(email sent August 12, 2013)

I've successfully arrived in the Sheboygan Wisconsin Zone.  After arriving in the Milwaukee Airport at 8:30 ish on Tuesday morning all thirty ish of us met President Cutler and his wife and daughter and then got in the mission vans and headed for the stake center near the mission home.  We weren't able to sleep after being up for 40 hours because we would have gotten our sleep schedule all messed up so instead we watched the Testament movie, and did personal study while we were interviewed by president Cutler.  We had a newcomers meeting and meals at the Stake center and then retired to a nearby hotel for bed at 8:30.  The next morning on Wednesday we went back to the stake center to receive our Trainers and be assigned to a zone.  My companion is Elder Cranney from Roosevelt Utah.  He's been here for 5 months and He's awesome.  He loves the Lord and loves to serve, He's a hard worker and we get along well. Sheboygan city zone and the surrounding areas.  It's right on the shores of lake Michigan, (attached photos).  Sheboygan is an interesting city i've been told and also seen for myself.  Brats were invented right here in Sheboygan and we've already had a brat cookout at a members house. The member was a guy named Brother Klunk.  He is a recent convert (January) and is retired, he loves to spend time with the missionaries, he goes with us as a member to our appointments whenever we need him.  Our zone uses cars but we have limited miles, but he always volunteers to drive us where ever we need to go.  He's awesome.  The weather is quite nice, I came at the perfect time.  It's only hot in direct sunlight if there is no breeze.  If you are in the shade and its breezy then its perfect.  The humidity isn't too bad but its noticeable.  The apartment I live in isn't too bad, we've got a big table and living room to study in but we have a tiny kitchen.  There were two other elders living in our apartment but we helped them move to an apartment downstairs on Saturday.  The Ward is quite large for the area that we're in but we hope to make it grow.  Our District has 3 companion ships; I'm in the English companion ship, there is the Hmong Elders, and the Spanish elders .  On Sunday our district ate at the Bishops house and got to know him and his family better.   The days go pretty smoothly, we wake up and have time to exercise, usually we play basketball or tennis at a nearby park, or sometimes we have a nerf war in basement of our apartment against the Hmong elders.  After exercise we get ready and eat then begin studying.  We study personally for an hour then we have two hours of companion study.  Usually we follow studies with lunch and then begin tracting or go to the appointments that we have set up for the day.  We either have a dinner appointment or return for dinner at the apartment and continue tracting until 9 where we plan for the next day then hang out and write in our journals.  I love it here and I'm so glad I have so much time to learn from the scriptures and the spirit.  I've really recognized the blessings that I've received and I can only hope that I can serve my hardest for these two short years.  If you want to send me letters, the best way is to send them to the mission home. Packages need to be priority mail or first class, not ups or fedex, and those will need to be sent to the mission home as well.

I love and miss you all!

God loves us! The Church is True!