RISE & SHOUT!!! GO MIGHTY COUGARS!!!

Rise all loyal Cougars and hurl your challenge to the foe.
We will fight, day or night, rain or snow.
Loyal, strong, and true
Wear the white and blue.
While we sing, get set to spring.
Come on Cougars it's up to you. Oh!

Chorus:
Rise and shout, the Cougars are out
along the trail to fame and glory.
Rise and shout, our cheers will ring out
As you unfold your victr'y story.

On you go to vanquish the foe for Alma Mater's sons and daughters.
As we join in song, in praise of you, our faith is strong.
We'll raise our colors high in the blue
And cheer our Cougars of BYU.

Letter from Mark 20 Nov 2006

Dear Family,

Things continue to go well. Elder Chritensen and i continue to get great comments from both members and non-members about how well we work together and how much they have enjoyed having us. We even impressed President Hunt with some stories of how well Platteville is going and he said that we are a good team. We are trying to use all of this as evidence to President Hunt that we should stay together for another Transfer. It is great because our strengths and weaknesses match so that we have been good at helping eachother out. that is part of the reason that we work together well, because between the two of us, Just about everything gets done, and done well.

I went on exchanges to madison after interviews on tuesday. I have found that i'm not as comfortable in the city as i once was. I have been out in the country among all of the farmers my whole mission that i am not use to all of the people in the city. I am actually starting to like being out in these small towns. after 4 areas, and 16 months the largest town in any of my area's is 13,000. I am now use to 30 min drives in the farm country to get to the town that we want to work, so driving in madison, not leaving the city at all was a bit different. I have also found it entertaining that i have stayed just about as far south in the mission as you can. 3 of my area's have bordered the missions southern border, and one was a 45 min drive to the southern border. Over all it has been great.

Thank you for the Pre-Med information, it was great. it helps me get a good idea of what i would be getting myself into if i go that route.

We are getting excited for thanksgiving. on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, we don't work. We get to watch any G or PG movie of our choice. a Member here in town invited us over for Thanksgiving, and there are a few members that told us to stop by and visit if we have time. it should be fun.

It is good to hear things are going well there. Hope you have a Great Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday mom. thanks for all that you do. I love you all.

Elder Lundberg

Cubicle Decorations by Gerald

In preparation for this years big game between the Utes & Coogs, Merilee decorated my cube. Go Utes!

Letter from Mark 13 Nov 2006

Dear Family,

Things have been going great. Last week a couple named Tex and Michelle fernandez came to church after a coworker that is a member invited them. Tex said last week that he had been to just about every church except the Jehovah's Witnesses, which he wouldn't go to. he figured he should attend this one. he is a nice guy, and fed us dinner last sunday along with the members that invited him to church. we had thought that he was nice, and maybe in time would join, but didn't haveany short term goals for him. this week, to the shock of Elder Christensen and I, Tex and Michelle came to church again. In gospel essentials the teacher asked tex to give the closing prayer. It was amazing! he touched on many points including giving thanks for bringing him and his wife to the church, and asking to help them to join themselves with his church. Later we found out that michelle wants to become a member. Tex said that he can usually read people (if they are lying or not) and he said he knew what the gospel essentials teacher was saying came from his heart. Both my companion and I have been very excited, allong with the Ebery family (the ones that invited them to chruch.) We got a referal a couple days ago for someone who saw a tv ad for a Book of Mormon and called it. when someone calls, they talk to missionaries at the mtc, and they have the choice to have it sent in the mail, or to have missionaries bring it by. all that information gets sent to whatever mission it is in, and the office either sends the item, or gives the information to the missionaries who cover the area the peson lives in. so the fact that we got this was exciting because someone asked us to come and deliver a book of mormon and talk to them. we saw him briefly last night. He was a student at the UW extention here, but is taking the semester off. we didn't have much time to talk to him then but we are going back today. he told us he knew nothing about our church, but he wasn't very happy with his at the moment and was having doubts about god. He then said something that struck me, he said, "I do know there is a god there" but explained he was having hard times. he was open to praying and he commited to praying to ask if god loved him. being there i recognised the light of christ in him, and that he really wants the truth. we are excited about him aswell, his name is John Legassic. Both elder christensen and I have been loving platteville because of all of the great things going on here. we recently were talking with some members of the branch that was working with a friend to have us teach, and told us that she was glad to have missionaries in the branch that she knows she can trust. she said some of the prievious elders were not ones that she would want to teach her friend that has a lot of potential, but could easily be scared away. It was great to hear that we have the trust of the members, i'm sure that is part of the reason that we have had so much sucess recently and are continuing to be blessed.

It snowed a little on thursday, and has since warmed a litted and melted the snow. wednesday it was in the 70's so it was a bit of a rude awakening that winter is comming.

I have started to have problems with my shoes again. my old pair is starting to have the same problems as the first, the stiching on the side is splitting. at first i figured i wouldn't go through the hassel again, but not the new shoes you sent me are starting to peal on the toes. it looks o.k. if I polish them, but still not amazing and it isn't something that i want to wear in public much. i figured that between the two problem they might be willing to refun one ( the old ones hopfully) if not i can last, these new ones will stay together, and i have the pair that i only wear to meetings, but they should be willing to replace them. i figure it is sad that neither one of the 2 pairs i started with lasted 2 years.

Things have been going well and i appreciate all that you do for me. I love you all.

Elder Lundberg

Halloween at Merilee's

Hey, all: Just a couple of pics from Halloween. Kaylin turned out to be a trick or treating animal-- she just went and went!

Enjoy!

Letter from Mark 06 Nov 2006

Dear Family,

This week has been good. both elder Christensen and i are together untill December 14th (I think) Haloween was great, we went into madison and had a huge district meeting, some carved pumpkins, we played disk golf, and a little ultimate frisbe, and several other indoor games. it was tons of fun. the pumpkin pie we made was great. it was a bit differnet than normal pumpkin pie but we enjoyed it.

We Recently met a guy tracting named Bob Aylesworth. he is 75, he loves to talk, he is a methodest. the first visit we offered to come back and rake his leafs, and he acctually accepted the offer, most people will not let us help. so when we went bakc he tried to pay uas and was shocked when we said no, and wasreally wanting to compensate us so we told him he could feed us lunch in return of raking his leafs. we went back friday to finish raking and we now have a deal set up where he will come up with "chores" for us and will feed us diner in return. he is a pharmacologist (tests drugs to see how they work) and while we were there he told me he asked if i was good at math and chemistery, he said he thought thatfrom talking with me. he then told me i should go into the medical field. he said he had worked with a lot of medical students and he thought that i would be realy good at it. he also told me that after talking to his son, a pharmacist, that after 7 years of school pharmacist's can make 80 to 120 thousand per year after they graduate. I am starting to think that doesn't sound too bad, not just for the money either. he is a funny guy. he picked out a lot of my different qualities without me telling him. he did the same with elder Christensen, but not as much.

We has 6 non-members come to church yesterday! it was great. there is a university of madison extention here in platteville, and 4 students from their taking a religion class had to attend a servce of a church they wanted to study. our gospel essentialls class took up both sunday school and priesthood. It was taught by a new teacher that just moved from idaho, and is also a former bishop. he did an awesome job. there was also a member who brought a co-worker and his wife to church. the 4 college students enjoied it, but probably won't be coming back. i'm not sure what the members friend thought, but he said he had viseted most other churches so he felt he should come and visit this one.

The time is really flying, today is my 16 month mark. i am now the age that Elder Hodgson was when he started to train me. elder Sieler was also 16 months when i got with him. as i look back it is amazing to see how far i have come and how much i have learned. Missions are great.

thank you for all of your prayers and support, I love you all.

Elder Lundberg

Mighty Tree Hunters