Email from 06.21.10

We heard from Sterling today since he wasn't available on Saturday due to the Mission conference.

How are you all doing this wonderful Monday? Oh wait, first let me say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I know it isn’t for a couple of days but I won’t be on here in a couple of days. Love you dad.

I did get to reconnect with some old comps, and good friends here in the mission at the conference, that was pretty fun. Talking with Elder Jarvie is always fun. The activities were good and very in depth, so that was cool. I felt like my head would explode with all the riddles and clues and the running around that we did. As you know, I’m not as young as these other missionaries out here, lol, my knees and hip started to hurt, that was embarrassing ha ha.... the Christ mosaic was amazing and the whole activity was from 8 am to 8 pm. I was exhausted by the end of it. But it was all very nice and I learned a lot.

Yep my third surgery in my life.... wait a minute how many surgeries did I have when I wasn’t on my mission? Yea that’s right, 0, now how many will I have most likely, 4, because they have to do something with my eye again lol, I’m falling apart out here, and it's kind of funny but just mostly embarrassing. I feel like an old man going to doctor visits constantly, no offense dad, you know I love you. Sister Welch is so Amazing, probably one of the coolest senior missionaries out here, she is really funny. Oh yea I will be having surgery again on the 2nd of July!!

We will be having a baptism on Tues, her name is Sister Netti Baker she is 63. And if you remember Olgin, he will also be baptized on your birthday, so the 23rd is going to be a busy day.

Something funny, a couple of days ago me and Elder Alger had one of the worst mission days ever, lol, it was so funny, we were buffed at appointments and it was so humid, people were being....let’s say less than hospitable, and I then found out I had to get surgery again, and my right hip and knee were killing me. It was so funny, well it was funny afterwards, then to top it all off, some woman who knew about Mormons was riding behind us while we were walking and said "Hey Mormon Boys" we looked back and this woman flashes us. I can tell you that hell opened up and decided to mess with us. Then we were on exchanges, walking down the road and that same woman was coming our way, and we looked at our exchange, a brand new member of like 2 months, and kind of yelled quietly and said “Harry close your eyes.” He wasn’t very happy, but did it, then me and Elder Alger closed ours and as we did we could see that woman going for her shirt again. It was so funny because Harry thought it was some kind of trust exercise, and it was, so he had no idea what was really going on, because we didn’t tell him, you know you don’t tell people you are having a hell of a day right? Anyways, when that day ended all we wanted to do was go to bed lol. But now I can laugh at that day because so many things went wrong lol. Anyways, funny story, and Elder Parry who is in cool air conditioned office till about 5 pm comes out and says it can’t be that bad, I wanted to slap him silly for a little bit. ahh good times.

I'm glad you are enjoying the book (Sterling gave Dad “The Continuous Atonement” for a father’s day gift). I loved it just because it seemed like it was almost talking directly to me. It just made the relationship between us and the Savior so much more personal. I don’t know how to really explain it other than I just received a huge amount of love and appreciation for the Atonement and the Savior. It was amazing for me, and I hope you like it also.

Well I love you guys and have to get off. I will talk to you all later, hopefully I will be able to send a letter today. I think the world of you guys, and pray for you all every night.

Again, happy birthday dad, you are amazing.

Conference Images from 06.19.2010

On the Florida Ft. Lauderdale Mission site they posted some images from the mission conference that they had this weekend. The following images are the ones that had Ster in them. Here is the first picture from the conference. Can you find him? I have to say I'm pretty impressed with his arms. He looks great! :)




The second one is a mosaic image of Christ where they used pictures of missionaries from their area. The theme of the Mission Conference was: Can They See You In Him. Can you find Sterling? I'll give you a hint, the image is his main missionary image and he's in the shoulder area.

On the mission blog they had this caption under this picture: We are the Face of the Savior in South Florida. They had this picture behind some curtains, and I am sure it was breath taking, as they opened the curtains & revealed this picture of the Savior, done with Missionary pictures and pictures of their mission experiences. This collage had to be at least 10 feet tall.

Update

There was a missionary conference today and since this was Ster's P-Day we didn't hear from him. We're not sure if we will hear from him in the beginning of the week or not until next Saturday.

We did get a call from the mission office though saying that the doctor wants to take out the pin in his wrist since it isn't healing. So on to surgery #3! We just think this is hilarious. OK, maybe only I (Pam) do. He is 24 and has never had any surgeries. He goes on his mission and in less than a year will have 3. :)

Email from 06.12.10

Guess what I did yesterday? I mowed the lawn, that's right I did it. For some apparent reason I thought I wouldn’t have to do that for another year and a month, but this Veteran, who has emphysema, and who we are teaching, needed some help. I'm thinking what in the world, do all veterans get the good life just because they get shot down 12 times or shot 3 times or get put behind enemy lines???... ya You Veterans do deserve the help.

Here is a picture of me mowing the lawn. :)

We should be having a baptism on the 23rd and possibly one on the 11th of July. Nothing really amazing to report. Physically I think I'm doing well, mentally I'm Super tired. Spiritually I'm doing well.

Thank you so much, you guys are truly amazing, I really have grown a deep appreciation for everything you guys do for this family.

Pat Wa is a funny language it is English just shorten everything and it is pat WA. Like "what’s going on" is "wa gwan man" you always have to say man after it lol. I can’t speak Creole, or really understand it but because the Haitian people live close to the the Dominican Republic they speak Spanish sometimes. It is definitely a new experience.

Humidity is killing me, go outside and SWEAT, just tons and tons of SWEAT, it is horrible sometimes lol, man I don’t remember OK being like this, it is so bad, kind of funny though. It is worse cuz we bike every day. We have very few miles we can use in the car.

My eye is fine the results came back negative, so that good but I still have a weird lump in my eye, but I think it is going away.

Well I love you guys, the gospel is true and you are so amazing, and I am so blessed to have parents and family like you.

Email from 06.05.10

Here is a picture of Junior, myself and the girl that we just baptized, Adelphe Jousil.

Well my reign as senior comp has ended. LOL. Elder Alger is now the District Leader so he needs to be the SC.

The reasons for the transfers are because some new missionaries were coming in mid-transfer so people were switched around a lot. I don’t know why I had to go, and I definitely have no idea why I am in this area. I have prayed and fasted about it, and what I do know, is that this is where the Lord wants me at this time. We had to get a new place because there wasn’t enough room for all the elders in Fort Lauderdale so they had to find a place for us to live.

I feel fantastic; my wrist only hurts if something pulls back on my thumb. I had surgery on my eye, in fact the doctors were surprised at what they saw, and there was a poor little intern with the eye doctor who got a little scared when he looked at my eye, lol, so funny. They thought it was just a bacteria build up, but when they cut into it they weren’t real sure because it was different than what they were expecting. So they took a couple of sample pieces to the lab. I haven’t heard back yet and I go in for a checkup in 5 days I think. By the way, what’s with all the surgeries? I go 23 years without one then all of the sudden I get 2 in the same year, pretty crazy.

The teaching pool is great, we found 5 kids ranging from 11-17 and they are very interested, so we will see what happens with them. We also have a woman named Netti Baker who will be baptized on the 23rd, and a guy named Ronni who is 17 and he has a date to be baptized on the 3rd of July. I am learning a little Jamaican Creole and Haitian Patwa languages. It is kind of fun . We are still studying in Spanish each day, but in this area, I doubt we will use it much.

Here is a picture of George Halas, Bro Halas’ son, and me. He was in my last area