Email January 25, 2010

Well I am grateful for your letter today. I don't have much news except my companion got transferred to my old area, interesting....but he will be with my old comp and another kid in a trio because my old comp goes home in the middle of the transfer. He (my comp now) isn't very happy about leaving here because he has served his whole mission in Bogota, so is unhappy with president for that.

As for me, well after my interview president gave me the impression I would be either a zone leader or training a new missionary so I was happy, but well he must have changed his mind cause that didn't happen. And I will be honest I wasn't too happy about it last night but well I slept good and this morning I just said well you get to deal with it either way. So well I am not upset about it anymore. But, well other then that I don't have much news.

Our one family we have been teaching found a new house in the ward to move into, so they are not leaving, that is if they can find 150 bucks this week. But they should be able to do it and stay in the ward so I should have some more baptisms coming up. And well I was also a little sad cause Wagstaff is leaving Bogota for Bucarrumunga tomorrow. I wont get to see him for awhile but butler is staying here and is training a new missionary. that was the other thing that made me sad, all the missionaries in my group are either training or zone leaders, except Morris, who is the mission secretary. So, I felt left behind. But well what can I do about it.

Also, my comp made us late for church yesterday, so well we missed the sacrament, but I didn't even get upset. I have just learned that crap always happens and well you just can't do much about it. So I am just relaxed and just kickin it.

Also, if you send me a package here in the next little while, can you send me an elk call? I will have to explain when I get home but it is something funny Wagstaff and I got going so please throw one in if you could. Natali put up a picture of her and her friend, Kristen Stuart, on the blog, sign me up for a date when i get home! Anyway I love you, thanks for all the love and support. Tell the ward hello and thanks for all the love, prayers and support.
I love you mom
love nate

Email Monday January 18

Well mom thanks for the email. You are such a great mother. I had a good week, I didn't write down the stuff for the days. But in the photo I had my baptism and that is about it.

We have Marta and her daughter, who I gave the DVD player to and they were supposed to be moving today but their apartment fell through and now are looking for something here so I get to continue teaching them. Marta is ready to get baptized along with her youngest daughter Suli, so we will see, I wont baptize them until they know what they are doing with moving plans. I don't want them to leave and just be inactive. Got in a little fight about it with my zone leader but i just put my foot down and said no, I wont do it. Anyway she has a problem with coffee. We have been looking for an apartment for them to rent. We have no other investigators so we are searching.

I had interview with president, it was good. He and I just had a nice chat about everything and he is a funny guy. We ranged from my comp and the work here to snowmobiling. So it was a good time about 20 minutes with him. I might be getting transferred who knows, I will find out tonight or Sunday night cause there are 2 transfers. Well I love you very much. Thanks Brenda and Stu for the itunes card.

love you
love nathan

Email January 11, 2010

Well i had an interesting week this past week.

Tuesday, we were with an inactive girl and well she has more problems then one person can deal with so we talked with her for forever, about how she just needs to not make things so complicated.

Wednesday, we were looking for directions and my comp is a good guy, but some days I struggle, he is just a little slow and being a naegle that just don't fly well some times. I didn't say anything but i was just a little frustrated but at the end of the day I was happy, what can I do about it I need to learn something everyday. Patience just seems to be a lot of the days haha

Thursday, well about half way through the day I was using the restroom and well, found I had put my garment bottoms on inside out, I got a chuckle out of that. Guess I am just as slow as my comp on wed. haha and I fixed an investigators sound system to her DVD and TV cause well they had just hooked it up like a bunch of retards. So I got that all separated and working, she was happy about that and then we were watching a movie with them and her little boy started choking on a HUGE pìece of chicken, it was pretty funny cause he plopped that sucker right back in after it came out.

Friday, I had this oatmeal soup for lunch and boy was it good. I should have asked how they made it but I doubt it can be that hard but it was dang good and it just hit me super super hard this day how lucky we are as a family. We have a lot of blessings. There are a lot of poor people here. Some days it just breaks your heart to see some of these people. Then when we got back to the house my companion had used up all our minutes on our cell phone. So well we had to have a chat about that and being wise in our cell phone use.

Saturday, well I bought a christmas present here and saturday night, I was sicker than a dog. I didnt sleep one bit and sunday morning I was just in a bad way with a fever and headache and the whole nine yards so i just stayed home all day. It was a long day but I slept sunday night fine and woke up this morning a little better.

Then today I was with wagstaff all day cause my zone and his zone went to a theme park and well I just wasn't up to it and so we just went shopping and relaxed. So it was cool to just be with him all day. He and I should be just dandy friends when we get done here and yeah. I am still sick and it was a bad deal, but that is just part of this whole deal.

tell Austin hello and Andrew good bye depending on when he leaves. Well i am just happy to be here, not to worried about the whole transfer thing. Who knows what will happen. Well mom I love you very much thanks for all your love and support. I am glad I have such a great mother. thank you
love nathan

Email January 4, 2010

Well yes a new year is here. We passed it just fine. I was awake because the other elders were still talking and we slept all 4 out in the kitchen and yeah dad wants me to be more informative in my emails. So here goes!

Tuesday, after lunch, I was SICKER than a dog, I had to go to the bathroom every appointment we had, but i just dealt with it and never let something slip. That is one of my goals for the mission, never have brown garments.

Wednesday well what I have written down is compared to here, Biss is the best singer in the world. It is super hard to sing here. And well I was blessed with a little talent in that dept. thanks to Natali. It is just super funny to me, how the hymns invite the spirit and well they are sung so stinking bad. So fun note.

Friday New years day, we didn't have one appointment and well my comp ended up being sick, so he says, but you can't do much about it so I had a good day of study and what not while he was in bed. I really like to study. The scriptures are pretty sweet.

Saturday, I don't have anything written down, but we were on Interchanges with the ZL and well all our appointments ended up falling through but we had a good time contacting and trying to find inactive people. In the ward there are only about 50 active, out of about 300 maybe more. So we have lots of work and they changed the directions here in Bogota about 3 years ago and so it is super hard to find some of the houses. It is like at home our street 1000 east got changed to 1800 so just down the street but it still tough. But I have a

pretty good memory and can find them pretty good. I do most the searching, my comp well isn't sure how to do it still and he has been in Bogota his whole mission. I guess that is one of my gifts I have. I never get lost much, even at home riding dirtbikes ask Preston.

Sunday well there is a lot of apostasy here. So we have to be on our toes when people are talking to our investigators, so correction here and there and yeah that was my week.

People we are teaching,

We have Marta and she has a mixed up story. she was going to a christian church here close by and she has 3 daughters and the pastor after many years abused their relationship and knocked up her 2nd daughter and hired all the best lawyers and what not so they didn't get anything and so they are in a super bad way. They have no trust for anybody and yeah it is just an ugly situation but she under stands why there are so many churches and she is a reference and she is getting baptized here in 2 weeks and her daughters are listening too and I think they will get baptized. I don't carry my camera much but I will try and get a picture of them this week. They are a great family. Oh and their father abandoned the family and so it is just an ugly deal all around we went to the bishops store house last week with them cause they have virtually nothing and she is changing the lining in my suit to have a little work cause she makes clothes and I had a big hole in it from where my bag rubs. So they are a great family and the Baby from the pastor is the cutest thing ever the picture is of her. As for me I am great I can speak spanish just fine and for the most part people understand. So that is good.

I love you all thanks for the love and support. Until next week
love nathan