird traditions that different parts of mexico had and it was super funny haha. 

Friday- We went on exchange with the Arlington zone leaders and it was really fun. I was with elder Ostlund in Arlington , who I had served around before, so we had a really great exchange. 

Cook, Leavitt, Ostlund, Hansen (that is my exchange box I carry all my stuff in haha)

Saturday- a really good day, but I don't remember any specifics.

Sunday- So every sunday, the bishopbrick + 1 other family rotate through feeding the missionaries, but this week was 5th sunday, so there was no food. When the first counselor found out that there was no food for us in ward council, he flipped his lid and was legitimately angry hahaha. We told him we were fine and whatnot, but when they started sacrament meeting, during announcements the guy conducting said, "The missionaries don't have a dinner tonight, and they are hungry, so everyone please take the snacks out of your purse and give them to the missionaries." Hahaha, it was so awesome. Jose and Erica got baptized, and either there was a leak in the font, or we didn't fill it up enough, so they had to do it kneeling down. Other than that, everything went smooth. 

All in all, a very good week. Sounds like y'all had a good time at the buffet. Leena looks a ton bigger and older than before. I am secretly celebrating the fact I don't have to eat curry for at least one more year. Hansen out.

Love,

Cole

Surprises and Firesides

Editor's Note:  Last week Coleman sent me a letter for my Birthday and surprised me with a BAPTISM that he and his companion had!  The baptism was the Saturday before, and was from someone he placed a Book of Mormon with the very first day of his mission.  What an awesome Birthday present!!

I never know how to start these letters and it always looks way stupid when I do. Haha, but whatever. Haha, I hope you liked the birthday present Mom. Haha, the real story is that I never really knew what Maria was up to at all, until like a week before she was baptized. More about her later. 

Anywiggle, this week was pretty weird. Haha, Elder Long went home, I got a new companion, and some other cool stuff. Haha, it was way weird to send Elder Long home, because I am about as far away from going home as it could be. I barely hit 4 months haha. My new Comp. is named Elder Henderson, he is from Lehi, Utah, he loves poetry, long walks on the beach, a nice glass of scotch, and of course his dog Baxter. He goes home after this transfer. He spent the last few transfers as an AP, so he knows what's up with all this missionary witchcraft. He is a cool guy, and I'm excited to work with him. 

That is way cool that G. Ma & G. Pa are done/going to Antarctica haha, pretty crazy. But awesome as usual haha. Hahah Mom, always talking about me/ things having to do with me. It sounds like you had a good Birthday month this year Mom! Haha, sounds like a real busy week for everyone as well.

It was way cool, last night they had a little fireside dealy-do where they asked some recent converts to talk, and Maria was one of the 3. She talked last, and she stood up and said "They didn't tell me I was gonna talk in English, so I wrote everything in Spanish." Hahaha, whoops my bad. But she stood up and told everyone her story and it was way cool haha. President Ames was there and he talked a little bit too, it was pretty cool. It was a pretty sweet week for sure haha. 

Anywhey, haha I hope you have a good week and whatnot!

Love, Cole

**Coleman and Leena's Letters to each other:

Leena says:  "Tickle me, tickle me. And I love you so much being my brother forever. Today I have dance and school. I really miss you. You miss Liza and our family?  I love you so much".

From Coleman:   "Hahah, Leena Leena Leena. Haha I am your brother forevers. Today I have shopping and dance haha jk I have basketball not dance. I do miss you too, even though you forget me a little bit. Haha love you too Leeners."

Happy Birthday Mom!!

 "My Christmas Present to myself." Love the Texas Bolo Tie - but he clearly needs to work on his "Selfie's"!!

Fun Christmas present from Aunt Michelle