Over The Rainbow‏

Heeeeey how's it goin?  I didn't know Cambria had kittens.  Did Smokey die or what?  Where did they come from?  You're telling me that Smokey died aren't ya?  Ooohoooohooo just slip that information in there eh?  Try to let me down slowly eh?  Buuut you can't let the impact of a comet any softer with just a few pillows!  Just like you can't eat several crackers without milk.  No but really.  Did he die or what?

Well that's crazy that the world is burning down.  Hope it doesn't affect you guys.  Pretty sure it's just another sign that the second coming is drawing near.  Because things are just goin mad right?

Awesome that Channing enjoyed herself.  I love that picture with the bear.  He's just chillin behind her.  I put the picture up and had the look of a few Latino men so I quickly closed it.  BACK YOU RAGING BADGERS!!!

Hey I hope Blake gets a job.  I also hope he gets married.  Seriously, I've already printed off photos of him and have handed them out to the Ecuadorian women so he has a good fan base here in the jungle.  Just give me the word and I'll start shippin this fine ladies off.

Oh yeah and Mom, don't get discouraged with the people that just say yes to get you off your back.  It's rough, especially when you're just tryin to help them, but the the people with true desires will show up.  And sometimes those people who say no just need a little push to get goin.  You're doin great!  Keep on callin them!

Hey can someone get me the address of the Brazil MTC??  I've been wanting to send Chase this letter forever but I've procrastinated too long.  So probably will just send it to Brazil.  

Okay well this week was good.  We went to Quito....again.... 3 days over there.  So we didn't do too much this week here in Coca.  Which is a bummer.  But we had zone conference on my birthday so we ate papa john's and they sang to me.  Which is super awkward.  Because they sang to me in every restaurant that we went to, and the bus, and the house, and the trolley.  They like singing.  And the branch president and his wife bought me a cake when we got back.  And a member called me while we were in Quito.  And Elder Andrade, my trainer, gave me a few recuerdos from our first months together.  And Elder Recalde wrote me a letter.  So it was really cool.  I've never been too big on birthdays like you guys know.  So it was really weird having so much attention.  But these people show that they care about me so it actually meant a lot.  Shows that I can improve on doing little things for other people because you really do feel it.  So I'll try doing better on that as well.

We also met the son of the rich guy who owns the church house and a mall here in Coca so that was cool.  We watched how to Train Your Dragon in his theater and got to eat pizza, yogurt, and bread.  And he told me that he has some friends that could help me find a good 200 dollar camera.  So that's awesome.  He talks a lot of ingles and is getting ready to go on a mission.

Well nothin much to say this week!  Thanks for everything.  Tell everyone thanks for the happy birthdays and I love ya guys!  See ya later.

When The World's Burnin Down Might As Well Roast a Marshmallow‏

Well hello!!

Okay I'm sorry I didn't get to say Happy Birthday to Channing and Happy Father's Day to Dad last week.  I was trying to write like a mad man in 10 minutes.  But anyway, FELIZ DIA!!  I hope Channing is loving Atlanta and that Dad will at least be happy with seeing sick faces all day.

But thanks for the packages, yes I did get both.  The peanut butter and jelly and the pictures and M&Ms.  All of it was awesome.  I was super happy.  Made me think of where I came from and what the heck I'm doin here.  So thanks very much for that.

Um yeah I have a problem with my personal card.  I tried to take out some money but it says that it's blocked?  I didn't know what that meant.  So if you could figure that out it'd be great.  Cuz I'm gonna go to Quito AGAIN this Tuesday so I could find a new camera or a new battery.  But Elder Sanchez has offered to buy the camera anyway so if you could help me out with that as soon as possible.

Well okay this week this week.

Well we had baptisms!!  10.  And it was awesome!  I had to go to Lago Agrio to do some interviews for the missionaries there but when I got back I was told I was gonna have to do 2 more in the sector of the other missionaries.  And it wasn't too bad.  But holy cow I heard the saddest story of my life.  One of the girls I interviewed, who only has 20 years, had gone through complete and utter hell.  I'm not sure how much I can tell you but out of respect for her I'll just say that a year ago I could not be able to handle hearing that.  I got stressed out listening to high school dating problems and now I'm helping someone repent of the worst sins.  It's crazy how much a year can change things.  But the coolest part was that the next day we continued the interview and there was a new light, a new hope the eyes of this girl.  She talked about repentance and it was a miracle.  A week ago she didn't even want to listen to the missionaries.  But her time is short here in this life so that put a lot of perspective on things.  We read Alma 36 together and that's exactly how she felt.  And that was just awesome.  I love it the Atonement.  I love missionary work.  So we went to the water fall and had the baptisms but afterwards some kid of 18 years fell and broke open his head.  Some little girl came screaming to me and Elder Hassell saying that he was dying.  So we ran over there to find tons of people around him as was laying on the ground.  He needed pressure on the wounds, had to make sure he didn't have neck injuries, and yeah he got my Peruvian tie wrapped around his head with a couple of rags.  Then a group of men carried him up the hill.  Then we gave him a priesthood blessing.  Then we carried him on a plank of wood through the jungle.  Then we went in the back of a truck at 100 miles per hour (my cheeks were flapping) (and I mean my face) to go 20 minutes to the nearest hospital.  And the kid was a boxer.  And I had to keep his arm elevated.  But he didn't want to.  So I arm wrestled a boxer in the back of a speeding truck in the jungle for 20 minutes.  Life is great my friends!!!

I don't know about Chase but I do wanna know!  What's his address in Brazil??  He leaves 4th of July!  Tell me!!!

Well I love you all and I'm super happy to be alive.  Hope you are too.  Love life and keep on rollin my brothers and sisters.  I'm gonna go eat some chicken now

If You Want A Helping Hand...‏

Look at the end of your arm!! buuuuhhh

Hello from Quito!!  Now you may ask yourself what is this man doing in Quito again and I have the answer!  Leaders meeting.  I guess we have them every month where we get to eat, play football (soccer), and get chewed out by the President if we've been bad.  I think it's gonna be fun!  But wheeeew that bus ride is long.  But I got to read the Book of Mormon and watch Taken so now I have a thirst to punch a wicked man in the throat.  I think there's a reason we shouldn't watch those movies....

But how can you say summer is half over?!  From the sound of your letters summer never started!  Loco.  And mom we always knew you were crazy with the flowers but at least recognizing it is the first step to recovery.  Si se puede!! Buuuuh.

Bummer for New Mexico.  Must be really dry.  And hurrah for arrowhead hunting.  And is it just me, or are the missionaries actually baptizing in our ward??  Did they used to do that?  I never knew what the missionaries did except invite me to play basketball and eat our food.  Rock on!!!  Keep em goin!  And now Channing can go teach them Lesson 5 of Preach my Gospel.  All of the lessons while shes at it!  Keep em comin to church.  But that's really awesome.

Okay so this week was good.  We had a baptism!  And we don't have a good baptismal font so where do we do baptisms??  In a waterfall of course!  So we all got together to go to the water fall but as we were going (me in the back of a truck because they said I weigh too much for the car...) we see the police stopping all the cars asking for papers.  So the car with the other 3 missionaries and the member stop.  It turns out he doesn't have a license to drive!  So we hide the car in some motel and we aaalll pile up in the back of the other members truck.  Then we go by the police and they tell us that's illegal and they saw us stop and now they're gonna fine us. Then they took pictures.  (Cheeseburger griiiin)  $43 bucks and we continue on our way.  And we have to drive deeep into the jungle (where the tigers live and the indians get drunk) and we did the baptism there.  It was pretty cool.  And really beautiful. A pity my camera battery doesn't work.  Always somethin!!!

But other than that, we had lessons with fire flying out of our mouths and angels singing on high in testimony of our words.  We had a rocking one yesterday testifying to a guy of the Restoration.  But he's a hard coconut.  But anyway we'll just keep on trying to teach these people.  It's pooodooorrooooossoooo!  And I also went to the other part of our zone 3 hours away where there live the 3 chilenos and the guy from Uruguay.  They're awesome guys.

But hey that's all I'll talk to yall next week!  I love ya guys and hope you're happy!

Welcome To The Jungle‏

Hello everybody!  Well okay I'm in Coca.  And it's burning hot.  I got here at around 7:30 in the night and I was sweating.  But it's been a big change!  I have spiders in every corner of the bathroom, we have lizards next to our house, we live in front of the branch president, and this place is flat!!  Nothing of mountains, hills, nothin.  Flat!  And I pretty much live in the rain forest.  We were walking home at night and now i can see the stars, hear tons of birds and animals, there's anacondas in the rivers, and I'm pretty much alive right now.  On the bus coming here I had my head out the window.  There's just somethin about nature that makes me feel alive.  Also on the bus they just haaaaad to put on the Avengers.  NOOOOOO..... but I didn't watch it all so at least there's some surprise left when I come home.  

Um, being a leader kinda stinks.  I have to always receive phone calls from the other missionaries, fill our papers, do capacitations, and spend money going to Quito every month but I guess I'll survive.  I still believe it was some freak accident that I'm here but hey I'm just gonna live it up while I can.  My companion is Elder Sanchez and he's about end his mission.  He has just 2 months left.  I'm in Elder Redd's old sector again so my companion doesn't really know the sector either, just how I was when Elder Redd left me in Quito.  But it's cool.  We're lost together.  

There's different groups of idginas here.  One group kills people then shrinks their head while the others sell chicha and play bingo.  Needless to say, we're teaching the ones who give us the yuka drink.  And it tasted....interesting.  I'm not sure if it fermented or what but... I was singing in the street afterward, "Luuutthhhy in the ttthhkkyy withhh diamondttthth, luuutthhhy in the tthhhyyy with diiaaaamooonddthhthhhehehhuuuu"

And that's about all the time I have because I was too busy reading other things and arguing with the district about the premortal life.  I'm gone... hopelessly gone.  But I hope ya guys are doin great and that everybody feels better and that the wind dies so you can feel the sun I'm feelin.  Because it feels gooooood!!

Love ya! Adios.