The same thing happens to me. I think about stuff I want to include in the email all week and then I get to p-day and can't remember anything we did that week. So it takes me ages to write an email. Zone p-day was pretty cool last week. We played, soccer, crab soccer, ultimate Frisbee, had a cartwheeling competition (it was judged on speed not technique so I actually did okay, I came in 2nd right behind Sister O'Reily who was like a cheerleader back home so I am not too embarrassed. I think I would be more embarrassed if I had beaten her) We finished the day with some touch football. It was exhausting but overall a great zone p-day.
Sounds very hot back home. Here winter has definitely come. Our house, we found out, is one of the oldest in Kawakawa. When it was built there was no insulation whatsoever. Mornings are freezing. It is different from Utah cold. The wet cold makes your insides feel cold. I am sure it wasn't as cold as Russia but it feels pretty freaking cold.
It sounds like you have a lot of work to do Dad, between Grandma's and our house. I bet you are pretty sick of water and pipes. I hope the farewell goes well today. It's a good thing our family is always supportive - it is pretty cool. It is still pretty weird that Keegan is getting married. I still can't quite wrap my head around it. Some progress in the area but I am sure I am in the same boat as all the missionaries in the world just wishing that their was more progress, faster. My friends haven't really been in touch recently. Ever since Kylee told us she was leaving her mission we haven't heard from her. Will emails every once in a while. Life is starting to get busy for him. Preston I haven't heard from in about a month now so we will see - maybe he died or something 'cause I can't think of any other reason for him to stop emailing me :) I got a call from Elder Johnson (which is against the rules but it was a nice surprise) as we were about to go to sleep last night. He finishes his mission in a couple of days and wanted to tell me a few last words of wisdom - pretty funny. We just joked back and forth for a couple of minutes and then said goodbye. He also wanted me to invite you to come to his farewell. It's on the 12 of July somewhere in Logan. I am not to sure if you wan't to use a weekend in Logan when you could go to the cabin but the invite is there.
This week:
So this week was a hard week but it was a good week ;) We did a lot of finding activities. I actually planned to go tracting for the first time in my entire mission. Usually tracting is like the quadruple back up but we decided we were going to try and tract specifically to find people. We went out on the day we had planned to do it and it just happened to be awful wheather. My water resistant coat is exactly what it says, water resistant not water proof. I was soaked through. It happened that we were able to meet a lot of people just because they took pity on us and let us come in. I walked in and I am pretty sure they were making meth in the kitchen. I can't prove it but it wouldn't surprise me. It was a fun day overall we didn't find anyone solid to teach but we did find a couple good potentials. We are going back this week.
So I have had a cold pretty much since I came up north. I have been getting worse and worse. But after the day in the rain tracting it was really bad. I stayed home sick for a day. I have never coughed up so much mucus in my life. (Just for you, Mom, because I know you are wondering). Most of the time it was green and runny but that day, it started to be a little more chunky. Eventuallly it was a little red. I was coughing a lot, my nose was killing me and I couldn't hear anything. I slept most of the day but later when I couldn't sleep we did end up playing Monopoply just Elder Blandford and I. It was pretty fun. The ongoing Monopoly score is 2-1 with Elder Blandford leading. We are now playing a running game at night and during lunch and dinner - it takes a while but it is really fun.
I was able to have a pretty cool experience yesterday. So we went on splits... Bro Richard had come to church again and wanted to visit someone so I quickly nominated my companion to go with him and I would go with Bro Shortland, our ward mission leader (WML). Bro Shortland and I were planning to visit a potential investigator that we had found earlier last week. We were headed there and having just small talk really. I was telling him some story about back home and then we were both laughing about something and all the sudden Bro Shortland stopped the car, flipped it around and started heading back. He said, "We have to go see my friend, Elder." It was wierd but I was all good with it not like I had much choice in the matter. We went and saw his friend named Boss, or at least thats what he goes by. He is a member of the Ratana Church. He is a great man and as the lesson went on I realized that I am the first missionary that Bro Shortland has ever taken to this man. Bro Shortland and Boss grew up together and are best friends. It was really cool that I was the one that got to go over first. Especially since Bro Shortland has been the WML for 10+ years - that is a lot of misisonaries. We will see how it goes but it was an awesome experience. The Ratana are very similar to our faith. They believe in a restoration in the early 1900's by a man who saw a vision and now is a mouthpiece of God. They use the Bible but they also use another book of scripture they call the Blue Book. They do everthing completely in Maori though and it is pretty intense. They also believe in some of the ancient moari beliefs. I am excited to teach Boss and also to learn a little bit more - for some reason the Ratanas fascinate me.
We are not alone in this work!
Love,
Elder Summers