FIRST P-DAY

On my first p-day we got to go to the Mexico Temple. It made me feel at home other than it was all in spanish.

  

My companion is an elder from Mission Viejo, California which is right by Newport and his name is Elder Paul Larkin!  He is one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met!  He likes almost everything that I like so we work together really well and have already developed a strong friendship!  I have seen a few people down here that I know like Braydon Hanks, Brandon Budge, a few other kids from Brighton, and Kalen Cantewell that I played baseball with on Legends.

Elder Moore and Elder Gore (Redlands), Elder Lott and Elder G (Santa Rosa CA),
Elders Tilby and Watchman (Bakersfield), Elder Larkin and me (Chicago),
 Hermana Hansen and Cur (Panama), and Hermanas Harris and Culotta and Harris (Florida and SLC)

I love my district! They are great friends and will all be such great missionaries! Its funny though, in my district there is a kid named Elder Khale Tilby who went to Alta! He was the pitcher that we played against junior year when HB had the solo shot to win the game 1 to 0 and it was like the only hit of the game.  He redshirted at UVU the year before he got here and so he knew a lot of kids that I played with.

Elder Watchman, Elder Tilby, me, Elder Lott

I got to exercise a few times this week and so I have been playing basketball and soccer a lot. I have no problems sleeping as by the end of the day I am so exhausted and tired.  The food the first days was so bad I honestly thought I was going to get an eating disorder here because I didn´t like it, but as the days go on I am getting more used to it and liking the food more.  I was so grateful for that package though because of the soda and the cookies, I miss American food and relaxing so much, that is all I want right now.  But all the missionaries, 12, in our district are going in the country except two.  All of us that are going in the country are so grateful to go back where we can eat whatever!  

But there were a few times last week where I honestly was so close to just walking out and asking the front desk and asking for a ticket home, but through faith and the power of prayer I have been able to withstand everything. Things are getting much better now and I am enjoying it for the most part but it is still so hard.  I had to get my haircut too on my first actual day here so that sucked but its kind of funny.  I think I have prayed about 100 times a day and it is helping me get through everything.   Oh yeah, I was made a zone leader this week.

I miss you all and eat a frozen banana for me in Newport.

Blog note from Elder Contla: My [Elder Contla] companion is Elder McCleery, from Bountiful, Utah... Then we have two roommates, Elder Larkin and Elder Eichers.  They're both really cool too.  The only thing is that Elder Eichers sleep talks.  Oh I'm sorry, did I say sleep talks?  This kid fully yells for some reason.  He's generally a pretty quite guy with a quiet voice, but when he sleeps he goes into random fits of yelling.  Nobody know what he's yelling at or why, and he never remembers it.