June 22, 2009

HELLO!

So last week we were told we could use a certain computer at the church to email and then right when we started, we found out that we weren't allowed to use it ha-ha. We decided to be obedient and try to find another way. We found a library that has internet, but it charges £2.50 and hour! So I tried to get on last week and send another email, but I only paid for 15 minutes and it shut down before I got it sent... I am back at the library now. We are using it today, but next week we think we found an internet cafe that only charges £1 an hour.

To answer your questions.. We live in a side apartment of a member’s house. We have our own entrance, but they are connected by the laundry room and garage. It’s not the best flat.... but maybe I was just spoiled in Portsmouth. It is a lot smaller and not the cleanest. We have a car in our area, actually I’ve been the one driving for the last 2 weeks. I am trying to get practice so I can take my test soon. My American license stops working at the beginning of August, so if I don’t have a license by then I can’t drive. There are a lot of round abouts here which was new, but I’m doing well at manual. We often pick up some YSA guys to come on teaches with us and on my third day ever driving in England they didn’t even realize I was just learning.

Elder Gasparato is from Italy and has a European license, so he can drive here anyways. He is really cool and funny. I didn’t even realize it until yesterday, but he is my first foreign companion!! We get along really well and are having fun. He is basically training me to be a zone leader. I am liking it so far. There are two districts in our zone, one with 3 companionships and the other with 4. Then there's us (we're not really considered a part of either district). The District Leaders account with us nightly and the AP's call us in the morning to see how things are going. Every Sunday we account for the whole week to the AP's (and President every other week). This all sounds pretty boring, even to me, but I thought you would like to know ha-ha.

I like the area. It’s not as English as other areas because it is all pretty modern, but it is pretty green. It is only twenty minutes from the Temple actually! I went on exchange there with Elder Church this week and we had a DA on the temple grounds. It was pretty cool. We took a couple of investigators to the Temple as well on Saturday. It is a lot easier to arrange a trip from here.

Thank you so much for you prayers and birthday wishes! I had a great birthday :) I got the food and the cards, but no package yet. It arrived in Portsmouth after I left. I will get it soon though. I wasn’t expecting so much from TESCOs!! I have so much food! Thank you! (TESCO is a grocery store in England that makes deliveries. For his birthday we ordered a cake and a few other things that were delivered to him.) I love you so much and hope things are going well. Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Kade Karges