Training Day

Happy April Fools Day to you as well,

I didn't have any jokes either, but I did love conference.  We made mission history this month with 106 baptisms.  It took a lot of fasting, prayer, diligence, obedience, and opposition, but we did it, and we'll do it again.

Transfers are tomorrow.  I am staying in Key West and I will be training a new missionary.  I don't know if I told you this, but Key West used to be an area that missionaries dreaded being sent to.  In the last few months, mostly due to Elder Brough's awesomeness, it has become one of the most successful areas of the mission.  I love it here.  It's not a normal town.  It's very different, but it's great.  I'm very excited to train.  I was nervous but then I watched general conference.  This is going to be my favorite transfer.  I learned that I should say that at the beginning of every transfer.

My favorite talks were probably Elder Hallstrom, uniting the gospel with the church, and President Uchtdorf "stop it."

Many of the problems in the church and in the world could be easily and simply solved if people would apply the principles in those two talks.

Pictures:  The end of the road.  The Key West Cemetary "dead end" and me hiding from my companion

Here I go!

Life is great.

Love,

Elder Fine

Rap Lyrics or Authentic American Poetry

thank you

you da best

here some pitchurs

of Key West

The Romero Family, from Mexico D.F. were baptized and confirmed yesterday.  They are awesome.  Edgar is 15 and will one day be a great missionary.

A Key Buck in Big Pine Key.

The Sunset.

That fish hangs on our wall directly above my study desk.  The member who owns our trailer is a fisherman by trade.  We're going fishing today with an investigator who in wholly converted to the church and actually teaches friends and strangers about it, but doesn't quite understand why he needs to be baptized in THIS church.  His wife got baptized last month.  His name is Mark.  I love him and his family.  He's the one that we caught shrimp with a couple weeks ago.  We'll probably use shrimp to catch fish today.

I love being a missionary.  I don't think I've said that enough.  I love it. I love it. I love it.

School stuff.  I think I'd rather work in the morning and have my classes in the afternoon.

The Church is True!  I haven't told you a lot of the persecution stories, but believe me, men revile and persecute us and speak all manner of evil against us.  Yesterday, a man on a bicycle came up to us and asked, 

"How many wives did William Smith have?"

     "I don't know who William Smith is."

"Whatever, the founder of your church, how many wives did he have?"

Knowing where this was headed I was about to say, "Go find out what his name was and then come back and find us when you know who you're talking about."  but my companion just told him.  So I ended up testifying for a bit while the "Ivy league educated man" attempted to destroy my "bogus religion."  His friend, who was uncomfortable with how rude his associate was being, pulled him away and convinced him to "let the young gentlemen enjoy their afternoon."  We then went across the street and contacted some people of a certain faith which forbids interreligious prayer.  They were friendly enough, but did tell us we were wrong and we should come to their church.  While we were talking to them, a young man drove by in his car and shouted "Hail Satan!" at us.

We then went to visit a man who has been investigating the church for 33 years.

He told us.  "I have known a lot of missionaries, and whenever I look into your eyes, I can see God."

I have a testimony of this work.  It is God's work.  This is his church.

I love you.

Elder Fine

MoTab

Greetings from Key West!

Things are great in the Florida Keys.  It's really a small town feel in most of the islands, and even in Key West to a degree, which is kind of weird, because I thought islands would be different.  Spring Break...yes...there are lots of people here for spring break.  They stay on the west side of the island though where all the beaches and downtown shops and evil worldly things to do are.  It's super nice right now...the highest recorded temperature here is 95!  We're doing great things and we'll hopefully be baptizing many people in the coming weeks.  One is a family from Mexico City, which still has a special place in my heart as the land of my initial assignment :)

Mack Wilberg is amazing...Diane, if you get a chance, tell him your missionary brother thanks him for being one of the most influential missionaries ever.  I've talked to many people who have never talked to a member of the church, but they have heard and been touched by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and they have been more open to the gospel because of the spirit they felt through music.  One of the most faithful members of the church that I have met on my mission was first introduced to the church because he heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I'm a huge Wilberg fan.

Life is good.  Much Love!

Elder Fine

Collision Course With Life

Apartment, eh?  That's weird.  I know real life continues after the mission, but it's still just strange to think about.  Of all the things I think will stick with me after my mission, the use of time is probably among the highest.  I'm definitely a lot better at it now.  I need to get a job, too.  I'll worry about that when I get there though.  For now, if Lauren could just say hi to "the coolest guys in her ward" for me, that would be great!

We're teaching a Polish family and we heard about a terrible train collision in Poland.  Very sad.  His name is stanley and his kids are patrick and nicole and they're both super-athletes.  Patrick is 12 and a soccer star that plays on a team with kids 2 years older than him and Nicole can run a half marathon at a good pace and she's 10.  He always makes us delicious polish food.  Potato cakes, apple cakes, next time we're going to have crab cakes.  Apparently they eat a lot of cakes in Poland.  Fineya (cool)

I loved the letters I got from the ward!  Since I don't have the time or the means to reply to everyone individually, I'd like to just say thanks to all.  The Church is True.  Thank you for your support and prayers.

Much love,

Elder Fine

Fun Memories

Guess what I had for dinner last night? Shrimp.  Guess where I got them?  from the water.  Guess how much? 2 pounds of them.  Guess how fast?  in about 15 minutes.   We went to see a recent convert and her husband who is really close to getting baptized and they were just leaving.  They told us to follow them around the corner and we did.  they handed us some nets and flashlights and we walked down to the side of the water and found that it was loaded with shrimp.  half an hour later we were back at their house eating fresh shrimp.  We went to church in the Key Marathon "twig" yesterday.  The branch president claims it's too small to be called a branch.  We've been visiting a lot of less actives and having some good experiences there.  on one island, Big Pine Key, there is a species of deer called Key Deer.  They are endangered and are only found on that island.  As you can see in the pictures, they're quite small and very tame.  They walked up to us and let us pet them...I think people feed them sometimes, even though that's illegal.  Also, we found a purple flower on Key Haven (annexed onto stock island where we live) that's probably the coolest flower I've ever seen.  And a white one too.  And the giant moth was from back in Miami but I don't think I sent that picture yet.  So that's the wildlife for this week.  There's a family here from Mexico City that's going to get baptized in a couple of weeks.  they're super cool.  I love this area, it's just so fun.  Elder Brough is awesome.  Super hardworking and obedient and he pretends he's a superhero a lot and it makes things fun.  I'm going to try to get a Conch Republic flag from walgreens or something.  Key west seceded from the union in the 1800's some time and they have their own flag that they still proudly fly.  Conch is a sea snail...It's very tasty, but I don't think it's legal to fish for here so you have to get it imported.  People who are native to Key West call themselves "conchs" (that's pronounced konks, not konches)  Overall, things are just great, and I'm just happy to be here on my tropical island.  Key West has the best fishing in the world so we might be catching snappers later.  Funny looking little fish, but I guess people eat them.  Gots to be going, see you later!

Elder Fine

The Personal Touch

Atonement

Hello family!

I just realized that Jamison probably has short hair...I wonder what
he looks like.  That's awesome that Willie and Jordan are back
too...Are they both still in our ward?

I'm going fishing today :) we decided to go to black creek, which
empties out into the ocean at that place where we took Christmas card
pictures.

I know the word creek in Arizona usually means something that is
either dry, or has just enough water in it to be able to jump across
or easily wade through without getting too wet.  This one is probably
a good 20-30 feet deep in some places.

Ethan, I know I wasn't on time with your birthday letter like I was
with Diane.  Relax, it's coming.  Maybe I'll catch a fish today and
mail it to you ;)

Mom, I have a terrible confession to make....I actually had no idea
what you studied in school.  I had wondered about it, but I never
really thought I had a good reason to ask and by the time I realized
that I didn't know, I felt silly for not knowing so I kept my mouth
shut.

I've learned a good deal about the atonement this week, which is
always good to understand more deeply.  I've found that the better I
understand something, the more simply I can explain it.

Not much else is new.  Elder Gavarett from the Seventy is coming to
visit in a couple weeks.  The mission is great.  Take care.

Elder Fine