Can you just go get her for me?

Hello.

Before you start up with all the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, let me just defend myself. My skype account blew up, so I am unable to get into it. I went on this whole merry chase today, trying to figure out how to fix it, which ended up with it telling me to put in my phone number so that they could send me a special code that would fix my account. Doh!! Us missionaries don't have phone numbers (or at least not ones we can use for non-proselyting activities, as we have but one sim card per companionship). So, for the future, do you know of any other platforms that we could use for communication? Because, unless we can find some alternative, it's just gonna be emails for the rest of the mission. (Unless, of course, my skype magically fixes itself, which based on my experience seems to be pretty unlikely). I guess, theoretically, you could create an account and just send me the particulars, but... If that's too "rebellious" for you, whatever.

Sorry.

Now, if you haven't smashed your device in outrage over not receiving a call that a week ago would've been a gross violation of not only mission, but church-wide rules... We can continue.

This week has been fairly interesting, I'm not gonna lie. Some good news though, I did end up getting to teach that lesson that I alluded to last week. The plan for exchanges changed, so it was me and the middle companion in my companionship with one of the zone leaders in our area. So, we taught the guy. However, the lesson was... Interesting to say the least. We taught him in the church building. He was a referral from some elders in the San Jose mission, so we had a little conversation with them discussing what they'd already taught and where he's at spiritually and what not, so we had a pretty good idea of what to teach. So we start teaching right where they left off. The lesson seems to be going pretty well, he's nodding at appropriate places and seems to be following what we're saying just find. Until we get about half-way through, at which point, he decides to tell us that he has understood literally nothing we've been telling him. It's not that we haven't been making things clear enough or anything, it's just that our Chinese is literally so bad that he hasn't caught a word of it. Just at the point that we thought the lesson was going swimmingly. We were able to save face enough be the end that we committed him to come to church this week, and also have a return appointment set up, so that's good.We'll have our best Chinese-speaking companion with us this time, and we're going to have a native-speaker as a member present, so it will hopefully go much better. We're pulling out all the stops for it.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping

As of someone gently rapping, rapping on my chamber door.

'Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door.

Merely this and nothing more."

Well, what the?.. Sorry about that. Something must be wrong with this computer or something. I have no idea why that just happened.

Now, back to business. 

In all honesty, though, I did just discover that one has the ability to change fonts in this new-fangled "Gmail" thing, so just brace yourself for the true artistry that is sure to come.

You'll be happy to know that I am continuing the proud family tradition of eating dirt-cheap instant pasta product many meals here out on the mission. Luckily, humanity has evolved since the dark ages, and there are a verity of options besides simply "mac 'n cheese." 

On the subject of food, I realized yesterday whilst eating dinner with a member family that seemingly nobody has the ability to make good mashed potatoes. As I've said before, they are exponentially superior to the toxic waste we were forced to consume at the MTC, but they still don't hold a candle to anything I've seen my own family produce. The rest of the food was really good, but the potatoes... Almost as chunky as a postmortem King Henry VIII.

Well, I hope that you've gotten over your rage at me for not calling you this week. As I recall, someone did send me the words "we understand if you don't call", so hopefully you were being honest with those words. Perhaps I can call you next week, if we somehow resolve my odd electronics issues.

Bye-Bye.

P.S. Is there such thing as a store that sells shaving equipment? I've looked and looked and cannot find anything.

P.P.S. Perhaps, of course, that is simply due to my own incompetency, though.

P.P.P.S.

  "Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December

And each separate dying ember wrought it's ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow, vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books, surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,

Nameless here, forever more."

P.P.P.P.S. Oops, it happened again.