2/28/11

Dear Mom,
I don't know what the missions rules are for picking up missionaries and driving them home are. If you called the office they would tell you. If you picked me up all we would do is drive the whole time. I would love to see you at the mission home and introduce you to president and sister Ely but the drive would be long. I think we would have just as much fun if I flew and then we would not have to drive 13 hours.
This last week elder Nonu and I had fun. If you have a map, we traveled from Sidney to a city called Kimball. It is actually the second largest in our area. Along the way we stopped in other small towns to tract and try and visit people. We gave out one Book of Mormon and several pamphlets. We also found some people who lived way out there. One man had actually passed away almost a year ago and no one new. I felt sad to think that the ward is so large that people fall threw the cracks.
We traveled to (45 miles) Kimball worked there then received a call that our zone conference in Wyoming is canceled because of a snow storm. We got permission to stay with some members in Kimball and worked out there for a few days. We found a part member family that let us come teach them. We invited the dad to prepare himself to baptize his wife.
We also found a family is Sidney, the Swires the husband is a member and the wife and three kids are not. We taught them about prayer and invite the family to pray as a family every day. At the end of the lesson we invited brother Swires to say the closing prayer. We all knelt down as a family. It was amazing the spirit was so strong. Everyone participated even the kids. I know they felt the spirit. Pray that they have the faith to pray.
Today we are going to be traveling down to Cheyenne. We are going to be meeting up with the Scottsbluff Elders and driving down with them to save miles so we can be with the other elders for at least one P-day.
Love Elder Durfee
PS tell dad thanks for the scripture. This scripture stood out to me, 1 Nephi 1:20. “I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord.” I thought it was profound that Nephi felt that the things that happened to him and his family were “tender mercies” whereas Laman and Lemuel did “Murmur” (1 Nephi 2:12).
PSS happy Birthday Katie good luck driving.