Family! I feel so similar to Kate. Even though we are all far away from each other I feel so close to the family and am so happy when I read your emails! Okay, so this story is absolutely CRAZY! Chels I can't believe you are pregnant! Last night, I was saying my personal prayers and I was praying for the whole family and when I was praying for you and Kev and Jill and Pete, for some reason I felt prompted to pray for the new baby girl. I thought it was really wierd because I hadn't heard anything about you being pregnant but I followed the prompting and prayed that you and the baby would be blessed. And than I just read Dad's email and it said that you were pregnant! I'm in the Family History Library in Layton and I just told a bunch of old ladies the story and they all started crying and they send their love! hahah I hate to break it to you early Chels and Kev, but you guys are having a baby girl! I LOVE NIECES! haha! Ah gosh I am so happy right now. Kate I can't believe how much success you guys are having in such a tough place to find people to baptize! That is so amazing! By the way I was with Elizabeth Smart in the MTC and I went up and talked to her and told her she was my hero, because like last October when i heard she was going on a mission it really inspired me. I don't know if she would remember me, but that would be so crazy if you guys were companions! haha Mom that is so cool that you were able to help that lady out and that you followed The Spirit like that. Sometimes it is hard to follow the promptings that could potentially make you look dumb if you aren't really following The Spirit, but sometimes we just have to have the courage to try. President Wheatley told me in an interview once that " If you aren't sure if it's a spiritual prompting or not, just follow it anyways and that way you will never miss the chance to be an instrument in The Lord's hands." I loved that counsel so much. It really takes away the gray area if you are just always trying to follow The Spirit. Also I loved the scripture about the armour. Put on the whole armour of God! Hadley, you are so much more mature than I was when I was in 8th grade. You should take Spanish all of high school- i wish I had! There are so many Spanish people I meet that I can only talk with them for like a minute and than I have to pass them off to the Spanish Elders. Maybe you will speak Spanish on your mission! Dad, I am deeply saddened to hear that The Beamer was sold...Clinton Santos is going to be really mad at me because I told him when we were in high school that I would give it to him after he went on his mission haha. Did you save the fur seats?? haha. Also that is SO sweet that you started your own business. I'll come work for you after I graduate from BYU and manage the company while you go play golf worldwide with customers haha. Soon the company name will be J P and Son. Things out here have been going pretty awesome. On Saturday A. got baptized and it was such a great service! I had two Samoan Elders that are in the area next to me, come to the baptism and we sang, Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy, and they are almost as good as Uncle Ovala. It was so awesome! I just found out we can send pictures over email so I'm going to send some pictures of the baptism! Also, this Saturday this awesome girl named K is getting baptized! We found her a week ago and she has been going to church with her less active mom and decided to take the lessons and now she is so excited to get baptized this Saturday. Things with Sister T this past week didn't go so well. We don't really understand whats going on because she told us she wants to get this figured out before she gets baptized. She still wants to be baptized. Anyway, I am so grateful for the love and support. I love you all so much! Something I loved that I found in scripture study this week was 2nd Corinthians 12:9-10. Paul takes pleasure in his persecution for Christ. I love the apostles that Christ called personally during his ministry. I don't think we fully realize how much they went through in standing fast in their testimony of Christ. I love this Gospel so much and am so grateful for all of you! Love, Elder Powers

Hola Family! Sounds like things are still pretty crazy with the snow back home but that sounds fun! Mom I missed the heart pizza and jello hearts on Valentines day because Elder Dill and I didn't have time to make them. This past week was pretty intense though. Like 9 days ago on Sunday morning Elder Dill and I got a call from the relief society president of a ward we were teaching relief society in that day. She told us that one of the families in the ward had just lost a four year old daughter and a one year old daughter and that the relief society we were teaching was going to be really emotional. The reason they passed away was because an extermination company who like sprays for like mice and moles didn't follow code and put the spray too close to the house and than somehow it seeped into the house and made the whole family really sick but ended up taking the lives of the families two young daughters. 2 weeks ago we had taught the older girl Rebecca's primary and Elder Dill and I both remember who she was because she answered a few questions.

The reason I'm telling you this isn't to just make you really sad but because there were definitely a lot of lessons that I learned from this experience. This past Saturday Elder Dill and I had the chance to go to the two young girls funeral. The stake center was almost as packed as it was at Kevin's Dad's funeral. I thought a lot about him when we were at the funeral and just realized how loved he was just like these two little girls were. I also thought a lot about how much I love Jill and Pete and how hard it would be to go through a tragedy like that. It was an extremely powerful service, and I realized just how real the Plan of Salvation is and how it can give us so much perspective in this life. At one point when I was sitting just thinking about how amazing it was to have the knowledge of the Father's plan, The Spirit spoke these words really boldly to me, " Elder, you go out and you tell EVERYONE about this plan, everyone needs to know." I just started crying and it ignited more of a flame in me to work harder than I am. Also after the funeral I saw one of my best friends from BYU who lived right below me at Wyview at the stake center. His cousin was the mom of the two girls. After the funeral we got to talk for about 5 minutes and I know it wasn't a coincidence. I asked him about going on a mission and he said he didn't think he was going to go which made me really sad, but I know that Heavenly Father put him in my path so I could try and help him in some way. I just bore testimony to him of how important the work is and how life changing it is for the missionary. I just tried to encourage him as much as I could and it seemed like I might have opened up his heart to the idea of serving a mission again. When I sit back and think about it, Heavenly Father's plan is so so incredible. We can't even comprehend how involved Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. SOMEHOW, we were in the same stake center on the same day (He lives in California) and of the more than 1000 people there for the funeral, I saw him. If that's not a miracle I don't know what is. Also we saw the father of the girls after the funeral and he came and talked to us for a few minutes. He said to give him a little time but if there was anyone in the future who he could help who goes through a similar thing he's going through that he would love to help. So amazing. He lost his two daughters a week ago and he already is looking to serve others. A truly Christlike example.

There were definitely some happier things that happened this week too. On Saturday I had the chance to baptize A and it was amazing! You can just feel the power of the ordinance especially when you perform it. I'll send you guys a picture of it today! Also A got baptized about two hours after A and that was really really awesome. She was freezing after the baptism because her hair was still wet and so I went up and put my coat around her and I thought you would have been proud of me mom. haha. We have another baptism this Saturday of the girl named A that I told you guys about which is going to be great. And if all goes to plan we should have 4 baptisms on the 27th! Hadley thanks for your email! I'm going to write you a letter today. Alright this email is SO long. I feel bad for Kate having to switch missions and mission presidents but am excited that she could serve in some of Dad's old areas and maybe baptize some people that Dad didn't already baptize. Kate one really awesome thing that President Olson said in his talk yesterday at zone conference was that when people are trying to maybe not meet with you anymore or ask you why they should listen to you you can just tell them " I have been ordained of God to come and teach you. I am literally here as a representative of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, and He is reaching out to you right now" I love that he wants us to be so bold and I'm going to start being more bold with people. I find myself sometimes talking to people about non-church things in order to get in the door but I'm going to work on just making sure people know why I am there. I have to go, but I love you very much and am praying for you all everyday! This Gospel is true, and the Priesthood keys have been restored to not only bind on earth but bind in heaven. I love you! Elder Powers

2+ feet of snow in Virginia!? That is so crazy! People out here keep asking me how the fam is doing and that the snow has been like the storm of the century! Sounds like you guys are having fun with the neighbors too! This week has been pretty awesome. Sister T met with Richard G Scott this past Tuesday and is getting baptized on the 27th of Feb! Also there's this boy named A, who is ten, who we found because his friend C invited him to church. We have been teaching him at C's house for about a month now with all of their seven kids who are under 13. Their family has basically adopted me. Because of them, I want 7 kids. haha! Anyway A was interviewed last night for baptism and is getting baptized this Saturday! I was setting up his program for the baptism and he asked me if I would be the one to baptize him! Going to be honest, that was probably the best feeling of all time. I'm way excited! I was getting worried that the baptismal clothes we bought mom weren't going to be used! Also there's this girl A who is 11 who we have been teaching and last Sunday she got up and bore her testimony in Sacrament meeting! Last night we had her interviewed too for baptism and she passed and is getting baptized Saturday too! It's so awesome to already see the fruit of Elder Dill and I's labor, but we know that we basically just are lucky to be in such a good area and have the opportunity to baptize. On the 21st of February this girl A we are teaching is getting baptized and had her interview on Sunday. How awesome is that!? I feel so blessed that I get to see all these people enter into the waters of baptism and make covenants with Heavenly Father. Also we are lucky to have a bunch of investigators. Elder Dill and I split up almost every single night from 6-9 so we can get to all of our appointments. That has definitely been humbling because the people we bring on splits usually don't say too much so I'm doing about 80 percent of the teaching! VERY humbling. Anyway I have to go but I love you all so much! I hope I hear from everybody next week (hint hint) haha Love you!! The Gospel is true.

Love, Elder Powers