13 Agosto 2001

Dear Family,

I know, I know, I said last time that I'd write about Curazao but it's 5:00 p.m. already and we just got home. My comp wanted to go out far away and eat lunch with a member of his old ward so we've been out there the whole time. If I was smart, I would've brought a pad of paper, but . . . I didn't. But there's good news, as you've already seen - pictures! Not very many came out because it was a cheap camera I bought in Curazao without flash. Last time I'll buy no flash. I hate doing stuff P-Day. It's already 5:30! We should've started planning 30 minutes ago, but my comp's washing clothes. Anyways, this week I got the 6th Charla passed off - finally! That means that I've completed the 1st of three levels, which includes memorize the 6 charlas, DyC 4, Called to Serve, Standard of Truth (Wentworth letter) and the mission hymn. The 2nd level is memorize 37 scriptures from the charlas and have read the B of M in the mission field. The 3rd level is memorize a list of almost 300 scriptures. I plan on getting them all passed off (the levels) before I go home, but that means that I'll have to memorize more than 4 scriptures a day. We'll see how that goes.

I gave my first District Meeting last Tuesday, too. I talked about the characteristics of Laman, then Lemuel, then Sam, and then Nefi, and how we should be missionaries like Nefi. I thought it went well. We also had interviews with President Tuesday and he just talked with me about what we can do to prepare ourselves for the visit of Russell M. Nelson on the 24th. I got the wedding invitation of Elder Speirs. He got married on the 8th to the girlfriend that he got when he already had his

[ed. note: there seems to be a page missing]

Elder Christopher and I in front of Blimpies (!) and another one with a cool view.

I'm reading about what mom said about what you like to hear about . . . food. This week we've eaten twice cachapas, which are like corn pancakes that are eaten with cheese and shredded beef. We don't eat those too often but I guess that we're in cachapa season. I like them a lot. Then there's always the normal rice, chicken, caraotas (beans), and arepa plates and also a lot of spaghetti. It's been raining almost daily, bouts of like 3 or 4 hours of rain and that's all. At night here it gets cold . . . sabroso. We've got a big program that's going a little slow. The only investigator we've got with a firm baptism date is a 9 year old girl Johani, who will be the last in her family to be baptized. This area, which has usually been a zone leader's area, is known as being a tough area, but I'm feeling good about it.

Well. . . . that's all folks. Love,

Nick.