¡Hola familia!

How’s Utah? Awesome? Nobody been seriously hurt yet? As long as Kayla is there, disaster is near. Everybody mentioned that we had a really massive clan together on the 4th. Dad said, “It looked like a ward pot luck.” I thought that was funny. I think our family is starting to reach critical mass.

You will all be happy to know that I’m not dead yet. I still have not been cleared to work again. I think it’s because you guys had to go and write a letter to Sister Gamboa. I heard about that letter from her you know. I think it got her all worried about my health again and she told me I still can’t work and that, “for the sake of my mission I need to eat more fruit.” Don’t ask me how fruit is connected to dengue but she made me go out and buy more fruit and yogurt in order to prevent me from dying or something like that.

So this week has been really boring. I did get my second birthday package in time for my birthday. The day before in fact, so good timing on moms part. Everything seemed to be there and to be intact, although I thought you said there was a tape in this one. If there was, it didn’t make it to me. But other than that everything seemed to be there. As for mom’s questions, yeah I kind of did celebrate my birthday. Friday night we went down to the mamitas house and they gave me a small cake and sang happy birthday and stuff. There were a few people from the branch there and I got a couple of gifts. It was all pretty weird. I was given a sheet of Garfield stickers, an Ecuador mug (aka, a mug that says “Ecuador” on it), and a miniature house type thing.  I don’t intend to use the stickers, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with the house, but the cup is useful. So all in all it was a pretty typical birthday for me, seeing as how I have been away from home or camping in the mountains almost every year since I was 12. Oh, and as it turns out, they don’t celebrate the 4th down here (who knew), so I didn’t see any fireworks. Nor do they sell fireworks, which is probably a good thing because I’m pretty sure missionaries are not allowed to play with such things.

So Elder Elwood got sent off to Quevedo. That’s funny because now he’s back in a zone with Elder Frye again. Darn. Now I want a transfer to Quevedo. Well I’m pretty much out of things to say; that happens when you are stuck in your apartment all week. I have pretty much just been sleeping and studying all week. I’m hoping I will be able to work tomorrow. I can’t seem to convince sister Gamboa that I’m not that sick anymore.

I don’t seem to have anything else to say so I’ll tell you about this funny dream I had while I was sick. I dreamed that the mission had sent me home because I was so sick, and I was in the van with mom and Kayla. We were in the parking lot at Kroger and mom said she had to go in and pick up a prescription for me but that she needed me to go and pick Allison and Olivia up from the house or something. So I started to slide over to the driver’s seat and Kayla says, “Wait, you are really sick, you should probably let me drive,” and I started to protest but then I said, “Ah you are right; I’m so sick I would probably crash.” So then Kayla hops in the driver’s seat…and I woke up. I had to wake up; I don’t think my brain could sustain such an unrealistic dream (in which I let Kayla drive). Man, I must have been really sick to have such a wild, terrible dream.

Ok now I really am out of things to say. Oh, to finish answering mom’s questions—yes my companion was stuck with me during my stay in the hospital and I’m sure he was as bored as I was. And yes, I’m being more careful and sleeping with a mosquito net and all that good stuff. Well, that’s all for now. Sorry my letter is so short. Have a fun trip. Don’t get dengue (trust me).

Te quiero,
Elder Walke