"the church is true, the book is blue"

[1-17-10]

Dear family,

I decided to revise my strategy of this whole emailing thing. I have received many concerning emails about me not writing everyone, so I decided to try the mass email thing again. The problem is, I like to chat with y'all (west Virginian for you) and if I do the whole mass email it will cut sufficiently into my chatting time. But as it turns out, no system is working so there needs to be some reformations made. So I propose that we vote on this and I will need everyone to participate on this voting or it will not be affective: So would you rather me to chat with you or a mass email with all of the updates? This will be affective immediately after all the ballots have been cast, so please be sure to get them to me soon. Anyway that is the end of my speech (did I rush it? - Oceans 11)

Well on to other more important business today, we are not doing anything too exciting. No we are going to shop and write letters all day. Just a side note, know I feel so stressed out and it's all my fault because I feel like I need to record every ounce of my mission and I just discovered this yesterday: that I don't have to do that! You think I would learn (lets face it I will never learn) that you do NOT have to KILL yourself to remember your mission. I will still take pictures and things like that and what I am saying is not to be confused with me having a hard time on my mission or anything like that. But what I am trying to say is that I am trying to record every memory, every little detail of my mission and I just can't do that, it's not fun for me (sorry to anyone that was counting on that). It just won't work anymore. Well anyways, moving on. I don't mean to drag on and on and ramble so I won't try to do that now.

Lets talk about about Tuesday shall we? Lets see what did we do..... Well unfortunately this was the day that Elder Goodrich was not feeling so well and we did not plan. So I don't really have anything written down, probably because we did not do anything. hahaha Oh well he is better now, that's good right?

Tuesday what can I say about Tuesday lets see...... We went to go chop wood for Sis. Hillflinger and that went well. Got to show off my impressive wood chopping skills (watch out when I get home, I will blow you all away that's all I do here (not really)). But I do do a lot of it here. We also had a media referral and it was going well when we contacted him. His name was Micky, but while we were contacting him, his wife ran in bawling, the poor thing, throwing up in a bag and running up the stairs. Well I know whats that's like! Well anyway that was about all that happened this day.

Weekly planing, Joe/Jessica, some of my favorite investigators thus far, all that is holding them back is they need to get married. So they said they would be for thanksgiving and they will be baptized shortly there after. I am so stoke, he would of been to church but his son had pink eye and we were so bummed out. But he will be there next week for sure he told us, he is committed 100% and not to give up on him. Oh we won't!

Actually weekly planing was supposed to be today but we had to move it up a day. Today we were around in the neighborhood of a l.a. named Sis. Brooks who is making a remarkable come back to church and then we saw this moving truck and these men who looked like they were having a hard time with this heavy bed so we thought we would give a hand and thought it was just a normal Uhaul truck, but we found out that it was a company and that they really would like a hand. So we did help and then we met Tori, she was the home owner and she wanted to know more about us so we have an appointment with her tonight!

Friday we cleaned the car and really needed to do some laundry. Went to go see Tammy, she was not there so we decided to go see Charley Huff. Now interesting story, one of those "only on your mission" stories, but Charley Huff is a drinker. A heavy one at best and so is his , his wife told us over and over again "I am so messed up, I am smashed- don't come today it's not a good time for me." Really sad, I wanted to so badly shake her and say are you happy?! Do you like were this is going?! You want to live a better life? Then stop drinking! Well there is a lot to work on there, I will let you know what happens.

Saturday we had a "missionary breakfast" and then went on a long team up with Brother Coles. We went and saw Franky. Now Franky is my project, he is such a cool dude, he loves the whole cowboy thing and loves to hunt, drives a big dully dodge 3500 and owns his own rock excavating business and has really big trucks in his drive way. But his company is not doing to well, in fact he has no work , he is kinda depressed. His wife left him and his daughter, his only daughter who I think he spoils way to much, won't talk to him and when she does it's only because she needs something. Well he has had a hard life and pretty much his life has been a country song if he had a dog it would be run over by now, but he is a good man and tries hard to do good.

Anyways, I better wrap this up. It's getting to long. Sunday church, it was good then we had dinner at the Running's, homemade lasagna, that was good. Then we went over to the Thomson's and had a party over there for their family. Well we were invited to it, we did not stay long knocked Flagstaff Lane, I thought that was cute taste of home. You know, Flagstaff AZ, anyway that about sums up Sunday. Love you all, have a wonder full Monday. I know I will and I hope I here from you soon. Remember that the church is true, the book is blue and Jesus is in fact a Mormon.

Love Elder Black