No More Hard Service (until the shoulder heals)

11-09-09

Hey Family,

How does it feel to be almost 3000 miles away from me, and seperated by 2 different oceans. The gulf of mexico and the Pacific ocean.

Its been a pretty decent week, sure my shoulder hurts but the mission isnt supposed to be easy, I could complain that it hurts and whine, but Ill have plenty of time to rest when I get home.
This Thursday we had interviews with president Johns and he officially prohibited me from doing any service without his strict permission, so hpefully that will help me to let my shoulder heal. Sounds like you had a really nice service project this weekend. It was obviously alot of work, and you didnt get paid, but you will recieve blessings for it, also it was good for the community to see that we( the church) were devoting so many man hours in helping. Its amazing what a church can do when its not spending its time trying to bash and lie about the other churches of the world.
Dad if you really want to learn to play the guitar just keep practicing, I dont care how much you have to just keep on keeping on. Also you could in one of you personal prayes ask for help. Some people might think its mundane to ask god for help with something as trivial as playing a guitar, but its a part of the learing expierence and if we learn we grow and basically follow directly into gods plan. So theres my prechy mormon missionary side coming out. Ive realized that im changing and a part of me is really fighting the change. I can basically feel it creeping up on me and its scary, but whatever its just part of the life. I still want to watch simpsons though.
About the boots if you could send new insoles in like 4 monthes that would be realy cool. Do you guys realize I have already been here 1 month, 1 MONTH. The time is really flying by, I hope I am in my sector for christmas and new years because the members here are awesome. They all help me alot with my spanish and are really nice, when I got sick the other day, they were all trying to get me to do their remedys, 2 of which actually worked realy well!
I got your first dear elder on Tuesday it was really good to actually get something physicall in the mail, so I dont care if its really short I would like you guys to try and do one each week.

Steven did you know that I am still going to get home before you graduate, I should get home like 2 weeks before your graduation. Sucks to hear about your ap history class but if it is really hurting your GPA that bad drop it. Hows the life going, hows brock, when are you guys going to lose to southlake carrol in the playoffs.Well talk to you later.

Hey mom sounds like life is moving pretty fast for you guys there in texas. Sorry I left my room in such disarray, I really am a pig and a slob. Like I told dad, keep the dear elders coming, it was great to get it, just to have someting physical in my hands to read was great. It sounds like you have a really good institute teacher, listen to what he says because what you told me tells me he is a really good teacher. Pics would be really cool just to see how the kids and people are changing. Also mom tell my slacker brother and sister to write me. Im the missionary in the family right now and I deserve letters. J

Life here in the mission is going really good. It really was like just trying to jump back into a fast moving current, but its going really good and fast. My spanish is coming along really well. I know enough to go on splits with the members of the ward and actually teach without my dictionary( elder forero) there with me. It is also really different from when I started the mission because now I am able to communicate my thoughts and feelings, when I first started the mission I wasnt able to do that and it was really frusterating but now I can, now i have the vocabulary, also my spelling in english is slowly going down the tube.
The city has begun to ration the power, so for like 7 hours everyday we have no electricity, which is really bad in the morning because without power we have no water. So to shower this past week we have have to use our 5 gallon bottles of drinking wster, and a bucket, so oyou guys can tell its a little difficult to shower using a cup and a pot of water, but all in the mission expierence.
I dont know why but the people here in this sector are just like people in the states. There is a brother in the ward that speaks just like bro stephan, same voice and all, there is a guy of 19 years that looks just like my friend hank. The bishop of another ward that I was dong and interchand in, talks and looks like uncle gary. Like seriously its scary how close these people actually are, because I am so far away from texas
When my address gets put in the ward newsletter will you save one of them for my mission scrapbook.
Also this week one of the members gave us 3 crabs to take home, and we cooked them and ate them, it was a ctually really good I have some pictures and will send you one one of these days.
Today we did service at the temple, because Im not allowed to do physical labor I worked in the hotel that the church has for the people traveling to the temple, just making sure the rooms were tidy and there wasnt dust on the molding in the hallway. If I serve when Im older I definatly want to be a temple worker missionary.

There are 2 things I wanr from you guys,
1. My line of authority, I really need it to study and memorize it because there are people who want to know and I cant tell them

2. A christmas tree, Yes I know I said I didnt want one, but I changed my mind I do want one. Also I was talking with the other elders and they said you can actually send a box box, , but seriously just use the postal service to send it. Put some jesus stickers on the outside, and dont use ups or fedex because its harder to get it, just use the post office and it will take 3-4 weeks to get here so if your going to send me a christmas box you need to do it in like 2 ½ weeks.


Well as always I love you all very much and I pray for you every day, Ill talk to you later, LOVE

Elder Jonathan Match