Mike is set for the 22nd of this month, and that's the best news so
far! I am super happy about that. Mostly because of how much he
understands. He says he's totally different -in a good way- from where
he was before we met him. It took him a while to start reading the
Book of Mormon, but once he did, he likes it now and it makes him
think and ask questions. Last time we met with him we finished the
commandments and went over the baptismal questions. He had some
hesitations about the two tougher ones (law of chastity and word of
wisdom) but he's been doing very well with WoW. And he's working on
chastity. He was doing great for a whole week, then his boss took him
out and it wasn't good. But Mike knew it wasn't good and he felt bad
about it. He knew he had made a mistake. But it wasn't his fault
because he didn't know at first where he was going.   Other than that,
he's super great!

   I went back to the doctors this week and we talked for less time
than before. But he had asked me to write a history of my life as well
as I could. So I did that and that's what we went over. I have another
app in two weeks. And he didn't give me anything new to try or do
until then. But I have been thinking more positively, he said that my
countenance was brighter and something else was better.
Even though sometimes I feel like I wanna quit, and get sad easily. I
know that I just have to keep going. Cuz that's what enduring to the
end means. Getting through the crap life gives you.

 Well yesterday we knocked a whole street of really rich people. And
out of like 12 or 14 houses, we got one potential. She was hesitant
about listening to us cuz she's Christian and like other Christians
she thinks that as long as you believe in Jesus, it doesn't matter
what religion you belong to. It's all good. So we explained that there
are differences and we can talk to her and her family once and if they
don't want to continue, that's okay.
Just give it a try.

  I kinda want to keep knocking the really rich people because they
are rich. And the church needs people who can support themselves and
can drive themselves to church. Because in the last few years, the
only people baptized where older single Spanish ladies who only got
baptized because of the elders. And when they leave, the new converts
turn into RCLA's. (Recent convert, less active).
The rich people need their hearts softened, too. They are comfortable
with their money. And like a quarter of that street was Jewish. So
they are wealthy and don't like Jesus. So even though that's tough,
our message is for Jew and gentile. When they are comfortable with
money, it takes away God because they can get what they want without
Him.

Now it's starting to get hot and humid. It's super hot like 79-82 and
I hate it. And everyone says it's going to get worse.
I hate the sunny days. I love when it's cloudy and a cool breeze. Like
yesterday. It's raining now. So it's humid and warm. But not as bad as
%100 humidity and 80+ degrees. Which I'm AM NOT looking forward to. I
have joked about going home this summer again. And only be in the
mission during the winter time.
It seems that every summer is the same bad experience that makes you
want to be inside all day. But when winter comes, it's different every
year.  Last winter was super crazy. Lots and lots of snow. The
Christmas had absolutely no snow. But afterwards came the white death.
Hehe. And the winter before wasn't bad at all-my first winter. But I
heard that the winter before I came in was horrible too. But also the
last winter for me lasted longer than anyone thought. It was just so
flippin cold.

I think today we will go to plainview to play ball. I won't, of course.
Unless it's volleyball. But I wasn't expecting on doing much today. I
just want to chill. I wish I had a hammock here.
We were planning on running this morning, but it's raining kinda a
lot. Once or twice we went when there was a heavy mist/fog and I
couldn't see out my glasses.

It's just so warm or hot all the time. Even though yesterday was nice,
I was still sweating a lot. In the last few days I've been sleeping
without a blanket over my legs. The window in this room has been open
all spring I to summer. There used to be an A/C in there, but it's
busted. So I have to rely on the occasional breeze.  And also we don't
have real blinds on the windows so this one has a blanket over it, and
the blinds are because the train station right behind us has those
bright lights on in the morning and it comes in here like midday at 5
in the morning. The struggle...


Anyway, that's about it so far. I bought like 6 loaves of bread last
Monday because they were cheap/on sale. I spent like $30 on food and
ended up with 6 loaves, 2 large bunches of bananas. That's about the
majority of it. I need to buy real food. I kinda rely on going out to
eat. Like subway. But I don't know what I want to buy because I don't
want to take time to prepare something. Peanut butter/jelly sandwich
is as far as I'll go. I don't like buying things like eggs or meat,
cheese, milk... Like they'll go bad if I don't commit myself to eating
them. And sometimes I'm not in the mood for that. Most of the time.

I'll send this one off, and maybe write more later after things happen.

See ya- Elder Peck - NY