July 2, 2008

So my mission is pretty much amazing, It's hard to believe that 6 wks ago yesterday I was in the stake pres. office being ordained a Missionary. I'M A MISSIONARY MOM! It still seems a little surreal sometimes. A motorcycle JOSH! What the crap, you're ridiculous, I want to see some pictures. Mine is the black bike, I'm the black Knight because I have a black helmet also. It's pretty tight, I'm thinkin' I could take the tour de france in 2010. Thank you spencer and mom and everyone for the package it's cool. Especially thank you spencer for that letter. I read it yesterday probably about 3-5 times. It really touched me, I had no idea that you looked up to me, I always thought that you hated me. I guess that's how it works sometimes. I'm thinking I'm going to keep that wood chip in my pocket or at least my backpack for the rest of my mission. Thank you so much spence and keep working hard at everything you do. I love you tons bud.
I forgot to tell you guys that my companion is a huge lacrosse nut. He might play for Utah when he gets back. Have josh go onto google and look up Christopher Purdie Viewmonte Lacrosse. or Viewmont I don't know how to spell it.

So here's this nuts 1 day that we had. So we wake up and my companion is sick with like the same thing I had, we end up going out though cuz he feels a little better. Then towards the middle of the day it gets really dark the wind is blowing like crazy, I'm almost knocked off my bike stuff is flying through the air. My comp says he'd never seen anything like it before. So we take shelter behind a building but their is a ton of debris here so we take to this undergroung parking of a mall. The wind calms a bit and we decide to make a dash for it to our appointment. My companion is feeling weak, so we have to slow it down a bit, he has no strength. I ride in front to break the wind. Then it starts to rain! We get soaked and take shelter under this gas station pavilion where we were meeting this investigator. Just as we get under the skies really let loose and dump. This investigator we had been calling and changing where we were meeting... and then changing again, cuz he kept pick places outside our area. He said he didn't have a place so he wanted to meet us at a hotel. We're like let's just meat at a restaurant down the street, but he's like no I want a place that we can relax at. So he changes the place and we bike to this other place. He's not there thought so we call him and apparently he doesn't know how to give directions. It was ok it was only two blocks down. So we head down on our bikes on the side walk, and I'm behind my companion and this car pulls out and Hits my comp. He goes over his handle bars and hits the hood and is thrown to the ground!!!! YEah. Then he gets up and is like what the heck. I help my comp and try to talk to the lady (I stopped in time. Then as I'm talking to my companion this lady she's like 85 yrs old and should not be driving and is smoking a cigarette as big as her, She drives off. So I'm Yelling and screaming at her to come back. Finally she does making an illegal turn in the middle of traffic. MY companions front bike wheel is all bent up, and we try to ask her for her information. She says, "Oh please don't make a story of this what, happened?" I was like what happened, YOu hit my companion!!!! LOOK at his bike. She's like I see nothing. I should probably mention she's also polish, but what's new there. So we tell her we just want her information so we can handle this the right way, and she starts crying, "Please I'm an old woman I don't have insurance, I have no money, and I am on social security." We felt really bad and tried to calm her down. We did but that was that and she left. It'll cost about 60 or 70 for a new tire for his bike. So then we head to the motel that we are supposed to meet this guy at, Michael. We see his head poke out of a door on the bottom floor of the building, and is flapping his arm. MY comp's like If he pulls something I will kill, cuz this day is horrible. We get to the door and he opens it but we can't see him, we both mentioned that we had bad feelings, that something was going to go down. MY comp has me go first, it's really dark in there and there's not a lot of light. We get in and he shuts the door so we can see him, and there Michael is standing there NAKED!!!!With nothing but a T-shirt on. I tried to avoid him, my comp stood by the door. He's like I feel so bad about this you got all wet here sit down relax. MY companion then says, "Michael, do you have any pants on?" MIchael says,"Well no, I was gonna take a shower but then I decided not to." Then he says "OH I feel so sorry, and goes to give my companion a hug!" My comp pushes him away and is like OK we are leaving now!!. But there is only a narrow path between the bed and the couch to the door and this homo is blocking my way. I thought oh no he didn't get what he wanted now he's going to come for me!! I slipped past and booked it out of there. As we are running out, he says "oh come on I thought that you were going to preach Jesus to me?" So yeah pretty much insane. No michael we will not preach Jesus to you. MY comp and I were tramatized, so we went to a nearby dennys to comfort our sorrows. (I still owe him for that cuz I didn't have my wallet.) Then on our way out we decide we'll just have to walk his bike home, and we're pretty far away from our appartment, but the wheel won't turn at all. We ask these to polish guys in a repair truch if the have tools to bend it so it will at least turn. NO they hold onto each other and start jumping on the wheel like the Mario bros. all the while making fun of each other in polish, they were like the 2 stooges. My comp and I just watched. It worked though, in fact it was good enough that my comp had a wobbly ride home going slowly. Yeah that's all one day, feel free to print it off and give it to Zach, forward it to everyone. Everyone enjoy in my pain, terror, shock, and all around violation. Love ya tons
We had Zone conference yesterday with the whole mission. It was pretty cool. OH and Josh I saw Potbelly's sandwiches, so tell mitch. Bill Murry our investigator, came to church on sunday for the second time!! Which is awesome, and we are teaching him for the 3rd time tomorrow and are planning to hopefully extend a baptismal commitment. Benny and Katie the gangster kid dropped us though, they keep hanging up the phone. WE are going into the city today for "A taste of Chicago" It's a once a year event that happens the week of the 4th. YOu pay and you go around to different restaurants that have things set up on the street and you get samples. So this will be tight. I haven't got the pull up bar yet, but tell josh thanks for the rave gear! Also what is the story behind Jacks name being Gus, and Custard.
The Church is true, I want you all to know that. The book of mormon is the word of god, Translated by the power of god through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who did in fact see God the Father and his son Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove. I love this gospel, and I love my savior, He gives me strength everyday, and I am so thankful for the atonement and the power that comes from it. Your testimony and strength are really tested out here when people slam the door in your face, or curse you out, but this is the work of the lord, and no unhollowed hand can stop it. I bear you this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Tell Zach he's a stud, He's gonna be an elder. Josh you be careful on that motorcycle. Oh some things I learned about Chicago. The Dark Knight was filmed here. Chris Farley died on the 60th floor of the hancock building. There is an area here that is the most diverse nationwide. Chicago has the highest population of Polish people outside of Warsaw poland. I love my mission though and I am having the time of my life. The days go by so fast even though sometimes it's stressful. I love you all so much. This is probably the happiest time of my life, love ya'll.
I'm downtown right now at the apples store, we already did email at the library, but I stopped in here and checked out this sweet computer. Taste of Chicago was awesome. I had some Indian, and African food. I had a plantain at the african place, and this chicken mango thing with this green sauce at this Indian and latin place. It's just all these booths out in this area, once a year. Each thing uses different amount of tickets and you buy tickets at the booths all around. This guy from our ward gave us each ten dollars. Yeah there's ton's of booths just all on these two blocked off streets. Anyway love ya tons!!