January 21st

(A compilation of his letters to Jim, Jotty and I):

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

Yes...That's my companion and he really is that short. But he's a monster of a missionary!

I'm gonna send some stuff home later today. There are a couple of pictures on the SD card from the last week or two in the MTC including the passing of my Death Charge transformer to Elder Claudio. Pass-me-downs are items that stay in the MTC, and are passed down from Elder to Elder. Elder Claudio is the third generation, I'm second, and Elder Mitchell was the first. Also a couple of pictures of my travel group. Then it goes to some pictures of the mission. There's a picture of me with a missionary named Elder Foote. He and I have somthing in common, that no other missionary in the field does. I'll let you guess. bahahaha

I haven't gotten the package yet. I only get mail on Thursdays. Also, you ARE sending the stuff to the mission office, right?

I have a blanket and pillow that I bought out here so, no worries. And yes, I'll put on sunscreen. I know that I don't burn badly, but I still burn. Don't worry about that.

Congratulations on Jotty getting his license. As far as Jotty driving, I think the feeling I have about that is similar to the one you got when I started driving. I'm sure he'll do good. Jotty does have ADHD, but for some reason, he can focus pretty darn hard on certain things. That's why he's so good at Guitar Hero. Take a minute and watch him, notice how his eyes don't move or blink? Maybe he'll be the same way with driving.

I'm glad to be serving here. We have two baptisms set for this Saturday, two more set for February 13th, and we had one just last week. In fact, Jose, the one who was baptized last week, is only 9. He said to me afterwards "I think the Holy Ghost is already with me. When I went to the bathroom, I forgot to flush the toilet, and when I went back it flushed by itself." I just smiled and said, "See? He really is there." I didn't have the heart to tell him it was an automatic toilet. Anyway, the two set for Feb 13 are investigators of ours. They were a referral from a member. When we showed up at the house, a woman opened the door, wide-eyed, and said "Hold on". She went in, grabbed her daughter and a jacket, and said "Follow me." and we followed her to a friend's house. Along the way, she explained how she had met with missionaries before, a long time ago, and how she felt she was ready. When we arrived, inside were 3 other people with an expressed interest to be baptized. I kept thinking, "JACKPOT!!". No, really though, I'm so happy for these people. They are going through a life-changing experience, and they will learn how to be truly happy in this life.

Thanks for the update Dad. I think all the young men in the stake should attend a meeting on how important it is to serve a mission, and the importance of the priesthood. Of course, it's only a couple of units that need work; but I do think a stake-wide Young Men's training wouldn't be a bad idea. Half of them don't even know what meetings they are to attend, or how to run them. Enterprise youth does because we have Bro.Jones who makes sure we know. Maybe you could talk to him about ideas on training.

Anyways, the mission is going good.
I love you guys a lot. You hang in there as well. Let me know if there is anything I can help with at home- as in, if you need ideas on mission work. I've got plenty of ideas. Take care.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Parker