July 27, 2014

We had our ward activity yesterday,  and I literally ate a lot of
food. I was constantly eating. The food was so good. Mostly the
desert. There was banana pudding, homemade chocolate chip cookies with
some salt on top. Fruit salad with mangoes. I took all the mangoes
out. (Not all really)
There were a bunch of different activities stations that went on. Pie
eating contest, watermelon seed spittin' contest, pillowcase race,
stick pull....
It was a good turnout. A lot of members came as well as investigators
and nonmembers. I didn't participate in much activities because I was
either eating or my back hurt.
But we have some awesome members in our ward. The colliers for one,
brother Collier is our ward correlator, and Sister Collier is the ward
family historian. They are the best family ever. A lot of elders in
this district want to grow up to be exactly like bro collier. Elder
Izatt said he wants to major in success. Elder Dance said he wants to
be just like Bro Collier. - he's that cool.
We went to Elwood park, and there was some family reunion who had a
permit for the whole park all day, but the sisters asked them if we
could use a little bit of the area. And we were able to use a nice
area where there were trees and a good amount of open space. It was
like the real pioneers. Because we actually wanted to go to this other
park, but the parking was really expensive, and then we come here and
that other family didn't mind, but some didn't like us being there. So
we kept moving and getting kicked out of where we were. Also the
wooded area we were in was quite a trek away from the parking lot. It
was fun, we got things done, and had a good time.
 Elder Hart and I got some straw hats to wear, and in the store, he
put it on and I bust up laughing because he looks just like Sam, from
the movie Holes. And he's like "I can fix that".
Hahaha funniest thing ever.
  We had a best dressed contest as well, and some people dressed up
really well, with the bonnet and the apron and things. One little kid,
ryker, he dressed up like a super hero, haha it was funny. I guess he
didn't have any pioneer clothes, but still wanted to dress up.
  There was a younger girl who had the bonnet and apron and dress
thing from trek, and I thought she'd win, but this old Spanish lady
all that and a shawl over her shoulders, which won the judge's vote.

Its so hot a humid at night that I haven't used my blanket as a
covering in over two weeks, we have all the windows upstairs open, so
there's a nice breeze, but it's still super hot. I use my blanket as a
pillow and my pillow as a blanket. I wrap the blanket around my neck
for support, and use the pillow on my tummy to block a light that
shines right into the room onto my face.
The humidity makes the bed sheet feel like someone "peed on it and
left" - that's what elder Hart explains it as. It's warm and sticky
and I don't like to touch it.

I talked to another member who works for vivint and he said the whole
thing is pretty much a leap of faith. That's what it feels like. He's
from Utah as well and he said that coming out here to do work that is
100% commission, is pretty tough, but as long as you can manage time,
you can do it.
I asked about staying determined and focused, you can make bank?
Because he's only like 26 and is married and they have no kids yet,
and he drives a stinking BMW! Like... If I'm around the same age as he
is, and I'm determined and have that drive... Then I too can have a
nice car!
  I keep thinking of that job, and sometimes I get a negative thought,
like the humidity is horrible, or that I won't be able to commit
enough to do it. But I have to want it bad enough, I have to like it
more than I hate the weather or how much my old  man body hurts. I
want to be able to support me and my family, and this job is a pretty
good opportunity to help me fulfill my dreams.  If not, I'll make a
new dream.
 I keep talking to different employees and they say that they get so
much free stuff, well... You have to sell a certain amount and you get
watches, shoes, shirts, folding chairs, hats, shorts, pretty much all
clothes. Like you don't have to buy a lot. Also they give you Nike
gift cards. And Stu Watson (ward member and employee) was showing me
his custom shoes he's getting with the gift cards.  So it seems that
vivint really takes care of the workers. Like the housing they supply
is pretty nice, it's furnished so I don't need to buy a bed, even.
 Everything sounds nice. Just the few hitches, being weather and
getting a car. And maybe working alone is different.
 The families here that work there are pretty well off. I don't think
I could be poor and homeless here, as long as I work hard
for what I want or need.
Working where I serve is a good idea too. I already know everyone.
  Anyways....

I am excited to live out here, too. I can chill with all my member
friends. Go places I can't now.. like concerts, chocolate lounges,
prime- haha jk I don't like steak, swimming in the ocean. It seems
cool. And I've seen that a lot of RM's from here are missing NY. Then
I'll be like... Haha! I'm back!
   Every once in a while this is all I think about. So now it's hard
for me to think of something else to say that would be more appealing
to read about my week.

  As always, not much happens. It's crazy how fast this month went by,
like we got one week left. Then it's my two year mark! 8/22! Then
somehow it'll be December again and I'll be home.... Uhuuuuhhhh...
  It feels like the whole year goes by slow, and then the last three
months has three holidays and they go by fast, then it's a new year
and time slows down again. I think the middle months of the year are
slowest. Like the middle hours of the day. 12-5 goes by slow.

Zone activity tomorrow! Volleyball tournament! District against
district! I love volleyball! I'm not good, but i love it. I'm not good
at one sport. I'm okay at most, or bad at all. Hehe


[{( I'm just excited to have money )}]

It's funny how I might ask for questions so I know what to write, but
then I forget what those questions are! Hehe!

([{ it's funny how all vivint clothes are neon colors }])

This is a good ward- I'm kinda writing this in ward council.

{[( I can wear nice clothes. Socks, shoes, French cuff shirts/cuff
links, nice ties, glasses- bamboo frames, suits..actually.. I don't
like suits too much. )]}


In order to have the time to write a lot, I usually write throughout
the day. So I started this morning, while eating breakfast, then in
church a bit, not too much. And now elder Hart is going to teach a
lesson in Spanish, and I usually just chill and mess around on my ipad
(without wifi) or write stuff.

 This lady has been a member of this church for a long time, started
in her country, and she was married, then they went less active and
her husband joined another church and was the priest there. Then
something happened and he ended up getting killed by the gangs down
there. And she thinks that happened because they left the Mormon
church. She moved up here and didn't know where the church was, so she
was unknown until a member friend met her and found out she was a
member too, now we have been teaching her, and we got her records
moved. She's interesting, elder hart thinks she has a tumor because
she can't remember her own info, like record info. She doesn't
remember exactly when she was born. So he thinks there must be
something wrong, if she can't remember something that everyone should
know.
      So while elder hart teaches them (her and her "husband"-who's
just her boyfriend) I will write more about this week and other things
I feel like writing.

      The way people - mostly poor Spanish people - live here is kinda
weird. Because they'll live in one normal sized house, but there will
be three or so different families living there. They made me realize
that I don't need a huge house to live with. Just enough room to have
a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.
  She has been given one room to live in, so there's a tv, a
microwave, all her stuff crammed in one small room with a closet. But
she can use the bathroom and kitchen when needed, and the living room
is controlled by the main owner.
I think I'll live in a small house until I really need to go bigger.
     It's more so in the city, in the projects. But it still happens out here.

 Oh dear! I just about flattened the plastic lawn chair I was sitting
in! Haha the legs were no longer upright but at a low angle.
   I've busted two chairs so far. I don't know how the first one
happened, I think it was already a little broken, and I finished it.
And then we got these new black ones, and I totally bent the legs so
the seat was no longer sitting horizontal, but at a slight tilt
forwards. I'm so fat and heavy.
   But I've been weighing myself lately, I'm not over 280 still! It's
been about a month!

     Trying to buy good foods is hard, like I'm used to fast and easy
stuff. I don't have a lot of time to make big tasty things. So when I
go to the store, I don't know what to get, other than pbj stuff. And
when I grow up, I'll need to eat right. So starting now is a good
idea. I just like getting subway or bagels for food. Going out for
food rather than making it myself. I need help knowing what I can get
that will last a week or more. I seem to run out of food before the
end of the week.

I hope I'm not writing too much all at once, but I guess it's a good
way to make up those times I forgot the write, or when I didn't write
a lot.

Oh man there's a cockroach crawling on her bed. That's nice. That's
one thing that is hard to make sure of when you live in a shared
apartment- to make sure the whole house is clean. You can have your
room clean, but that won't stop them if the other rooms are dirty. I
wonder why roaches are here. How they got here? Why they like it? Why
they stay?
    I don't blame Adam an Eve for eating the fruit and giving us that
"original sin" but I do blame them for all the annoying pests and
plants and everything unpleasant that happened when they were cast out
of the perfect garden. The whole "noxious weeds" thing.
Btw-I haven't seen the newest temple movie, but I can't wait now that
I've heard it's different. Same words, just said differently. Two
other people out here say it's good and that Eve is the hero.

My left foot has been acting up quicker and worse than my right foot.
Like when standing or walking, it hurts first and stays hurt longer.
Stupid flat feet.

I've seen lots of Hispanic houses here that have hammocks set up in
their yards. I miss my hammock. I can't wait to hang out in it again.
Or even get a bigger stronger one and install it in my house. That
would be great. I like to recline, and that's the perfect way to do
it.

I've been getting tired a lot lately too. It must be cuz I'm getting
old (in the mission). Like I just want to rest a lot. As well as just
get to sleep at night. And then lately I've had some good nights
asleep. Like they were deep, solid sleeps.

We did some service where we pulled weeds and one plant called "tree
of heaven" has a small hint of marijuana smell. It was interesting. If
you're wondering how I know what that smells like.. I've been exposed
to it since my first transfer in the mission. It's all over here.
Especially Huntington station. This place is a dirty ghetto slum. Lots
of bad stuff goes on here. But I've never seen it, just heard of it.
Marijuana has an interesting smell. Also called the sweet leaf.
  I smell a little bit of it at least once a day. Depending where we go.

Hispanic- especially Mexican -food is my favorite. I know we have lots
of Mexicans in Utah, I but I never had their food until I came here. I
love all the Spanish food I've had here. I pretty much love all the
food I've been given here.  I've not had something I don't like...yet.


Ok I've written a lot. I think I'm done.

-Elder Peck

TL;DR

Fourth of July wasn't anything special. Just lots a loud bangs. Didn't see much, everything started too late. 

As for the package... I don't know.... I'm trying to eat less sugar this week so my tongue doesn't hurt. And also not eat too much tomato sauce things, because I think my heart burn is caused by those two things. I also have a hard time swallowing. I think it's cuz I don't salivate enough while I eat things, mostly dry things, so it doesn't go down easily. Oh well I'll try to change things so it's easy. 

 

  I also think my eyes are getting more sensitive to the light. Like, I get headaches from the sunlight. And it's been really bright lately. Or that's just me. And elder hart has super dark eyes, so the light doesn't bother him at all. 

I'm just getting too old too fast. I sound like an old person with all my pain and tiredness. Like I'm not even 25 and i sound 50. I have neck pains constantly, so I put a nice pack on it. and my feet always hurt, especially in the morning. I talked to dad about that and he said to soak them in Epsom salt every night. I need to get some and a bucket. 

 

  My knees, shoulder, shins, heels, lower back.. All hurt. People say you need to be more active so they don't hurt. But being active makes it all hurt. Oh also, while I'm complaining, it's weird that I can be in pain no matter what I do. Like I can't stand for too long because it hurts my feet, but then I can't sit for too long because it hurts my bum bum. (Hehe). And sometimes, if my legs are in the same position, my knee will hurt from not moving...? That what elder hart said it's from. He wants to be a physical therapist, and went to school for it, so he knows things. 

   Sometimes I think I sleep weird so my neck hurts. Also, the back of my heels hurt, I think it's from my shoes. There's no visible bruising, but it is tender. 

Anyway... You would be proud of what I bought today! Little to no junk food! Even hart was surprised! I got lots of veggies and some fruit. I got some canned soups. Fruit cups and cereal bars. I don't know how long it'll last, but it was a successful buy. And, because we go to this special cheap store, I got 34 items for 47 dollar! Only three things were over $2!   

I bought milk for the first time in almost 5 months. I just don't get it for some reason.  Some people and I think that me breaking my feet might have something to do with the fact that I didn't drink milk for a few months before the break. And lately my feet have been hurting again, so I think I'll drink some milk. 

   Woah I just had déjà vu. About telling you that. 

I could do with some letters from the family. Some pictures of Utah, around the neighborhood, or town.  

  Those dried apple slices were good, a little weird texture, but good.  The apricots are very bitter.. or tart, so I still have them. 

    

I don't really think of things I'd like from home, so it's hard to say now. 

Mike didn't know his family was Mormon until his mom offered coffee to everyone. 

Ya me and Geoff email. 

We learned about baptism by bro Mansuetto. He's a great teacher. Just tells us his life story and makes us laugh. 

-We did talk about babies being baptized, and why- because of the original sin. Because they can't sin, they are born with it. 

And it's convenient to sprinkle them with water, rather than dunk them, as you can imagine. 

  

Why I'm coming home in December is because it's my 24 month mark. November was 23 months. Somehow my temple trip dates got mixed up. I just need more time to make up those wasted transfers. And to find purpose in life. 

I planned a nerf battle for the district and it was fun. Quite the workout.  I love this district. 

I gotta go now, love ya

 - till next week.  Elder Peck.



Miracle

So one time, a few days ago. Like Saturday, bro Mansuetto calls us and
asks us to give a blessing to his sister in law who's in the ER. So we
go and find her laying in a bed in the aisle so there's no privacy,
this place was packed, but not super crazy, just packed. And we talk
to her and sis Mansuetto and apparently she is visiting from Arizona
and the first night she had some pain, and they said it was a valve
obstruction. But I heard bowel obstruction. (That's quite the
difference. Hehe.) But she was in a lot of pain and they had her on
some strong pain killers for now, but she said that this was her first
day in New York and she is in the hospital, perfect way to start a
vacation...
  So Hart anoints and I pronounce the blessing, and I just said kinda
general things like get well soon, no more pain.. Then the next day in
church, sis Mansuetto comes and thanks me, and said her sister is
here. And I didn't recognize her at first cuz all I could see at the
ER was her face, but she walked in and I talked to her. It was good to
see her up on her feet.  They couldn't thank me enough, that was such
a quick recovery!
 That's my miracle story for the week.

I'm glad that I could use the priesthood, and I strive daily to be
worthy to use it at any time, such as this. You never know when
something might happen.

 Oh!  earlier we were going to go to service, and elder hart had an
impression to bring his oil. We didn't know why, because we were going
out into a field to pull weeds, but like I said, you never know... But
we didn't end up using it there. Right after we get back is when we
got the call.

so one time we had a table set up on the street for a street sweep and a member comes around the corner and says hi, and then asks us if we're hungry. the other elders said no, but i said that elder hart is. so the member says, okay, i'll go get you guys some food. then he goes around the corner to what we knew was little vincents (see pic on facebook) and comes back with a pie for us!  it was awesome, especially cuz he just showed up!  he actually works around the corner from us and across the street from the pizza place. he must have saw us walk by his shop. he's a manager for a jewelry store called Libutti. heheehe

yes, i am still with elder hart. round 2! we will try to be friends and not go crazy. he's still spanish. like he was wondering if he was going to be just english, but i guess president still wants him to speak the español.  but we will try to focus on getting english investigators this week. we want half n half. so i can actually teach people. because last transfer was mostly him teaching spanish people. because this was an all spanish district and this pool was last few transfers. even with the english people taking over.
HANDBALL IS SO FUN!!!!    we play almost every morning. and Chino-ball. that's where you hit the ground first. handball is the wall, then the ground. handball is more intense because you have to make sure it doesn't hit the ground, so it's harder and faster. where chino-ball you can barely hit it and make it so the next person to hit it has to run up to the wall and not get out.   i'll have to teach you guys how to play when i get home.  if i can, i'd build a handball court at my house. it's that fun.  i don't know the exact dimensions for the lines and such. but all you need is a flat large wall.

mike is back from haiti. he found out that half of his family are also mormon! not his mom, yet.
and also we are getting him to start family history so he can go to the temple! apparently his uncle has a lot of his tree already online. so that makes things easier.  we had president interviews a few days ago and pres asked me to make sure mike gets the "after baptism lessons" i think that's why im here again, as well as whatever the Lord wants me here for. so i can take care of mike.
 
hopefully we have a good pday. they are usually spent playing sports. after all the shopping is done. they have some nice handball courts by the plainview church.

our district lost galloni. he's in terryville now. which is one zone east.  and we got another city missionary in his place. meaning this is his first time in the island.   and hopefully we can get some work done!  because mission work is pretty different in the city than the island. and city work kinda could work here. but there isn't that many people outside here.

we have a crazy ant problem, like they keep coming in and going all over the place. i had some candy open in a bag and they got into that, and also somehow they got upstairs into the bathroom garbage.  and i went outside and found like 6 entry ways that the get inside the house.  i even found a hole in the carpet under my bed that they use. ... like.... where do they come from!?  there's so many and they can't be stopped!  we got some poison for them. they like it. and then they eat it and die.  but now we have a lot of dead ants in our house.   but they crawl all over all my stuff. i need to go through everything i own and get rid of open containers and maybe get a sealed tub for my stuff.....   brian, how did you deal with them on your mission?

well..... i might write more later.
we gotta get stuff done.. see ya'll!

I am staying in Huntington. That's 4 transfers here! :) I love the
ward and the area. I don't know if I'll stay with hart, though. One
elder, galloni, is out. Leaving his comp open, and so far, I've been
comps with others in the district. But we could stay together.
  I'm glad to stay with this awesome district, minus one. But I've
never had a bad district.
This will be my second area that I will spend 6 months in.
I'm thinking I'll finish in a different area, after this transfer.
Perhaps train in a new area. Hart believes I'll train before I'm done.
He thinks Izatt won't allow me to leave without a leadership position
of sorts.
  They didn't say if anyone is moving around within the district, so
so far it seems that elder dance is the only one getting a new comp.
but they forgot to tell me to pack and move pads. I could ask Izatt if
I'm moving.  Or just talk to pres and them on Tuesday.
Hart is doing English and Spanish now, and it's tough on him. He's
okay with being with me one more, but as long as we are the same
language. He translates a lot for church. Today was the worst.
Especially because he didn't eat, and he was using his brain harder
than usual.
   But this area has a lot of Spanish people so there has to be a
Spanish person here. It started Spanish. Now it seems like they're
getting rid of them. We shall see.

June 30, 2014

This week was okay. We did a lot of knocking but not a lot of success.
Today for p-day today we had a zone activity we went down to Bayshore
and played some kickball and some other sports. It's very hot and
humid outside. We went to CVS and I bought some chocolate bars because
they're on sale and I ate two of them before we went there so it will
hurt to run around. I kind of can't really control myself when it
comes to chocolate on sale. But I need to stop eating junk food so I
can lose weight and not be so fat. Last transfer I was pushing about
290 but for the last week or two I've been around 275. Which is nice
but I'm not eating right, still. But I'm just not eating a lot. I do
make sure to drink a lot of water though. I have a large container of
water that I drink almost every other day, and in the car I have at
least two water bottles full and I go through them everyday. So I
think those are saving me more than anything else.
 What's nice is that I've been sleeping good through the night instead
of taking a long time to fall asleep or even waking up at like four or
five in the morning. I've been waking up around six and then sleep in
till 630 and then we go work out. Every other day we go play handball
or go running at the school track by our house. I haven't really been
running in the last week because sleeping would hurt my back little
bit but I love to play handball.
  Every day at my feet hurt as always and it's mostly the left one I
don't use them for a few minutes to take a rest and once I start using
them my heels will hurt and my soles will hurt but I'm just used to it
and keep pushing along. For some reason the other day my shin was
hurting. The one that got hit by the bus. I don't know if it's
weather-related but it's kind of random.  And the skin above the
broken spot on my feet are so little sensitive when I rub it. So I
guess I just shouldn't rub it. I always have some sort of physical
pain going on through the days. But as always I just ignore it and
keep going.
 I think I maybe would be getting sick for some reason like the cold
or flu perhaps. My throat was hurting yesterday I took some cough
drops. And think I had some mucus in my nasal cavities this morning.
  This is the last week of the transfer and it's usually the toughest
week because people are always worried about will happen next week.
But as always I don't really care what happens but then again I do
have three transfers left and I think I might be called to be a
district leader or maybe a trainer. I'd rather be a trainer so I only
have to worry about one other person whereas a district leader has to
worry about five other people and their investigators. And there's
also the possibility that I am out of this area because I've already
been here for four months. I don't know where I would go may be
staying the zone, I have been here the majority of my mission. I could
go further out east, Elder Hart thinks zone leader because elder
McDonald, who's the zone leader now is going home.
  I won't worry about it now, leadership calls are...Thursday,
training calls are wed? Leadership call meeting is Friday. I've not
been with someone who went to be a leader or trainer before, so I
don't know what days are what, and elder Izatt was called a week
before. But I do know that transfer calls are Saturday night.
  I hear that the trainers do not get assigned to the trainee until
maybe five minutes before they meet them. The new missionaries come in
on Monday and the president and the APs talk to them and see who would
be a good trainer for that specific missionary and then make lots of
changes throughout the night and into Tuesday. So they called the
trainers on Wednesday before the new missionaries even get here and
then they assign them together at transfer meeting. Pretty cool I
guess.

  Mike is in Haiti right now, visiting his mom, and he will be there
for a week. I'm glad we got him dunked before he left. It seemed like
that wasn't going to happen as planned, because she said he was going
to get his passport on the 22. But he ended up leaving a week later.
I'm glad we got him baptized. That's super chill.

There's not much else to say I think. We gotta go out knocking for the
next three hours! Oh joy! I gotta stay positive or I'll hate it and
it'll go slow and miserable. 4 months left. I forgot to ask president
about that today, I'll talk to him later about it. Maybe next week in
his email, or even later during our interview.  We do one every other
transfer.

Alrighty then, see ya later!
- ELDER PECK