June 17, 2013
HAPPY FATHERS
DAY!!
I’ll be sure to be sending you
something, they have some interesting stuff here!
Yes, they still do call the new
missionaries greenies. He [Josh’s new companion] is from Garden Grove, California.
Our mission is receiving a ton of new missionaries also - especially sisters. I
wouldn't be surprised if in the next year or 2 there are more sisters than Elders!
It is tough being in this area, and
knowing I’ll be here another 2 transfers [due to training a new missionary],
but I’ll have to make it work. We found a few guys who play basketball
regularly so we will play with them to fellowship. It gives us a nice break
from tracting even though we have knocked on about every door in our area!! The
other day we knocked on a door, and it was a group of people who were having a
Bible study. They excitedly invited us
in, and we were ready to bash, but they turned out to be really nice, and it
was a good experience. Although they are one of the churches that speaks in
"tongues" and all kind of pray at the same time... so when the prayer
came around they all started mumbling under their breath different things. It
was honestly really creepy...
The other day we were wanting two
big tires for our back yard to use to work out. As we drove by a truck shop
they had tires outside so we stopped and asked if we could have them. They were
big semi tires, and the guys said we could have them if we could even fit one
of them in our Subaru.... we fit 3!!! So now we have a great cross fit kind of
work out to do along with the dumb-bells. Then we also will run 3 miles in the
morning so we are keeping in shape!
Our branch is slowly getting smaller
and smaller... another family just left to Charleston, so we aren’t sure what
to do if the branch ends up closing. I guess we will find out.
You don’t know how happy I am to
know the [Miami] Heat are down! I hope the Spurs can pull it off. I kind of
like the Spurs because they are kinda a bunch of old guys who play fundamental
basketball, as opposed to the young high flying Heat super star team.
Yes, we do have A/C in our house now,
thank goodness. It’s been getting hot and
having a few storms as well. They have some of the coolest lightning storms
here. The other day it rained so hard our house started to flood a bit, and at
one point the rain was coming down side ways!
There are a lot of bugs but they don’t bite too bad. They do have a ton
of "Lightning bugs." I don’t know if you have ever seen those, but
the field in front of our house is full of them. It looks like floating neon
green waves... it’s pretty cool!
Other than that I’m doing well, and having
a pretty good time. Just trying to stay busy. My stomach started to hurt again,
like it did in Ashland. That sharp pain that felt like I was being stabbed...
but it went away by the end of the day like the other one. I’m not sure what it
is.
Love you guys!
Elder Latimer
P.S
Can you send me the "Doctrine
and Covenants" videos from the church store? They have a lot of great
videos for investigators... AND can you send "The Best Two Years" The
Zone Leaders told me it is approved to watch in the mission, and I’ve heard it’s
10 times funnier after of while you are on your mission!
June
24, 2013
The [Church] broadcast was great!
From what we heard and have been told, nothing is being put in for sure until President
Pitt receives clear instructions on how to do and what to do. But from the
sounds of it we will be using facebook, twitter etc... We already have texting
and things, but that’s it. The sad thing
is no one in our branch watched the broadcast so they have no idea about what
was said. Maybe we can inform them. I
enjoyed the story about the small branch in the basement with only 12 members,
because we meet in a small liquor store and only had 8 members this week. Next
week Church meetings are canceled because we will be the only ones able to go.
So we decided we are going to go to a Baptist church where the pastor we teach
is giving a sermon. So they should be cool, maybe we can ask to say a few
words? Convert the congregation? That would be a cool story!
Maybe I can coach Jonathan [in
lacrosse] when I get back, but hopefully I’ll be back in Boise by then. But I
still can beforehand! I'm glad Jace is
playing football! That’s exciting, I'd think with how smart he is he would make
a great QB to read the plays and the defenders and play to their
weaknesses. Or if he gets big enough, a
MLB to read the offense and play to their weaknesses! Get him on Creatine now!
Just kidding, that probably wouldn’t be good! Although its working wonders for
me! I’m at about 152 now. The tires help.
I think it’s also a big plus regaining all that muscle I lost in my left
leg after my knee injury. It’s still smaller but getting back to where it was
before -- slowly but surely. It seems to still not be 100% healed yet, because
it still gives me problems every now and then just from walking. I don’t know
if it helps but we play basketball with a less active and non-members about 3-4
times a week (including P-day), but it is good exercise and a chance to get a
break from the hard work and a lot more productive to get to know and befriend
6 non-member 17-20 year olds who are surprisingly not involved with
tobacco or alcohol, especially for their age and where they are growing up! A
lot more productive than 2 hours of tracting would be!
We walk literally everywhere even
though we have miles to use and a brand new 20130 Subaru. It’s like 90 degrees
and 70% humidity or something and we walk like 10 miles a day! No wonder no one
will talk to us while tracting. It’s
because our white shirts and slacks are soaked through with sweat and we do not
look happy because we are miserably hot and smell terrible.
The other day at church we were in
Sunday School where there was plenty of false doctrine is preached. I was going
to tell you what was brought up and discussed for a half hour but I don’t even
feel comfortable typing it in. But it stays interesting.
Afunny story about an older
gentleman at Church who reminds me of the old guy from Denis the Menace. He has
some funny things to say. We were
talking about gathering Israel from the 4 quarters of the earth, and he says.
"I dont know how you can get 4 quarters from the earth, I think its to
round to do that." Elder Price and I just laughed quietly to ourselves.
Another time while at dinner, we got desert, which was like fudge brownies with
uncooked cookie dough on top and ice cream. He was asked how he liked it and he
said, "It’s comparable to the time I had to drink a half pint of
glucose!" Apparently he had to do that to check for diabetes, which sounds
like a terrible idea if you ask me.
And tha’ts great you are helping in
missionary work I’m sure the Sister's love it! Hopefully they come around to
being baptized. I don’t remember the story about the DeGrazia's... maybe you
can tell me next week.
I did hear about the NBA finals. That’s
too bad. I just hope he [LeBron] doesn’t get 6 rings. I think they ruined the
NBA. Well, the NBA already kind of
sucked, but now that they decided to make a super team and so did the Lakers
and a few other teams will I’m sure. It will be like 4 or 5 good teams and blow
out games... it’s too ba. I’ll be sticking with college basketball only - at
least until Seattle gets another team. The good news is OKC didn’t win so I’m
happy about that.
And THANK YOU for getting me “The
Best Two Years” so fast. We watched it
that night, and it was hilarious! I have pictures to send you guys, but I need
to get the other card I sent you back first so I can keep taking pictures. Have
you put all my mission photos on facebook yet? Maybe could you get them printed
out and send them to me so I have them to look at every once and a while?
Thanks!
Love you guys!
Elder Latimer
