20 August 2010

¡Hola!

You wanted to know how I got the “dearelder” letters. They are folded up in a legal size paper so they can’t be read from the outside and held closed by a sticker. Oh, I traded my first tie this week, it was the blue and green one that looked like snake skin. I don’t know if I told you but the first Saturday that I was here I went to the ER (pause for effect). It was not for me but for my companion. He was throwing up all day and he has a lap-band so they had to make sure it didn’t slip. It was cool! I got to see all his insides during this and the only thing I didn’t see was his heart. They stopped before the dye went there.

Our zone has been having some health issues. Our neighbor tore his ACL, some sisters dislocate a rib, there is one more recent and they can’t tell the extent of the damage right now. It’s his knee though. Half my district is sick, my companion has a double ear infection. And here is my injury, I have shin splints with the high possibility of stress fractures. I think both actually. I am not allowed to run for 4 weeks and jump at all for 6. I was told that both of my injuries are the same thing just one heals with the bone and the other the muscle. I have both on both legs to answer any confusion. You will not get a bill because it happened here and the church insurance pays all but $10 and I payed, total, $20 with my calcium and vitamin D supplements. The MTC doctors are really nice.

Hey Val, if you could write to me in Spanish please (anyone who knows Spanish can write to him in Spanish). I have given my testimony in Spanish like 200 times. At 10 minimum a day because we have to do that many contacts. I have given my testimony in French about 10 times, and yesterday I spent like an hour talking and helping one elder in French. He is going to the ivory coast line are of Africa. The mission I wanted. He helped me with my Spanish too, he to four years.

Joe, if you could write a spiritual thought about your situation. My whole district admires you, some say that if they knew you, you would be their hero.

P-day is also our temple day and we got to work in the temple. After we did our session we helped do laundry in the basement of the temple. Oh, that was fun, 60 young men rocking out to church songs doing laundry.

Thanks,

Dustin Swanger