Drug Deals and Real Joy in Life

hola hola hola,

North philly is wet and cool. we had a big rain storm yesterday and i was soaked through my garments so it was an interesting and weird day. we saw some drug deals in the morning and then on our way to a one oclock appointment someone had gotten shot and there was the crime scene policemen and helicopters so it was crazy. things are really good though and we have found some awesome people through stopping our bikes and talking to them on the sidewalks, knocking doors, and english elders efforts.

but no we dont teach english people. we teach mostly Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Mexicans. there are a ton of puerto ricans here and a lot of them speak both english and spanish so sometimes in our lessons we have to explain more in depth to them in english. but if they speak english they will always talk to us in english even if we keep talking to them in spanish. so we have to ask them if we can practice our spanish and talk in spanish with them and then they speak spanish.

The apartment is big and the only bad thing is it smells funny. but its really good. we live by ourselves and its located right in the middle of our area. we went out to eat last week for our year mark at a puerto rican restaurant and it was ok but we dont eat out so i dont know. The heat isnt too bad but its just rough some nights because you get hot. but the heat isnt bad. my garments are good and i havent got the taco pits yet so all is well. the ward is great and we have a lot of great members but the only problem is basically everyone lives up out of our area in the other elders area. there are 4 missionaries in this ward and all the pro active members live far away from us. we have had trouble getting member presents lately and so thats what we're focusing on now.

President and Sister Murray leave the 29 so they are saying their lasts for this transfer. Tuesday we had Zone Conference and it was awesome. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about myself and what i can do to improve my life. it was an awesome experience though and i was able to grow more. we arent going to have a party though, nothing special just a good bye and hello President Schafermeyer. but im really looking forward to my interview with president this next week so it will be great.

but things are going really good and we have had some great experiences here in Philly. I think this next year is going to fly by and a lot of stuff is going to happen. I have been able to look back on past experiences and points of view and seen the change in me. this has brought me a lot of joy and i am grateful for all the many experiences i have had in my life. life is good though and i dont have anything to complain. the gospel will bring us more joy than winning the state championship in football or shooting a big buck. i have a clear mind now and am enjoying life as a missionary. The Plan God has for us is real and we have all these commandments to help us feel happiness in our lives. Repentance is key to this Plan and only through it can we receive the promised blessings. congradulations on finishing your year of school. have a good summer and make the most of it. try new stuff and dont do anything that will bring you guilt. all is well and its gonna be a good summer. love you guys, thanks for the cookies they were good. my companion really liked em.

norman

oh did you guys ever receive that package i sent to you? let me know if you did