October 10, 2011

Dear Family,

It was a fantastic week.  We've really just been focusing on finding new people lately because a lot of the people that we have been teaching just seem like they're never gonna go anywhere until we let them discover that we're telling the truth on their own.  That's the thing...  It seems like nothing gets done unless you do it yourself, but you can't do everything yourself when it comes to missionary work.  

I'll tell you about two of the investigators that we have right now.  They are the parents of an active member and just moved here from Texas, actually!  They're Mexican, but have lived in Texas for something like 30 years I think.  They don't speak English, but they are the most wonderful people.  Every time we go over there to teach, Emilia wants to cook for us and we never decline her!  It's just so weird though...  This week I was thinking about how I couldn't imagine having a completely 100% reverent, distraction-free lesson with them because they live in a house with 7 kids or something and 5 adults...  There's literally always something going on.  But anyway, we are thinking about making a huge sacrifice and not having that delicious food just so that we can meet up in the church and feel the spirit strongly.  I'll let you know how that goes, but goodness gracious!  I seriously love the food she makes.

There are a lot of really good cooks in this ward, I don't think I told you that before...  I don't think you realize how much of a blessing it is to have them because I LOVE food if you don't know.  Arroz con pollo, flautas, tamales, ribs, tortas, pollo frito, carne asada, mole, SPICY!!  Goodness gracious I love eating on my mission.  I asked Emilia if she would teach me how to make salsa because she always has a different flavor every time we go over and they're all so good and she said she would, so I might just be a mexican when I come home!  

Elder Jones and I get along really well and he is a great missionary.  It's nice being with another little more "seasoned" missionary again.  He's been out for about a year.  I don't really know how to explain what we do..  We just do what our leaders and the spirit tell us to do and it's different things most of the time.  We have a lot of investigators, but nobody ever understands the concept of baptism and how it's not the end of the line.  We have really just been focusing on finding new people though because I know that there are literally people just waiting out there ready to hear the word.  

Being in Orange Park is especially great now because everyone is becoming more and more loving every single week.  We are working a lot with the members and inviting them to go out and talk to people on their own about the gospel.  I have been really focusing on "becoming Preach my Gospel" lately because that is just the way the prophets want us to do this work.  

Something really interesting that I learned this week is that the spirit does not come unless you ask for him to.  He won't tarry with you if you are on the edge of sin and righteousness.  So we have to first of all live worthily to have the Holy Ghost with us, and then we ask for his assistance to know what we need to do or what we need to say.  The great part is that when you have the Holy Ghost with you, living worthily is a walk in the park!  Just pick your side and remember that you already decided in the past life that you wanted to follow the Savior.  The end of the battle is pre-determined!  Satan will lose no matter which side has more spirits, but he wants us to think that's not true.

I'm sure that you are having an absolutely wonderful time in San Antonio.  I wish I could see little Sadie crawling around being a baby and stuff.  Say hi to everyone for me!  (obviously.)  Let them know I still love them.

That is crazy that Tara Bartlett is getting married.  I guess I haven't really talked to her in years, but it still just seems like yesterday that they moved into our neighborhood and she was just a Sophomore!  Congratulate her for me!  That's wonderful!  I hope that her and her fiancee are thrilled!

I made the Monte Cristo's and they were perfect.  Everything I remember they were!  I didn't realize how simple they were to make.  They're like a mix between dessert and breakfast.  They are so magical.

This week a person that we were talking to taught us the Mexican version of Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe and it goes like this:

Tin Marin de Don Pingue

Tatu la Macara que ella fue

Yo no fui, fue tete

Pegale, pegale

que [el merito] fue

[you can replace -el merito- with el or ella]

Estamos disfrutando nuestro tiempo aca en la mision y espero que ustedes hacen lo mismo.  Les amo!  Sepa que yo estoy bien contento como siempre.

Ah!  Have Ryan translate...  Recuerdo que yo tengo una historia que yo escuche ayer.  Supuestamente hubo una hermana misionera en Mexico hace tiempo que estaba dando un discurso durante la iglesia y ella era nueva en la mision, entonces tuvo miedo y estaba hablando como una americana que no supiera espanol.  Entonces ella queria decir, "Estoy avergonzado" por causa de su discurso pero dijo, "Estoy embarazada!" (because that's what you would think embarrassed would be) y despues ella le senalo al obispo y dijo, "y la culpa es suya!"  Hahaha fue bien chistoso, si es verdad o no!

Hasta la proxima semana!  

Con amor,

Eric

October 3, 2011

Dear Family,

That was absolutely the most ridiculously fast weekend of my entire life.  I remember in the Saturday Afternoon session looking down at my watch and realizing, "Wow!  This is already the last talk!"  It was like the Superbowl for missionaries.  We didn't really get the chance to go and do a ton of work because of conference and the transfer, but nonetheless it was still such an incredible week!

It is very nice having a new companion.  It's just so great being able to learn new and different tricks from other Elders and using them in your own way!  I know that every single thing that has to do with the mission in just the way that the Lord wants us to learn and grow...  And it's always going to be the best way at that time!  It was so wonderful to hear from one of the speakers about how the Lord knows exactly where we should be and who we should be with and I'm a witness of the truth of that.  I love Elder Garnica and it was great being with him, but now it's time to move on and keep doing the will of our Father in Heaven!  

My new companion's name is Elder Jones and he, like Elder Garnica and Elder Jenkins, is also from Mesa, AZ.  He says it really is just like another Utah to the south.  I just know that we share a lot of weird similar interests like our dream cars (ha ha probably not the best thing to be talking about as missionaries) and some of our favorite music and a lot of our ideas on the way things work in the gospel.  I think that we are going to probably baptize the entire city of Jacksonville in the next 6 weeks!  

I don't think I've told you this, but our mission just got combined with part of another right when I got here.  Part of the Maycomb, Georgia mission is now a part of the Jacksonville, FL mission and it's called the "Savannah Zone."  Well anyway, that's where my companion is from.  It's incredible how you can tell the difference from the missionaries from here and from there.  Different leadership calls for different types of missionary work and missionaries, so we are all trying to become integrated into one.  

I just loved General Conference so much.  That was absolutely ridiculous when the prophet announced another Provo, UT Temple.  His spirit was so optimistic and giddy during that mini-talk I couldn't believe it.  What an example to look up to... Ha ha it really was contagious.  My favorite talks were the one that President Uchtdorf gave on Saturday about our worth in the sight of God and the one that President Packer gave.  It really felt like they wanted to emphasize the importance of being an example and standing up for your beliefs, even if you are alone.  I also loved Sister Dalton's talk.  It seems like the topic she always picks is about virtue and being the "guardians of virtue."  I think that Elder Holland spoke in Priesthood, so I don't really think you "missed" it...  I hope you can still watch it though because he was incredible as ever.  I just feel like every single word from this conference that was spoken was directed exactly at me and I can't even believe how direct the answers to some of the questions I went in with were.  I know that it's probably not that powerful in an e-mail, just reading words rather than hearing them, but I still just want to testify that I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of this church.  

I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today and that he receives revelation directly from our Heavenly Father.  I have never felt such power from anything he has said than from this conference when he told us that "he is just trying to do the will of God."  He then told us that "he loves us and he prays for each of us" and I could feel the truth of those words through the power of the Holy Ghost.  There was just something about the way he looked straight into the eyes of millions of people all around the world and said, "I love you."  

I know that each of us is able to and responsible to receive our own personal revelation and should be something we seek to do daily.  

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Kingdom of God on the earth and that it is not just another American philosophy.  It is the same church that Christ is the head of in heaven.  The priesthood is real, restored, and accessible to all those that come unto Christ.  "Whatsoever is bound on earth" by this power "shall also be bound in heaven."  I know that there is nothing better that I could be doing than to be serving a mission at this point in my life and that the only reason I am where I am now is through my faith in Jesus Christ.  I am absolutely nothing.  I will never be anything unless I trust in the redeeming power of the Son of God to lift me up at the last day.

I love you all so much and I am so happy to have the knowledge that we will be together forever.  I don't know what I would do without you.  You really don't know what you have until it's gone and you don't realize how much you have until you see how little others do.  I can thank you enough for all that you have done for me, but I can love you.  And I do!  I love you all so much and pray that you are happy and safe.

I didn't mean to make this letter so long, and I'll probably start cutting back a little bit on the size of my e-mails, but I just felt that you needed to know that I am never going anywhere away from this testimony I have because these are not things that I believe anymore.  They are things I know without a shadow of a doubt.

Thank you so much for all of those pictures!  I can't believe how adorable all of these little girls are and especially how big they are getting...  You have no idea how much I love seeing those little twerps!  

Jacksonville is finally cooling down and the days are starting to feel more like mild, Colorado summer days.  It's absolutely wonderful!  It doesn't even feel that humid.  I'm feeling fantastic as ever and I hope you all have a wonderful week!  As always I feel I left something really important out of this letter, but I try my best...  Have fun in San Antonio and tell everyone I love them so much too.

Always remember to look up! 

Love,

Eric

September 26, 2011

September 26, 2011

Dear Family,

This transfer is ending this week and I'm getting another new companion!  Elder Garnica me abandona!  Hay!  That was the fastest 6 weeks of my entire life and I can't believe that it's already over.  So much happened and it feels like we have known each other forever, but it's just absolutely ridiculous that he's already leaving.  I don't know what that is going to mean for me, but I'll let you know who my new companion is in a week.  It's been a good transfer and mostly I have just been learning so much.  It really is wonderful how much this mission has been affecting the way I view the world and the Gospel and the Savior and everything else!  There's no better way to learn something than to go out and teach it!

I'm so excited for conference this next week, except I'm a little bit sad I won't be watching it in English most likely.  I just love to hear the general authorities talk!  It really is incredible that we just listen to the words of the servants of the Lord...  Something interesting that has helped me a lot lately is to go into meetings and classes with questions in mind and expect to receive answers.  Elder Bednar calls meetings "Revelatory Experiences" to try to emphasize that the Holy Ghost will always answer your deepest questions as long as you expect him to.  Even if nobody directly addresses your concern, the spirit always will.  It's kind of an interesting way of seeing it, no?

So this week I am getting a new companion!  I don't even know what to expect because this is the first time I will stay in an area and be the one that knows his way around.  I think that he probably will have been here before, but even if not, he's still going to have been out longer than me.  I was part of the last group of people to go out not being trained on the 12-week Preach My Gospel fundamental guide

program, so all of the other new Spanish Elders are being trained right now for 2 transfers in a row, if that makes any sense...  But anyway I think that Elder Garnica and I were as new and inexperienced of a companionship that I'll ever be a part of, which is pretty comforting in my eyes.  It's BIEN CHISTOSO that you thought Elder Garnica was older than me.  He gets that about 7 times a day, even though he's the same age as me.  One sister in the English congregation thought he was old enough to be her brother, when really he's young enough to be her son!  Haha how sad!

I would grow my hair out longer, but I can't cut it any other way than I do right now.  I just use the clippers all over and try not to ruin it just with that.  

This week I think more than half of our zone is being transferred and I am really sad!  3 missionaries are going home and it just seems like everybody is dying.  When you think about it, when missionaries leave to go to another zone, it really is like they're dying.  One day they're here and happy and working and the next they're gone, and you can't write or call them.  The members in my last area called Elder McArthur a murderer because he sent 3 missionaries home just in the time that he's been there.  It's really just a sad situation, but I know that it's the Lord's will.  

So much stuff happens, but I just don't ever remember anything to tell you it feels.  So I guess I'll just leave by telling you that I love you all so very much and hope you have a wonderful week!  I'm glad you liked the pictures...  Did you see that we have a spirit in our apartment?  In the picture of the place we sleep there's an ORB!!  Haha that reminds me of the time we got that tour of The Stanley Hotel with that hilarious old lady guide.  "Isn't that just so fun?"  Remember when Dad played the piano?  I am doing wonderfully and want you to know that there's nothing to worry about here.  Just keep praying so that I can go out and help other people to have what we are so lucky to already have!

Love you all so much, Eric

September 19, 2011

September 19, 2011 


Dear Family,

I love you so much!  I'm so happy to hear from you again this week.  It sounds like everyone is doing so incredible.  It was just like a dream come to true to hear Hannah that happy and positive and hearing about how school is finally as great as it should be!  You all amaze me so much and I am so proud to call you my family.  I love being able to tell my companions about all of the wonderful things you say to me.  

As for Elder Garnica:  He is from Mesa, AZ and his first language is Spanish even though he learned English when he started Kindergarten...  His parents are from Mexico and they sound like great people.  He is really good at talking to people and everybody loves him.  It gets a little hard even sometimes because the Spanish people are always looking at him, even when I'm talking.  It's like they just assume I can't understand them.  Jaja whatever though it's great.  It just seems like Hispanics like to talk to other Hispanics.  He played football before coming out and worked at a restaurant called Pei Wei to make some money for his mission.  He was telling me about how most of the food at P.F. Chang's is the same as at Pei Wei because they're owned by the same company, but way more expensive, so maybe you should try it out sometime!  Sounds like a steal.  He drives the car and I make most of the phone calls.  We drive a 2011 or 12 Corolla.  It has 5000 miles on it.  Her name is Mimi and she's the same color as your car.  It's kind of ridiculous how new the cars still are when the church sells them.  Most everyone has a car that is no more than 2 years old.  We drive Malibus, Corollas, and Fusions.  They just assign a DD and he drives for the whole transfer, usually being the senior companion.

I remember some people talking about that Mormon.org thing that they did last year and I really do think it helped a ton.  Everyone knows the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" around here, which is incredible and I honestly think it's all just to our benefit both as members and missionaries to have people aware of the church.  If people just look a little bit into it and actually ask for themselves if it's true, they'll realize it is.  

This week was great, but not a whole lot is happening.  I don't know if it's because school just started, but it just seems like the work is slowing down a little bit, so keep praying that we can have great miracles and the strength to work twice as hard as before.

The mornings are starting to be COLD here.  It's around 60, but it feels like winter.  I'm getting to used to the heat or something!  It's just ridiculous!  I'll probably need my coat and a scarf in a few months.  I here it gets down into the 40s.  Ahhh!  I can't even imagine weather like that anymore...  It's ok though because the days are still HOT.

I have some different foods I have learned to make for you out here, so don't let me forget because you'll be sorely disappointed if you miss out on this.  I know I won't be able to make it for you for another two years almost, but you should be excited.  I think about how much you're going to love this sandwich every time I make it!  :)

The work is great and Florida's pretty much the same as it has been since the beginning of time climate and weather-wise.  I'm doing great and you don't have to worry about me because as always, I'm in the hands of the Lord!  The only thing I have to worry about it catching pneumonia from being in the baptismal font too long.  

I love you all and hope you have another splendid week!

Love,

Eric

September 12, 2011

September 12, 2011

Dear Mom,

I was just thinking about the same thing yesterday how unbelievable it is that attack happened so long ago!  I remember every single little part about that entire morning and having the situation explained to us by Mrs. Ferraro...  It's ridiculous how we were all so young, but every one of us will always remember that day.  

It's incredible how those little moments are so simple, and yet so defining in our lives.  Those little moments really are what make us who we are though...  Think about all of the time that we had to grow in the preexistence before coming here and how much time there is left in the eternity!  Think about the little tiny portion in the long run of everything that our life here is, and yet this moment in time is where we define who we will be for the rest of forever.  It's just crazy how the most important things that happen in life come and go just like that, but they leave huge marks on us and turn us into what we now are.  You know what I'm even saying?  Haha  I hope so...  

It was a great week, but it was also a real trial of our faith.  Our Mission President gave us a list of things to study and challenged us to be 100% willingly and strictly obedient.  There was a lot to do this week to train ourselves to be better and we were all faced with struggles to stay strictly obedient, but I know that in the end we all will receive the witness and the miracles after the trial of our faith.

Yesterday we had the chance to listen to a General Authority speak at a Zone Conference.  His name is Per G. Malm and he's in the 3rd Quorum of the Seventy.  It was so inspiring and he taught us so much and I just want to tell you about something interesting that I learned during the Conference...  So the Mission President here likes to focus on prayer a lot and he taught us something we can do called "Mighty Prayer." (D&C 5:24)  It is just like a regular prayer, but the difference is that in a mighty prayer we pray for the specific needs  and open-ness of individuals, such as in your situation Jon.  There is power in prayer, we all know that...  But think about how people become open to the message we have to give to them.  Think about how you might be the ONLY person in the whole world praying for those people.  We all take advantage of having families pray for us, and especially me as a missionary I know that I am prayed for, but imagine all of those children of God that He loves just as much that don't have anything to fall back on.  I just think that is a very interesting thing to ponder.  So I invite all of you to pray hard, out loud to all the people you want to open their hearts and receive blessings just as yourselves!

I was talking to the wife of the speaker yesterday about Sweden and Europe and where they were from and how they travel all the time and I thought about Ana and her parents, so I decided to ask if she knew them and she said "very well."  She said that they are good friends with the Teixeiras.  I thought that was pretty ridiculous!  And then I didn't know what else to talk about, so that was about it haha, but the whole Conference was wonderful.

The work slowed down just a little bit this week, but it is just as miraculous.  We just need to do a better job at going out and finding new people to teach, so we've been working with the members more often to try to find a few referrals.  Missionaries learn so much about every single concept of life if you think about it...  Everything you ever need to know about being successful in anything is in Preach My Gospel!  I am so blessed to have this opportunity and can't even imagine what the end result of all of this in my life and the lives of many others in the long run.  You're so right about it being the greatest service anyone can ever do.  There is nothing more humbling or gratifying!

The spanish word for cool is chevre and awesome is asombroso.  There are so many things we can't say, but in the end you just have to learn a little bit here and a little bit there to have dignified speech...  I think it's coming along!  I'm feeling very well.  I still wish I knew what it was exactly that I had and I wish that I could not have it anymore, but it's all just helping me to become stronger.  No problems! I'm doing wonderful as always.  We get fed a lot of food when we do get fed and we take the leftovers home a lot of the time, so food is not a problem.  We go out to eat every now and then, but just like the Missionary Handbook says, we limit the number of times we do that.  One day we will live in a perfect world where all we do is eat out.  Wouldn't that be wonderful?  I mean I love home-cooked things, but just imagine all you can eat everywhere in every restaurant for free.  I think it would be extraordinary.  I cook every now and then.  I came up with another delicious thing to make for you when I get home, but I don't make it that often anymore.  You'll just have to wait and see what it is.  In this area we eat a lot more with the members and they give us food so much more than the last area.  I'm not gaining weight, I think I'm actually losing weight or staying around the same for the most part which is kind of weird, but I'm fine with that.

We're supposed to exercise every morning for 30 minutes and I should probably do a better job at that.  I used to run sometimes in the mornings and I'll probably start doing that again.  I was going to take pictures of the apartment and send them to you today, but forgot.  I'll do it some other time.  I got everything you sent me and thank you so much for doing that!  You are a great mom!  Oh yeah, I played piano at the Zone Conference!  We sang "Hark All Ye Nations" and "Go Forth With Faith."  I mostly just sing in the car, but I hope to have the opportunity to sing some other time...  We'll see!

That's about it for this week.  The computer's going to kick me off in a few minutes.  I love you so very much and I am so happy for all of the support you all give to me.  I know that I couldn't do this if I was by myself!  

Love,

Eric

September 5, 2011

September 5, 2011

Dear Family,

This week we were told that we need to start using only dignified language as missionaries, so they gave us a couple of examples of the words that we can't use:  cool, guys, and even awesome.  So sorry, but I guess I won't be saying that anymore.  It was another MIRACULOUS week.  

There are just a few other rules that I forgot to tell you about in our mission that I think you'll like to hear about...  We have to have a part in our hair, we can't wear pink and purple ties, and that the mission ends where the sand begins.  There are so many different rules, especially with our mission president now from what I hear, but I know that they are all there for a reason.  It say in D&C 130:20-21 that obedience is the first law in heaven and when we receive a blessing, it is based upon our obedience to that law in which it is predicated, so how wonderful it is to be able to have the opportunity to receive so many more blessings!  Our goal for the end of the year as a mission is 900 baptisms and I know that as long as we are being 100% obedient we will always receive the blessings that the Lord promises us.  If we sustain the president, then we sustain the goal too.  

This week we had a Zone Conference, and since it was the first of the month, we we able to set up the zone goal for the month all together.  When the Zone Leaders started to teach, they were talking about a lot of things in regard to previous months and how many each Zone needs statistically, but in the end we ended up sharing our companionship goals and we added the numbers to see how many it would be if we all reached our goals.  The number was huge for our mission, but when we set the goal we all felt the power of the spirit testifying to us that we could make it.  Obviously after setting a big goal like that, Satan is going to try his hardest to get us to believe it can't happen, but I know that right now we're just in a trial of our faith before the goal is actually reached.  We are all praying hard and the miracles are already starting to happen.  I don't really know what the whole point of telling you about that was, but I just know that in situations like that where we know that something is coming from God and we choose to sustain it, we are sustaining God and covenanting to do all we can to help that thing magnify.  Whether it is a goal or an answer to prayer or even a leader being called to help out the ward, when we are sustaining something that comes from the spirit, we are sustaining God.  We must act upon those promptings that we feel if we expect anything to happen.  

I really love that concept of staying as far away from the edge as possible because that is exactly what we should always be doing.  There's a story in the miracle of forgiveness about 3 people applying for a job as a driver for a delivery company and the first two talk all about how close they can get without falling off, trying to impress the employer.  The third one just tells him that he'll try to stay as far away from the edge as possible, and we don't need to argue about which one should have gotten the job.  It really all comes down to not developing those horrible predatory patterns that come from singling off and dating exclusively.  When it comes down to it, you just never play footsie with the adversary.  If you flirt with temptation you are going to fall in love sooner or later, regardless of how strong you think you are.  The devil's done his work before, don't think he can't convince someone get on the slippery slope.

My Spanish is alright honestly.  I feel at times like it should be better, but I know that it will come.  I just can't compare myself to anybody and I should just be speaking it more often to be completely honest.  It's stressful, but I still know as always that this trial of my faith only exists to help me to grow.  A lot of times whenever i feel really down about something I just tell myself, "Wow, God must really be planning on something big."  Although I have my own personal troubles, I know that the reason I am afflicted is not to give me a reason to wallow in self-pity.  

I heard Hannah is going to sing Pie Jesu on Sunday!  That is so exciting and I know it will be wonderful.  I'm brought to tears every time that I hear that song.  If you can, you should record it and send it to me!  I would love to hear her sing or hear your voices.  If you can, you should just make a CD of Hannah singing or the family singing or something to send to me sometime soon or for my birthday or Christmas or whenever works best for you.  I can listen to CD's of pretty much any type, they just have to be spiritually uplifting...  

I love you all so much and I hope you have another spectacular week.  As always, I hope I didn't forget anything important to mention in this e-mail.  No one can fill in for you, Mom.

Love,
Eric

August 29,2011

Dear Family,

It was another awesome week.  I guess I'll just start off by explaining a few things.  I was told by my trainers that since Spanish areas in the mission are so enormous, I'll probably always have a car.  The only thing though is that we only have a limited amount of miles to go each month, so when we run out it's bike or foot.  So there might be a few times every now and then I might need a bike, but I'll just let you know if that day ever comes.  The Apartment that I live in now is like living in a castle with just two people.  It is way bigger than the last and way nicer.  It's just Elder Garnica and I here, which is weird considering it was five in the last shanty I lived in.  I don't think it's a sketchy neighborhood or anything either, so nothing to worry about getting robbed.  They put packages in these weird boxes and put the keys to the boxes in your mailbox, so it won't get stolen.  I'll send you some pictures when I take some pictures. 

So we didn't have a baptism this week, but we have the most golden investigators - the one that told us she wanted to join the church and already had a testimony of the book of Mormon even though she hasn't read it in particular.  We went over to talk to her about the Sabbath day because she hasn't been coming to church and she told us the reason she didn't come yesterday was because her son got put in jail on false charges and she was dealing with that.  She told us though that she talked to her boss and told him that she can't work on Sunday anymore because she wants to go to church every Sunday with her husband.  It's the best to be able to witness people's true and sincere desire to change.  We're going to give them a church tour this weekend and set a date in three weeks for them to be baptized.  It's really hard to wait that long, but our mission president is all about retention and the only way they are going to keep coming back is if they know 100% what they are getting into.  It's a little bit discouraging when people give up on the gospel just because it's hard, but all we can do is just keep trying to get them back.  

You're right about this month.  It really did fly by.  I can't believe I've almost been on my mission for four months.  That's a sixth of the whole thing!  Do you even realize how crazy that is?  It's just like one of the missionaries that left last transfer said:  "The missions a lot  like toilet paper...  The smaller it gets, the faster it goes."  haha

The situation that we're in is a little bit weird.  We're in an English ward, but we attend a Spanish group.  So they go on at the same time, but after church is over we go to sacrament meeting with the Spanish group.  I don't understand why they don't just make it a branch.  There's not a Branch President, but there's a group leader which is basically the same thing..  I don't know I'm just hoping that we can change it into a Branch or something!  As Spanish missionaries, we only have Spanish-speaking investigators, but a lot of people in this part of Jacksonville speak both English and Spanish.  We can teach them as long as they are able to understand someone giving a talk in Spanish.  So I do speak Spanish all the time, except when we're in meetings and with other missionaries.  

Haha I could just see you two out in the creek building a waterfall.  That's an hilarious picture :)  I'm sure that it's beautiful and I'm so happy that you're living your dream.  I can't wait to see pictures and I'm so happy that you sent me that package.  I hope I get it soon!  It sounds like Hannah really is going to end up having a great Senior year.  I love you all so much, of course and I'm so grateful for your words of encouragement and your desire to go out and help the ward with the work.  Have a great week!

Love,

Eric