The Fall is just barely starting to kick in, I've seen a few trees that have started to change, but most are still solid green. That will probably NOT be the case by the time I go back down to the city.
Mom, your description of the new teaching method (Common Core) reminded me of how Dolores Umbridge altered the teaching ciriculum at Hogwarts so that they never actually practiced magic, just the theory. Cameron, you are not practicing math, you are practicing math theory. In theory, that would help you in the long run, but I think that math is so theoretical anyways that it shouldn't make a difference.
I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but I've actually been senior companion since the day I finished training back in May. The difference is that both companions I've had since that point (Elders Wang and Wang), were both native Chinese speakers, and so I always feel like I'm the junior still, even though I started my mission before either of them. (Elder Wang (Chinatown style) went into the MTC 2 weeks after me, but got into the field 2 weeks before me. Elder Wang (Peekskill style) came into the field in early May.)
Driving is terrifying here. We have these blasted black boxes that record which driver is driving, and it has it's own GPS built in, so if you pass the speed limit it starts telling you to slow down. The roads are a mess, and I scared Elder Wang really bad when I drove the first time (he gets really creeped out when people start talking to themselves.) I know that Ethan probably had an even harder time starting to drive back when he first came into the office, but I still really don't like driving here. Good thing I'll get used to it (I hope.) and if I don't, I just have to make it until I get transfered back down to Chinatown, and then I won't need to worry about driving anymore.
We talked to xxxxx, he says that he believes the church is true, he believes in the atonement of Christ, but he doesn't want to get baptized. He said it's because he goes back to China for close to half of the year to go to the doctors and visit his family, but I felt a little bit like he was giving an excuse. He still comes to church every week, and to most of the ward activities too, so we're going to keep working with him to find out the reason why and help him get past it.
The most interesting thing I've noticed about people up here thus far I think is the fact that they are so defensive about the Trinity. We talked with a lady on her porch for 30 minutes yesterday (well, really she just talked to us), about how clearly the Gospel of John in the King James Version of the Bible states that Jesus is God and that the trinity is the only way it could possibly work. She actually said she had been praying when we knocked on her door, and she didn't believe that the meeting was coincidence. The problem was that I don't think she got that Heavenly Father wanted us to help her, not the other way around. (She even quoted the "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you" as well as the false prophets scripture in the beginning of Matthew.) It was one of the funnier tracting experiences I've had thus far, and we both decided to read the Gospel of John for personal study today for fun. (neither of us ever found a scripture that gave any credence to the Trinity, although we did find John 17:3,11, and 16:3 which all would have been good to share with her.)
Dinner appointments are ridiculous. We get at least a few every week, they always have deserts (usually New York cheesecake), and they admit that they are actually trying to get us fat. Ironically, I now weigh 162. How odd that I've lost some weight since I'm hardly walking at all now. Speaking of which, that suit that I told you I got? I didn't actually use it, since it the jacket was too large for me, so if you could send me out a second one, that would be good. The best would be if you could get a jacket that matches some of the slacks I already have. The best would be the matching black slacks from Haggar, the number on the tag was WPL 386. The next best would be the Gray slacks from Croft&Barrow, RN#54341. If those aren't available, feel free to get one from missionary mall, jacket size 38 regular probably, 2 button, 2 slits, the lapels having an open gap and not pointed ones, but of course above all go with the cheap stuff. Also, if you could send out my Red/Silver stripes/squares tie that I left at home, that would be good, I want to wear it for General Conference. (and make sure Ethan doesn't steal it when he gets home.) :-)
Love you all, have a great week at school!
Your son/sibling in service,
Elder Christensen
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