Traba-traba-trabajando duro

¡Hola Hola Hola, Familia! How are you all? I'm excited to get to write you all again and hear all the fun stuff that's happening on the other side of the border. I'm doing pretty well! It's nice and warm here, with sun (but not too much) and some heat (but not too much) and shade (just enough). I'm enjoying the weather, actually! It's around 85 F or something during the day, 75 at night. I'd better enjoy it while I can; it's going to get intense!

Have you gotten any of my letters? I sent one last week (it should have left here on Thursday), and I'll try and write another this week. I still haven't gotten any of yours...seems to take a while!

So what's been up? I did give a talk yesterday! It actually turned out well; I felt I had the Spirit's help, as the words flowed easier than they usually do, and it was a good lesson for me, and probably some of the members too : ). I talked on hope, what it means in everyday life, and that we need to just keep going, even when we don't see the blessings from our efforts at first (it was adapted from a talk I outlined in the MTC).

The work is moving along, and I'm trying to get more invested in the work and the area. I'm excited for Nailea's baptism this Saturday; she's already read the Book of Mormon twice (we still have to teach her a few things, but that IS quite impressive)! At times it's tricky to mesh my and Elder Muñoz's teaching styles, but it's something we're working on.

Notable events from last week: tasty meals, helping a young family (the dad is a counselor in the bishopric) move furniture into their new house (really nice, and rooftop too!), leading a companionship exchange for one day (it's a different mindset to be the one leading, or the "senior companion," at times a little tricky, but good), weekly planning and district meeting and a new roommate (from San Fran, and perfect Spanish AND English) and coordination, a few blessings of health (always a priviledge : D)... yeah! We also had a good FHE with one of the member families, and I got to meet one of the sons, Pilar Diaz, who actually is the same age and served a mission the same time as you, Sam! Pretty wild : D. He's into drawing and stuff, and he showed me some intense sketches he made while he was out.

Hey! We were doing a little family history stuff with Bernardo, one of E. Muñoz's recent converts, and I realized I can only remember my history up to my grandparents! Could you maybe send me a copy of my family tree? It'd be fun to see and remember them all, and I could also show others, too. Thanks a lot! 

And if you could, could you get the balance of my checking account? I'd like to know, as there's a few things I'd like to buy.

Well, before I wrap up, I want to tell you a little bit about CAMPECHANAS. They are a variety of taco here in Monterrey. They are usually made by taco vendors on the street, and are primarily composed of steak and "trompo." Trompo is pork (I think), sliced into sheets and stuck on a spike in such a way that the sheets form a spinning top shape (hence "trompo," or Spanish for top). The trompo is then cooked right next to the flame and rotated vertically, while the vendor slices off meat from the other side. It's actually tasty (though probably not very healthy)! We had some when I arrived (my first night) and the night before my roommate Elder Thomas went home. Usually you're given green salsa, limes, and a mix of onion and cilantro. Yum!

I love you all very much! I miss you a lot, and I hope you all are doing well. I can't wait to be home with you all again, but at the same time I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and learn and really know the gospel. I hope you have a MARVELOUS week, and I hope I will too! We can share stories again this time next week! : D

Keep on rockin',

Oli

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! : D I love you all bunches : D! And thanks for the e-card, Mom, I wish I could give you a hug, too! : )

AND CONGRATULATIONS JULIA!!! I'm so happy and proud for you! That's awesome that you got into A&M, and I hope and pray that BYU will be smart enough to accept you, too. It'd be sweet to see you around campus when I get back, but more than anything I'd like you to have a choice. Congratulations again, and good luck with school and everything! : D

How are you all? I'm doing wonderful! It's a bright and shiny day, and I'm excited to be here. Our zone has plans to make hamburgers this afternoon at the Zone Leaders' house, so that should be delish (I want to show them how we make hamburgers in Texas : D). It's also exciting because transfers are tomorrow! Elder Thomas, an elder from Lehi, Utah, goes home on Wednesday, which is super exciting. It's got all of us thinking a bit more about  life after the mission than we want : ). I'm really excited for him! I wish I could have had an opportunity to know him longer, but what can you do. Elder Muñoz and I are sticking together another transfer here in Moderna (which, I learned the other day, is the westernmost area in our mission! We have 3 colonias/areas in the city proper; I kind of wish we had more of the city, as it seems like a cool place and I'd like to be able to see more of it, but I'm glad to be in the East Mission), which will be ROCK AWESOME! We already have plans to get to work this transfer. Actually, we have baptismal dates lined up for the next 3 weeks, and E. Muñoz really wants to push for a baptism every week!! We'll see how it goes, but it would be super intense. Oh, and E. Muñoz will be the new district leader.

Sorry I didn't write a letter last week; with the longer email and everything we did (eating, shopping, laundry, cleaning), I chose not to send one. I'll try to write one this week, if I have time! I can print out the emails here, which I've been doing for the past few weeks. And it's up to you if you'd like to send me letters; I enjoy the emails, and I haven't as of 11:33 am received any letters from you yet, so it's up to you. I always love receiving them, but most of all I like to hear from you.

Well I wonder what I should write about? How about this: I'll tell you what's happened briefly, so you all know how my week's been, but I'll put more info in my letter. I don't want you all to go without knowing, but I want to have something worthwhile to write in my letter! Let me know how it works.

I hit my 6 MONTH MARK on Friday! It didn't really feel any different than any other day, actually : D. I remember E. DeBaltzo and other missionaries saying that their 6 month marks were kind of trippy, like time is going too fast and they feel they haven't accomplished much. For me, I feel both, that it's hard to believe that it's already been 6 months, but then I can look back and say, Yeah, it's been 6 months : D. E. Muñoz thinks that maybe it's because I just arrived in my mission and still getting used to things, which is probably true. I just don't want to look the other way, because 1.5 years still seems like a long time, but as you always say, Dad (and I always tell myself; it's like my mission mantra), "One Day at a Time" : D. So yeah! I'm excited that I made it this far, and I hope to keep on going strong.

I went on a trip to Immigration on Wednesday and got my for-reals VISA! It lasts one year, and looks like an ID card.
I did better on this round of cold weather that just went through (it didn't feel quite as cold!), I think. With bundles and 3 blankets, we did pretty well. It's starting to warm up, and I think I've already sunburned twice! : / I need to be more vigilant with that. I just feels weird to do it in the winter, every day.
I almost lost my voice this past week? I guess from the cold or something. As a remedy, I drank honey and lime juice (they don't seem to have lemons here, but they have lime with EVERYTHING). I'm fine now.
I didn't end up giving a talk; it might be next week. I know what I want to talk about though: Hope and Enduring to the End. I'm still on the piano, though! I'd like to try to practice more, so it's not just one note at a time, but more like real playing.
I'm getting comfortable with Moderna and Monterrey! I'm really glad about it, because it allows me to focus more on the work. I also bought a pillow last week (about 8 dollars) that I'm very excited about: my very own pillow, that I can take around with me! : D

OH!! Mom and Dad, could you please send me the balance on my debit card? It's tough to keep track of expenses when everything's in pesos, and I'd like to know how much money I have on the card. Thanks a ton!

We also had some really good lessons last week that I'll try and tell you about in my letter!

Well, I think that's about it for this week. I love you all bunches and bunches, and I hope that things are going well for you. I am wonderful! Despite the occasional toughness, tiredness, or homesickness, I'm glad to be here and serving the Lord and the people of Moderna. I'm grateful for the testimony I have, and I want it to grow every day. I really appreciated the testimony you shared, Dad, and I value yours too, Sam and Mom and Julia! I'm so grateful for you all, and blessed to know that you all have testimonies, too.

YEAH! : D I'm just so happy!! I hope you have a great week, stay safe, and TTYL!

<3, Oli

Mexico is not as hot as you think

Hello Everyone!! : D I love hearing from you all every week! It's been a pretty long week for me, and I'm grateful to know how you're doing and everything : ). It's been a good one, though!

 

I've been pretty good, except the cold. BRR!! I guess I'm not used to it, but it was suuuper chilly this past week. I was wearing my wool cap, my sweater, my gloves (I shared my other pair with Elder Muñoz), my raincoat with zipout liner, long sleeves, almost everything I had, out walking and proseltyzing. It got down to about -5 degrees Celsius, which I guess is around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, at night! Apparently it's been the coldest it has been in like 15, 20 years here. The worst was the buildings: they're pretty much all made of concrete, with no insulation, so it was 45 deg F inside our house, at the lowest point (I could see my breath!)!! We were fine though, thanks to 3 blankets each : D. And I got through it! It was an experience, one fun to look back on : ) (except I hear we're going to have MORE cold weather later this week! I hope not : /). It's part of being a missionary! Yesterday was quite warm though, with tons of sun; I need to start being more mindful of wearing sunscreen. Really, weather here is just as weird as it is in Texas. I'm glad to hear that you all made it through the cold OK on your side.

 

 So yeah! I sent you a letter last week, though a member who took it to the post office on Thursday, I believe. We'll have to see when it gets there! Would you like me to continue to write letters? I can keep doing it if you'd like, but emails are faster and easier for me. Just let me know! As for mail on my end: the zone leaders go to the mission office to pick up mail every Tuesday and give it to us the following Monday, at our district meetings (the whole zone does it at the same time, in the Moderna stake center). Which I suppose means that any mail that you send this week, if it gets here by next Tuesday (I'm not sure how long it takes to get to the mission office), I should get in 2 weeks : /. Too bad it takes so long, but I'm content with printing out emails and such. Whatever you'd like to do!

 

 What else has been going on? A ton, that's what! : D We didn't talk last Sunday, but we do THIS Sunday, so I need to start preparing for that; I guess it's every 2nd Sunday that we give talks. I DID play the piano though!! Our ward doesn't have a pianist, so I volunteered to play. I only played the melody with my right hand, one note at a time, but it helped with the hymns. Hopefully I can start practicing and preparing more for the hymns beforehand. It's kind of exciting! I enjoyed fasting as well. We did it a little differently: we started our fast Saturday afternoon, after our comida (the daily meal that Mexicans eat around 2 pm as the largest meal, as opposed to dinner. We eat la comida every day with members), since we would eat la comida again on Sunday around 2 pm. I really enjoy the opportunity to fast each month, especially for others or things I need. And our meal afterwards was super tasty! : D

 

One thing that amazes me about Monterrey is how people are so prepared by the Lord. It's actually easier than you might think to walk up to people on the street, talk to them a little about the gospel, and make a return appointment! We made 45 contacts last week, 3 of which really stood out. One, with a lady named Leticia, we met on the street, and we could tell she was having a rough day. We told her a bit about the church, and she told us of some problems that her daughter was having. We sang a hymn, and she allowed us to come visit her later that day. And on only her second visit, she accepted a baptismal date (though she didn't come to church; I hope she's still working to read and pray)!! Another, Miriam, was a simple contact outside her house. But when we came and visited her and her husband Abraham, she was really touched by our introduction, saying that she had prayed to God to know what she would do, and that we were like messengers from God. Both she and her husband committed to read the Book of Mormon, and I know the gospel could help them so much. The last, Juan Carlos, I didn't meet until yesterday (I think my companion E. Muñoz contacted him before I got here or something), when we had our first visit. However, he had already read several parts of the Book of Mormon (up to about Jacob, plus jumped around to other places), had already prayed to God about it, and received an answer! He understood everything, eveninfant baptism (read about it in Moroni), and committed for a baptismal date, on our first visit, for the 20th. His sister committed too, even though she hadn't read the Book of Mormon yet! Truly amazing. I'm also really impressed with Bernardo, E. Muñoz's recent convert, for his humility and desire to learn and keep going in the church.

 

My companion, E. Muñoz, has been great, too! He's from Mexico City, and was actually baptized when he was 14 (his sister and his grandma are the only others in his family who are members). He likes to sing pop songs of all kinds, is looking forward to marriage : D, likes to joke around a lot, and is a really hard working missionary. He's really been helping me with my Spanish, and he knows some English, which is a lifesaver for me and helps me learn better too, I think. He's been out for about 11 months. In some ways it was hard for me to adjust to him, because I'm so used to working with Elder Jardine and teaching a certain way, and he does things differently. He's really helped me out though!! He understands what I'm going through, is willing to try some of the things that I've learned, and really has helped me get used to Monterrey and having a new companion, doing things differently, in a different place. I've learned, too, that I can't expect him to be the same as my trainer, that we are equals in this process, and that I need to work to see the good things he does and try to suggest things in a helpful way. I really am blessed to have him as my companion.

 

My area is good too! Though living conditions are quite poor, the quality of the people that live here impresses me. The members are super nice and solid, even coming out with us to lessons pretty regularly. I don't know; I don't really like to talk about the living conditions here. Our house is actually pretty nice, though dirty (we're going to work on that today) and a little cold-feeling at times (all the floors here are tile or concrete, and our house doesn't have much decoration, which makes it feel a little sterile, but it's really a nice house). Unfortunately I don't know the address, sorry!

 

Whew this email is getting pretty long! I probably should wrap it up for now. I hope I answered most of your questions! I love you all so so much, and I hope you have a wonderful week. It really lifts my spirits to hear from you and hear of your testimonies. I'm grateful to be on a mission, and I hope you all are doing well too. Talk to you soon!

 

Love, Oliver

¡Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriba!

(Oliver with President and Sister Walker of the Mexico Monterrey East Mission - they look the same age!)


HELLO FAMILY! How are you all? I'm doing pretty well, missing you all but good. Right now I'm in an Internet Cafe (I expect Sam that you did something similar in Chuuk), and it's quite a nice day.
Where to start? My area is Colonia Moderna, just a bit north of the Founder's Park (or something like that; it's called Parque Fundadora in Spanish), though we live just outside of our area, in Colonia Fabriles. We live in a four-elder HOUSE (actually the largest living quarters in the mission!), me, E. Muñoz, and two other elders, E. Thomas (who only has 2 weeks left!!!) and E. Elizabarraz. It's a pretty nice house, if dirty (no bare feet and some mold; winter is really humid here); we're planning on doing some cleaning today. It has pretty much everything though, from the kitchen and fridge to beds and showers. Pretty different from what I'm used to. I'll get used to it though; I just need some time (remember the mantra One Day at a Time : D).
I appreciate the compliment from President Walker! I still feel not quite there with Spanish yet, but same with everything, I just need time. President Walker also told me the things you could do for letters:
You could mail directly through the US Mail to the mission office,
You can mail through the pouch,
You can use DearElder.com (which I believe also goes through pouch)
or just email.
I'm going to try and send at least a small letter today, so we can figure out how long it takes to get here. I don't know if we'll be able to get to the office for mail every week like before, but we'll see.
Yeah! Elder Muñoz is actually quite cool. He's from Mexico City and has 11 months on his mission so far. He's really been helping me a lot with Spanish and getting accustomed to here, and I really appreciate him. He also works really hard, and I look forward to working with him! One thing that was tough for me at first was how he teaches differently than Elder Jardine. We've talked about it, though, and we plan on working on both my style and his style and combining it over the next while.
Today I'm planning on getting a few things, like food and shampoo and maybe a pillow (I still don't have my own!), as well as laundry and cleaning up the house. I also need to exchange my cash for pesos; I guess I should have deposited some while I was in California, but I think it'll work out.
: D There´s a lot of roosters that I hear here! There's also a lot of dogs that either are hanging out on the streets (no problems, though) or up on the roofs! That was surprising the first time : D.
Whew! I'm not sure what else to write about! The first few days have been pretty tough, as I'm sure it was for Sam and every missionary. I felt like I did when I first entered the MTC, a little! I pray that as I get to know the people here, start to serve them and really focus on the work, that I'll feel better and not worry so much. I love you all so much, and it gives me a lot of comfort to know that you feel peace that I'm here and that you all are doing well (an 80?? Sweet!). Elder Muñoz has been great, too. After every prayer together, we do a Mexican hug (handshake, hug with head to the right, then shake again : D), which is kinda fun.
Yep! I love you all, and I pray for you and hope your week will be SUPER! I miss you a lot, and I hope things will get easier. I know they will, especially with the Lord's help. I just need to give myself time! Which is honestly kind of hard to do : ). Talk to you soon!

LOVE YA BUNCHES!
Oliver

Estoy aqui en Monterrey!

Hello Familia! I'm writing this from another country: MEXICO (from a Mexican laptop, actually! Kind of wild, with different keys, like ñÑñÑñ and characters in different places)!!! I'm right now in the mission home with Hermana Walker, the APs, and it{s a really nice home. I just wanted to write you and say that I arrived fine, I am full and happy, and I'm feeling well. I was unfortunately not able to call in Houston; our flight was pretty late, so we only had 15 minutes to go to the other terminal!! It was cutting it pretty close (by like 5 minutes. Whew!), but we got here. I did try to take a few photos of the city from the plane, it was fun to be so close and yet so far : D. It's pretty wild being surrounded by Spanish, but I'm really glad that I have 6 months experience with it; I'm actually doing better than I expected in that respect. And guess what! There's H-E-Bs here!!! How awesome is that!! : D
So right now we're having interviews with President Walker (who's actually really nice, and speaks really good English, which helps a lot if I get caught up on something). Afterwards we'll head back to the mission office to spend the night, tomorrow we'll do official stuff with money and IDs and such, and we're off to our areas after that.
I'm excited, nervous, a lot of different emotions. I miss San Diego still, but Monterrey is looking to be a really nice place (with EPIC mountains!). I'm happy to finally have a mission to call my own, but now I start thinking of that song, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" with San Diego : ). And I'm a little tired : D. Apparently the mission covers 6 zones here in Monterrey and 6 zones on the frontier, especially Nuevo Laredo (next to Laredo), Reynosa (across from McAllen), and Matamoros (across from Brownsville). I´m a little disappointed that we can't visit the temple regularly (it's in the other mission), but what can you do. Like you said, Mom, I just need to know that it will take some time, and I need to have an open mind. I'll just go with the flow and do my best!
About what you asked, Mom: President Walker said he would call you and Dad and let you know I got here OK, or introduce himself or whatever (he told me in Spanish, so I only remember the gist : /). He also said that packages sent through the US mail aren't really a problem, as long as they're sent to the mission office. I don't remember all of that details with mail either unfortunately, so I'll ask President and figure out for sure. He said something about how most Mexicans use this shipping service similar to FedEx instead of the national mail, but I think that's mostly on my end.
So yeah!
I trust in the Lord, and I know that He has had His reasons for everything that's happened in my mission. I'm grateful for the experiences I've had, and I hope and pray that I can use them and build upon them here. I'm so so so grateful for the support that you give me, and for your love. I love you all so much, and I feel close to you tonight (spiritually, though also closer geographically : D)! Keep up all the great stuff you're doing in Texas, and I'll talk to you soon.

LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!
Oliver 

January 25, 2011 - VISA'S IN!!

HOWDY Family! Guess what: I got my travel plans today! I'm off to MEXICO!!!

 

Here's the plans. I leave tomorrow from the San Diego airport at 417PM and fly to Los Angeles, where I have a layover for about an hour and a half until I fly to Las Vegas. The mission there is picking me up (Elder Frame's old stomping grounds! : D) and taking me to the consulate there on Thursday, and I should be off to Monterrey on Friday the 28th is all goes well. I don't have any info past that for now. [I haven't asked President yet if I can talk to you all in the airport, but I'll ask him, and I should be able to. There's the times, just in case.]

 

SO HOW ABOUT THAT!! : O I'm doing well : D. I'm excited, though honestly not ready to leave yet. I was expecting to be leaving sometime last week (a few other Mexican elders, including my friend Elder Wright, left yesterday and today), and now I find myself leaving tomorrow! I joked about having just one day's notice before, and here I am : D.

 

So I guess today and tomorrow I'll be packin'. Conveniently, there's not a whole lot for me to collect, since our apartment is getting new carpet today. We had to move all our furniture off into the dining area and kitchen, and all my stuff is crammed in the corner. Shouldn't be too difficult! As for other plans today, there isn't much. Elder Jardine is Skyping his family today, because his sister's having a baby (he got permission from President Donaldson)! I probably will just go with whoever, perhaps to the mall or something. I'm not sure if I'll have much time to write a letter today, so I'll try to get most of it in the email. Sorry about that! We also have a few appointments tonight that I want to go to, but that's about it. The sad news is that there's a General Authority coming to visit San Diego on Thursday (an Elder Evans, I think; a member of the MissionaryBoard or something?), and I have to miss his tour! The good news is that I was able to be here for Mission President Interviews yesterday, my first ever! I'm really glad that I was able to do that before I left San Diego. I asked President Donaldson a few questions about my mission, like my patriarchal blessing and such. It was a really nice meeting, and one thing that really stuck out was that he said he appreciated the contribution I made to the San Diego mission, and that he wanted me to stay! That meant a lot to me, and I'm grateful for it. [Oh! The letters I RECEIVED today: Mom's from the 19th and Dad's from the 14th, plus one from Elder Snyder, one of my MTC companions!]

 

So what's else has been happening this past week? We had transfers on Wednesday; like I might have mentioned, no changes in my companionship, but new English companions and a few changes in the district. They seem like cool elders, though I didn't get to know them really well. Apparently there's also a new pilot program starting with some of the new missionaries, some kind of training where they don't teach any of the lessons in the MTC, instead just focusing on 8 Foundational Principles, like the missionary purpose and making commitments. It sounds exciting; the missionary office/organization/thing from Salt Lake is also coming down to FILM the training (I don't know if Sam remembers, but they filmed here before, demonstrating principles of Preach My Gospel and Teaching by the Spirit)! I don't have much to do with that, though.

 

I got to visit the mission home for the first time last week; it's really nice (built in the 70s, so lots of beautiful dark hardwood and stuff)! Several bedrooms for all the new missionaries : D. Elder Krasovec had to sign a few things to get permission to drive, so it was just a short visit. We also stopped by Chik-fil-a last week; very delicious! There's close to NONE here in SD, which is a surprise. Good stuff. I also had an interesting member meal too: barbacoa de chivo (barbacoa made of goat meat)! Actually quite tasty, though different from Chipotle barbacoa (it had red sauce).

 

We've been focusing a lot as a district on building up the ward, from helping the leaders fulfill their purpose, the ward mission plan, to meeting with a lot of less-actives and young adults. We hope to get more people to the Institute in Chula Vista! We also hope by building up the members, we can help them come closer to Christ, and have a greater desire to share the gospel with their friends. Member work is slow, but satisfying.

 

Whew! That's a lot. I guess I'll wrap up this super email. I've really started to build a great relationship with my companions, and it's sad that I have to leave. Elder Krasovec is a cool elder, who likes to joke around a lot and is a good balance for me. I've really liked Elder Jardine too! I really appreciate all he's done, though if I told him that he'd probably just wave it off : D. He's like that. I don't know if he'll want to keep in touch after the mission, but we'll see. He's a really cool guy! He keeps crackin' trunky jokes about his leaving on March 1st, but I guess I beat him to the chase : D! I'll miss San Diego for sure, and especially the people I've met here: Leticia, the Aguirres, the Guzmans, Abinadi (loves to go to raves; ever since I told him I DJed as a hobby, he keeps calling me "the DJ" or "dj haka" or whatever : D)... there's a lot. It's just a new stage, I guess! I wonder if I'll ever come back to visit! I'd kind of like to; I hope people would remember me. Oh well, that's a bit down the line.

 

SHEESH this email is super long! I have little to no idea what awaits me in Monterrey, but I'm super excited! I love you tons and tons, and I hope you all are doing SUPER back in the luverly homeland of Texas. Thanks again for your letters and everything, and I hope to talk to you soon!

 

<3,

Oliver!

January 18, 2011

Back by popular demand, the latest couple of emails from Elder Hatfield.  He's doing well, working hard in San Diego, still waiting for a visa (we heard that there are at least 200 missionaries like him waiting to get in to Mexico right now...)

===========================================================

Buenos Dias, Familia! Sorry my email is a little late today; we've been pretty busy! I'll give you the down-low below.

 

Lunch at Schlotzsky's, then more whiffleball at Petco Park, then here! We don't have a whole lot more time this P-Day (sorry about that : ( ), since we still have to get groceries, but I'll try to get as much in the letter as I can. ALSO, I plan on sending my memory card home!! I hope you enjoy and it makes up for the short letter this week (maybe I need to cut down on the pics; I haven't been out for 6 months and I'm already done with 2!), I'll tell you my goings-on in this email, at least.

So transfers were today, and Elder Krasovec, Jardine, and I are still hanging strong in National City. Still no visa news, but we did have a couple changes in the district, with Elder Guenette and Harper leaving, plus Elder Custer and Madarang leaving from the apartment! I'm going to miss Elder Custer; he's a really cool missionary, and I've grown to like him a lot over the last 3 months. This is actually Elder Jardine's FINAL TRANSFER, which is super exciting! We hope to make the most of it. He says he gets "trunky" (thinking about home and non-missionary life) sometimes, but I know he's not looking forward to leaving. It'll be a great next few weeks.

Sheesh not much time left! Yesterday I got to try something wild: balut! We went to the going-away party for Elder Adams (an English elder who left for home today) at a Laotian member's home (she goes to the English ward), and we had egg-rolls and a kind of stew-curry stuff, then the balut. It's unhatched, cooked, duck, still in the shell. Crazy! I took some pictures so you can see (it actually tastes like chicken : P).

I've had some really good companionship studies the past week, about staying focused on the people, about the importance of good personal study, and true hope and what God thinks of you. They really helped me a lot! I wish I could go into more detail : (, but I don't have much time left.

 

Hey Sam, are you still doing Chuukese translating work? How's everyone been doing? School OK for Julia? When does Sam go back?

 

I love you all so so much, and I'm grateful for the chance to email you this week! Sorry again about the small correspondence; today has been quite busy. I still haven't heard about the visas yet; while I hope mine comes soon, I want to focus my needs here. Elder Custer told me something that really stuck out to me yesterday, that I came here for a reason, not just to learn, but that I've been an example too. That really meant a lot to me, and I'm very grateful that I came here.

 

I love you tons, and I've gotta wrap this up! Talk to you soon, and good luck with this next week! 

 

<3, Oliver!