This one's for You, Erin!

Erin had been writing Cade a whole bunch of long e-mails with not much response to her personally...so she let him have it! ha ha!  So he promised her that he would write just her this week.  He kept his promise...awwww!  With her permission, here it is...

     "Well Erin, here it is...your sort of big letter that ONLY you are getting so you get to have complete control over who does and doesn't get to see it ;)

     So this week has been really good! I'm slowly starting to get more comfortable with sharing the gospel with EVERYONE and I am really surprised at how strong the spirit is when He REALLY wants me to go talk to somebody! Me and Elder Witbeck get along for the most part...we've had a couple stubborn moments where we just miscommunicated and things went downhill from there haha...but anyway...he really is a great missionary and a great trainer.

     The most frustrating part about the mission I think, is Sunday morning. This is the WORST time of the week. That is the time where we call/stop by ALL of the like 15 investigators that said that they would come to church and we get to be disappointed by 15 lame excuses as to while they won't be able to make it...it's so frustrating.

     I'll probably never get a bike here in Monticello just because the area is SO big (the biggest in the Eastern United States). I don't really know exactly how big it is area wise...but it's big trust me.

     The members are...interesting as you know. There's only about 15 people in the whole branch that are pretty strong in the Gospel...then we get like 10 random people that might show up that are less active...so HUGE area...SMALL branch haha

     May and Jamar are progressing the most, I personally think. ESPECIALLY Jamar. He is absolutely eating up whatever we have to say and he has so many GREAT questions for us when we get there. He says that he looks forward to our visits every time. We set a baptismal date for the end of September...but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets moved up ;)

     May is really doing well too! She's a little harder just because she's been pretty strong in her faith but she's so open to what we have to tell her. She got a little hung up on the three degrees of glory last time we were there just because she thinks that that means that everyone is going to be divided into "classes" like we are here on earth...but after some scriptures and help I think she got it. They haven't come to church yet, but we're like 95% sure at least Jamar will come this Sunday.

     The weather is actually not bad. It's pretty warm some days but it's actually been really cloudy this week. And either I'm getting used to the humidity or it hasn't really been here lately because it hasn't been bad at all! I'm still glad we get to drive though...which by the way...I'm starting to drive like a New Yorker!! Ahhhhhh!! I have to cut people off sometimes or we just won't go anywhere...especially traffic on the freeways which we've only really been stuck in like once.

     I was kind of expecting GG to go soon...it's still kinda sad though. Not gonna lie... my heart sunk a little reading it...but it's a good thing. She's with her Heavenly Father and her family and I'm sure her white hair is as perfect as it ever was haha. I wish I could be there for the funeral :/

     I hope everyone is doing okay though. Especially Mamaw and her siblings.  I'd better get going, though, so I hope you feel special Erin! haha :)

     I love you all! Give everyone a hug for me!"

                                               -your little ginger missionary,

                                                                                         Elder Stafford :)