September 17, 2008

Hey Everyone!

My week has been great. There were a couple days where things slowed down, but we picked it back up and are doing well. We have met a lot of new people and our investigators have switched around a lot. I’m starting to realize that’s how its going to be the whole time. This week went by really fast because we had several things going on. We were supposed to have a flat inspection by the mission so we spent a whole morning cleaning to find out the senior couple that was supposed to do it had been moved to the new visitors center by the London Temple. Another day we had grounds day at the chapel for a whole morning. Usually we study all morning so it made it go by really fast not to, for a couple days. On Mondays we have district meeting with the companionship in Crystal Palace. Usually we just meet and then come back. This time I stayed and had my first exchange! It was really cool. I loved being in a new area and seeing how other missionaries work. I was with Elder Poulsen for the day. He is really cool and we got along well. We found all day long, but it went by fast because we were getting to know each other. I’m back in the Catford area though, and things are going great. We have Zone Conference this Friday. It will be my first. Ill let you know how it goes.

Oh before i forget, Elder Warner (his companion) said that his mom tried to email you. I hope it got to you. I think it would be cool for you to talk and exchange info because I’m sure we don’t say the same things in our emails. ---- I just read the part of your email where is said you got her email haha. Sounds great. I went through the MTC with Elder Wheat and Elder Allred actually, so I know them pretty well! They are really cool guys. Allred is from Utah and Wheat is a local. On the bus ride from the mission home we stopped at a service station and while there Elder Allred and I walked around practicing our approaches on people. We got rejected every time, but it was fun. By the way, did you ever get that letter from the mission home? (We didn’t, we think they probably don’t have our correct address.)

We've been able to play footie quite often lately. We wake up early and jog to a grassy area close by, play for 30 or 40 minutes and then jog back. On P-days sometimes we play more. We want to spend some time playing today. We have another flat inspection today but by the land lord this time. We already have the flat clean, but have to rush home after emailing to be there when they show up. I find myself thinking about home a lot. I definitely miss it and all of you. It’s not a home sick feeling though, I love it out here.

Thanks you so much for sending that package mom! I can’t wait to get it. I’ll be looking forward to it all week :) I am glad you sent it to my flat because I will get it a lot sooner. In my paper work it said to send it to the mission home, but Elder Warner said it would be a lot better to send it directly. In another area it might not be ok, but it is fine here.

It sounds like the ward is doing good. I just read Dads email and was surprised to here about all the changes in Alma 12th ward. If you talk to my old leaders tell them I said hi. (Our Bishopric changed back in Chandler this past Sunday.) Zwiefel will be an amazing bishop and he picked some outstanding counselors. I hope work is going well with everyone. Oh and thank you mom for getting things worked out with my plaque. I will try to keep sending pictures too.

How are Katie Ryan and the family? Are the kids doing well? Law school/work? Wish them luck for me as well as Kevin and Kyle.

Thats crazy about Bolivia! Do you know what happened to Greg!? I havent heard from him in a while. Keep me posted!

I love you all and can’t wait to hear from you in another week! Just like you mom, I look forward to it all week.

Love,
Elder Kade Karges

September 10, 2008

Hey Mom and Dad!
This week has been really good. Nothing to exciting though. I have had a lot of really good experiences and am really learning what missionary work is all about. It’s hard to think of what to say in my emails because so much has happened. Sorry if I repeat myself or jump around a lot.

I love going to church now! It’s a good break from my hectic week where I can feel the spirit and spiritually rejuvinate (sp). It feels like even more than that though, I feel better physically too. My comp and I taught the adult Sunday school class this week. The ward isn't very big and is made up of a lot of new converts. The leadership is pretty good though and all the people are really nice. It is really cool that the church is the same no matter where you go. Almost everything is just like home. The people are a little different and the chapel building looks more like a fire house but it’s cool. The bishop is only 25 and the ward mission leader is only 18! He hasn’t even been on a mission yet, but he is amazing. Sometimes I think he is more prepared than I am right now. I haven’t had as many DA's (dinner appointments) but that’s ok.

We did a bit more finding this week. We either walked up and down the High Street (where all the shops are, each city has one) or knocked a street. Our investigators are always changing. We have a few less now, but that’s probably better. I think we need to find some more committed ones. Oh and I am in London basically. The London area is a lot like Phoenix in the sense that it is made up of a bunch of cities. I live south of the River Thames, the other side of the river is the London mission.

I did get you letter. Both of them actually. I got the one with my blessing and the article first. That was a really good story by the way. I liked it. The next day I got the one that was supposed to be an email. It was good that you sent it because I could read it without spending time on the computer. I hope I answered questions you had in that letter, I cant remember it all that well. If I didn’t answer something, ask me again!

I asked the guys if they knew of a good way to send packages, but they didn’t. Sorry. Thanks for trying so hard though. That way you found is probably the best. I don’t know if it would be cheaper to send the money, probably not. Twenty bucks would only be worth half that over here. (I was trying to send him a few things that he left here – 1^st attempt was $75, I eliminated a lot and had a 2# package that was still $45. With LaDawn’s help I found some flat rate boxes that go for $38 or an envelope for $11 no matter how much it weighs. I was hoping England might be a bit better, but oh-well J)

I’m pickin up on a little slang over here. Like Trousers instead of pants(means underwear instead) and mates instead of friends. They say things like “oh that’s well good mate.” Everything else is pretty normal. I don’t have a bike. I walk a lot and take buses. I have a monthly bus pass. It’s called an oyster card. The bus system is huge over here. Everyone uses it. They have an extra fee for driving big cars and gas is like 13 dollars a gallon! I see a lot of cars I don’t recognize, but there are a lot of normal ones too. Most of there cars look like hatch backs, even civics and stuff. I saw a corvet the other day and a H2 though. People are either proper rich or pretty dang poor over here.

Well good luck with school and everything. Cheers (thanks/goodbye). I love you guys and hope your week goes well with school and work and the hunt for a house.

Love,
Elder Karges

September 3, 2008

I’m glad you liked the pictures. Thanks haha I've got a lot more, but i can only send two at a time and I actually need to buy a card reader before I can send more. I decided it would be a bad idea to try and send my card because if it gets lost then all my pictures are gone. I probably wont be able to take as many pictures out in the field though. Some of the questions you asked should be in the letter the mission home should have sent you. I wrote all about my first moves from the MTC to Catford area. They had a lot of meetings and talks in the MTC. Sorry if I haven’t said much about them. Most of them were just videos of talks given by Apostles. An area seventy came in named Elder Kerr I think and the Preston Temple President did too. The MTC President and 1st counselor taught us a lot as well. They didn’t really say much about how to get to know the people, just to be friendly. They (mostly the British Elders)advised us on certain things I probably shouldn’t say and that there is a wide range of people over here. I have found that to be very true. I have met people from all over Europe and Asia already. It’s been a lot of fun. It feels great to be here. I love the area and the elders I am with. I live in a four man flat so there are two other elders in my area. On of them is Elder Martin who came out with my companion (Elder Warner) and has been out for 6 months and the other one came out with me. His name is Elder Sorbonne and he was in the MTC with me. It has made things really fun to have so many of us. We can relate stories and do all kinds of things we couldn’t normally do. It is nice to have someone I knew already too. All three of the others are from Utah and are really cool. I have really been blessed with the area I have been given and the companion I have to train me. He really knows his stuff and is a cool guy. I am learning fast and enjoying every minute of it. The church is not all that big in my area and we have a lot of new converts, but the members we do have a really strong. There are a lot less English people than I thought there would be. The majority of our ward is African or Jamaican. I have had tons of appointments already and have plenty more set up. It has been hard to find time in my day to do everything I need to. We actually had an appointment the first night I was here, after emailing you last week. It ended up getting cancelled (or us getting flogged as they call it in the field) so we decided to knock the street. About six houses down and on my second door approach I got us in and we taught a brother and sister! It was probably beginners luck but it felt great! Things have only gotten busier since then and our days are usually full of appointments. We actually have 20 investigators right now!! I think only one of them is English and a couple are Black British people, but the rest are either African or Jamaican. All of them are amazing and I know the Lord has prepared many of them to hear our message. Whenever we aren’t teaching, we are out tracting or street contacting. I have only been in the field a week, but I have already had 3 DA's (dinner appts) with members and one with an investigator. The investigators are well on there way to being baptized, but need to get married first. They cooked us some amazing African food. I have been fed really well at the DAs and tried quite a few new foods. My own cooking isn’t all that great though haha. I eat a lot of cereal, toast or PB & J, and frozen foods. Ill start experimenting more when I get used to everything else. I don’t really know what I’m doing most of the time, I just follow Elder Warner around. That’s ok though ill get to know the area soon. Its no a very posh (wealthy) area but I like it and am growing to love the people. Wow i thought i just lost my email because I got logged off. I am out of time, but they let me log back in to send it. Sorry if I left anything out. I love you all and hope to keep hearing from you. It really makes my day to get a letter or when I get to email. Have a good week and keep me posted with what’s going on. Love,Elder Kade Karges