10/21/13

Dear Family,

Thank you again for the great e-mails. 

This week, Elder Newman and I totally cleaned out the appartment, Gross. It was gross. I had the biggest trash pile in my whole mission. it looks so much better now and it doesnt make me feel clausterphobic. Or however you spell that. 

This ward is a tough one. I have to totally change my style of missionary work to adjust to this one. Usually, I'm kind of a hybrid to a "Go-get'm" missionary and a "Planning missionary," The "Go-get'm" Missionaries through planning to the wind. I don't like that. But I also don't like spending all my time in the appartment looking at member names all day and wondering if they're active. In this ward, you're lucky if a house isn't in a gated community or the spacing between two houses isn't an acre. So you're spending a great deal of time working with members and trying to find out who is inactive and has nonmember family. 

My zone leader, Elder Butt, (terrible name, but I'm not kidding.) is great because he served here. What's even better is that he's on Trazadone. He gets it! He called me today after I went to LDS Family Services and we talked about the weird thoughts we both have had and we were dying laughing. He's great. 

Elder Newman gets frustrated sometimes, but it's only a hint of frustration. Most of the time he is just so happy-go-lucky. When he smiles it is such a perfectly happy smile that it looks like a character off of a cartoon. There's nothing fake about him. He is totally, 100% genuine. 

 The neat thing about Lake Tapps is that it surrounds a nice big calm lake. I just want to throw a rock in it and see how far I can watch it ripple. 

Please pray for Ashley. Her Grandma is LDS. She has no hold ups and could be baptized on November 2nd. She just for some reason doesn't see why it's necessary or perhaps doesn't know why religion is necessary. She is mostly waiting to read more in the Book of Mormon to actually pray about it specifically. 

Unfortunately, I have to go soon, I'll respond to each of you in your own letters! Love you!