Bonjour mes amis!

How has everyone's week been? Awesome I hope!

My week has been great! It's so weird to see how time moves on your mission. I still feel like I just got off the airplane, and I remember my first few days of being in Alma like they happened just this morning, and then I try and remember what I did this morning, and it feels like it happened 10 years ago... But, this weekend we get our transfer calls. Not that I will be getting switched or anything, Elder Heder and I will be staying here in Good Ol' Alma for at least one more transfer together to finish the training program. But transfer calls are just important/exciting because it means I have been here in Alma for 6 weeks already. I don't know if I totally believe that, but the calender says so, and so does President Cannon, so I guess it's been 6 weeks! I love it out here in Alma. I'm sure I've said that like 10 times already, but it's seriously so beautiful! I already can't wait to come back and visit with Mom and Dad and show them all the people I've met and show them all the beautiful places I've seen. But that doesn't pop up too often, I'm to engrossed in the work to plan things like that. But the key word is "too". It happens, just not "too" often.

Wednesday was a good day! We went out to pick Raspberries like I said we were going to. Pfh, we have SO many raspberries. Like, just so many. And I really really dislike raspberries. I truly do. People often look at me funny when I say that, but I can't hide the truth! I don't even know why, but they just don't taste that good to me, and the little seeds drive me crazy, and... Yeah, not good. But these raspberries have become kind of delicious I guess. We literally have raspberries with at least 2 meals a day, some times 3. And we have a snack before bed with something Raspberry. There are two main snacks right now, one is we put a bunch or raspberries in a cup, fill the cup with water, stir it up a bit, leave the spoon/knife/fork in the cup and stick it in the freezer and have a popsicle! The second, and my personal favorite is to put in a few raspberries, full the cup mostly full of oats, then pour in milk. And add a pinch of sugar. It's delicious! And it's quite healthy (I hope. Not that I honestly care though, I mean, come on, I walk for like 3-5 hours a day).

The other day while we were out tracting, Elder Heder totally got clothes-lined by a clothes-line. It was awesome! He talked a few times about how he used to plat a lot of football, and he has all these injuries from football, and at first I thought it must have been because he was good and got in the thick of things, but now I know it's just because he actually is just really clumsy. 8] Elder Heder is Actually really awesome though, and there is a whole lot more to him than his devilishly good looks and his love of the gospel.

Saturday Elder Heder cut his hair, and I had to help trim up the back, and that was kinda cool. A lot less stressful than I was expecting, because as Missionaries, we really don't care what our hair looks like, it's great! I will be cutting my hair today, so I will post so before and after pictures next week. Hopefully it isn't too bad...

Our investigator Roger is still good for his baptismal date! We are so excited to get a baptism here in Alma, it has been a loooong time since they last had a baptism. But more exciting then that actually is the whole Canada Montreal Mission! These next two weeks there are 40+ people with baptismal dates. That is incredible! The most this mission has seen for baptism in a month is 32, and now for us to have 40 in just two weeks!! So awesome! Of course, there will be people who have to drop the date because they aren't ready, but hopefully there are a lot more who keep it than drop it.

Oh, this is kind of included with the haircuts and stuff, but when I was in the MTC, I found this one neck hair that I have. And it's like 2 inches long! Maybe even longer than that now! And it's under my collar so I don't have to shave it! I plan on keeping it for as long as I can!

And also on that note, all those who know me know that the last 3 years I have been a strong supporter of No Shave November. So it was hard for me to know that for two Novembers, I was going to have to opt out of that. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel Ladies and Gentlemen! Well, actually, yeah, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the lights that I'm more excited about right now are the two lights that are shining down in the tunnel about where both my Novembers are. In the missionary handbook it says that Elders must shave every day (For all those who aren't Mormon, I'm an Elder. At this point in my life, it's a title in the church that means Missionary). But! It also says that sideburns should not extend below the middle of the ear. Now, I have never been a big sideburns guy, so I have always shaved all mine off. But, what these rules mean is this: For one whole month, I will have about 1 and a half centimeters on each side of my face that I don't have to shave! Ladies and Gentleman, Elder Austen Oviatt will still be participating in No Shave November this year! Be excited. Be VERY excited.

Anyways, I love you all, and I want you to know that I love the work that I am doing here, and I love the people, and I know that I am being blessed already for my decision to give two years to the lord, and I know that as I give myself more fully to this work, I will be blessed in so many ways I can't even count them.

Bisoux,

Elder Austen Oviatt

Ce que moi, le Seigneur, ai dit, je l'ai dit, et je ne m'en excuse pas; et même si les cieux et la terre passent, ma parole ne passera pas, mais s'accomplira entièrement, que ce soit par ma voix or par la voix de mes serviteurs, c'est la même chose. Doctrine et Alliances 1:38

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or the voice of my servants [prophets], it is the same. Doctrine and Covenants 1:38

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the prettiest raspberry picker of them all?

1. 

Yeah... We picked a whole bunch of Raspberries...

It was a good looking crew we had of berry pickers! Elder Heder, Soeur Bouchard, Elder Oviatt, Soeur Estelle Gagnon. And the finger in the picture is Frère Bouchard.

This is a little garden thinggy that we see every time we walk out of our apartment, and we have wanted to take pictures of it forever! And so we finally did!

p.s.

Also, sometimes the phone rings while we are here sending our emails, so we have to answer the phones and talk to the people. But the last two times that I have answered the phones, my Famoso brain kicks in and I say "Bonjour, L'Église de Jésus-Christ des Saints des derniers jours, Elder Oviatt Speaking!" Because at Famoso, whenever I had to answer the phone, I always had to finish with "Austen Speaking" and now I can't get rid of "Speaking"! Elder Heder keeps on laughing at me when I do it, which I don't blame him for, I'd laugh at me too. Famoso friends, I thought you would enjoy that. Just so you know, apparently Famoso is in my blood now!