Here we go again...

Oh man! I just can't even begin to explain how excited I am to be here right now!! I know you guys are wondering tho...where is here? Well, I have been assigned to the Knoxville, Iowa area. It is a small town southeast of Des Moines. Very small town but our area also includes the towns of Pella and Pleasantville.

So now let me back up. Wednesday...after our fiasco in the airport, I had a long set of flights. When I touched down in dallas, i went to the counter to get my boarding pass and the woman told me that they had overbooked and would try really hard to get me on the flight. I was a little nervous but someone either missed the flight or voluntarily gave theirs up. All i know is Heavenly Father's plan was for me to be on that airplane...because that's where I was. Wherever we are, it's where we are supposed to be. All part of the plan. Anyway, i flew into Iowa. What a gorgeous place! I love it so much! Green, green, green hills. I walked out to see President Jergensen and also Elder Holman, the A.P. that goes home in 6 weeks. We met Sister Jergensen and the other missionaries that arrived that day and got our bags and we took some pictures and we were off in the giant van the assistants get to drive to the office. We took a tour of the office and met all of the senior couples there and then we got to go to the Mission Home - very, very pretty house. Dad, I think it may be the same one you stayed in. They have had it for a while. I thought about that the entire time i was in my bed wondering if it was the same one you spent your first night on. Pretty awesome! Anyway, we had a great dinner and some training and then we had a great testimony meeting. During all of this, we had interviews with president and i love that man. Great guy and i am so excited to work with him. He has a great vision.

We woke up thursday for the transfer meeting in Iowa City and there I found out i was going to Knoxville and my trainer would be Elder Howard. Little did he know he was training a veteran! It's pretty funny. We joke about it because i will actually go home one transfer before him. Pretty funny. I love the guy. He played soccer in high school and did a lot of student council stuff. He uses the zebra f-301 pen. It's a solid writing utensil choice. He is a fan of dollar stores and thrift stores. I have my eye on an awesome 3 piece suit for 3 dollars. Store opens at 3 today and you can already guess where we will be. He has some ugly ties. He has two other brothers on missions right now and he is from pleasant grove, utah.

We get to drive a 2010 Ford Fusion. Awesome car. It has a great turning radius and amazing windshield wipers so it is Elder Excell approved. We got back to our area and the apartment is nice! My standards aren’t probably that high but it has two bedrooms, which in mission language means 1 bedroom and a study room, a 3 person couch and la-z-boy type couch. It has carpet. (Like i said i am not hard to please) A bathroom and a kitchen and the food storage that we have accumulated over the transfers past is incredible. We have member dinners about twice a week on a good week but they all love us and give us stuff for our house. My favorite this week: Cream of wheat. I WILL NOT GET FAT!!! I swear it!

The branch is super small, about 35 active members. We have a tiny church house but very nice. The church is at 2000 S Jackson for your google earthers. And the apartment is at 110 W. Marion.

We ride bikes a lot. I look cute with my new helmet, i'll tell you what! To be honest, I just don’t care. Nothing could bring me down right now. I am so happy! I can’t believe i ever even contemplated not going back out! This is the best place to be.

In my studies this week i have been studying two talks specifically. "The Fourth Missionary" and also "The Consecrated Missionary." That's my goal and desire of who i want to be. And I have adapted the motto from dad. I find it appropriate since we are serving in the same mission. "Work Hard. Play Hard." My first night elder howard and i burned my six month tie. Granted it's a little overdue but tradition is tradition. We used hairspray and a lighter - true Zack fashion on how to start a fire.

The people we have been teaching are awesome! I obviously don’t have time to tell you about every lesson but i will always talk about one. This week we had a lesson that had been postponed about three times last transfer and we finally met with a girl named Alicia. She is amazing! We had a great lesson with her and she started to tear up after the Joseph Smith story and we asked her how she felt. She didn’t know how to describe it. Earlier she had told us about how her 7 year old daughter almost didn’t live past 3 months but then miraculously, after she requested to have the chaplain come every day, her daughter was released from the hospital and it was the best feeling ever. I knew she had witnessed a miracle and felt the spirit then, so i want out on a limb and asked her if she felt the same way after the jospeh smith story and she said it felt the exact same way. It was such an incredible feeling.

This week we have taught the Plan of Salvation quite a bit and what a blessing it is! Honestly i can't imagine living life and not having that knowledge! I particularly have grown a testimony about the sprit world after this life. How could death ever be mourned over knowing that they would have a perfect chance to accept the gospel. I just love that!

I can't explain to anyone the feelings i have felt this week. I have not been sad at all to leave because I know greater now than i have ever known, that there is no other place for me to be right now. I am where the Lord wants me and i intend on living the rest of my life in that manner. I have so much room to grow and there is no better place than Iowa for that right now. I know that Brazil was the place for me previously, but my work there is done and I have no regrets about that. Obviously, I love pocatello and everyone there, but right now, that is not where i am supposed to be. I am so happy to be where i am right now.

I have thought recently about struggles and life and have come to understand that without opposition in our lives, there is no room for growth. Anyone who says the words "That’s just the way that i am" must not believe in the plan of salvation. We weren’t cast in stone. We are living souls that were meant to learn and grow and never be the same as who we were before. Every step we take has to have a direction and we take steps with every choice we make. We do not stay the same. It is my goal to always make decisions that will allow me to step forward. Every single one of us has the potential to be whatever we want. Sometimes things such as sin or trials slow that down or weigh us down but through Christ and his atonement, literally nothing is out of our reach.

I am so happy to be here. I can’t say it enough. Knoxville is about to be thrashed by Elder Howard and Elder Excell.

My advice this week to all those reading.
- Never give up.
- Smile 24 hours a day
- Wear a helmet while riding a bike
- Don't be ashamed of who you are
- Convert yourself to using a pilot g-2 pen or a zebra f-301.
- Shop thrift stores.
- Don’t think you are too good for anything.

I love you all and thank you so much for getting me to this point.

I will make the reminder now that my address is within a distance where packages and letters can be to me in 3 days. :) Much better than three weeks!

Elder Excell
Iowa Des Moines Mission
Greenie and Lovin it!