"Follow Your Dreams...Unless They're Nightmares."‏

I cannot even begin to explain how fantastic this week has been! We have seen so many good things happening in our area and so many miracles as we strive to work hard for the Lord. It's been such a blessing to watch so many people's faith in Christ grow. It's been amazing to watch it in myself as well. I cannot help but echo Joseph Smith. "Courage brethren, and onto the victory."

On Monday we played so hard. That has always been the motto my dad had. "Work hard, play hard." I've been trying to put that one to the test. We played 3 hours of sports on p-day! We played football, kickball, and basketball. It was exhausting but so much fun that we will be doing it again. I literally lost 5 in that 3 hours. So good! The better part of the day came when we just got home from playing sports though. We had just walked in the door and got a call from Sister Jahn, one of the mission secretaries. She told us that in the mail that day they had received a letter signed by Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring. and Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It stated that Tina Meier was authorized and approved to be baptized!! We wanted to see her reaction though when she heard the news. We asked them if we could stop by that night and devised a plan for how to break it to the family. We concluded to mention it in the opening prayer. So we did and she beamed from ear to ear. Tears were shed from all present. It was awesome! That family has changed my life. I cannot begin to describe the miracles that I have seen there and the lessons that I have learned! They are amazing children of our Heavenly Father and deserve every blessing that they are seeing right now and more! She will be baptized on the 14th of April at 10 A.M. I cannot wait! It was awesome this week at church because they brought all of the family whom we have been trying to teach. One of them in particular, another daughter, named Kaitlyn. She's awesome and loving it. I guess she told her parents this last week how jealous she is of the siblings still at home because she wishes the spirit could have been in her home at that age! She gets it. That's the best feeling ever is watching people understand the blessings of the Spirit in their life!

Jeff Ray was baptized this last Saturday! His parents are awesome and doing really well. We are meeting with them this week to set a baptismal date there as well. Waukee is booming right now. From everything that we have been told we are breaking records in the area and the mission. By Saturday we will have had 9 baptisms in 3 weeks. That's unheard of in the heartland. We've been so extremely blessed. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to witness these miracles. They truly have changed how I view life and my Savior!

Speaking of my Savior...what a great Easter week! Every day as I read from "Jesus The Christ" by James E. Talmage I grew closer to my Savior. My days were more about Him and less about me. On Thursday night we had a particularly good lesson with The Cline's. We had dinner with them and then we used Sister Cline's iPad to watch the newest bible video by the church. It's called "He is Risen". I know Easter is over but I would encourage you to watch that! I will have it posted on my blog to watch there. Watching that on Thursday night and realizing that 1979 years ago that happened was amazing to me. I have grown a testimony that Christ walked this Earth! He was a real person! He is not an urban legend or false hope but rather He is real and He lives today.



Easter Sunday was great! The 5 pounds that I lost on p-day were put back on for sure. We had two dinners, both great. It was awesome to be surrounded by families. At the second dinner, which was more of a neighborhood get-together, we watched the kids have an Easter egg hunt. It was fun. We then broke out 40 cans of silly string and had an epic silly string fight! It was a lot of fun and probably a new tradition for my future family!

The Stake fireside where we sang was awesome! We had some investigators there as well and I saw the Fee's from Knoxville who took us to The Nauvoo Pageant last year! I missed them. Our song went really well. It was quite the group to sing with. A retinal surgeon, a banker, and a family practice doctor. I felt pretty little next to them. But our song was great! I hope I can sing it with my Dad when I get home!

Zone Leader Council on Tuesday was the best meeting to which I have been. I learned what it means to be on a council. The best part is we all learned that not from someone teaching us but by the spirit and we just did it. We worked well together to discuss the issues of our mission. It was really great! We came to a conclusion that the only way to become unified as a mission is to become unified in Christ. To do that we must ALL become like Him. It was a great meeting and always good to see some other familiar faces like Elder Howard and others. The meeting was in Iowa City and so we had a good 2 hour drive back home to talk with the other 5 missionaries that rode with us.

This week to top off everything else we also moved into our new apartment. The address is 170 Evergreen Dr, Waukee, IA 50263 for all you Google Earth fanatics. It's awesome. It's brand new to us so it's the nicest apartment in the mission. I hope future missionaries will keep it that way! I'll take a picture for ya'll this week. It's an optional assisted living center so we have some new old friends. I love them. We do puzzles with them for fun! =)

Things I learned this week:
-Handball....a way fun game that has left my gluteus maximus and inner thighs sore for days!
-Older folk know how to throw down a puzzle.
-Whitney Houston died? Man I am out of the loop!

I found myself this week as I studied from Jesus The Christ thinking often about Him. I wondered why do I not always think about him this much. It is what I promise to do every week when I take the sacrament; to "always remember him". This week I learned a lot as to how I can accomplish that charge. It is one thing to study the Book of Mormon and study about Nephi or Lehi. It is also nice once in a while to read a talk about the Book of Mormon or other scripture. But it is something entirely different to study those things while thinking and desiring to learn more of Christ. It all comes back to him doesn't it? Shouldn't it? He is "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end". I submit that He is everything in between as well. He is the Plan of Salvation. He is the gospel. He is the center of it all and more specifically His atonement is the center of it all. It must always come back to Him if we are to "always remember him". I add my testimony to the millions born this weekend by those not of our faith and those belonging to our religion that Jesus is The Christ. He is the great Jehovah of the Old Testament. He is the Savior of the world and all those in it. He is the center of hope. He is the center of truth. I testify that when we remember him always and have something in what we are doing always relating back to Him we are happier people. To become unified as a planet, country, family, mission, or nation we must be unified in our faith in Christ. That is the only way. He "is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby.." we can become united and "...saved in the kingdom of God." He is everything!

I love you all. Thank you for helping me make right choices. I'm praying for you!

Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell

"All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary." -Sally Ride
=)