Dear Family,

I woke up on the 7th and went into the bathroom. Elder Lewis has a calendar on the bathroom door, and I realized that I had been on my mission for exactly 10 months. I am out of the single digit range, and it is a little weird feeling.  I look forward, and each transfer seems like it will take a while to go by, but I look back, and it seems to have flown by. I just don't know what to think of it all. Mostly though, it seems as if time is going by quickly. My birthday wasn't too bad out here, but I have been told that Christmas is probably the hardest. I am still excited for the Holidays though, and also to be able to call home again. I can't believe that only a couple of weeks after Christmas will be my one-year mark.  I guess that is how life is meant to be though. It just seems to fly by. I just need to enjoy the here and now.

I hope Levi enjoyed his birthday. It may seem a little lame with all the balloons thing, but when you leave home, all of the lame things seem fun now. Those are the things that you start to miss. I can't wait till I get to have another "lame" birthday again. I thought that the card would be funny. I guess that he chose the message since you guys heard my voice. I still would have gone with the car myself, but I guess as the saying goes, "to each his own".

It is good to hear that Grandma is doing better, and that she was able to get the pins taken out of her arm. It sounds like the whole ordeal would be a little painful if you ask me.  Now I just hope that she can continue to do her rehab and the exercises that go along with it. She needs to do those to get her full range of motion back. Tell her that I said to work hard. I don't want to come back and have a Grandma with only one working arm.

Well, I still find it a little weird how much things are changing while I am gone. There is Misti's baby, Mike got married, and now Spencer is getting married. I hope that everything goes well for them, and that they will be able to make everything work.

I can't believe that Albertsons has been changed to Associated Food's now. It just isn't ever going to be the same again, but I guess it isn't meant to be. We will just have to get used to using different products now.

How can Braxton possibly be working on his Eagle project? He just doesn't seem old enough yet. I still feel a little regret for not getting mine at times. Oh well, I guess there is no crying over spilt milk. The project that he is doing sounds interesting. I'm not surprised that there is a need to send things like that for missionaries. I have met a couple of missionaries out here in Indiana who have basically been disowned by their families. It has to be very hard for them. I am so very blessed to at least have the support of my family. It would be lonely without that support.

Yes, things are still going well out here in Hoosierville. Our Investigators are still doing well, and we have a couple of appointments coming up that I am really excited about. You are right, I am a little nervous about the possibilities of the future, but I also know that the Lord will give me the strength to get them done. I just need to work hard, and everything will fall into place. I have only begun to understand how powerful faith can truly be. I also have only scratched the surface of what personal study can do. I am learning so many great things out here. I just want to be able to remember them all for the rest of my life. I can't imagine what just going to church every week does for me. There are just so many blessings that the Lord is waiting to give us.

Thanks for the updates. It is exciting to hear about everything that is happening. Tell everyone that I love and miss them, and also tell Levi to continue to work hard. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Savage

P.S.  Transfers are next week, so you know the drill with letters and packages. Send them to the mission office. I will let you know what is happening next week when I find out for myself.

      Elder Colton Savage

     1216 N. Central Ave. #7

     Connersville, IN  47331