Mmm..... Gallo

Hola Familia!

No puedo creer que yo olvide decirles que yo tuve un templo dia de preparacion esta semana. entonces, estoy escribiendoles ahora, y yo espero que ustedes puedan perdonarme. Me encanta sus cartas hoy! Me siento muy bien ahora, porque yo fui en el templo antes tambien yo tengo buenas cartas! Yo he hecho muchas cosas esta semana. Yo tengo muchas cosas la cual escribir. Y yo puedo escribir mejor en ingles.

Translation, says Matt... Hello family! I can't believe I forgot to tell you all that I had a temple day P-day this week. So I'm writing you now, and I hope you can forgive me (as if!). I love your letters today! I feel very good right now because I went to the temple before and also I have good letters. I have done a lot of things this week. I have a lot of things to writer. I can write better in English.

Hi family!

Man. I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys it was temple p-day this week. Temple p-day is the best. The Los Angeles temple is so beautiful. It's so pretty outside and inside, and definitely stands out from everywhere else. And we get an extra hour or two of pday, because we have to go super early, and then I get another pday monday! unfortunately it only comes every 3 months. Which as Brent could probably tell me is better than never. But it's so cool. It's so beautiful. Anyway, I feel like I haven't written in months, and I have so much to tell you, but because it's been so long I can't remember everything. First of all, patillas means sideburns. Not kneecaps. Although they are almost the same. And I did mean savila, not avila. I had savila juice, which is aloe juice. Which sounds really gross, and really weird, but is actually suprisingly good. Speaking of gross things, I hope you all are ready for this. Especially Matt. I talked to a few people this week, and they said they loved moronga! Not sure about the spelling on that, but gross. Sangre de puercos? no quiero probarlo. I think it is a Oaxaca thing. Everyone here is from El Salvador, guatemala or Oaxaca. I swear. but they said they liked it! They said you put chiles, and a bunch of other stuff and its really good. I couldn't believe it. Also, I felt a real kinship with Matt this week. I had rooster soup. It was really good, but I could just picture Matt perfectly sitting in some poor mexican house, eating rooster soup for the millionth time. Pretty much just soup and rice with a big rooster leg sitting in it. super interesting. also, have you guys heard/tried of papusas? I hadn't before I got here. I think it's an el salvador thing. but they're really good, almost like stuffed corn pancakes. but oh man. the people are trying to feed me to death here. It was fast sunday for us this past sunday, and then after that we ended up having two dinners! and then we almost had three dinners the next night but ended up with only two. The combination of fasting and having all that food gave me the worst case of date gut I've ever had. But it was good. I should be grateful that they love to feed us so much. And they do. If you ever give the slightest hint that you don't want to eat the food, it's like you insulted them and their families. And their dogs. which are also everywhere. And they all hate us. I've never been barked at so much in my life. Anyway, now on to my week. It was a really good week. It actually went by really fast. I also went on splits three times this week. Which was interesting. I got to be an english bike riding elder for two days, and then the other day I was alone in my area with an english elder! oh man. that was weird. He knows a little spanish, but I still had to do most the talking and understanding. Which was actually good for me. When I know that if I don't catch something, Elder Watkins will, I have a tendency to zone out. Which I think is most my problem with understanding people. I'm just a bad listener in general. But it was really good. It rained this week, and that was one of the days that I was riding a bike. riding my bike in the rain made me feel like a real missionary, it was really fun actually. And one of the guys I was with is straight from Tonga! He taught me how to say some cool stuff in tongan. He's really cool. Me and Elder Watkins have really been blessed this week. We found 9 new investigators this past week, and on monday, man, we were on fire. We were very blessed. We found 6 new investigators just on monday! And on monday, we had a really cool experience. We had dinner with some less actives, but we couldn't enter the house because there wasn't a man, so they had to bring everything out, and we ate, and it was a lot of work for them, and we felt bad, and it was kind of awkward and chaotic, and I made it even more awkward when I accidentally called the grandma a hermano, and it was just weird. We were grumbling a little (or a lot) about that rule, but we followed it. but then at another appointment later that night, the man was outside smoking, and they made him come in so we could teach him. And Heavenly Father blessed us so much. he came in, and was super grumpy at first, but when we started teaching, he got really interested, and just started asking questions, and then at the end, we asked him to pray, and he got down on his knees and started praying without hardly thinking about it. It was pretty amazing. He was definitely prepared for our message. And we would have missed that opportunity if we hadn't been obedient. It was a little chastening, because it was like Heavenly Father was talking just to us, saying, I made these rules for a reason, they come from me, and even if your attitude wasn't quite where it should have been, I'm going to bless you for being obedient anyway. It was really cool. I wish I had more time to tell you everything. but there's so much cool stuff that happens, I can't fit it all in. but we're doing really well, we're working hard, finding tons of new people, and we've got some investigators who are progressing really well. We should have two baptisms the sunday after this one! On the 23rd. And they are cool baptisms too. One of them has been 10 years in the making, and the other was a lady that me and Elder Watkins found, so it's really cool, because when she gets baptized i'll have been involved in her whole teaching process. I'm really excited. Hmmm. That's really all I can think of, It was a good week, and I hope this letter finds you all safe and happy! I love you all so much, and thanks for all you do for me, and for everyone around you. The whole church runs on the small efforts of everybody involved, i'm realizing that a lot. So never feel like you're doing nothing, every single one of your letters lifts me up, and just keeping doing the little things. Especially the Book of Mormon. I think of all I have learned here, I've learned how important daily reading of the book of mormon is. it makes such a difference. But anyway, have a great week, and i'll be writing you guys again on monday!

Josh- I'm glad Lily and Kola are doing well! And frisbee is going well. Everything is going so well here. Me and Elder Watkins are really learning to teach well together, and we get along just great and everything. Thanks so much for your letter this week buddy, it was an awesome letter, I sure love you, and your letters really mean a lot to me. have a good week, and I can't wait to hear from you next week!

Amy-Thanks for sacrificing to write me in your food coma, I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to end up in a permanent food coma after my mission. and need to be carried around in a chair. I hope Cary is still doing well, It sounds like you two had an awesome weekend together, full of tons of delicious things. I'm so jealous of your pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Anyway, have a good week amy and tell cary i say hi!

B- i was just thinking the other day how grateful I am to not be in school right now. I hope it's not dragging you down too much, sounds like you've still got plenty of time for dates and everything, and also how in the world are you the family and relations teacher in your ward? I think that's the best thing ever. Next thing I know you'll be relief society president! haha, have a good week B, good luck with those ladies.

Matt-I'm so jealous of mexico, that sounds awesome. Minus the chafing. And wreck. but still good! did you shout aguas when you got hit? You should have, I got your funnies letter this week, and I'm going to open it when I get home! Love you Matt! Lauren-Hi Lauren! I hope you had a good week, thanks for all the letters you've sent me, I really love them, and have a great week!

Kt-Usted esta embarazada! Man. You're super huge. and pregnant. I can't believe how close it's getting! Thats so weird. You're gonna have a baby soon! And Todd! Tell Todd i say hi, and clarence. jkhk. He'll understand that

Mops and Pops-I love you guys, thanks for all you do! I am out of time, but I will write you guys on monday! We're already almost there. Love you!