How are you all?? Thanks for writing me lots this week! I really really loved getting your emails! I now have lots to write today! I'm gonna write it the way I normally do, but Mom and Dad, if you want me to write individual emails, I totally will. It's just more convenient to respond to everyone on this email!
Dad: Holy cow! That is SO COOL that you were in that leadership meeting with all of the apostles and seventies!!! You should totally tell me more about it when you get the time! I would love to hear what you learned! That is seriously SO COOL. So the wildfires have died down, I think: I don't know how much it helped, but it rained a little last week! I LOVED IT SO MUCH. It averages 100 degrees out here, which is quite hot. So the little rain storm was so nice! I don't know when it will cool down, but it's been a pretty constant heat out here. And okay. I can't like, SEE the golden gate bridge from where I am, but if you go to the bottom of the mission, you can see it. My area just barely doesn't go down to the bay, so I haven't seen it since I got here, but it's like, right there. So my teaching experiences. Alright. Um, it's actually been kind of difficult lately with lessons! I have only taught lessons on exchanges, because the YSA work is just not very effective! Basically all we do is drive around, trying to find less actives and potential investigators, which just doesn't do much. So, Elder Adamson and I have no lessons or investigators or anything. But it's all good! We try hard, and there's something here I need to do, so I'm just gonna keep working in faith and pray for assistance! Oh! Actually, a cool thing has been going on: wednesdays, we have a lunch at the institute building across from the community college that we invite nonmembers to, and we had like 5 nonmembers show up last week! I gave a devotional on the love of Christ and the spirit was super strong! So that's super cool! They come like every week and we are hoping that we can teach one or two of them! We are also doing an LDS club at the school, and we finally got the required number of sign ups for the club, so we will start doing more stuff right at the college, which has a lot of potential! Yay! I pray for you with your work and your bishop duties, so I hope that you have felt some extra blessings recently. I love you, Dad!
Mom: Hi mom! Haha so yes, I did call Kimmy at the airport. The branch president at the MTC said we could call family and friends, so after I talked to you and dad, I had a couple minutes and I called Kimmy. It was totally allowed, I promise! That's way cool that you are doing cross country! I hope it's been going well for you! Tell the drapers I said Hi and I miss them! I will pray for Sister Draper. Thanks for the talk, also! I have missed getting those from you! So for some of your questions: A typical day here consists of my hour study blocks: personal, companion, twelve week (which is new missionary training with my companion), and language, but it doesn't always go that way, because we have service assignments like 5 times a week! We help a lot of older people with yard stuff and community projects like we go to the food bank and bag donated food every Wednesday and Thursday for 2 hours, and on Saturday we did a creek cleanup where we picked up SO MUCH GARBAGE all along this creek for the morning. Then we eat lunch, normally at the apartment, go finding for a couple of hours, eat dinner, find some more, and then head back for the night. Like I said, we don't have anyone to teach, so we just try and find less actives and potentials. I heard from the other elders that Sasha is doing well and they are planning her baptism for like the 2nd week in october! So that's really cool! We live in a big apartment complex across from a little store area with a Food Max and a cigarette shoo! Haha! just down the street is a really dangerous park where, like, people die sometimes... but we don't go over there! haha! Don't worry: we are VERY safe. There are just some areas in fairfield that are pretty sketchy! Have you ever heard of Grande Circle? That's in our area. We just don't go to places like that! Haha! The roads are normally pretty busy: one of the biggest differences here is that the roads are SO windy! There isn't a straight road in like all of california it seems like! They all curve and twist and make me carsick! It's pretty funny! There are a LOT of hills around fairfield, but they are all yellow from the drought, so not very pretty. But it's cool! I don't really know how to explain it, but the houses are very... Californian? the roofs have a certain shingle style, and they are all kind of close together etc. etc. Lots of palm trees! We go work out at a little gym in our apartment complex, and we go with the elders who are like football players and know how to work out, so uh, not gonna lie, i'm getting pretty buff. Pretty sweet. I'll answer some more questions later: but i'm gonna run out of time!
Kimber: Thanks so much for writing me! I hope lincoln is feeling better! Your picture of porter is very cute, despite the fact that you don't want him to suck his thumb. :) Hows Kevin doing? Hows his work? I'd love to hear more!
Amanda: your baby is SO CUTE! I'm so glad she's healthy and doing well! I'm also very glad that Ryan is opening up to the gospel! I pray for you guys every day for him to be more open to the church. I'm glad that you could help him see the truthfulness of the book of mormon and about the spirit! I'll write more next week, but i'm just so happy for you! Keep praying and listen to the spirit as you teach!
Anna: weird is definitely a hard word. So is definitely. I hate spelling that word! Congrats on your AP test! Math and chemistry are rough? How come? What kinds of stuff are you learning? DO you study hard? and your experiences with the rough transition: it will be better. I promise. The very beginning of sophomore year kind of stinks. But pray and have faith that it will all be okay! Do the right things and the Lord will put you in the right place. He loves you! And I do too: I pray for you every night as well. Haha it was funny to hear that a boy asked for your number. It will happen more than you want it too. Haha be firm! Say no! Boys don't deserve your number, especially before your'e sixteen! Play hard to get! Tell em you have a mean big brother who will beat them up in two years! Haha! The missionary work is starting to feel pretty regular! It isn't like, uncomfortable or scary or anything to talk to people! I love it! Sometimes I think about home and I get a little homesick, but not for very long. I try to stay busy to not have that happen! Some wierd stuff: um, the elders in my apartment love to bet mcdonalds food for shooting a little rubber baseball into a blender... I stopped because I owed like 5 hamburgers, a mcflurry, and some little dessert things from taco bell. Too much. Haha! The people in the YSA are very strange... if you think about it, the YSA is for people who aren't married yet, and, not to be rude, but a lot of times people don't get married because they are kind of odd. A lot of them like video games or are just kind of socially awkward! haha! We teach this guy Thomas Day who is like a hermit to his home; he never leaves! He is kind of gross, and doesn't shave, and stuff. That's how some of the people are here! Haha! so funny. There ya go! I pray for ya and I love ya! Thanks for writing me!
Ethan: congrats on all of your awesome callings and responsibilities! It is an really cool opportunity you have to lead and be an example to others. I pray for YOU too, and I hope that you are doing well and finding time to do the good things you need to do! That's awesome that you are playing the trumpet! You'd better be pro when I get back! some similar things out here: well, I have an ipad, which is like having a phone, so that's the same, we drive, I'm attractive, the stores are the same... It's like an un-mormon-ified version of Utah! That's the big difference: people are very different! No one is super social and not a lot of people want to talk to us. But it's all good! The people who do are the people we get to teach! It's awesome! I want to write you more next week, but I gotta go: just know that I love you and pray for you, and want you to be an awesome priesthood holder and example to your friends. So, do it!
Okay family! I love you very much! I'll talk to you next week! Keep writing! Love ya!
Love, Elder Valentine!
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