I also just realized I now have 13 months done.

I love the letters home! I love hearing about Alex's day to day activities. It really gets so inspirational to just read of the things he is doing and the things he is working on. He will have so many stories to tell and these are the things that are going to pull him through during rough patches later in life. I think we have all gotten to that place that is just accepting. I really hope Alex makes the most of the rest of the time. It really isn't that much.



Firstly, much thanks for the music. I passed through a more or less boring music time there. It worked seamlessly with my ghetto blaster mp3 stick thing like the one I had before iPods came out. I really could only ask for "The Lower Lights". You've done a great job.

Well, there's no changes for me this time. I'm here for another change at least. I also just realized I now have 13 months. Not exactly a slow change that just passed. We worked and stuff and then it was over. That was it. We have some amazing people, finally, that we'll surely have baptized before too long. I was scared of being changed out and not being able to see it, because it is basically a sure thing.

Here's an excerpt from my weekly report so I have more time to write other things:

"I'm quite glad I don't have changes, because this next change is going to be a great one. Fernando and Natalia are going very well. We managed to have our first MAC of the change with a great member with them, in which he gave excellent testimony and allayed some doubts they had. The lesson started to get a little of track, for Fernando had always been taught that God was a Spirit. As we talked, though, he started to see more reason in our being here and living our lives. He is reading and praying - we know he reads because he always comes with questions, and because when we asked him to pray to end the lesson he did it without hesitation, and did it absolutely correctly, having prayed so starting only three weeks ago.

Needless to say we're fairly excited for their progress. We are going to work as hard as possible for those MACs. They really count when they do happen. What's more, the brother who came out with us talked about it in his testimony, which can only help excite others. Immediately several other people who had evaded it before asked us when we could go out."

It was a very good week. We had a ton of meetings that kind of messed up our plans many times, but we ended up being able to get to a lot of super cool investigators.

I'm now finding myself at a difficult language situation. I understand word-for-word every person, I read the same speed in Spanish as in English, and several people have noted that I use some grammar that most people disregard correctly. Now I have two problems. I'm not satisfied with my accent, nor am I with my vocabulary. The thing is, it's hard to do anything to make it better with four gringos (one is going, Elder Lowry, who Kelsey knows, from our pension, and Elder Van Dyke is training a gringo, so it's all gringo again).

Improving your accent from 0 to 75 % is really easy. The next ten takes as long as the last 75, then five, then you start getting to a point where you just can't quite do anything noticeably better, even though you still have an irrepressible accent. Unfortunately, unlike in English (especially at BYU), accents are not attractive. I like pretty much any accent in English. They just don't get the coolness of it here.

I think of this because we went to a member's house last night and his daughter of perhaps 19 came out and said they were all in bed almost because it was Sunday. I asked her if she was studying or working to be friendly. English. As a classic test I immediately asked, "So then you'd be fine if we just spoke English?" She came back, "Actually, that would be good so that I could practice it."

Looking at a Spanish-speaking face and speaking English is extremely difficult, but we proceded to talk about how she'd learned it and how she'd use it. Super interesting. Her accent was cool - and slightly British. Apparently her school has Britains teaching it. After telling her to do a Study Abroad at BYU, we went home. And all I thought about was how to become that good at some point.

Anyway, beside that, there's a huge event coming up in Chile. The missionaries first arrived fifty years ago, so they're having a huge thing in a stadium. Supposedly the Prophet will be there... Could be. Looks like our mission is going to sing in it. I wonder if you'll be able to see that. Saturday.

There's another random letter. Enjoy if you can.


Love and stuff,
Elder AC Crist

Glorio

I realized just after Conference that Alex only has 1 more Conference to go without us. Or us without him!! I am very grateful for all that he has learned and for all he has come to realize as he is becoming a man. It is a rough thing that these boys do for the two years they are out. I am very proud and I can only imagine the homecoming. I am sure that our Heavenly Father also feels the same for us as we are are here struggling and trying to become worthy to be in His presence. What a homecoming that will be as well! For all of us! I, too, glory in the work of God.

This has been a cool week.

Conference for missionaries is pretty much the biggest holiday there is. Christmas gives us about three hours of monkey-painting non-working time. Conference gives two whole days, because the place we watch conference is far away so we can´t come home to work between sessions. We barely got in a lesson after Sunday sessions.

We didn´t have a ton of lessons, but one we had was super good.

Quote from my week report:
"We met again with a man who is buried waist-high in the Book of Mormon, this time with his wife. He had read (and noted a few questions) the assignment from our last visit and a chapter we gave him in our first contact with him that he hadn´t read. We talked of what the Book really means, including baptism. He said that it was difficult for him to accept a new book after the Bible, but also that he had a difficult time not believing the truths he found in the chapters. We re-explained a little to his wife so that they could read and pray together.

Fernando, for that is his name, is a psicologist and is fascinated by the question of whether human beings are basically bad or good. We showed him Mosiah 3:19 and he read with his mouth slightly open. "Ah, si," he said."

There´s a big motion in the mission right now to do everything about the Book of Mormon (that was echoed in conference), so we do, and it works. The Book seems to attract people who are interested and scare off people who aren´t ready. My trainer, now the assistant, said once that the Book of Mormon is the "Great Filter." If you think about it, it is as much for us as for personal people at home. If they read it and accept it, they will not get filtered out.

On the shaving front I´ve been now secretly mootching off my companion and Elder Lowry, and using my own super old blades that are only slightly better than grinding the hair off your face with a band saw. My face has been happier. At least I have no acne. There´s not enough intact skin.

That was a poor place to put that part.

We have also been watching some DVDs the Church has made to show what good missionaries are like and how to plan and all that. These missionaries are states missionaries in Texas or something who have super-packed all-reference car-and-bike missions. One starts seeing them and thinks, "Wow, we are not that good. We don´t have twenty people in church every week. We definitely do not teach fourteen lessons with members in them a week."

Then comes up this scene where they do a contact. They barely knew how to do it. All at once I started to become really grateful for where I am. We fight on the ground level here, with getting our ward mission leader to come out with us and go to meetings, to doing hundreds of doors and contacts on the street. I love my mission. Elder Burk and I work like fiends all day at 95 degrees, usually only spending an hour or two indoors a day. I glory in that I was counted worthy to work so for Him. My trainer once said that he thinks sometimes that you shouldn´t freak out if you have no baptisms for a while - perhaps that span was neccessary and some missionaries may not have been able to handle that stretch without success.

The Apostle Paul says "glory" as a verb a lot. In Spanish, verbs are always one word. My word this week is "Glorío" - I glory. Glorío that I can be here making this happen.

Our investigators that we do have are also very delicate and difficult. Keeping just our attendence up is a full-time work. Let me tell you, though - how great is our joy for one who is baptized, or reactivated, or finally in the temple? Better than any other.

I just found out today that one of my favorite investigators (through a Melipillan member I ran into on the Metro... somehow) was married and baptised and now is the secretary of the Young Men´s program. That is something, isn´t it. You´d have to be me to get that entirely, but it is something.

Have you ever watched Mormon Messages? They´re good. The music from Moments that Matter Most I would like to have if it´s an artist.

You really should find The Lower Lights. I think you´d like it. It´s pretty folksy. This song I put in is an offering. Maybe Jake and Abby can sing it someday.

I really am doing a lot better. As long as I can eventually resolve my face issues I think I´m fine. The only worry now is there´s a shortage of Zone Leaders in the mission. That scares me a little. Did you know that there are only three groups of missionaries after this change ahead of me? Frightening. I´m afraid my generation is going to have a lot of leadership responsiblity.

Elder Burk and I are finally starting to find a sane medium. Everyone does stress differently, and his was being insanely intense. Mine is being very quiet. So things were just uneasy. But we´re figuring it out.

I´m now working on a highlight audio reel of the Book of Mormon for people who can´t read. I need to work on that.

Trust God. Love each other.
Elder A Conrad Crist

Chilean Independence Day

I so look forward to hearing from Alex every Monday! I have had to be a little relaxed in that a few times. Yesterday was the Chilean Independence Day and I had a little bit of a heads up so I wasn't frantic. But still, I really like to get his letters and I didn't and I watched some missionary homecomings and I do NOT recommend doing that. It is still very far away and I cannot get that in my head yet!


Okay. It appears that no one listened to my recording in which I complained about the shaving situation.
Look. I need to get an electric one. I've been trying to find one here but it's pretty hopeless, and the metal kind are killing my face. It's become a problem to the point where I've been using my fellows' electric ones. The ones here are low-end American brands at best, scary Chilean homemade ones at worst. I don't know what you think exactly, but these ones my companions have work decently well. Maybe you could research it a little and find me one? With a little effort I can make it work, but buying one here is sketchy.

This week's been okay. We didn't get all the numbers and stuff we wanted but I don't feel like I should have done anything really different. Sometimes people are just not interested. We put times with people and then they just aren't there. It's kind of frustrating, and it becomes really easy to walk into the day not really expecting anything to happen. Which isn't so great for the excitement level.

Elder Burk and I are doing well too, with only an occasional personality difference or something like that. I figure that every missionary has one of three big motives - Truth, Love, or Faith. I am a Truth missionary, with a fair amound of Love. That's how I think and act. Elder Burk is a Faith missionary. There can be a little friction at times, but as long as the pride is minimal, there's no problem.

The Chilean Independence Day was pretty much the entire country in barbeques, kite-flying contests, and drinking contests. We didn't do a ton of stuff. The party we were allowed to go to was fun. It was a little small, as the ward was small. I ate like six empanadas and twelve anticuchos, which are essentially small shishkabobs. And like two liters of soda. Good real sugar Coke.

Then we a had a PDay wherein we couldn't shop or do internet, as you suspected. So we had like eight hours of doing whatever we wanted. We flew kites, we played soccer, we ate pizza, and we cleaned up some gross stuff under the kitchen appliances. I don't know if I've said yet, but Elder Lowry stayed here, and got Elder Van Dyke, an Elder from my district in the MTC. Needless to say, we've had a fair amount of reminiscing about the MTC a fraction more than a year ago.

Sickening how it's been that long.

But anyway, the pension is still fun, if not as insane as it was when Elder Myres was here. I think you've seen those pictures of him firedancing and stuff. We don't do so much of that anymore.

Unfortunately we're all getting a gross gut-and-aches virus. Elder Lowry is going to the hospital for it. So it's not great.

I'm glad to hear everything's pretty good. Make sure Connor doesn't get too messed up about getting hammered by grades - if his grades where always about 95 he would not be taking hard enough classes. Does everyone still go to Grandma's house for dinner? That was like my favorite thing. Heck, it still is


Alex sent this much, then more!


Maybe I'll just end an email without wierdly sending it halfway through. The computer's being wierd so I'm being sure it doesn't crash without me getting a word off.

I gave my first ever talk in Church last Sunday. Which was wierd, being that I've been here so long. I was very pleased that at several points I paused and could not hear a single sound as people pondered what I said. I told them that when God brought them into the church, He called them into His service. Forever. I urged them to work and help others. I hope someone heard it. It was really the first super- cutting talk I've ever given. I didn't laugh at all. I felt like that one time President Monson got up in Priesthood and just said it straight. (Last Conference, I think it was). I felt really hot when I asked, like Jesus did to Peter "lovest thou me more than these? Feed my sheep." I'll never forget how it felt to say it to them as a ward (Ask my about this in 10 years and I'll recognize it.) Villa Brasil - Me amas? Apacienta mis obvejas.

Sorry to go lame on you.

Find me a shaver please! They have told me that phillips and braun, especially braun are good. Keep up the emails. They worked.

Thanks, love, and stuff
Elder A Conrad Crist

I really wish I could get longer letters! I want to know every detail and I feel like Alex is leaving out a lot! I want rambling, long detailed, and packed letters that take 20 - 30 minutes to read. I guess he just does not have the time. I have seen letters like that and I miss them. I know more is going on with him than what he writes in the letters and I seriously just want to know all!!! It is kind of frustrating to hear from him but have him not answer any question previously asked. I want him to be happy and I don't know if he is!


Before I start talking, one thing -

Email

Me

Songs

in

mp3

I bought an mp3 player thinger that you can just put mp3s on, and it's great - but I still need to get mp3s to play on it. I have a few here in DVDs people have given me, but you have to realize - you have the power to email me them *IN MP3 NOT MP4* whenever you want, simply over a few emails. For example, if you were to get ahold of Josh Groban, you could rip the CD to mp3 and send it to me in all of ten minutes.

That said,

This week was a little rough in terms on numbers and appointments, but these things happens. I've been here long enough to not freak out about these things, especially because it's been the second biggest party week of the entire year. Next week would be the biggest. We'll see how it goes. According to President King, the mission's been doing really well recently. We'll see how it goes.

So far Elder Burk is doing well. He's a little up tight, much like I was when I got here. It's the hardest thing to realize in the mission - that you can still be calm and not super retentive about everything. It's not to say that we can be disobedient, obviously. He's started to loosen up in the last few days, but there's still some way to go.

He's really into that kind of "I think Jesus really started to become a God when he started the Atonement" doctrine. Or like when people reject us, he's like "but we are representatives of Christ!" I don't know, it's a kind of mormony metaphysics.

Not to be negative or anything. We really are doing well.

Well, my stupid computer just crashed. Explorer died, but Chrome still goes. So now I have no taskbar, nor folders. Cool

Luckily I was able to start a new iteration of explorer.exe by opening a new task in the Process Manager. It's a good thing I'm a nerd.

So anyway, that's that for now. The week is lame because of our circumstances. I'm fearing that Elder Burk is getting a bad faith-starting training stange, or perhaps that he think's it's that I'm lazy or something. I don't really know.

Alex sent this a little later. I think they were having problems with the computers or something.

I don't really know why I sent that last one. Whatever. Maybe to free up some RAM with all those attachments.

I'm way sorry. I don't really have anything to say to you more than that. I'm still in the shaving dillema, but what else is new? I still look like a scrubbed off my facial hair with a lathe, but that's okay. Nothing really exciting about it.

Have you ever read Lectures on Faith? It is a book to blow through all rhetoric concerning faith, all examples, all everything of the sort. Basically it's seven lectures, each only a few pages long. Each has a purpose (this was written by the First Presidency for the School of the Prophets in the 1830-40s ish era). I suggest that you read it. For some people, like me, being low-rhetoric people, it can change your life. For example - there are three requirements of Faith in God:
A belief that God exists
A correct knowledge of the attributes and character of God
A knowledge that the path one is taking pleases God and complies with His will
Think about that for a second. Why does a person need to be in the Church? They would not otherwise be able to understand God, nor His plan. Therefore, for the much they want to believe, they could not have faith for life and salvation. There is a reason we do missionary work. It's one of those things.

Just keep thinking about it. If you read the book and think about it, it seriously takes all the vapid rhetoric and opinion out of religion. I really could have used it a few years ago.

And there it is. Email me songs. Good. Take Luck.

Elder A Conrad Crist

One down and one to go!

This week marks the 1 year mark from when my son left for his mission. I have seen him once in real life when I stocked him right before he departed to Chile, twice on skype at Christmas and Mother's Day, and a letter every week for 52 weeks. It does not feel like he has been gone that long but my heart knows it. I gave a Sharing Time in Primary this last Sunday and it was on Missionaries. I could barely get through the lesson I was trying to teach and every song I sing in church makes me cry, and every time I look at his picture on my counter I tear up. So yeah, I think my body and soul knows it has been a long time but thankfully the mind can linger on the happy moments and know that I will see him again! Maybe that is something like what the Savior is teaching us. We can go back and live with our Father in Heaven again. We just have to be true and faithful and our time will come. Maybe that is what makes this separation such a poignant one. I miss my Father in Heaven as much as I miss my son.


Yeah, I may have forgotten my camera.

Whatever.

So, here I am. With the somewhat young Elder Burk. From Arizona. This last week has been ridiculous. First, we went around and Elder Myres said goodbye to everyone. The next day I went to the temple after 10 months of not going there - sort of a lot, I think. It was a great time to reflect about the mission so far. Just about exactly half. I technically complete a year the eighth, which is thursday.

You know, it didn't seem like I've done that much. I understand always, and I know the lessons, and I know how to teach them. I get how to write in the area book, and eat properly, and all that kind of thing. The thing is that it feels as if I've not really done that much for people. It could be that I've been in seeding and tilling sectors while others have been doing the harvesting. I don't know.

Elder Burk is a very dedicated missionary. He just wants to work and baptize people. We have a very minor personality clash, but we work well together, especially once we are actually teaching. He's very outgoing and does contacts automatically, even when the situation is somewhat unfavorable. (I don't want to dampen his enthusiasm, but interrupting people while they talk to each other to contact them just makes them angry - or let us say that they have a hard time seeing us as representatives of Christ.)

We get more study time so we can practice and figure out all these things. I think it'll be okay.

I don't know if Dad has any experiences about this - it's very difficult to get to know Elder Burk because he won't talk about anything but missionary work. He may answer a direct question, but then a few sentences later he'll be talking about how the Gospel is so amazing or how the solution to world hunger is tithing, etc. I find myself in a similar position to when I was with Trent at Wyview. I wanted to just be a person and I couldn't. It says in DC 4 that you have to have your gaze only put on the glory of God, or something like that - so where should I be here?

It's very good that he does want to work and has no obedience or homesickness problems. He's the eleventh of sixteen brothers and sisters (luckily there's a law-only relationship between the first and second eight). He's only worked a little and gone to BYU Idaho in terms of education. He's a choir person, which is cool. And he plays the viola, but he says "not well enough to bring it on the mission." His parents are somewhat older people, and it is noticeable in his personality - he's disciplined, but kind of odd.

Let's change gears. You know what I liked to sing? It wasn't ever the simple ones. It was always the ones that were kind of "adulty." I remember we sang a few hymns, and I liked those more than the others. Also, A Child's Prayer and those kind of more serious even if a little childish ones actually called my attention to the words. The doofy ones not so much. I thought harmony anything was cool, even if I pretended to think it was dumb for my classmates. Treat them older than they are and they'll act it.

Can someone ask Kelsey what is Family Processes? I'm weirded out by that.

I'm going to buy an Mp3 player thing from Chilean Walmart today - so I'm going to be doing a lot of asking you to email me things. Starting now. The cool thing is that I won't ever have to ask for CDs - you can just send them. Not only that, but I can get them from other Elders. So if you get a hold of The Lower Lights or that other one I mentioned earlier and you haven't sent it yet, just rip it and email me it IN MP3 or I won't be able to do anything with it. Please. I think this is the best way I can do it. I wish someone had told me from the beginning.

Someone should make a decent recording of Grandpa's improv riffs. It would be so cool to get a good microphone and and Apple Product and record a whole album full of Crist stuff. We could produce it really well and make album art! Just think about it.

Abrupt ending!

Elder A Conrad Crist

I don't know if you knew but you can find my chapel on lds.org (and riley's too) really easy. Just put in like Villa Brasil of La Cisterna or my bishop's name, Bishop Valdivia. Just in case you're interested in that sort of thing.


To Abby after a short note for him.

Just another school year and I'll be back. No problem.

We did make the cake you sent. The funny thing was there's no frosting in Chile. So we used Dulce de la Leche. Let's just say it was okay. Or really good. Or amazing. The other missionaries went nuts too. It was a fun day.

Make sure Mom and Dad email me stuff and music! and pictures!

Love and stuff,
Elder A Conrad Crist


And to Kato:

Dear Kato

Roof roof grrrr grr roofy roof.

Roof grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr grrr. Roof.

Roof roof,
Elder grrr Crist roof

As if I am prepared...

I am trying to keep a positive outlook on the fact that my little boy has grown up and become a man! His birthday is on the 30th and it will be the only one in 20 years that we have not celebrated with him. I hope we get to see him next year for his birthday! That will be awesome. I wonder, kind of, if they will let him come home early(ish) so he can get a start on school. Oh well, I am still glad he is such a great man. He seems to have his proiorities right and knows how to make his life the best it can be and that makes me happy! Happy Birthday Son!!

Oh, and the pictures scare me a little. Why does Elder Myres never have a shirt on? Why is he dancing in a flaming circle? I am a little nervous for the answer to be honest!!

Well. Believe it or not, I actually did wait on the gifts. I was going to but my companion shamlessly (he does very few things with shame) guilted me out of it. So I didn't. We'll see probably tonight, however, for he also guilted me into making the cake tonight because he's going and my... new guy... will not have any idea what he's doing, and will probably not want to hear about that while he's barely even keeping himself walking straight.

On that note, Elder Myres is going away. I'm not super happy about that, but these things do happen. Not only that, but I'm training a new missionary... as if I was prepared. Sometimes I think God has a sense of humor.

You'll have to forgive me, I'm a little distracted. I'm putting together a birthday set of CDs for myself. It's complex when you can't go on the internet to convert the formats. You have to be really creative.

We are finally starting to get something done here. Now that Elder Myres is gone - a little tough luck for him. He's actually been made senior companion. He's a change younger than when I was made it, and I was (President King admitted it to me) pretty much young for it too. We'll see what happens out there, right? Elder Myres is certainly good, no problems there.

I honestly would have liked to have been with him another change. It'll be fun though. Hopefully the greenie Elder Lowry gets a white guy so we can still have fun... I mean... so we can... have more unity... whatever. You know why.

I look forward to seeing what you ended up getting me... no, I'm not really that materialistic. Thanks for only forgetting to write me once this whole year!

Love (no, but seriously),
Elder A Conrad Crist

Whatever happens, The Lord is in it

Nearly at Alex's 20th birthday! That seems strange and depressing that I cannot be there to celebrate with him. But so it is... I think I will be used to things finally and he will get to come home. What is that all about? I know he has more to learn and understand. He is definitely one of the smartest people I know and I wonder why he is not having huge success? I thought he had progressed pretty far and done a lot of hard things but now he feels like he is the problem because his personal numbers go down. Is it his way of doing things? Does he forget the little things and consider them too minute to do? I am going to have to get the answers from him somehow. I wish I could speak to him on the phone. Would that make it better or worse for him or me? Hmmmm. So here I sit and wonder.





That would be O Magnum Mysterium by Mortensen. It´s a really complex-sounding choir song.

Someone please (this is a getting things done 5 minutes or less item - you have to do it before you continue) tell Kelsey that she sent me like 2/3 of the songs, converted wrong, but cut off. Sorry... I know I could help if I was there. (Note: Everyone is going to love me when they go on their missions. I will be the missionary music dealer.)

I´ve been thinking about what President Ostergar said when he set me apart. Do you remember what was said? I honestly don´t remember anything. I find that something similar happens when I give blessings (or confirmations, which I have done). I absolutely don´t remember.

I´ve been thinking a lot about God´s plan. Not in the really big sense of the resurrection and all that, but more of a "Our Life On Earth" kind of thing. (A missionary might recognize point four of the second lesson.) I was just thinking about something as simple as prayer. What about a blessing that does something?

For those of you who ask yourselves, "Okay, Elder Crist seemed pretty okay with the gospel his whole life - why does he always talk about all these things he had to investigate to get a testimony?" Truth is, I had a very long, very complete, and very heavy struggle to get far enough past my intellectual tendencies to where I could actually have faith. The lectures of faith (what little I´ve read about them" have changed everything for me, and would have made it easier. I do see the purpose of God in doing it - but anyway -

This week was awful. We taught five lessons and did forty-five contacts. That´s nothing. That´s almost like we worked two days and smoked for the next five.

The week made me think a lot about faith. President King came out with an initiative called "Our Commitment with the Lord" about how one must really give everything to have enough faith to do anything close to save himself. We worked, and nothing went for us. We had enough lessons written down when the week started to get our goals. And we ended up with some 33 percent. I know the numbers don´t matter... kind of... but it was just so tremendously bad - it´s like you studied a whole week and walk out with a D- on a test. So what am I supposed to think? That I´m really just awesome and it´s all a distraction? It can´t just be that.

As you know, I´m a district leader, so I collect numbers. The Sisters are doing extremely well, and the other Elders are doing better each week. We have fallen every week. They say in Argentina "tengo la boca seca," or "I´m getting a dry mouth" - meaning "It´s starting to look like I´m the problem."

On the other side, we had a really fun district activity. We all went to a member of the other Elders´ sector. He´s an RM who went to Argentina and learned English, so we watched Emma´s Story (which is a very good companion movie to the Joseph Smith movie, by the way) in English. We ordered pizza and drank mate (that cup is one I got here)(in the pictures). Mate (mah-tay) is kind of an herbal tea, but you fill up the whole cup and use a special metal straw to drink it. It´s kind of a backwards tea. It´s definitely stuck to me. It´s an easy internet buy at home, so I´m confident I´ll do it forever. It´s extremely good. I don´t like tea at all, even. I´ll talk about this in an audio next week to help you get it more. The whole district is gringoes, so we had a fun, fun time.

You are probably wondering about the incense. The other two found a shop near our house and are getting really into it. It´s pretty good - it doesn´t hold a candle (or an incense stick, if you will) to mate, though. Mate is just really, really good. I got a special wood cup (in a metal cover/foundation (it´s the barrely looking one) from Nibaldo, that member we went to today (he´s an expert and sometimes goes over there to find good mate cups). The wood makes it twice as good. You´ll have to try it sometime.

That was all the interesting things that happened. We got rolled like doobs. Then we had a fun PDay. The weather has been suit-coat all week, and in perhaps two or four more I´m going to bring out the short sleeves for the rest of the year until next April. Cool. I´d just like it to stay where it is now for a while. It´s extremely nice right now, if a little cold at night.

I did get the birthday things - or at least what I think is them. Someone from the office told me that I have more stuff in the office that I´ll get next Wednesday.

Amazingly, I´ve actually kept from opening everything except the pictures, because they were half-opened already. I don´t know if that´s what you wanted me to do, but it´ll probably make it cooler when I do open them.

Riley wrote me again. He sounds like he´s done with the MTC - same thing that happened to me in the seventh week. It was time to go. Then my first week it was time to go - - back. We´ll see how it goes.

I echo the best part of the Joseph Smith Movie, and the Emma Smith Story too - "Whatever happens - the Lord is in it."

Así sea.

Love and stuff,
Elder A Conrad Crist