Mom! And all my family and friends who read these!
So Florida
is great it's super green here and really pretty most places you go! There are
some things here that aren't so fun...
Like normally in Utah when you get really hot you just go
sit in the shade for a while, but here in Florida it's so freaking humid that
the shade makes zero difference.... It's a 100 degrees in the sun and it's a
100 degrees in the shade.... Another thing that stinks is the grass!
There is no real grass anywhere! It is all just like
crabgrass everywhere! They may call it grass but in Utah we call that crabgrass
and it's a weed and everyone wants to kill it... It rains everyday without fail
and we have this weather alarm radio thing that goes off about every single
day....
The first
day we got here we went back to President Cusicks house and met his family and
had dinner and just talked for a while.
Then we went to a hotel and spent the night. As you could
probably tell if you got my first letter we sent from President Cusicks house,
I was scared out of my mind after he talked to us! And he asked "whos
feeling like what the heck am I doing here?" But of course nobody really
raised thier hand so I just sat there.... But Once we got to the hotel we got
new companions for while we were doing training and sleeping at the hotel, and
he was in my zone at the MTC so I knew who he was we were friends his name was
elder stansfield. So we got talking and found put that we both were freaked out
but didn't want to tell anyone! So after we talked for a while we both felt a
ton better!
So the second day of training we went to Golden Corral
for dinner and my companion and I with the help of one of the AP's got the
contact info for our first person! Her name is Brenda she's a really nice
lady! One thing I like about this
mission is that we are required to workout everyday, so while we were in the
hotel we woke up and all went and worked out together and went running! I was
so grateful to finally be able to run again! And it's a lot easier down here at
practically sea level, it feels like you can run forever! Haha. So another
thing about Florida.... If you don't hang up your sweaty workout clothes after
you use them they won't dry ever.... And they will be permanently nasty and
smelly..... I'll remember that for next time.....
So I'm in an
area called Apollo beach which I have heard is known to be one of if not the
hardest areas..... But on my first day we taught 2 lessons so that seemed good
to me! But then I remembered there is a sister that teaches 30-40 lessons a
week in another area.... So ummmm. I guess this is a hard area.
So my address is 13408 Tall Palm Place #304 Riverview
Florida 33578 (if it's a letter add box ee-201 to that address)
So we got talking about emergency preparedness and storms
and they told us this next transfer is the peak of hurricane season! Sweeeet!
Then President Cusick said "I have some good news
and some bad news, the good news is we haven't had a hurricane in 10 years! The
bad news is we haven't had a hurricane in10 years....." And then he went
on to say "and the per good news is that we haven't had anyone killed in a
hurricane.... Recently......."Haha it was hilarious! One of the AP's
described president Cucsick and said he goes hard, but if you work hard and do
your best you'll be his best friend. And President Cusick is so cool he is
super sarcastic and hilarious!
So when I picked up my bike e derailleur was bent into
the rim..... So that was worthless.... I just grabbed it and bent it back and
then a guy named Christian Briones (the one who sent the video of me) got a
pair of pliers and we got it goin pretty good! Christian is the best ever he is
sooo much fun he is the funniest guy I have ever met! He is the assistant ward
mission leader or something but he is great! He had us over for s'mores and
family home evening yesterday!
So I might have left my retainer in the MTC..... So mom
will call them and ask if they found one in the building 5m on the 4th floor probably in the bathroom
it's In a blue case.... Thanks!
Hey mom in your
package will you send another bike lock key for a spare and my orange tire
changer that's in my tool box. Thanks!
So did you get my letter that I sent like the first day?
It was sent from the mission office..
Our apartment is kinda bleh, it's not really nice and
it's super small but it works good
enough for what we need, and I won't be here forever.
Sooooooo my story about our apartment.... If you're
eating stop before you read is... Christian picked us up from the mission
office and driving home he says whatever you do don't use that bathroom without
socks or shoes on, and I was like why not? And then he goes on to tell us that
the sisters used to live here and one night at like 9 ish he gets a call from
them and they said the toilet is clogged and need help. He said he thought to
himself what could be sooo bad that they can't unclog it? But he said ok and
put on some basketball shorts and a tank top and flip flops. He said that was
the worst decision of his life..... He grabs his plunger his drain snake and
some drank and He gets over here and they open the bathroom door and there is a
lake! A lake of poop and girl stuff and pee all over the floor!!!! So he goes
in and starts using the plunger and it splashes in his mouth!!!!! Then as he's
carefully trying to walk out he slips! And falls into the lake of nastyness! so
now he's covered in crap! Literally! Remember he's in shorts and a tank
top! Then he uses the snake and pulls
out some.....tampons..... And was like girls you can't flush these things......
So eventually he gets it unclogged and just leaves and says have fun cleaning
this up! So that's my story! I hope you like it
haha.:)
So my companion, his name is Elder Lake from Blackfoot
Idaho. He's a nice kid. And has that farmer twang to his voice. So how do I
like him..... Well he has been in Florida 6 weeks..... And training is a 12
week process O_o. so he got moved up really fast, so it's kinda hard to have a
trainer that I know is still kinda a trainee!
he knows his doctrine really well! But he is kinda bossy sometimes...
And we don't really get along to well.... So there's lots of awkward quietness
haha. I've had 3 companions since getting to the MTC and he isn't my first or
second favorite, and that's all I'll say... Like Brandon says, "life
sucks, then you die" haha. Today though he seemed to kinda change and so I
kinda talked to him about it and I think we've worked everything out and will
get along a lot better this week I hope! He doesn't have very much fun
though.... My 3 goals out of the MTC were 1 be normal be myself 2 don't be a weirdo 3 have fun while working hard and
do my best and go home with no regrets. So I think we can work on a couple of
those areas.... but to me it's about the people and the work not so much how
well my companion and I get along. So life goes on. And I love the work and the
people, and Ill only be with him 6-12 weeks so I'll survive I'm sure! I've met
so many nice awesome people here! It's weird how you really do come to love
them!
Another story! So we go and knock on his guys door and he
opens it half way and looks out and we said were looking for Carrie, are you
Carrie? And he said do I look like a Carrie to you? And we were like we don't
know we're just lookin for Carrie! So anyway at this point he opens the door
all the way to show he has a gun strapped to his thigh... It was at this moment
I thought to myself, I don't think he likes us.... And Elder lake kept talking
to him..... But we went to shake his hand and say goodbye and he just closed
the door on us....
It's hard to know what to eat and what to buy for food, I
think that's one of the hardest parts for myself..
So how's everything back home? Hows school mom? Anything
exciting going on or anything I should know about?
So that's pretty much what's happening down here! It's
goin good! Oh ya, so just in case you were wondering, I will be coming home on
August 2nd 2016, haha.
Well I love you all soooo much back home! And I miss you
tooooonnnnsss! I think of you everyday! But I'm not homesick, I just try to
focus and enjoy what I'm doing here because I have such a short amount of time
to be on a mission, even though it's 2 years, I know it'll fly by and I will
miss what I'm doing. Love you all tons!!!!
Quote of the week "Just because you ride in an
airplane doesn't mean you're a pilot." President Cusick
I don't think jake pastrana will read this, but happy
late birthday cause I forgot to tell you last p day!!
