Okay, time is starting to really fly here. We've been here for over 5 weeks! That's nuts! Anyway, on to email goodness and such.
Thanks for the package, mom! I didn't expect it so soon in the
week. Holy cow. Samoans are GOOD. The girl scout cookies. The people are
pretty cool too I guess^^ But yeah, thank you so much! I wasn't
expecting so many cookies, but I've been sharing lots and enjoying lots
so it's great. Thanks a ton.
To grandma O., we don't do baptisms in the temple because then
there wouldn't be enough for youth of surrounding wards to do, but we
can do everything else. It's great! Also, 2,700 baptisms in one day you
say? That's a lot of people coming unto Christ and stuff^^
Okay, now to jump to a completely different topic. I scared Fullmer
again a couple nights ago. Haha! Oh wait, did I tell everyone about
that or just mom? Well, Elder Fullmer and I (roommate, also going to
Veracruz) are having a little scare competition thing. Nothing big, and
of course not very often, because we don't have time to have sillyness
very much, but anyway...
A couple nights ago I got up around 2 am to get a drink of water,
but on my way to the door, I got a great scare idea. So I pulled a chair
up to Fullmer's bed (he's on the top bunk), I went and got a towel and
draped it on my head so that I looked weird, but my face was still
showing. Then, I got on the chair next to his bed, and I tugged on his
blankets a little bit. He turned around (and I'm seriously trying not to
laugh out loud right now in this quiet computer lab^^) and just looked
at me for a second blankly. I thought I'd failed, but after a second or
two more, he screamed and it sounded like a cartoon character falling
off a cliff or something. Like, "Boohhoooyoahoayhoooooa!" or whatever.
As he screamed, he pulled his covers around him and shoved himself
against the wall far away from me. Then, he looked at me again, and he
screamed again in the same way because he STILL didn't understand what
was going on! And then I was pretty much on the floor laughing my head
off. Which woke up our companions until everyone was either softly
laughing or sleeping again if they weren't so amused. All of us laughed
about it in the morning though. He said that I looked like a demon or
something and that it was really freaky because I looked like I was like
9 feet tall with the chair under me. Hilarious.
Anyway, other stuff!
Mom, my ears are doing fine. =)
I can't believe someone else died with me gone, it seems crazy. I
hope everyone is fine. I think I remember who Bud Schardine was.
Oh and now, I must tell you of something spiritual/just plain
awesome because you're probably thinking we're a bunch of prankstering
nincompoops (spelling?) over here^^
So last week after writing you and finishing laundry, we do this
thing called TRC where we go to this building and talk to people in
Spanish like a street contact or something, ask them if we can come
back, and then go prepare for a few minutes and come back to a room and
teach that person or people as if it's the next day or few days/whenever
you "scheduled" to come back.
Well anyway, last week we were teaching the second lesson (Plan of
Salvation) and we were told to prepare for surprises. We were also
supposed to teach in English, but we were told that we should strive to
teach in Spanglish if possible. Anyway, we started teaching the guy in
Spanish, and then... Well, we just kept going! He had questions about
the Word of Wisdom as it turned out, and we were able to teach him a lot
about it, get him to commit to stop drinking and smoking which were his
problems, and commit him to continue to read and pray, AND be baptized.
Which he agreed to. All in Spanish. We were totally guided by the
spirit, because sometimes I would just open my mouth and a completely
fluent sounding spanish phrase that I had NOT memorized would come out.
Did I know all the words in it previously? Maybe. But the conjugations,
the grammar, and the sheer speed at which I did it were shocking to me.
So anyway, it was amazingly great. We get to do that again tonight, so I
can't wait to let you know how this one goes.
Let me just say that there is NO way I could talk for a half hour
in complete Spanish after only learning it for a month without the
Spirit. It's really strong here, and I'm loving it.
Another thing I have here on my list of things to mention is Jason
and Laura's address. Can I have it? I'd like to write a letter there
sometime, it'd be fun. Oh, and while it's on my mind, Jordan
(Braginton), I somehow lost your address, so can you send it through
dearelder again or something? Thanks!
Alright, now I got through everything I really wanted to make sure I did, and I have 7 minutes left. Woohoo! So, let's see...
Well, I guess I want to say thanks again to all of you sending
letters and dearelders and packages and things. It really lifts the
spirits here, because it's easy to get stressed out and homesick at
times. All of that stuff helps.
OH! And of course I just remembered the other super crazy awesome thing I had to mention.
So, a couple days back at dinner, my companion got called to the
travel office through the intercom. So we went, not knowing what to
expect, and they said that he, I, and our roommates, were all to come
back the next day (yesterday/thurs.) at 12:45 to take a trip to the
Mexican Consulate. I asked him if that was good news, and he said,
"that's jump up and down for joy good news". So we flipped out. I mean,
tons of people have had to wait weeks or even up to a month in the MTC
over what they're supposed to because of problems with the Mexican
Visas. But, now we have ours! With 4 weeks to spare! I don't want to go
into the technical stuff, but we don't really technically have our visas
yet. That was the HUGE step up to it though, and now, even though we
don't really have them... We have them. Like 100% sure we do, and much
much much earlier than expected too. So yeah, we're all happy.
It was fun to ride in the bus through Orem where I've spent lots of
my days hanging out with friends before the mish. Also to drive to SLC
and have all the memories flood back of family rides in the car,
friends, and other things. It also hit me being out of the MTC after a
month of being enclosed that the world is soooo pretty. Mountains and
valleys and cities (the site from the point of the mountain!), it's just
amazing! There is absolutely a God, and He absolutely loves all of us
so much. You can just tell that by looking out at all we have. It's
insanely awesome.
Well anyway, less than a minute left. I love you all, thanks again for all you do and all of your examples and help.
I know the church is true with all my heart. I am so happy to be where I am.
Until next week!
Elder DeFreese
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