T.G.I.W.

Man, life is so good! Does anyone else just have those days when you feel on top of the world. It's funny because about 2 hours ago I wasn't looking forward to today but things changed, Elder Brown and I made the best of the situation and now I feel on cloud nine! I love it!

This week has been sooo good! It felt a little long since my body is programmed to have a mental break on Monday and when I don't get that I can tell a difference! It just pushes you a little bit more! It's real crazy to think that the next time I email home on Wednesday will be 2 days before I am in the arms of those I love! T.G.I.W.!

As far as transfers go this week I feel a bit like Katniss, I imagine, from the Hunger Games. I put my ticket into the transfer bowl and they pick who goes and who stays. Luckily I have survived the call once again! I will finish my mission in the great town of Waverly, Iowa! I can't imagine anywhere else I would like to end! I love this town!

This week was so great! I am so thankful for my freedoms that I enjoy because of the blessing I have living in this nation. On the fourth of July we visited a couple of people during the day in the blazing blistering heat. It was so hot here. But at night we had a branch party and it was the best 4th of July I have ever had! It started out with a good old fashioned American barbeque. I really enjoyed that and then while we were walking around the perimeter of the house I took about 3 buckets of water to the face and got absolutely soaked! From that point on there was no hope for the guilty Young Women of the Waverly branch! We retaliated after removing items of personal worth and they won't admit it but we were victorious. After the water fight, the great idea was offered to have a slip and slide with some dish soap. There was no way that we could not participate in that either. It was such a blast. I love this branch! They are just extended family to me now. I am going back home with tons more family than I left with! I am going to miss this a lot.

It's time for me to get personal for just a second. I just read an email from my mom that included flight plans for one Richard Zachary Excell. It just hit me like a ton of bricks. I am going to miss this so much! My mission has meant everything to me and it always will. It will be the Ebenezer in my life that I can look back to and see who I changed into. This two year struggle and blessing has been and will ever be the best thing that ever happened to me. My life will never be the same because of the decision I made to be here. I will forever miss my mission. A part of me just wants to end this email right here and go into the streets and tell everyone I know and can see about this gospel and how much I know it can bless their lives. It's all of the sudden become real. It does end. I think every missionary gets to the point where they understand how long two years is and just face forward, put the pads on and do it. They subconsciously forget that it will end someday. On the reverse side of these bittersweet emotions is the joy and satisfaction of finishing. I have proven to myself that I can do hard things. I don't want anyone to think that I am trunky or that I have thrown in the towel because I have not. I am working harder than I ever have because I know that it is ending. I almost resent the fact that people won't let you talk about home as a missionary or going home because for me it gives me more motivation than anything else. It may be a surprise to some but my motivating thought on my mission has been, "Am I being the kind of missionary my mom thinks I am?" My family and finishing my work before the buzzer motivate me to pick up the pace and work harder but I will miss it. These have been the best times of my life. =)

Alright I needed to get that out and off my chest! Thanks.

This week we saw some great success. We had some people come to church that we haven't seen in a long time that we have been trying to work with. It's so awesome to see the power of the Lord especially through your prayers help others.

I bought some new shoes this week. I've been running every day with elder brown and it's so good for us. I bought some 5 finger Vibrams. The shoes that have individual toes. I love them so much! I bought them for two reasons...I have been saving money and need to spend it before I leave or I lose it. Also, I want to continue the running habits I have created while being here. I broke my record time this week as well. I did three miles in 20 minutes. I'm pretty proud of that since ten minute miles used to impress me. I also keep losing weight. I am down to 176.5 this morning. I think at this point I'm just looking to maintain because I don't want to get too small. I'm going to start toning now. I did promise that six pack about six months ago and I have not forgot it.

Yesterday we met with Keith, my favorite beard man. I love his views and his interdependency! It was really cool yesterday tho because we have been struggling to make progress with him and yesterday as we were asking him what he wanted to learn about next week he gave us two topics. The first he mentioned was he wants to learn why church attendance is necessary because he has never been and for the second topic he said, "I want to learn about baptism. I don't know much about it and want to". Elder Brown and I, after hearing that, picked our jaws up off the ground and complied with his request to study up this week so we can discuss it next week!

No animal kills to report this week. I think Elder Brown chalked up a caterpillar but he just accidentally stepped on it while we were running. =(

We performed some secret service this week and I loved it. The Austin's left to go camping and asked if we would watch the puppies and give the dogs their medicine. We said we'd love to and they were off for three days adventure. Well we decided while they were gone and while we could get into their house we would clean it so hard they would feel like they were coming home from extreme home makeover. We did an excellent job if I do say so myself. You could see your reflection in the stove top again! They were so appreciative of our handiwork that they had us over for a steak dinner when they came home! =)

Things I learned this week-
-To be mentally strong you must be honest with yourself and others. Mental toughness is not hiding how you feel.
-Exacto knives are sharp
-Falling on my butt hurts a lot more as I get older. I bruised from my knee to my hip a yellow color from that slip and slide.

This week I read an article about a college athlete that really inspired me. I don't know much of the story nor do I wish to focus upon the politics of it but from what I know he was a part of a starvation strike for the minimum wage of the school employees. So after fasting for 8 days he and his group made a difference. If not immediately the effects therefrom will change people. Now the story itself was inspiring and thought provoking but reached me probably differently than most. I doubt that because of my athletic abilities I will ever be able to have a stadium of people watch me or receive global recognition for my athletic achievements. But when we are given great power or great opportunity to influence are we taking it. It mentioned in the article that Tiger Woods did an ad in his early career saying, "There are still courses in this world that I can't play on because of my ethnicity. You say I'm not ready for you, but are you ready for me?" The man was given an opportunity to change the world and he did. Now we may not be given in this lifetime the power or influence to change millions of people but we can always change someones. Helen Keller's quote has stuck with me for a long time. "I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." It is that way with influence. I long to change the lives of millions and feel that, given the correct platform, I could, but until God grants me that privilege I will not shrink in the face of the seemingly small influences I can have now. I guess to put it more scriptural, I'll turn to Doctrine and Covenants 18. "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father. And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" Brick by brick we build, it is line upon line which we work, and it is soul by soul that we change the world. Let us never forget, "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God".Every single one is precious. Go out and influence somebody for the better and prepare for the time when you may influence thousands because certainly when prepared the time will come.

I love you so much!
Hugs and kisses ya'll,
your brother,
Elder Excell