I did get your package. I got it just barely, right before I read
your email, and opened it up, and had a couple of Elders swarm over to
see what it was so I shared with them. But its good that inside it has
been disguised in a Bible box, so that everyone else thought that I just
got a book, and isn´t asking about what it is more...
I didn´t have to pay anything as far as I know. It is possible that
when it got to the mission office, they had to pay and just took it out
of my account, which is fine, but I´m not exactly sure right now. I
think that I can get most of the things that I want here, if there is
ever any time to go shopping-Pdays are already pretty busy... But I
don´t want to waste a lot of your money in sending big packages. A
couple of things that I can´t get down here that I would like is the
Thorlos socks, which I know are expensive, but honestly they are the
only socks that I will wear, even if I have to repeat days with them
now. Other socks don´t feel good with sunday shoes, and start to hurt my
feet if I wear them. Anyways, yes I am now a huge fan of the Thorlos
socks now, and I would like a few more pairs of them, so that the ones
that I have right now don´t get too stinky from wearing them all the
time. That also might be something to pass on to like James and some of
the other people who you know are going on missions. They are worth the
extra money to save your feet from getting all beat up from walking all
day every day in uncomfortable shoes. The socks just add protection and
comfort to any of the uncomfortable shoes that you wear. Anyways, so
that was my big long story about how much I love my socks... haha. Also,
I might want my old Camelbak from home that I had. I haven´t seen any
good backpacks here, and I think that I will need a good one for when I
go to the southern areas of my mission. But I´m not dying for either one
of those things, just thoughts of things that I might want. I´ll try to
think of more, and maybe sometime I could just get a bigger package of
all the stuff that I want at one time to save some money on sending
packages. Umm, and also, I was wondering if you could try to find a talk
that Elder Bednar gave in the MTC I think it was the Christmas of 2009
or 2010. It is called ¨The Character of Christ¨. I watched it when I was
in the MTC, and I really liked it, so I was wondering if I could get an
attachment of the article in an email or something of it. I tried to
find it on LDS.org in the MTC, but I couldn´t, so I don´t really know
exactly where you could find it, or if there is even access to the
general public to talks given in the MTC or anything like that. Another
thing that I wouldn´t mind that could be sent through email is piano
music. Sometimes we have free time when we can practice, but I want to
learn other stuff than just simple hymns. I was wondering if there was
some sheet music that you could like scan onto the computer and email to
me to print off and practice. One in particular that I was wondering if
you could send to me is ¨Winter Wind¨. I don´t know why, but I wanted
to learn that one recently... Anyways, that´s all that I can think of
right now that I can´t get down here.
So anyways, life is good here. Just continuing to learn and
teaching and talking to people and normal missionary stuff. My companion
and I get along pretty well, its working out pretty well to be with
him, and I am learning a lot from being with him. We normally walk
everywhere. Our area is pretty small, but it is on a hill, so its
getting me in shape a little bit more. I´m trying to exercise more, but
sometimes I just dont have time or motivation in the mornings. We
occassionally, if we are going somewhere else in the city out of our
area, like for district meetings, zone conferences, pday, shopping, if
we need to go to the mission office, etc., we will use a taxi or a bus.
It´s crazy to think that its already Halloweentime. They won´t
celebrate Halloween here, I was talking to this kid who was probably
about 6 years old, who was trying to talk to me in English, who was
telling me about how Barack Obama celebrates the day of the witches
(Halloween) and that Halloween is the birthday of the devil. It was
interesting, and confusing to try to comprehend his English, haha. He
then went on to ask me about the soil of the US, and was talking to me
about how the soils were different between Honduras and the US, and was
talking about the soil levels in Miami Florida, specifically, and how it
changed the ways that the trees grow in the US. It was super random
that he was telling me about it, and went on about it for a good 5 to 10
minutes while we were in his parents car, who they didn´t understand
what he was saying, they dont speak English. But after talking to that
kid, I began to wonder if in the English classes they were teaching the
kids geology classes in English, it was very strange, so that was
interesting. I think that most of the nicer schools try to teach English
here, but not too many people learn English here. A lot of the people
that I talk to, especially all of the teenagers talk about how they want
to save up money, learn English, and move to the US. Like, a lot of the
people. I think that it´s crazy. We have been talking to some teenagers
who we are teaching about this, and have been teaching them a little
bit of English, along with the missionary lessons. They came with us to
play soccer today too. I just think that its crazy how many people want
to leave here.
lot of the other things here are similar or the same. I was telling
arissa today in an email about how a lot of the labels on the foods at
the store are in English, and that the music they play in the stores are
all in English, and songs that I know, and were popular in the US. I
think that it will be fun to go to the South part of the mission, and
not have any of that, and be in like mud huts and some of the other
stuff that the missionaries talk about living in in their other areas.
But I´m sure that that time will come.
Anyways, I have to go, but I hope that everything is good there in Utah!
Love,
Elder WardDear Arissa,
I wish that I could have gone to Moab with all of you
too, that would have been fun! I enjoy Goblin Valley especially and all
of the other hikes and stuff that is there. Utah is a cool place, very
different from a lot of places in the world, you are lucky to be in such
a cool state. I´m sorry that school is difficult and that you are so
busy with your schoolwork... But if you are learning a lot then that is
good too. The weather here is very nice. I am in the city part of my
mission, so the temperature is pretty nice, most of the time. We have 2
seasons: dry and raining. Right now it is in the raining season, so we
get wet every once in awhile. It´s a little bit hot right now, but not
too bad. It will be weird not having any winter though... The stores are
good. They are very similar to the United States. There are a lot of
products that are imports from the US, and so a lot of the stuff in the
stores are in English. Some is labeled in both English and Spanish, and
some is just Spanish, but I didn´t really expect to see stuff like Cap'n
Crunch and name brand stuff like that here, just like from the states.
Also a lot of the music here is the same music that you could listen to
back in the US. Especially in the stores, they will play american pop
music, which surprised me at first. They don´t mind that they don't
understand the lyrics, they just like the music. Anyways, everything is
good here.
I hope that all is good at home!
Love,
Elder Ward
