January 4, 2010

Subject: Good times

Our water heater can't handle one shower. So we have this old ghetto space heater (the plug exploded once and so we had to splice it together with another plug to make it work) the cover on the front is broken so the metal fan is exposed, and you have to shake it to make it work. The controls on top do nothing and if you don't unplug it when you’re done, it might turn on again. I think that’s how the plug exploded.

Anyways, so we put that in the bathroom and wait 30 minutes (Elder Hansen wakes up at 6 to get it going) that way the bathroom is really warm; so that way even though the water is freezing, the air is at least warm. It also makes it so you take your time when you’re drying off because the rest of the house is not warm so it’s nice to stay in the bathroom.

It's p-day again. That’s really weird since it was just p-day on Friday, but oh well. Things are going really well. Elder Liu and I get along great. I think I've gotten along with all my companions about the same. We don't actually teach that many Chinese people still, but I do get to take language study a lot. That’s interesting. To be honest, I try to schedule appointments in the morning sometimes so we have a reason not to take it. Or sometimes I go on exchange with another elder while his companion and mine do language study. I just don't know what to do for that extra hour. I usually just end up making a lot of phone calls to potential investigators and it’s nice to have the time to do that.

Have you gotten a lot of ski stuff while I've been out? I swear we didn't have that much before. Unless you made someone ski on my pontoons. Is Seth really in high school? I refuse to believe that. I still feel like I just got out of high school.

Things are still going well here. It’s been snowing like crazy. There’s been snow on the ground since the middle of December. I think I'm getting better at driving a stick. One of the zone leaders got sick the other day and we had to drive his companion to zone leader council and it was snowing like crazy. We made it so yay me, but then when we went there, there was a steep hill going into the parking lot and I tried to drop him off at the top of the hill but he whined about how he was on crutches. I told him if I went down, I would get stuck. He said everyone else had to get out so I would be able to get out too; so I dropped him off then we got stuck. It took us like 30 minutes to get out of there. It was funny. People have been getting stuck all over the place here. English cars don't go in snow so we've spent a lot of time helping people get out.

The work here is going really well. We’re teaching two amazing people. One is named Mathew. He's English but he met his fiancé on the internet and she is a convert from the Philippines. He saved up and brought her over to England and they showed up on their own to church two weeks ago. He wants to get married as soon as he can and then baptized.

Then we have a recent convert in the ward named Sandra. She is from Columbia. Her and her daughter got baptized a couple months ago. She had a dream about Gordon B. Hinkley then came to church, saw his picture and got baptized. Anyways, her husband has been living in Spain because he wasn't allowed to work in the country; but we were walking to an appointment the other day and we saw Sandra getting into her car and I saw someone who looked like her husband, Orlando, with her. I got really excited and ran over. Apparently he's going to be in the country for at least a month, maybe forever. He's been to church 4 times in Spain and it took him like an hour and a half to get there. He's amazing so that’s really exciting. When I was with Elder Hull, he actually called from Spain to tell Elder Hull thank you for bringing the gospel to his family. Miracles. It’s really exciting.

I'm glad things went alright back there. The one nice thing about funerals is that they bring family together.

Oh thanks for the book of quotes from Grandma Moultrie. It's really interesting. A lot of the same quotes are in there two or three time but it’s nice. It looks like a legit book. I want to see this old bible when I get home. You find some really neat ones in England.

Ok so pictures. I bought stamps. I had envelopes. I had pictures on a camera card. I had airmail stickers. I was good to go then I lost my stamps and then I was out of money because it was the end of the month. Then I got money. Then I bought a bus pass. Now I'm out of money but as soon as I get reimbursed for my bus pass, pictures will be on their way. I promise. I'm serving with a photographer so lots of pictures are being taken. He has a really big camera. Does mom still use her camera? What kind is it? What kind is her film one? Let me know.

Thanks for everything you all do. You are all absolutely amazing. Thanks for the letters and the emails. Tell Caleb thank you for the picture he drew for Christmas and Kasey thanks for the puzzle. And thanks for the sweater. I've been wearing it. It reminds me of the kind of sweaters grandpa wears. It’s great. Thank you all so much. I'd say thanks for everything but it would take a long time. You all do so much for me and I really appreciate it. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love being out here. As great as you all are, the thought of coming home terrifies me. THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

Elder Cody Scott Johnson