February 21

Hello Again!!! 
  
I don't know why it is always a surprise to me that life never slows down at our house. I guess I am a little selfish and thought everyone would just push pause for the two years while I was gone. Ok so not really but it does always amaze me that life just keeps going. 
  
So this new area is so different than I am used to. Life is slower paced. It is super quiet and calm. I dont know what to do with myself anymore. I really like the area though. I didn't realize how much I missed the small town life. The biggest problem is trying to keep ourselves busy. I am literally going crazy not being able to teach. This last week we taught only 4 lessons!!!! UGH Not fun. Tracting here also is not as much fun as it was in Gresham. There are 4 companionships in McMinnville none of which really have anything to do other than tract so the entire town (about the size of Rexburg) gets tracted out about every three months. So nobody gets too excited to see us. The other problem is that the ward we are assigned to other than the YSA Branch is in Dayton. Picture Grace only having like four or five different very active churches. We really cant go tracting there either. It has actually been requested that we don't by the members. We don't completly follow that because  we need soething to do but we try not to get people upset with us. 

In awnser to your question yes we are allowed to have GPS. The roads in Oregon are not always the most..... user friendly. Picture the roadways in Pocatello only that is how the entire state is. So the Gps would be very helpful especially because I am in such a large area. My area is a little bit like Carribou county. I live in McMinnville (population ~35,000) but cover McMinnville, Dayton, Lafayette, Yamhill, Dundee, Newburg, Amity, Carlton and all the space in the middle. So I don't know that I will really ever learn my way around all of my area. 
  
I really enjoy working with the YSA. We have more spiritual meetings with them than I think I have ever had in church. They are so devoted to learning and growing in the gospel. They really love the Lord and want to serve him. The Relief society president gave her two weeks notice so that she could better serve in her calling. That is real faith. 
  
We are doing our best to stay busy. This week we have a few different lessons planned and we are doing service with a Part Member family who is moving here from Canada. His Sister-in-law lives in the Dayton ward (the family ward that I cover as well) and she told him that our payment was lunch and the first discution. Hopefully something good comes from that. 
  
As far as anything that I need.... I can always use more laundry soap. I am also out of Attain. But I really would love some bread. When I read your e-mail about making bread I was like man I miss that stuff. I really am pretty well taken care of though. I am really trying to get better about spending money. It is my goal to make it all the way through March without having to use any of your money. I can do it. 
  
So yesterday we went back to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. It is so cool there. THey also have an IMAX theater there and all of the movies are approved so yesterday we watched the Hubble movie. It is amazing to think how small we really are and how many worlds without number really is. It was AMAZING!!! I loved it.