May 13th

Wow, just thinking about today, today is exactly 3 months before my 20th birthday. That means that 1 year ago, around this same time I was starting/ filling out my mission papers. A got my call in about a week or so a year ago. It's hard to believe that it was so long ago! In three months I turn 20! I was thinking about it, and I will probably only have the one birthday on my mission. If I have to come home a few weeks early for school, then I will come home 2 days before I turn 21, so I only get the one birthday on my mission. I was so happy to talk to you guys on Sunday. It kind of sucks that now it will be 7 months until my next call home, but when I get there it will feel like only yesterday was Mother's day. I'm glad you got the card, I thought that you'd enjoy that.

Oh, mom asked about the story about Keashawn. Right about that moment we were already pushing the hour line, and so I couldn't tell it then. Well, we had tried stopping by Keashawn's several times, and could never reach him. The phone number that we had was not working, the line was not being paid or he didn't have minutes. One day we tried stopping by, and when we knocked on the door it was answered by a man who we had never met before, and when we asked for Keashawn he said "We're having a conversation right now, could you come back later?" we tried to make it back, but we were unable to make that day. We stopped by the next day and the same man answered the door, and when we asked if Keashawn he said that Keashawn didn't live there anymore. As we talked to him we found out it was Keashawn's dad, Kiani. He invited us in, and we started teaching him. He said that Keashawn had a lot of problems, and that he had alllowed Keashawn to come and live at home with him, because Keashawn had wanted to turn his life around, but that he was doing those bad things again, and for the sake of his 11 year-old son, he had to ask Keashawn to move out. When I heard that it made me think of Sarah, and that situation. He told me that he hoped that we'd be able to help him help his son. And he even agreed to come to church. I never found out the end of the story, because I got transferred, but I had the feeling in that short meeting that Kiani was truly searching for truth and help, and that we could really help him. So, that was that story, I never found out what happened to Keashawn, we got a phone number from Kiani to contact him, and were trying to set up another appointment when I got transferred. Things have been going well here, this is definitely the most rural area I've been in. It is very beautiful here though. We totally got a lawn mower yesterday, and the mission president has asked us to mow our lawn every P-day. Elder Memmott did that this morning.
Umm, everything is going really well still. I love you and miss you so much, I hope that everything is still going well. I was so happy to talk to you on Sunday, and I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well.

Love,
Elder Isaac Ellsworth.



P.P.S. I will be developing a roll of film today, and buying socks, so that will come out of personal money.. and, next week there will be pictures to send!