October 26, 2009

Hello,

So it is a new transfer, I don't know if I told you. And I think you know what that means. . . Potentially moving to a new area. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! So are you ready for it. The transfer call came last night, and. . . . I am staying. 6 more weeks in Lynbrook. I am very excited about that. I was really worried that I was going to be moving, and I really wanted to stay for just a little while longer. So I am very happy. A couple of the members here required me to let them know as soon as I knew, and they were all very excited to hear I was staying. It is really cool to build those kind of relationships and friendships, and it is always hard to leave them behind when you move to a new area. So that is about it for that. That means I will be in Lynbrook until the beginning of December for sure. Then I will probably leave.

It was a pretty crazy week, and I have a few stories to tell, but first I'll respond to everything in your email.

New York. What a place. In response to if I would live here, take friends on a trip, feel safe, get lost, nice people, etc.

When I started my mission I like New York, but I never thought I would love it. I can honestly say now that New York hold a special place in my heart. It is truly amazing. There is no other place like it. It is amazing. As for living here. . . Maybe a summer place. I could not live here all the time. The weather number one, is not my favorite. Just way too hot and then way too cold, all in a couple weeks span. Secondy, the stress level is way too high. Living here for a year I feel like I have aged 30, so living here full time would be lethel. But if I had like a summer home or apartment or whatever, and another one somewhere else, I would be down for that.

Take trip with friends, of course. There is tons of cool places to go and see. It would be way fun.

Feel Safe. I have been in some of the worst parts of New York, and felt just fine. I don't know if that goes away when the name tag comes off. But even the bad parts aren't that bad during the day, but I would't be going there at night.

Get lost. Depends on if it is New Area or not. I can get myself around pretty well and know where I am.

People nicer. Honestly, overall, no, but there are incredible people in New York that I love. You get to meet all sorts of new cultures and people that you wouldn't anywhere else, and that is amazing.

There is a branch party going on on Halloween that we should be going too. It is going to be a trunk or treat. It should be fun. We haven't carved pumpkins yet. Probably today.

Okay, so as for crazy things that have been happening to me. So you know how we had the black boxes in our cars, well, we were like a test mission for those, see how they worked and such, and so now the test is over, and they are making the decision on whether to use them worldwide on missions or not, so for the time being, they have taken them out of our cars. But something unexpected happened. On the Malibu's, which is what I drive, the black boxes when they were installed had been screwn into the gas tank, so when they removed them, it left a whole in the gas tank. So we had to drive a long way away to the Chevy dealership so they can replace the gas tank. That was last monday that we brought it in, and they had to order the tank and such, and we still don't have our car back. So we have been walking for the whole week. No so fun, since it takes us an hour to walk to our area, and then if we want to go anywhere else, it is longer. We have been walking at least a few hours every day. Luckily, the other Elders have been really nice, and when it doesn't interfer with there stuff, they give us rides. It usually turns out that we go everwhere, and then when times comes, they will give us a ride home. But it has just been crazy, lots of walking. Hopefully we get our car back today.

So something super funny happened yesterday. We were walking (yep) and we were at a light, waiting to cross, and this really nice, probably 69 Camaro drives through the light, and we are looking at it, and then from the other side, like the cross street, we hear this slamming on of brakes, and we look and it is a mini van that had almost ran the red light and hit the camaro. Then while looking at it, they roll down the window, and it is President Malinka, he is in the district presidency, and in our branch, and he says to us, "Never drive and look at your blackberry" and holds up his phone. Then the light turns green and he drives off. He must have been so embarassed. Then just a couple hours later, he calls us to ask us about some home teaching stuff, and while we are talking to him, he drives past us, again, and he was like, what the heck I run into you everywhere. It was so funny. So he just pulled over and we talked. So that was crazy.

So yesterday I got this package, and in it was a Spanish Bible! Thank you so much. It is the coolest thing ever. I am pretty sure I am just getting rid of my english scriptures now. Haha. But really, thank you so much. I am sure it is going to be put to good use. I have already been marking it up and such, and it has only been a day.

I should be sending a package home soon. Just some stuff I don't want to carry around for the next year. So some time, if you get a package from me, that will probably be what it is.

Well, I love you so much. I should probably get going. I will talk to you all next week. I will be missing the tacos on Halloween. :( But I will get them next year. I love you.

-Elder Miller