Letter from Caleb 11-19-12

I found it, the letter I got a few weeks back from Caleb, my oldest son who is on a mission in Anaheim, California, that I wanted to type up right away, misplaced and just found over by the computer.  Good place for it. So here it is:



Dear Mom and Dad,

Hi!  So a few things.  I'm on a bike!  Super exciting!  this means a few things.   I need a bike.

Ok, so actually that's pretty simple.  I'm borrowing right now, but that's not sustainable for any length of time.  The bikes a piece and I've already had to drop $20 bucks of very precious funds to replace inner tubes and it needs about $80 in repairs just to work well.  The brakes are rubbing hard (they are disc brakes) and the cable is too short to loosen.  I tuned it up a little but the rims are out of alignment.  Any who, the mission president said I could either buy a bike or have one shipped.  Regardless I must have a U-style Steel lock, a helmet, a light, and a repair kit.

I realized today buying those things here is incredibly foolish.  Everything here is foolishly expensive.  Seriously, I'm going to have to be really careful with food.  The church gives me $150 a month for food, laundry, haircuts, and personal hygiene stuff (ie., toilet paper).

So let's figure out bikes.  I would really like to have one by the end of this transfer (5 weeks) because the one I'm on leaves my butt hurt.  Like seriously.  It's like riding a bike sitting on a metal railing.  Do you want grand kids someday?  Yeah.

So if you could write me ASAP (email or write a letter) and let me know what you plan.  AP's say bikes haven't been stolen in a while, so I guess that's good?

Someone shot the mission office window 4 times.  I think it was a pellet gun, but that's seriously uncool.

We had dinner at the Cannon's yesterday.  They are so nice!  Sister Cannon made Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and dyed everything green, because I'm a "greenie"  "new to the mission".  She dyed everything green, like EVERYTHING.  The dedication to the bit was impressive.

They have 5 kids, Elder Cannon (her first, serving in Hondorus on his mission and his companion was shot), her son (name changed for privacy Brandon) who is 18 and less active in the church, Their 16 year old daughter (name changed for privacy Andrea), and two other daughters.  They are a lot like our family, except everyone is super tall and they have lots of money.

Everyone here is either super rich or super poor.  There is no middle.  The motorcycles are scary.  They are legally allowed to rush between you o the interstate.  The drivers are really fast.  The cops can't radar you, so they have to chase you down.

I went shopping.  Got Quaker Oatmeal (the BIG one) a bag of cereal, bread PB and J, and milk.  $36  I'm going to struggle.  I made a budget.  It's sad.

I love biking though.  California is super flat here.  I can probably go really fast on a decent bike.  My butt region hurts so much.  I am writing this on the wall standing because I can't sit.

We all got Earth quake kits.  Earthquakes are a really big problem here.  my companion has felt/been through 3 in five months.  Sometimes the ground rolls, and sometimes the buildings just get slapped.  We were told to watch out for fires and mudslides.

Tonight we taught (name changed for privacy) James.  He's very interesting, but it was  a great lesson, and the spirit was incredibly strong.  I feel like I can speak any language, our mission has 8 languages and more people than the entire state of Iowa or Utah.  3 million in the smallest mission in the world.  My area is Palmyra, and it's only 3 by 4 miles.  Over 400,000 people.

This is an exciting time to be a missionary.  Heavenly Father is ready for his work to move quickly.  I love what I'm doing.  I love inviting others to Come Unto Christ.  You can tell when the Lord has been preparing someone.  I bear my testimony that Heavenly Father Lives and cares about each one of us personally.  I have seen miracles happen, and as a missionary I have taught to expect them.  I know this church is true and that by ready the Book of Mormon we can develop a connection with Christ.  I know this is where I belong.

Love,

Elder J. Caleb Clark