Well Hello! (07/14/2009)

Why Hello from Pasco, Washington. That is where we do our e-mailing. Connell is doing pretty good. I feel like I am starting to get to know the wards a little bit. I feel like I have to take charge in some of the meetings. Elder Mendez isn't that quiet but you can tell he was in the past because he kind of has a tough time talking to people. So sometime I kind of have to step in and explain some things.

On Sunday I had to speak in church.....twice. First I had to speak in the Connell Spanish Branch. I was the first speaker and the Elder Mendez was the second speaker. Then an hour later I, had to speak in the Basin City Spanish Branch. This time I was the only one. This meant I had to fill 30 minutes. I was somewhat rambling at the end but I filled the time. I had to speak on Service in both of them.

I have to play the piano in the Connell Branch. One member that got back from his mission about a year ago told me that I have won the hearts of the every member in the branch because I can play the piano. They had just been using a CD for their accompaniment. They let me pick the songs so I can play what I am comfortable with but I have really been practicing so I can have a better variety of what I can play. It is really fun and I really enjoy playing. I suppose all of those times struggling through the songs in Priesthood meeting has paid off.

Last Wednesday we went to a lady’s house for an appointment. She said she was busy but we just asked for five minutes so she let us in. We read the intro to The Book of Mormon with her. While we were reading it, her nephew came in and sat in. It was kind of interesting so we just went on. He asked us why our religion is different than other religions. We explained about the authority being lost and then restored and he said oh, that’s interesting. At the end, we asked the lady, named Mercedes to pray; she didn't want to but the nephew Yahdel, said he would. So he starts his prayer and says “Thank you God for sending these guys to me. I have wanted to find a religion so thank you for letting me talk to these guys.” It was awesome. We are going back there tonight.

The weather has been weird. One day it is 100 degrees and the next day it is 75. It stays pretty cool at night so it’s not bad at all. When the members find out I am from Arizona, they say that I must be used to the Washington heat.

A little bit about the place where we live. Their name is the Knights. They are really nice and have a big house out in the middle of nowhere. The coolest part about their house is they have a drinking fountain. We live in the basement. It has a sink, a little fridge and a microwave with a bathroom and a bedroom. It is pretty nice.

Elder Mendez and I don't speak Spanish all of the time. He moved to Utah from Mexico when he was one so he speaks English. He was baptized when he was 12, has been out on his mission for about nine months and I am his first junior companion.

Connell is mainly made up of farms - a lot more than Toppenish. There is a TON of corn here. There is also a potato factory that supplies 80% of the French Fries in America. So there are a lot of potatoes too.

Are you guys excited for your San Diego trip? Don't have too much fun without me. I can't believe ya'll are already going. Man time flies.

Some things I thought about would be cool for presents if you are thinking about that. Elder Cavaness had a calendar that his mom made that you can order on the internet. It had pictures of his family and different birthday and dates already in there. That would be sweet.

Well that’s all I have for this week. Seven months on Friday. I tell everyone six months now though. I probably will until about November.

Well I gotta run.