Mom,
Thanks for your letter. First tell Dad that he cannot wait for me to get home to start shooting birds again. It is a lot more fun to hunt when you shoot things. I haven’t gotten the second package yet. Maybe next week. But I am excited to open my birthday cake this Saturday. I haven’t even unwrapped it yet. And I bought ice cream! For 120 pesos! Cheap in dollars, and worth over two meals in pesos. Tell Grandma Schenk thanks for the birthday money. It helped with the ice cream. And it tastes so good!
This last week has been an interesting one. I got a new companion. Also my area got split in half and the other two elders are living with us. For the first two nights they slept on our wood bed frames while we slept on or mattresses on the floor. We only have one stove burner, and the only food we had was what I had bought for myself for the next week. But all is well. Elder Francisco, one of the elders up in the new area, Catmon, has been doing most of the cooking. That has been nice. I am starting to get fat again. It feels good to be full! We don’t have a baptism this weekend. We have Sister Erlinda Alcala being baptized on November 27. The one we had planned for my birthday hasn’t come to church yet and was still struggling to talk to her father about baptism. We taught her father twice now and he is really receptive, not ready to change yet, but making progress. She is now in the new area, so we won’t teach her anymore. My new companion is super good at remembering things. He can hear someone’s name once and then refer to them, and their entire family by name for the entire lesson. He remembers all of their names when we come back. He is learning the area super fast. He has this ability to have people open up to him. Within a few minutes he can have them laughing and gain their trust. He is a really good teacher. He is a great example of that for me. I am stretching myself to keep up.
Oh tell Diane and Dad Happy Birthday for me. I kept forgetting to send them emails. Everyone says they have Halloween here, but it came and went in silence. So I’m not sure.
I am loving my area. I really do love the people here. They really are our brothers and sisters even though they look different, speak a different language, and live half way around the world. We are all
God's children. It is an honor to serve them for the Savior. I love you all! Keep working hard. The Lord likes hard workers. No matter how hard our situation is, Dieter F. Uchtdorf says that work will always help it change. Mom, it is exciting that you got a new calling! Good for you for volunteering! My branch could use some good activities. Maybe you will have to come and visit.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Missionaries really do walk closely with the Lord. We just have to remember to turn to Him. I wish I had more time to write. I really had the scriptures come to
life this week. I am reading them for me and for my investigators, and the stories amaze me how well they really do apply to us. I love the Book of Mormon! Read it every day. Study it. Ponder its doctrines. It is in the pondering that the personal revelation comes. Thanks for everything! I love you all. Thanks for the mail. I think I get more mail from the US than anyone I know.
Love,
Elder Schenk
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