Kissing disease, I don"t think so!

Ôla,

Como é que temo, espero que vocês estejam bem.  Eu estou mais ou menos. Fui ao hospital duas vezes esta semana; estou passando por muito mal no estômigo. Espero que você não fiquem preocupados comigo. Vou sobreviver.  Vou ter que fazer um monte de exames, de sangue, etc. Para ver o que que tenho.

I had a kind of a strange week.  I did not work all to much. I have been kind of sick and was told by the mission president´s wife to stay home, and rest. So I have been and I continue to do so until she tells me otherwise.  I am however alright, just really really tired. I think I´ve got mano, or the dreeded kissing disease. Which if you think about it does not make much sense in the fact that it has been, let me see, oh yes more than 4 years now that  I have not kissed anyone so it is a little bit untruthful to call it that. Although the doctors do not know what it is that I´ve got so here in a couple of days I will do a blood test, and urine test, and poop test, and they will take a x-ray of by chest to see what the heck is wrong with me, but I will be fine. My companion gave ge a blessing and in the blessing he said that I would get better through these things that the doctors fine.  Do not worry. Will come home alive and well. And worse comes to worse I will come home a little bit early and you will get to see me.  Although I do not believe that will happen.

I got a funny phone call from the mission president last night saying, "Hey stop stressing out, you only got 5 more weeks.  You can hang in there."  Of course all that was said in Portuguese, and does not translate completely to that but that was his intent.  He was just calling me to get the phone number of the missionary couple in our city.  Oh and by the way, I discovered that the missionary couple and our family are related.  They two are Murdocks, but not.  The couple is actually named Brother and Sister Minor, but he says that he has family line of Murdocks in Ceder City, more than likely since he is from there and is a relative to those Murdocks I figure that we are some kind of a cousin couple times removed.

Well love you all and  I will see you soon,

Love

Elder Caleb S. Carriere

I am not "Trunky"

Hello family and friends,

Once more I am closer to coming home. My companion loves to remind me of the end that fast approaching.  He says that I am "trunky," however I believe that he is more trunky than I about the return home, however I will not lie, I am excited as all get out to come back home.  I do think about it often, but I am trying to be more focused on the here and now rather than the then and later.  It is a strange feeling. I really do not know how to handle myself.  It is rather an odd feeling of excitement a pure fear of the things to come. I am confident, however, that I will return home and everything will work out for my own good.

We had a family come to church this Sunday, out of the blue. It is an answer the prays of my companion and of mine own. We had one of the worst weeks. It was a week that proved and tested my patience.  I never wanted to just call it a quites and pack up my bags as much as I did last weeks.  It has been rather difficult to say the least of the matter.  We were going to baptize a man this week, but he continued to smoke and it has been two weeks that he has not been to church, so last Sunday when he did not go  I took it like a kick in the pants. Really hard.  I was depressed and ready to throw in the towel, and this yesterday he did not go again, but the Lord brought to us another family who as being asked if they were already baptized said, "Not yet, but that is why we are hear."  I was so thankful to hear those words at that time.  I had made a promise to myself, the president, and also to Heavenly Father that I would not "die" until the first of August when I will be in Santa Maria waiting to renew my temple  recommend and also take a class given by the mission president about eternal marriage.  I received as Paul put it in Hebrews 11, the proof of testimony.

I am very glad about all of this, and hope that everything will go alright, with this family.

Love,

Elder Caleb S. Carriere