Two Whole Years

dear family,

this week has been pretty intense. one of the highlights was definitely being able to watch conference. it takes a little bit longer to get them here, and even longer when people get confused and send us the wrong dvd's. that was a bit frustrating, but it was worth the wait. i would have to agree with dad and his favorite talks. the one that blew me away was Jeffrey R. Holland's talk. i know how he feels. here we face a lot of anties, and i've had the chance many times to be able to testify more or less the same way that i know that the book of mormon is true. I may not do it in front of as many bodies, but i once read a quote that when we testify, there is a lot more people there watching than you can see. i really felt like i related to that talk.

i heard about the walloping that BYU took. i was hoping that harvey at least had a good game, which it sounds like he did. i was also happy to hear that timpview continues to pound provo. it will be a sad sad day when they eventually lose.

it's really a toss up right now if i'll be emailing you next week from bintulu or not. there are a lot of new people coming in this next week, and there is a zone leader and an assistant going home, which means that there will be some shifts in zone leaders. word on the street is that i'm leaving, but it's not confirmed yet. who knows where i could be next week. the pity is that i'll probably find out tomorrow, and then have to wait a week before i can tell you. oh well, patience is a virtue, right?

whoa, two whole years since i opened my mission call... thinking about it, it actually seems like a lot longer than that. time flies, but when i think about before my mission, it's like trying to remember the pre-earth life. i can't really remember much. sometimes i'll see or smell something and have a weird flash back though. for instance, i smelled perfume the other day (it's not a common occurrence here) and it must've been the same perfume that chelsie wore... yeah, that was my trunky moment for the week :)

if possible mom, i think i would like to try and go to byu in the spring. i still haven't written my essay, but just tell me when you need me to do it, and i'll write it up in a jiffy. in speaking of things that i need, i think i'll need one more shipment of deodorant. you don't have to send three of them, because one more would probably be enough to finish off the mish.

ah! Beau comes home on the 11th! freak, i miss that guy. i used to email him all the time, but he never would answer my emails! when you see him, send him my regards.

we were hoping to be able to have 6 baptisms this week, but two do or die ones didn't come to church that would have be eligible had they come, but we'll still have 4 this week. as a zone we should have 19! yippee! kita berpesta! oh man, i'll miss this area so much if i get transferred next week :(

i think that's pretty much it... it was good to hear from michael again. i hope everybody is healthy and happy. thank you for all your prayers and support.

love,
elder troxel