Letter from Caleb--9-16-13

I asked Caleb a bunch of questions, so this letter is answering them.  Maybe they are questions you have had as well.    There have been some other letters in the last few weeks, but some things have been personal for just his family, so those letters haven't been shared.  Some of this letter has been taken out because it was just personal for his family.  I have included what I can.

Finally, some questions! 

Well what exactly are you doing on normal days when you are not in the office?

Elder * and I study a lot,  We teach lessons as often as we can.

What is a typical day like?

Wake up, work out, shower, eat BFast, study, study together, eat Lunch, go out and do service/teach, eat dinner with a member, and appointments at night. Then we plan and then we sleep.

 Do you like your apartment?

I kind of like our apartment. It has been tough to get settled in though, as in three weeks I could be moving again. It makes it hard to set a direction when you don't know where you are standing. I have really had a tough time in this area, but I know that there are so many things I am learning here that I need to know. I wouldn't be placed in this area unless there was someone I could help, or consequently, someone who could help me.

What is the area like?

The area is not that large. I am thankful to have a car though as it has been really hot during the day. The ward is made up of really old couples or newly wed couples. There is no one like our family.

Any interesting people?

I met a drunk naked man on Saturday during an exchange. He was... Interesting for sure. 

Your license came and I'm sending it today.

Yay!

I got Alyssa, Scott, Brenden, Jared, Dad and of course me to all sign up for Timber Trek.  A muddy run through the woods with obstacles for 4.3 miles in October.

I see you have the family convinced it is not crazy to do things like that. Just to remind you, it is.

Scott did his first 5 k last week and did well.

What qualifies as well? Could I profit off of him? Did he troll dance through the finish line?

Do you still have hair cuts left?

I do, and am doing fine on those.

Are you getting fed?

Pretty well. I hated Mexican food before my mission, and then I loved it. Now I am starting to get sick of it. Thankfully, if I have plotted meals out right (for some reason everyone feeds us the same meals at the same times. For example, we are fed burgers for 2 weeks, then burritos for a week, then turkey...) then we should be getting into a different food group soon. 

Who are people in your ward that feed you often?

Surprisingly we haven't had many repeats. This ward is really good about feeding us.

Do you really like being in the office a lot?

I love it. It has been a tender mercy for me. I have learned a lot of amazing things and sharpened my skills. I commonly get calls from other missions asking me for help. Salt Lake dubbed me the "California Wiz Kid" after the whole debacle with our computers all going down, and so I am trusted on technology calls and conferences. I have a video conference with Cisco this Wednesday which will be really cool.

OH! Also!!! We are getting iPads! HAHA! Every single missionary is getting their own iPad mini! Thats not even the best part.WE GET TO TAKE THEM HOME AFTER OUR MISSIONS. YEAH. I guess they decided, in a wise decision, that missionaries wouldn't take care of it unless it belonged to them. So, the iPads are being rolled into the cost of a mission, and they are ours when we go home. Our missions will no longer be bound to California Anaheim once we get them either. We will be allowed to skype with our less active family members and teach them the lessons. We will be able to skype and teach lessons to friends. This is going to change the world. I also feel special because I was the first to know in our mission :) 

How often are you in the office?

Maybe once a week. It depends on what is happening in the week and what they need me for. I am really just the resource for the mission, and I try to limit my time in there.

What do you need in packages sent?

Love. Lots and lots of love.

Did you think that poptarts box was funny?

I did. To answer your next question...

Did you think pop tarts was in there?

I knew there were no poptarts in there. I knew after the rude stink I put up after that one Christmas that you wouldnt do that.

What else do you need?

Soon I will need an iPad mini case, but I don't know when yet, and I don't want you to buy one until I find one that will do the best job.

I need to get to work.

Love,

Elder J. Caleb Clark