From Elder Jordan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jordan Bloomquist
Date: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 at 5:47 PM


My dear precious family,

Sorry about the troubles I have caused with the shoes,  but I thank you so much.  This week has been a good week, filled with all sorts of goodies.  I have found many things that I am grateful for and many things that I yet have to learn.  On Sunday we got to listen to the Christmas Devotional from the first presidencey.  I loved the new videos that they came out with they were beautiful.  I think I remember them talking about doing something like that between sessions of conference.  I also loved when president Monson was talking about the books he read.  I want to read the mansion it sounds super interesting.

There is a young boy in our ward that at school one day, tripped and stepped weird so that it messed something up in his hip.  The solution is to put both of his legs in casts, which they did last week.  They are immovable, seperated about 8 inches apart by a stick that is glued their.  He has to stay like that for 3 months.Sometimes I get tired of walking but I am so grateful I can.  And that I have a body perfectly healthy and functional. 

The spirit of Christmas is filling the air here, even though it is 90 degrees here and people are now setting up swimming pools.  The lights are everywhere, people seem more happy and smiling and cheery.... and I am sooooooooooooooo excited to talk to ya´ll.   We will call at 12 your time and 4 our time.   I have a challenge think of a question you want to ask me but ask me in Spanish.  It really is a beautiful language.   Oh and I have an other small Christmas tradition you have to add.  Go to the store and look for "Tim Tams" they are like chocolate covered crackers.  You take one out and bite off both ends but just a small bit and then you stick it in some hot coco and suck it like a straw until the insides melt.  Then quickly put all of it in your mouth, the cookie that is, and feel free to cry tears of scrumptious delight.

This week we have been working with a kid named Andres.  He lives in our ward but his aunt lives in another ward and he was taking the discussions with them.  To get him more comfortable with attending this ward the missionaries gave him as a reference to us and we are finishing teaching him.  He is only 14 but very intelligent and independant.  He got baptized on sunday and the ward brought him right in.  I think we need to help him understand endure to the end, well.  He likes all the new attention but we want him to have a strong testimony even after all that dies down.  It really is amazing how close you can get to people in so short of time. 

I love you all so much

I will see you in 6 days

Elder Bloomquist

Pictures 

We went up to the Mary Statue

These were our hike up and a nativity scene