A letter from 12 October 2011

I fudged on my ability to write letters/emails this week and I was just informed I can write letters on Sundays in addition to writing on P-day (normally on Monday but this week it was on Tuesday).  So anyways, my district leader said I could write in my personal time this week.

I have been up and down emotionally.  Overwhelmed with everything that’s been thrown at me.  I have been praying for extra strength and desire to go to work all the time.  I really do want to be here and do this, but it’s so incredibly hard.  Once I’m working it’s fine and my mind and heart are solely dedicated to Him, but it’s when it gets quiet and I’m just doing behind the scene stuff around the apartment in the mornings that it kills me  It’s been getting better, though, and I’m not nearly as beat up about it as I was last week.

A few things make it nice in terms of convenience.  We have a washer & dryer in our apartment.  There is no sales tax here so everything’s base price.  And Elder Mickelson, my new companion, and I do a car share with the other elders in our district so we have the car every other week.  It’s super nice where we’re at cause it’s farm country basically.  So all the towns are spread out.  Our zone is (?) and our specific area between my companion and I is pretty much all of the north Marion Country.  It covers the small towns of Butteville, Aurora, Donald, St. Paul, and the upper piece of Woodburn where our apartment is.

My companion and I have not quite learned how to teach so well together just yet but that comes with time.  We teach sufficiently though.  We have been tracting a few times, but the majority of our time is with members.  Elder C. Scott Grow came to talk to us on Monday and he encouraged us to put ½ of our time into reactivation.  I never knew I would spend so much time with the members.  It was not really emphasized in the MTC.  Sadly, despite all the member involvement, we have only had a few dinners here and there with members.

I've never felt so unprepared for something.  The MTC never taught us how to live off our own food and shopping on a budget..  Ugh!

By the way, the mission president complimented me on my Jerry Garcia tie you got for me.  I was very grateful and thought of you. I wasn’t surprised at all.  It’s a good tie, my friend.  Kudos to you!  Ha ha.

Your scripture you always shared with me from D. & C. 84 has been helping me out personally.  Like BIG time.  I understand the promise now from verse 88.  It’s a real comfort.  I tear up when I read about angels being with me and God being right there by my side to bear me up.  Even though I feel so inadequate and ineffective right now.  I know that He is here with me to keep my going. 

I would love to hear from you as much as possible.  You can send letters to my apartment directly at the address listed on the envelope. BUT only until October 30^th.  After that send all letters to the mission office until I give you my apartment address again, which will be after transfers on November 15^th (I think).  The reason is because your letters will get to me about 2-3 days sooner if you send it straight to my apartment address, but the downside is that when I transfer the mail that comes to the apartment will have to be forwarded by other missionaries (that is the hope at least).  So just by precaution don’t send letters within two weeks of each transfer to my apartment.  Just send them through the mission office.  I think you can send packages directly to my apartment but to play it safe maybe just send it to the office first depending on your discretion.

P.S.  The beauty is a bit overrated here. . .or maybe it is just engulfed by the grayness of most days, but thankfully it doesn’t rain EVERY day.  It’s just cloudy most of the time (we take pictures and stop to stare at patches of blue sky) and there’s a kind of drab/dismal attitude or setting.  There are a lot of trees though.  Plenty of variety and they are gorgeous. 

I know I would love to have lots of packages but if necessary, collaborate to send a couple of packages with Nicole and my family.  Otherwise I love getting lots of packages and letters!