Almost 20.... How did that happen?

Next week's email will be 3 days before my birthday. I cannot beleive how fast time is going. I'm glad that everything is going well with the preparations for the new move. The new house looks pretty cool, Dad sent me a few pictures. I'm sure the old house is looking good too. Actually, I think a lot of the holes in the doors were me... I'm not sure though, I know I punched at least 5 or 6 holes in the course of the years we lived in that house.
I'm still trying to get used to the fact that you are moving. I guess for me it's a little different trying to get used to it because I'm not immediately present getting the house ready and touring the house and such, I'm just here about 2,500 miles away hearing about it, but in about 13 1/2 months when I get home the reality will be immediately present. Even then I won't live there very long, at most for one semester... Still, it's weird that I'll be coming home to a different ward and stake. It's a long ways away, but even then it will be strange.
My companion and I are doing really well. We are seeing a lot of success in this area. Now that the area is smaller we are able to focus more. We have been spending time trying to find the investigators that were lost with the combining of the areas at the beginning of last transfer. With the areas combined it was difficult for Elder Ward and I to focus on finding them, especially when we lived on 13th street.

The new apartment is pretty cool, a lot smaller than living in a 2 story house. I'm also going to miss the free washer and dryer. Our landlady is really cool too. We have a good relationship with her, we do need to be quite in the mornings, we accidentally wake her up sometimes. There are now 6 missionaries in the ward again. This ward and the West New York ward are the only wards in the mission that have 6 missionaries. There used to be a pair of sisters in West New York, but now there are 6 Elders. Most other wards have at most 4, many have only 1 pair of missionaries. We have been working really hard, but we need to focus more on getting members to come out with us. This week we didn't do so well with that, We are still trying to get things rolling here with the new area. We found 6 new investigators though this week, and that will help us get our teaching pool up.

Today we area going to have a family home evening with one of our investigator families. We are going to do a joint FHE with them and one of our member families, we are going to teach them how to do it so that they can strengthen their family. This family is amazing, Martin and Fani Cruz. They are so prepared. They have a date set for the 16th of August, but they haven't come to church yet. Martin is really excited for his date, though, and we are working hard to get them ready. They have an amazing family, they have 3 kids, and he is an amazing father.

I am so excited also for Tyler, He is going to have an amazing time in New Zealand. By the time I get home Nick will be on a mission, and by the time he gets home maybe Ryan? From this point on there will be a lot of missionaries going out. Could you guys get Tyler's email address so that I can email him. I haven't heard from him yet, but I am so excited for him! Maybe Nick will go to Uruguay or something, then we'll have missionaries close to all 3 of Grandpa's missions, or he'll go to Italy, close to Dad's. That's still a ways away, but interesting to think about.

Well, I love you all and hope and pray for the best. I miss you tons, keep up the good work, the house looks awesome!

Love, Elder Isaac Ellsworth