Merry Christmas!!

So first things first, We're going to be making our calls at 3:45 on Christmas, so thats about 1:45 Pacific time. Thats the Plan at least, because Elder Dumke's parents need us to call before 4:30 our time.

So, we've had an awesome week! We've seen so many miracles all around us. It seems that everyday we come across someone that's incredibly prepared for what we have to share with them. We're very excited for all these people who are so humble and just willing to listen. Heavenly Father is truly blessing us with success so far.

Elder Dumke is so awesome. He could very well become one of my favorite companions, if not thee favorite. We work really well together, and get along great. He's really laid back, but very diligent in the work and so we keep very busy. I sure do love this kid! He rocks! He's from Salt Lake City, and is really tall. The weirdest thing is that he's the shortest of his 2 brothers and his dad. It's so crazy looking at a picture of him and his dad, because it looks like a normal picture. I mean most dads are taller than their sons, right? Well then I realized that not only is Elder Dumke 6'4" but his dad is 6'7"! Oh snap! I love him to death though.

We have a rockin zone this transfer. Everyone is absolutely solid. We have an area that's been struggling pretty bad, but they got a solid missionary there this transfer. Unfortunately they can't work right now, because he unexpectedly had an Appendicitis attack last night, and had surgery right away last night. They haven't had any chance to really work. It really stinks, cause that missionary really rocks! I love that guy!

Well, not too much else to mention. We're all really excited for Christmas. We got some giant bags of gifts from the Relief Society yesterday at church(All 6 of the missionaries in the ward got them!) filled with everything from deodorant and body wash, to blocks of cheese and candy bars. We would've waited for Christmas, but there was food, and it would've been an interesting experience with the cheese. haha! We're way excited for the Zone Christmas Party on Friday, when everyone gets gifts from the mission and their parents and letters and what not. The mission has been holding mail the past month for this, so thats why I haven't gotten a chance to write anyone. :/

Well I sure do love yall! I hope you have a wonderful week before Christmas!

~Elder Wiederholt

888 Oakwood Rd Ste 310

Charleston WV 25314

So far no snow! :D

Sorry I didn't get a chance to email yesterday, because tomorrow is transfers, and so we have pday on tuesday instead. Elder Stoker is being transferred to a small town of about 500 people in Floyd, VA. He's training, and is taking the area over from sister missionaries. He's way excited for it. My new companion is Elder Dumke, who is just as tall, and weighs just as much as I do. Haha. He's a stud though. He's been out for about 11 months, and has trained twice, while being a district leader at the same time. I'm really excited for this next transfer because we have some way sweet missionaries coming into the zone, and we're going to be playing basketball a lot on pdays. We're also getting a third companionship in the ward, out in Montgomery, WV which is the home of WVU Tech. It's a rougher area, but that's ok, the two going in there can handle themselves nicely. President is also starting to move sisters into the city areas so that they're around more members and therefore somewhat safer. The first step of that is happening in Teays valley, just about half hour away, where we're getting some sisters. They're the first in the zone for about 7.5 months.

Things are going awesome. We went and made cookies with a member and his kids. It was funny because a Taylor Swift Christmas song came onto his christmas playlist on his iPod, and Elder Stoker was kind enough to tell him and his kids about how much I like her. HA. So they all frosted cookies with things like "E.W. + T.S." which was made by an 8 year old. It was pretty funny. Thankfully I'm not the only one getting all the grief.

We're also getting things planned out for Christmas now. We don't quite know what time we'll be calling, but we're gonna get home from church probably around 2pm our time. We'll see. It's way crazy how fast time is flying by, because I swear we just had Thanksgiving!

Not a whole lot is really going on at the moment, just a lot of meetings and some craziness of transfers coming up. It's way nice to stay so busy. I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself when I get released from being a Zone Leader! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I get home! I can't even imagine myself not being a missionary! AHHH

Pictures are of Elder Stoker and I with a Recent Convert that we taught and was baptized in October. He recently has had some surgeries to help him get his Parkinsons under control a little more. Another is of Elder Stoker and I at a baptism from November. He's a way solid kid. Then the last is an excerpt from a book about George Washington by Glenn Beck. Apparently George Washington had a general named Wiederholdt. Sweet, huh!?

Love y'all!

~Elder Shain C Wiederholt

888 Oakwood Rd Ste 310

Charleston, WV 25314