To Leah, June 26

MOMMY!

Ok i am going to be fairly brief so that i can send you some pictures. But as for my new area, i will have to tell you with time. Make sure you read Dad's email so you can get the basics about everything. In short, i love 3 things already:
1. My area.
2. My companion
3. These amazing mountain people.
4. The flats and conditions.
Ok i know that was more, but still i had to mention because i am in love with this place!!! It is simply incredible. I literally climb mountains every day. I am getting SO toned.

As for snakes, nope. Not in this area. too high in the mountains and the snaked are mostly in Chyulu, which is where Kagame was serving. And yes, still washing by hand! My fingers bleed haha! But not bad, don't worry. I am getting faster at doing wash so all is well. I may still wash my shirts by hand at home because it works so incredibly well.

That is awesome to hear about Ben! Except i have bad news... he is not faster than me. I am so toned from this climbing and walking that i can run and walk for extended periods now! AND, my upper body is getting big because of all the daily workouts i get to do. It is exciting, and i am looking forward to wrestling Benjamin when i get home. He better be ready >:) Tell him i said that too, ok? I'm comin for HIM!

And get Danny to email me!! Please because i need to hear from him! Is he doing well? Is he happy? Does he have anything he could need help with? I love him so much and i want him to be happy too :)

Well Momma, i have  cool story for you.
STORYTIME!!! There was a man named Alex that i met on my first day here in the Kilungu hills. He drinks and smokes, but we sat down with him (while he was drunk) and talked things over. And after we were bearing powerful testimony, he simply handed over the cigarette he had in his pocket without us asking. He met with us the next day, sober, and even came to church, sober. We should ave some few baptisms lined up here. I am pretty excited to work in these hills :)

I am learning to cook too, just fyi. I am going to send home my journal with a 4 gb memory card. It has alot of cool things on it that i think you will find nice. I wrote a song, by the way. 2 actually. well actually 3. One is an arrangement of "Called to Serve" and a song called "Zion's Hill". I wrote it at request of my Kitale zone leader and we sang it as a zone. I have the arrangement still, and when i get home i will organize a group to sing it in sacrament. The second is a little zone song that has a bunch of inside jokes with the other Elders. no big. The third is a song called African Sunrise. I wrote it when i saw the sunrise one morning, and it is cool. I may record it sometime and send it home ok? It is a cool song, and everybody that has heard it says that they love it and that i should get it recorded and everything. Haha, Elder Jensen says it can make millions of dollars and that i need to pursue the course of getting it seriously recorded. Worth a try, right? :)

Well Momma, I love you so much. I had a dream that a was hugging you all, and it was nice. Haha! But time will bring all things. "I am enjoying my mission" is a light term. Every day i wake up with greater determination, only to the grace of my Father. I have to devote all to Him, Mom. How is the family? And how is everybody in the ward there? Is there anybody i need to write a letter to in the ward? I did receive the letter from Linda Bodily, i will write back soon enough. Become friends with her ok? Cuz i am going to be friends with Tanner forever :)

Love you forever Momma. I'll be home for Christmas. But for now, i am here and happy. Stay happy, don't count the days.

Love you for eternity,
Elder Schneider