Dear Family,

Everything is going well here in Los Andes. P.S. That's the name of my area, but we are in the Andes. We had a baptism Saturday of Samira, a 13 year old girl. Her brother got baptized last June. I'm not quite sure why she didn't get baptized at the same time, but I haven't asked because I don't want to take skeletons out of the closet. Is that a real phrase, or did I make it up? Anyway, Hna Garrison and I are super excited for the marriage and baptisms this week of David and Elizabeth. I am saving up my money (which consists of my allowance from Grandma) to be able to come to Peru when they go to the temple in a year. I'm not sure if 10 dollars a month for six more months will do it, but it's all I can do for the moment.

Other than that, not much is going on. Harold, the pensionista's six year old, got a chicken, a brown one with a bunch of feathers on its head. He was upset because Janet the chicken kept pecking it and stealing it's food. Janet has been really annoying lately, she bothers dogs and the other chicken and won't let anyone pick her up when it's time to go in her chicken house. And, in other news, it keeps raining. After two days without rain, Hna Clariza declared that the rainy seaon was ending and we are going into the dry season. But it's raining again as I am writing.

Thanks for figuring out my school stuff for me. Pres. Leyva said he got the ecclesiatical endorsement and signed it, so BYU should get it soon. But he hasn't gotten back to me about the exact date of my end date. But don't worry, I will bother him about it in each carta al presidente until he tells me. He is kind of forgetful sometimes, so probably it just slipped his mind.

Here's the update on the American cooking lessons: we finally perfected the pancakes through a demonstration of how to cook them correctly. So we had good pancakes one day. However, Hna Clariza has a habit, as do all Peruvians, of pressing down on everything they cook. So the pancakes this morning weighed about a pound each. But I still managed down three. Grilled cheese sandwiches have had better success, but the same problem exists. Now I know why Dad always yelled at me for pressing down on pancakes, hamburgers, etc. I've been losing weight again, but I don't know why because I eat normally. Maybe it's because we walk like 10 miles every day. Or maybe because the stomach hasn't gotten used to Peruvian food, yet.

I received good mail today, and I will spend time this week trying to answer them all. But Mom, please tell Lizzy and Jenae that I would appreciate it a lot if they found me housing. I'm not too worried about what or where because I could probably live in a dump and it would be a step up from Peru housing. I did the math and figured that here our two rooms and a bathroom cost less than $50 a month. But there probably isn't that in Provo. Their letter made me miss BYU life a little bit.

Oh, I guess you've figured out that I'm still here in Huancayo. Only two sisters had cambios. But next month it is very possible that Hna Garrison or I get transfered. But I've really enjoyed being with an American, especially a BYUer.

By the way, I had a laugh in church too. A couple got married over the weekend, and the bishop announced it and then said, "The other piece of bad news is that..." He didn't realize it even though half the ward was laughing openly.

That's about it. We are going to go to a place to do souvenir shopping today. But don't worry, I have gotten pretty good at bargaining, so I won't get cheated by the sticky handed Peruvians. Hna Garrison and I are also planning on eating pizza. I was blessed to get here right when they were opening the Pizza Hut express in the new "mall." We are still hoping for a Wendy's, and there is one spot left in the food court, so we check every pday to see what is coming.

I'm glad eveyone is doing well. Thanks for your love and support.
Love,