07/18/2010 - Oh What a Difference a Week Can Make!!!

New Area: Nueva Zone
New Companion: Elder From Colorado (No name yet!)

Brett is marrying Amanda! WOW! You know who she is .... she is the one I walked down the aisle with at Charles' Wedding! That's crazy that Luke is going to Afghanistan though.... but anyways God does answer prayers and I got the best area in the whole mission. It’s so awesome I’ll send you Matt's email so you can read about it. My comp is way cool too - he is from Colorado so he’s American as you probably understand.

But anyways you better make sure dad is in the mountains every weekend instead of partying and what not and weddings and birthday parties haha! So what did Brad C. say about his pack I sent him. Remember that’s cabin-finishing-incentive! Just joking!!

My Tagalog is way way good now. I can talk to anyone I want about anything now. It just sort of clicked. The Elder before me I guess is still not that great at Tagalog so everyone is shocked that I can speak it and have been here less time. It’s funny but the Elder before me here is really a funny kid. I've met him a few times. But the best part of everything is I am now in the same zone as ELDER HALE AGAIN yes it’s awesome haha. But I’ll give you Matt's email so you can hear about the area and don’t forget about the stuff you’re supposed to send me.
But anyways - love ya

Jason’s email to Matthew:hahahaha your email is so perfect! Let me tell you about my new area. First I live in an apartment that has air conditioning. There are only 2 houses in my whole mission that have it. Also I don’t need to use it cause it’s cold enough and we don’t need it. I'm way way up in the mountains we had to cross a river yesterday that went up to our waist! It was so sick I'm in the Neuve Vizcya Zone and it's in the middle of a mountain range and our zl area that’s way close has a McDonalds. I had McDonalds the other day..... wow my area is so so sick it’s like Logan! I'm up in the mountains and surrounded by mountains but the only thing that sucks is walking to our investigators’ house. It’s so freaking high and up a hill but it’s all worth it. When you get up there you can see all the area it’s way way cool. We’re definitely coming here when you visit and skipping my last area hahaha. but it’s all roses and daisies here! Haha! But anyways love ya and talk to you next week! I might even send you some pictures. My comp is way tight too. He is diligent and likes to work it’s sweet. But ya he knows how to send pictures so I’ll send some!
love ya

2nd Email from Jason ….
I forgot to tell you my little story about my new President. I feel like he is my best friend! So the first time I met him we talked about football and stuff, then on Tuesday he came to our zone and interviewed some people and when I first got there he’s like Elder Ward come visit with me and before you didn’t get special interviews unless you were in trouble so I was like thinking what the heck -- I didn’t do anything! I went in there and he was like how you doing and I was like good everything’s fine and then he said well I just wanted to talk to you a bit. So do you hate BYU now that they’re in the same conference as BSU? I laughed and was like… I like them still but it’s gonna be hard for me to continue if they beat BSU! He was like you mean when THEY beat BSU and I laughed! Then he was like I just wanted to let you know I'm transferring you to the Nueva Zone and I was like what really cause before it was all secretive and you didn’t know until the night before so I was all shocked. He was like ya I know you wanted to spend the rest of your mission in Burgos but it’s a nice place Nueva Zone and then he started laughing and was like but if you would rather stay in Burgos your whole mission that’s fine I can make the arrangements and I started laughing and was like President I think I can settle for the Nueva Zone. He laughed and was like ya you’ll be really settling I mean good work, beautiful place, alot colder, but heck if you want I can leave you in Burgos. haha it was funny!

Then at transfers me and Elder Hale were walking through the office with our new comps and President was like Elder Ward come in her and then he was like Elder Hale come too and my new comp was like what the heck they’re in trouble already and was all worried! Me and Elder Hale just talked to president in his air conditioned office about football and just random stuff and then we left and my comp asked what it was about and I was like nothing! It was funny but then later we were about to leave and we were with a bunch of missionaries and President was like Elder Ward come here for a sec and grab your companion so we went into the Mission Home and he said do you like pasta? He was like do you want to eat here and of course we said yes and we sat down and he was like okay if you say you love BYU you can have ice cream, pasta, and salad so I was like no problem I love BYU and so we ate and stuff. My Comp was like what is this all about, I feel like a VIP cause he like singled us out from all the other missionaries! It was funny! Then I was like this is the best day of my life and President was like why’s that? I said I got transferred, I got fed American food with ranch dressing, and I got a hard working comp! It was way funny! I feel like he is my best friend already! Haha!
But anyways -- I got to go!
Love ya - bye!

A letter to Kennady:

Hey kenna benna. I like sparklers for the fourth of July do you like sparklers I also like yummy foods like frog legs and dogs. Do you like frog legs and dogs? But in my new area all the people are really really nice and there are little girls that like to talk to Americans but they speak a different language that we can’t understand. Also in primary they color pictures also! But sometimes they color on the wall and get into trouble cause that’s bad. You should make your Uncle Jason a craft and send him it in the mail cause he misses his favorite girls. And he needs a craft. He needs one from you and Taylor and then lots of pictures. But I hope you are having fun in England! I’ll be home soon.

Elders Riner, Naylor, Ward, & Hale ....

07/05/2010 - Happy 4th of July! (HOT!!!!)

New Mission President - President Carlos

So I'm glad you got the package. I was a little worried about it but I guess it made it. Sounds like you guys are having fun. I celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday. It consisted of telling Elder Hanks hey it’s the Fourth of July - Happy Fourth and that was it. Then I had to explain what the Fourth of July was to my comp in Taglish because I didn’t know how to say fireworks, Independence and a hundred other words haha so it was a rough explanation but afterwards he says you mean New Years hahaha it was so funny! I was like no we do New Years when it’s a New Year and he was like oh ya us too. Haha! It was so so funny!

But anyway this week I don’t really know what to say except we have no water in our apartment again and it’s really starting to freaking drive me crazy! It would be bad if it was cold but it’s not it’s a thousand degrees here so it sucks cause you sweat and you can’t take a shower when you want. It’s so lame so much for the mission housing standards huh I think 50 percent of the houses here don’t meet the standards haha its just like nobody complains and nobody says anything and most areas have no other options. But I wish I could just spend one day in an air conditioned house - just one day! We also didn’t have any power last night from 6:00 until now - we might have it now but who knows. That’s pretty much my life this week. I'm so excited to get transferred this week seriously I can’t wait -- less than 2 weeks. Haha! But anyways I hope your enjoying your fourth tell everyone I said hello!