Another week gone...time is passing so fast, and I haven't even left Provo.  Don't worry about posting everything on time, just when you have time I think it would be nice for people to hear about what I've been up to, if they care :P

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well.  How was your competition in Boise?!  Sorry I was delayed a day on writing back, we had this In-Field Orientation yesterday and I was gone all day learning different stuff about contacting people on the street or at their home, on the park or in the plane.  I feel super good about it.  It's such an exciting work; it's nothing like anything I've ever done.  Like I've told friends about what I believe and why I believe it, but this is so much more different than that.  I'm really excited though :)  That would be so cool if Grandma got to visit you all - though I wish she would've done it maybe a month earlier! Have you all been avoiding the flu? It seems to have gotten its way around the MTC pretty well.  I got away from it for the most part, but I had a really dry throat for a while, and it kept me from sleeping for a night.  Not like every other night, where my Samoan and African roommates usually wake me up around 4 in the morning snoring.  I love them to death, but I had to buy ear plugs haha.  They work surprisingly well!

Speaking of my Samoan friend, he was teaching me the Haka (you can YouTube it) with the dance and words, and I got a lot of it down. It's awesome.  Also speaking of him - he was coming back from a special trip to Salt Lake that all the international missionaries get to do, and I was waiting to pick him up from the Travel Office.  While I was there, one of the ladies called to me and said "Oh by the way - you're not doing a temp(orary assignment)! Your visa is coming in next week and we're going to try to get you out of here by Thursday!" So I exploded into a smile and high fived her and we just had this lovely moment together. I was so happy.  Last week I went in to see where I was going and when, and all they could tell me that I was going to be in Independence, Missouri.  But no longer! My theory is that at first, I was pretty disappointed about having to stay stateside, but after realizing how much of a blessing it would be to be able to stay a little longer, I accepted that I would go wherever the Lord would send me, and that would be that.  And I think God saw that I was humbled and He allowed to me leave earlier! Just a theory...

That being said, I'm not sure if you'd have time to send me Chaco sandals or permetherin solution (to protect me from African mosquitos), so I'll just try to get them here somehow...I'm thinking of things I need, and I'll write you back in a few hours to see what I can come up with.

Love and miss you so much!

Elder Garland