Dusty's Email -- 2/23/09

Hey,

I`m glad to hear that you guys got my pictures, I’ve been worried that they wouldn’t get to you. The one sign I’m making is the ASU sign, it’s a  pitchfork and the other one is from Neza. There`s a giant coyote there and that’s the sign that we had in the zone to represent the coyote. In one of the pictures with our ties, Elder Tanner is doing it. Did you get the ones I sent last week? The one with the four missionaries, the one on the far right is my first companion Elder Mora. The next one I`m with in some of those pictures at the Prisms, the short skinny Mexican, that’s Elder Panoaya, my third. The baptism one is my new companion, the bigger one.

I`m glad to hear that Mike got to see the pictures, he sent me an email thanking me for the pictures that I didn’t send. haha. Please remember if you can to bring one or both of the discs to Kevin so he can see them too.

My new companion is doing well. He is just adjusting to the work. He baptized for the first time yesterday and it took him about 5 times till he got her completely under the water. haha. But all is well. He`s enjoying the work and is beginning to grow more and more.

The last couple days it’s been really cold, and rainy, but it’s nice., Oh and the other day I skated for the first time in years. oh man I enjoyed that. I’m going to buy skates when I get home. haha.

I know some companions take advantage of new missionaries that you brought up Mom, but thankfully I’ve never had companion that has thought that or at least acted like that. Especially when I was new, that’s a lot of times when the problem occurs, because you have no idea what’s going on. But my trainer Elder Mora was excellent. I try not to withdrawal money much, but the church, because of the economy situation is going to cut everyone’s allowance by ten percent. I’m not real happy because we barely make it through the month with the money that they give us now, and starting in March we`re going to get less.

But things are well, and we are starting to have a lot of success and the Lord is blessing us. President Bulloch is getting really serious, he`s starting to send missionaries home like crazy. Between January and February he sent 8 or 9 home. He`s not putting up with anything. But its good, he`s sending a strong message to everyone -- work or go home. He`s even sent sisters home, and that’s the first time I’ve heard of that.

We press on, and I hope all stays well. I’m excited to hear how CJ`s year goes for volleyball. I’m sad that I can’t see his games. But tell him I say good luck. Next week I’m going to write him a letter. Please tell me when his first game is. 

That’s about it from here.

Love

Elder Howard