Hey Hey! How's everything doing? I think I say that at the beginning of every letter. But for real, I care and I love all of you :)
Right now I'm in Valencia with Elder Fuentes and Elder Cortes in a dentist office (converted apartment). Elder Fuentes has been having a problem with his tooth (one of them) this past week so I came with him today so that his comp and mine could go play beisbol. I'm not really a fan, so I volunteered to go. It was about a 2 hour bus ride, but I really like the rides from Puerto to Valencia and back. We drive through jungle covered mountains and right along the beach. Today will be kind of a treat because I'll be able to get our letters today because we need to stop by the mission office before we go home, so I will be able to respond to your letters a week earlier :) That is, if I don't forget to get them.
This week I finally really got to work with my comp, Elder Lindgren. He's really a good, obedient hard working Elder. And because he only has 2 months more than me (he left the MTC the day before I got there) I don't feel as intimidated, as much the brand new student so I find myself participating more in the charlas. Our area is fairly large, and contains a lot of members - active, less active, inactive, etc. Since the last Zone Conference, our focus as far as "working" has totally shifted. Now, we're working really intimately with the members - always passing by their houses, becoming much more their friends, and always asking and helping them to prepare people to listen to the charlas. This entire week we haven't gone tracting once, and yet we've been blessed with investigators, charlas, baptisms, etc.
Well, it's 10:07 and I haven't seen the letter and it's not because I forgot :). Our zone leader happened to pick them up before we got there. Bummer :( The dentist visit was SCARY! It turns out that Elder Fuentes needed a root canal - they did part 1 today, part 2 (the filling of the hole) tomorrow morning. The dentist just went at it, no gloves, no mask, no eye protection, no bib on the patient, no anesthesia (until she got to the nerve). She took an x-ray with some wimpy shield that she wore herself, her assistant behind her holding the apron on with the arms around the doctor. She didn't bother asking us to leave the room :P, either. Quite the lesson for me, trust me. :{
We got back at the house at 3:30 and an hour later (a haircut and a shower) my comp and I cut short our P-Day to visit an investigator, so please excuse this lame letter :)! I love you all so much. Chao, pues!
Nick