Wednesday, June 23, 2010

JUST LEAVE ME IN SELKATRAZ FOREVER!


Ben, Elder Platte, Elder Smith (clad in Ben's jackets)
Family Home Evening at President Anderson's with Kimberly and kids





Friends and Fam!


Payton, I am die-ing laughing in the library right now! haha You crack me up kid! haha Keep tearing life up!! Man I miss you!! Your puke story made me laugh so hard!! Dad you are the best! I’m still bitter that i didn’t get to call you! Thanks a ton for your email! You are the best with taking something I love and turning it into a gospel thought! Your the greatest!! Mom, thanks for the Akon update!! Hopefully she is doing good, I think I’m gonna write her this week!! Thanks a ton for all of the pictures in the email and in the letter! All the boys in the picture at Uncle Kellan’s are looking good!! The picture of Josh looked great too! He looks different! It’s so neat to see the change of a mission! I see Madeline still looks good too! haha You will have to tell the whole Olsen family I say hello!


So golfing was crazy! Just Elder Platt and I went last P-day and I am horrible! I woofed so many times! I would just play Elder Platt’s ball because I was too embarrassed to go get mine or I didn’t know where it was! It was weird becaus I felt so out of place!! It was just awkward because I didn’t feel like a missionary! I felt like a guy at a girl’s sleepover! I don’t know if it was because we were in full pros (shirt and ties) hahaha or if it was because we weren’t doing missionary work or the combo. It was fun and all but I won’t do it again.


So this week has been crazy! First off, I HATE mosquitos SOOOOOOO MUCH!!! They are so thick you can’t believe it! They say once you get bit so much, the bites start to not even show! Lucky for me my skin is tough and the bites don’t bug me but Elder Platt swells up like a balloon! He has huge bites everywhere. And ya, we have been spraying a ton of stuff but they find the one place you miss and they find ways in your clothes! Elder Platt got 2 on his head this week and he really looked like a Mormon with horns! I’ve decided that Manitoba is like Texas except with bad things! If you have cold, we’ve got colder. If you have hot humidity, we’ve got more! If you have flooding, ours is higher. If you have mosquitoes, ours will carry you away and tear you apart! hahah Canada is the best! But honestly it is! Mosquitoes or not, I am loving it sooo much!!


Karl had his interview this week and he passed with flying colors! We were hoping he would ask one of the members to baptize him but he asked me to baptize him and Elder Platt to confirm him! I’m super excited, but I feel bad too because we have done a ton to get him friends in the church! He loves a ton of the members, but he still chose us. We told him he should pick someone that he can stay in contact with his whole life and he said, “That’s why we have email and telephones!” hahaha It’s way good, but I’d prefer one of the members were doing it. I’m so excited, but it’s weird because I feel a little bad that he asked me. It’ll go great though and I’ll definitely never forget it! He is such a great kid!!! I love him to death! It’ll be at 7 PM this Saturday!! And get this! Chris as been coming to church and living all the commandments, so he will be at Karl’s baptism and when it is over he will have his interview! I’m so excited for him! He has such a great heart!! This branch is just on fire!! They haven’t seen a baptism in over a year and there will be 2 on back to back weekends! We also set 2 more dates this week, so there will be 4 more dates coming up after Karl and Chris!! It’s sooo great!! Kimberly is coming along good too! We had FHE at President Anderson’s house yesterday with Kimberly’s family! It was insane because both of their kids are crazy!! haha It was so insane but so much fun!


Ben also made it to church and he loves it and the branch is really making good friends with him! Velma is still working with us, but she hasn’t set a date yet! Dylan Leforte set a date this week and so did a lady named Wendy (she is new, we just found her this week and set a date with her the first appointment).


This area is the best!! Hopefuly they keep me in Selkatraz forever! haha Tonight we are doing a mini fireside at the Holme’s house with Chris, Karl and maybe Ben! It should be a ton of fun! The members here are so amazing! They do so much for us! It is so neat to watch members go from being surprised to see people at church, to expecting it and then when we do get people there, they just eat them up! It is so great and so fun to watch!! It is so amazing how many people I have learned to love and care about! I honestly never thought that I would be able to meet so many people that I would care so much about!! Missions are the best!! I feel soooo bad for ever being down about this area!! I have been so blessed!


I will get you pics of Karl’s baptism and send them next week. I love you all so much and I’m so grateful for all that you do!! Be safe and smart and I’ll talk to you next week! Have a great week!


Love Elder Smith