"Digging Deep Into Our Bag Of Plays"

well another week down and honestly looking back i don't know where time is going! haha and i don't really know what to say because i got to talk to you guys on saturday! oh man it was so good to hear your voices and it sounds like your doing great! and i am for sure calling back on wednesday to let you know what happened on transfers! should be exciting! i can't lie i'm a little nervous to train, ready for the opportunity! should be one good ride! well so i guess this week was good kind of slow because we had lots of oppointments with families in the branch and so that took up a lot of time but we still got in some successful lessons and had a great attendence at church yesterday! i was way excited to see some less actives and investigators so the lord is really blessing us! i want to share with you one thing i've learned or been really pondering in my studies this week. so i was reading in alma 22 about king lamoni and how when aaron teaches him and he says he will give up everything even his kingdom to recieve this great gift, which is eternal life! so i was pondering really hard on how to have that happen to myself and to some of our less actives because honestly it's a lot easier said then done. what does it really take to have that type of conversion where we really live the principles of the gospel, really put Christ first in our life. well.....i have some ideas but before that i want to hear from all of you! i want to hear your ideas of really how to have that happen! so this is my challenge to you. Prayfully read and ponder that story in alma and i want to hear your emails next week, i would greatly appreciate it! thanks. well since i don't really know what else to say i tell you about what we did earlier today for pday. so we woke up way early 5am! and went out to the beach and played football and rugby! Young men vs Elders! there was only 6 of us and like 11 of them and it was a real battle on the gridiron! haha it was way fun and we had some good times. maybe its just the competitive side of me but there was no way we were going to loose. we kind of do a kansas city playoff thing so if they don't score and we do we win and vice versa. so we held them on a goal line stand, we started driving down the field slowly but surely it was 4th down with about 10 yards to the 1st, (which is like the middle of the field haha) we had to get the 1st or it was a turnover. so we dug deep into our bag of plays haha and pulled out the ole statue of liberty mixed with a sketchy hook and ladder haha.........1st down elders! so we had about 25 yards to the endzone we ran a few plays that didn't work to well but got some well needed yards. again 4th down the game is on the line, i call a trips left with a slot on the right side. they defense was well spread..i hiked the ball looked off the two safeties with a pump fake left and hit the slot on the right on run for a touchdown!!! haha it was way funny and i have to admit since we have been playing football for the past few pdays there actually getting pretty good! we had some of the parents come say to us that the young men have been so excited to play football because it's a new sport and there having lots of fun with it! so its cool to have that experience. well family sorry this email is kinda lame haha but i just want to let you know i am doing great and enjoying this work so much! it's the best thing ever and im excited to talk to you again on wednesday! i love you guys! Elder Machen