I'm a proud father!

Well doc. tell me....

He's a bouncing baby boy! and his name is Elder Lake! He's such a great guy I know that this is quite a different experience from what he's use to and what I'm going through, but a great experience none the less. Elder Lake is from Portland Oregon and did a year at BYU before he came out and he's missing his family a bit right now. Well I can't blame him he just left them so, but a great guy. and he doesn't talk a lot about it but he's just like every other missionary, scared nervous and doesn't know what to do. Which has gotten me out of my little shell of comfort which I know is going to be a good thing.

As for the week it's been a busy one. Monday we celebrated Butikofers B-day and had quite a good time doing it. We had a lot of fun with the other missionaries in the apartment. Tuesday started packing up everything and said our goodbyes to people in the ward. which was a sad day for Buti (Boo-Tee) and then wednesday morning bright and early we headed out for cottondale to meet the new missionaries. so we got there and waited and waited until about 30 minutes behind schedule the van showed up. It was quite a festive day for all of us with about 30 missionaries there. Which made some of the customers in the chevron which we meet at a bit nervous. In fact one of them was a bit angry that we were spreading the gospel and said that should be reserved for people that are older and he thought about coming out to "teach" us what the truth really is, and that the bible is the real and only word of god. So i laughed on the inside about that. I found my new comp. Elder Lake bright eyed and probably a bit nervous about the whole thing, which was very much the same on my end. I was worried that I was going to have somebody that either was completely anti-social or someone who didn't want to follow the rules which made me nervous. So we both felt really calm after our drive home.

Which leads us to Thursday, a day full of service and of getting things rolling and breaking him into the mission. I've heard that is one of the hardest things to do. He just took everything in stride and has been doing really good ever since he set foot on the ground. That day we had some drama in the ward which we were hooked into which again really broke Lake into the mission, but we had a good night after that. Now it's Friday, we get up, get ready and head out and it's going well and we get prompted to head to a service project that was going to happen the next day, and we showed up just in time to help out a lot with getting things ready for the next day. After that we had some good time just going with the spirit. Really this has been a good week. I just can't remember it all. I must say though is that finding stuff for us to do on splits is really getting hard when you don't have anyone to teach. So we're working on that.

Saturday we woke up early and headed to the service project where we helped out for 4 to 5 hours and by the time we finished with that I had only half of my shins dry on my pants. I'll send a photo out but to say it another way there was about 8 inches of me that wasn't wet from sweat. Again it's hot down here and it doesn't help that it keeps on raining every afternoon to bring the humidity up. and then went out after I crashed from service. I couldn't go any longer until I had a nap. So I got up and we started again which ended up being a great day again. On to Sunday where i finally had one of those ah-ha moments where things that were being taught all started coming together, and I felt really small but enlightened at the same moment, i can definitely tell a difference from the blessings of training and being with just a normal companion. It's been again an awesome day.

So what's the story? or what's the point? I don't know for sure but i'll tell you this that when you communicate with God you then have the most powerful being in the universe trying to help you understand and help you out whatever your problem or concerns maybe. So that's what I think is really helping me out because I don't know what I'm doing exactly but I know that God really wants to help me out. I just have to listen to what he's saying to me, which again I'm having some trouble doing, but I think it's getting better.

Mina Your awesome keep up the good work.

Sophie Lee: I got your missionary mail, funny story it got sent to a kid in france, Cutler something so that was neat, also what's your email/when are you coming back. and keep having fun in Cairo or as they say in georgia K-row

Robyn thank you for the question and i'll write you an actual letter shortly.

Jethro keep up the good work and I would agree with the doctor less sugar more exercise. and when I come back we'll have to do some more of that together, with ben so we can all get huge or lean

Thad I like the advice thank you for it i'm trying to be nice but at the same time working hard which is what i want to do. i don't want to kill myself or Lake before we leave.

Jan i don't know of any games that you could play with them, other than having a singing time with them, like we use to do on road trips. e.g., family toothbrush, bring back my neighbors, or I spy, guess what i'm thinking? etc.

Dad you're really ambitious, keep up the good work and I can't believe that you put in a new window, I'm not even going to come back to the same house that i left from. weird.

Mom Yes i agree dad does love you which is something that a lot of people I feel are missing in their lives. your such a great mom I can't believe I get you to be my mom.

Beetle 'Nuff said.

Love Elder Gillespie