7-16-10--Elders Winslow and Juker

July 16, 2010
Hello again,
It seems like I just emailed you and have nothing new to tell you, mas Eu vou tentar pensar sobre algumas coisas que eu nao ja disse [I think that means "but I'm going to try to think about some things that I haven't already said"--let me know Tom if I'm right.]

I went to the ophthalmologist again and he basically said "why'd you come back?" and i said "IDK the doctor told me I should" and he called the doctor, while I fell asleep in the exam room, then he came in and woke me up and said "ok you can go have your co-pay back, don't worry about your eyes, the symptoms won't last long and it is nothing serious" then I left. So don't worry about me, mamae.

My new comp E. Kennedy and I have been working hard together, and we're getting to be pretty good at teaching together. Today we taught some sister missionaries about the plan of Salvation using the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You should check it out, Luke 10, everything in there symbolizes something (Christ is the Good Samaritan).

E. Kennedy is hilarious, and the room I live in is really fun. We all have pretty similar humor so it works well. I'm in the same district as before.

Thanks for that Brasil joy-z [jersey] Muym [mom] and toym [Tom]! Everyone in my district was jealous of it. Haha and I liked how you sent me a pack of gum that you had already eaten out of! [Tom's great idea!] good gum, I'd say.

Mom, I'm glad you're still able to help the sister missionaries out.

Yesterday I got a whole bunch of letters from Beehives [12-13-year-old young women in the church] and their leaders. It was nice, and I let other missionaries read them too since they were all pretty much to any missionary (except they kept saying how great my family is).

We are getting a lot more comfortable speaking the language and teaching people in it, although I hear people in the Brasil MTC are much better at this point. (there's a twin in my district who has a twin in the Brazil MTC, left the same day and everything. Oh and that twin in Brazil is in the same district as a sister of one of the other elders in my district here. They also both left at the same time, but one got a visa and one didn't. Pretty weird how that worked out.) Still no word more on my visa except what you told me Mom...[It has been applied for by the folks at Missionary Travel] If I don't get it within the next week and a half I will probably go somewhere on the East coast for a transfer till it comes. I guess I'd be alright with that, but I definitely just want my visa to come!

Well the MTC overall has been... pretty much what I expected I guess. I'm definitely ready to get out of here (not sure if I'm ready for the [mission] field though!)

I see Rex [friend from Ventura singles ward] every couple days, and I'll get to be a new missionary host person this wednesday when Juker [another friend from Ventura singles ward] comes in, so maybe I will take him to his room and stuff! that would be cool. [Photos: Rex, Juker, Jon at LA temple before their missions; Jon with Elder Rex Winslow; Jon with Elder Steven Juker]
Entao... Ciao
Elder Hooke