Hey everyone! The Union Ward in Manteca is doing so good! There are not a lot of people that want to hear about the gospel so we are trying to get the members involved. We have 400 people on the ward roster and only 140 are active members. Elder Maxwell, Elder Spikes, and I have really tried to focus on the less actives. The less actives are either really nice and let you in to have some water or they are super mean and shut the door in your face haha. We had a meeting for the fifth Sunday about missionary work and how members can help. We got to talk to the ward on ways that they can help. I thought that missionary work was just knocking doors all day, but it is not like that at all here! We have a pretty small area so there are only so many doors to knock! We are really trying to gain relationships with people in the area. Dad, when you said what you said before I opened my call...I know what you mean now. It has been 110 degrees or more everyday for the past week and it is a really dirty place haha. That's okay though. I love the food here and all the members!

Mom asked about the food... I really was blessed by Heavenly Father or something, because foods I never thought I would eat taste good to me. Mayonnaise is still very disgusting, but the Mexican food is so so good! We have been eating super good here! They give us more money because we are in California, but we can value shop and get some pretty good stuff. And I am a pretty good cook so....yeah. We got to go to a fruit stand today and it was so cool, I got some pictures that I will send! The fruits and veggies here are very cheap and very good! We have had multiple people ask if they could give us like 20 bucks and we have to say no, but they forced us to take it. So the members are super supportive. You guys back home have asked me if the people out here are nice. The members are so nice and supportive! Non-members here in California are a different story. I will not get into detail, but we hear and see a lot of things that are not in line with the church. We mostly laugh, smile, and say something nice to people. But the persecution is awesome!!

So I need to tell you I accidentally deleted all my pictures off my camera... It made me so sad because I had a picture of me and Jaxon on it. I miss him a lot. I miss all of you guys too, but I mean you already know that.

We played putt putt with Larry the other day! He is the funniest guy that I know! Haha no stories this time, I already forgot all the funny things that he said! I will tell you a very cool story though. We got a call this week from some Sister missionaries down south and they said that they got a call about a home in our area with a sign on the yard that said, "Need LDS Missionaries!" We were so excited and hoped it was an investigator. It was not. We got a text after we had left a note on the door of the home that said a lot of things, but basically this guy named Curtis who is less active has lived a very hard life due to his own decisions, and decisions people close to him had made. We have met with him three times this week. Yesterday we brought some members with us, Sister Rojas and Brother Checketts (These two are dating within the ward and it is super funny). It was the coolest experience because both of these members had similarities with Curtis and they got super close in that amount of time. It is so cool to see the Atonement of Christ work in peoples lives.

So now the funny experience for the week. We went to a ladies house named Marilyn. She was absolutely hammered. Haha. But we decided to stay and teach her... As we would say things she was swearing, getting mad, and getting super happy at the same time! Weirdest experience of my life. While we tried to teach her the restoration she was getting super mad and we were trying not to laugh. She looked at me and said "Don't you give me those googly eyes!!" And I was thinking "oh no." She is 70 years old and she started hitting on me and my companions were losing it. Wow.... Um at the end of our lesson she grabbed Elder Spikes and kissed him on the neck and I was thinking there is no way I am getting close to this crazy... but she went to Elder Maxwell next and he said "We like to only shake hands-" but she cut him off and said "Not tonight buddy!!!!" And she kissed him on the neck too. And I was just freaking out cause you know me and how grossed out I get haha. She came up to me being 6'5 and she was 5'5 and she grabbed my neck and almost pulled me to the ground and kissed me too...... I was mortified. I rode my bike so fast out of there I might need new tires. It was the weirdest thing I have ever gone through. It makes me sick just typing about it...

Well enough of that.

I had a very good week. I have been studying King Benjamin and I have come to really love his teachings. He was a great man. I would recommend reading Mosiah chapters 1-5. Even though this is a really hard and hot area. I know why I am here and I am so happy to do it. I love the work. And I know that if ye are in the service of your fellow men, you are only in the service of your God.

I love and miss you all!!

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Love,

Elder Willden

So like I said I deleted all the pictures on my camera on accident. So here are some that I took this morning. Love you all!! These are pictures of a stand we went to today!