Dear Family,

It is so nice to hear from you guys. It sounds like we have had better weather the past couple of days than you have. Yesterday, Sunday, was very warm, and today feels like it will be the same. I am happy to have the nice weather, especially since I have been told that it is supposed to be a high of 32 this Friday…Bhrrr, at least I should be used to it by now. These last few weeks should be a "breeze".

I do not know if I am being transferred yet or not. I will find that out next week. Depending on what happens, I have a genius idea on how I can get you my new address next week so you don't have to wait another week to get it from me. Elder Kimball and I have to go to the post office to get some information from them and a key for our mailbox. I am very happy that you guys think about my companions for Christmas…I think that they really appreciate it. I would like to ask you though not to send much to me for this Christmas. I just don't want to have to send a bunch of stuff home after getting it. I didn't think that you would do that anyway, but I thought I would just put it in anyway.

I am excited for Thanksgiving! We are going to have to come up with some things to do. We aren't supposed to go out and do any "finding" (looking for new people to teach) so we have to come up with some creative things to replace it. The holidays are always fun though, and it will give us a little different angle to talk with people about. We will be able to change things up a bit.

I can't believe that I am so close to coming home. I am very sad to leave the missionary work, but I am excited to be able to see you all. I am also nervous, and excited, to be able to go back to school. I just don't know what to expect. Right now though, it is nice to have the missionary work to take my mind off of things. I think that this is another genius thing about the church. They keep us working hard to the very end. It is a wonderful idea to keep us busy. It will also be really cool to hear from you guys at Christmas.

Mom, I’m sorry for not being able to get you my address for so long. I promise I will get it to you soon. Thanks for being so great.

Things are going really well here in Columbus. We have some great investigators in both Wards. Geneva is still doing well. She is still trying to overcome some challenges, but I can tell that she will be able to do it. She has such a strong will, and I know that with the Lord’s help she will win out in the end. Her son, Aaron, is also doing well. He has quit smoking, and he is reading the Book of Mormon with his mom. They have a lot of questions, but it is good because it means that they are truly trying to understand it. We are very proud of them.

In Columbus first ward, we have a new investigator. His name is Scott. Scott's story is amazing. He first came into contact with the church during the time before the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated. He was able to go through the Temple open house and see inside. Then, he also took the chance to go to Carthage jail.  That, to him, was very spiritual. He felt a strong impression there. Since then, he has been studying the Book of Mormon. Actually, he has a Triple Combination. He also has other books, movies, and even one entire 8-hour set of General Conference on video. He got into contact with the other missionaries, and they told us. He came to church yesterday, and we haven't even had a lesson with him yet. We are meeting with him tonight, and I am excited about it. I hope that all goes well. One neat side note…he went to school at Indiana University. They are a very big Music school. He got his Doctorate in music there. He is an intelligent man.

Thanks for taking care of the school stuff for me. I am so grateful for your help. I am also very grateful that I don't have to worry about it. That is a great blessing.  Thank you so much. As for Institute, I am not too worried about what you pick.  As long as it isn't too difficult of a class this semester it will be OK. Actually, the World Religions class sounds interesting. I have learned a few things about different religions here on my mission, but it would be cool to see the church's point of view on it. How does signing up for institute work though? That is one thing I would like to know. I would also like to know if the classes get more difficult as the numbers go up? I just don't fully know how institute works. One class I might like to take is The New Testament class, but let me know what you think.

I only have a few minutes left so I will make this short.

Thanks for everything that you guys have done for me. I love you all very much. Take care, I want to see you all in a few weeks.

Love,

Elder Savage