Jake's e-mail... February 6, 2012

Here is today's email from Jake...


Letter from Jake Salmond in Dolores Uruguay
February 6, 2012

So this week was pretty new, because of the whole transfer thing. It made it so our numbers for the week are not the best but oh well. We will try harder this week. And to answer some of your questions. My new hat is made out of really tightly woven straw. I don’t know if it looks like the one in cowboys and aliens because I don’t remember it to well. And we are allowed to wear it during proselyting. I feel like a cowboy when I wear it. So that’s nice. And where I do laundry is in my bathroom in a little plastic tub we have. Because its sooooo expensive to wash clothes here. If you were to go to a laundry mat and do it. It would be about 30 dollars. So it’s cheaper to wash it by hand. And not too many problems with bugs yet. Only the cockroaches in our apartment and last week I noticed a web on a coat hanging on our door (using my tracking skills) and I slightly pulled on it and I noticed a huge spider. So I made my companion kill it. It was about 2 inches in diameter. Huge. But other than that it’s pretty normal. And something else exciting happened during the week. I got your package. Woooooooooooooohoooooooooooooo. And it was the one with potatoes, top ramen, caramels, cds, a Jesus picture, CTR rings, a book, and moleskin. And I also got letters from my siblings. The package made my week. One thing though...in it there were cds 5,6,7,8 so I don’t know what happened to 1,2,3,4. So I don’t know. And the music is really sweet. I have been listening to it for a week straight. Love it. And I don’t think my Christmas ones are going to make it to me, so could you tell me what was in them_? It’s been driving me nuts... and it’s been really humid here too. And I have also used my tracking skills a lot just to practice. And what I have learned is that people of South America are very unobservant. So it’s easy to pull pranks on them. And I have noticed a lot more about the people here that I will have to include in a latter letter... do you remember the young man we baptized named Mauro. Well he got the priesthood last Sunday and that was pretty neat. And I forgot to mention that a couple of weeks ago the mother of the bishop died and we went to the funeral. It was like the ones back in the states but when we got to the cemetery it was freaky. It was one of those really old and creepy catholic ones you see in movies. I didn't want to go in because it made me feel really uncomfortable but I had to because of the funeral. It was one of the worst experiences in my mission yet. That feeling is not possible to describe. The entire time I felt that I was going to be stabbed by some maniac like in the movies. It was full of statues of saints and seplicures and stuff like that. The oldest one I saw was from 1840. And there were a lot more older ones that I didn’t get to look at. I don’t want to go back. So what’s new at home? Any good movies lately? How was Texas? What’s it like without me there? Since you know I was the glue of the family-...jaja just kidding, but seriously

The other day I was reading in Mosiah and found a really neat scripture. Its Mosiah 18 verse 9. One sentence I really enjoyed was that we need to stand as a witness of Christ in all things and in all places. Those aren’t the exact words but I enjoyed it because when we are all baptized we take upon us this covenant. To stand as a witness to Him in all things and in all places. And I have experienced in the past when I was nervous or hesitant to make known that I was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I think we all have either seen this or done it ourselves. But I think to myself why? Why should we withhold the truth? Why should we be embarrassed with our identity? And I can tell you why. It’s Satan. He is the one behind it all. He says to you that they will make fun of you or your will be rejected. I can’t say that this may happen or not, but what I do know is that if we do what is right and stand as a witness for him that he will help us whether it be giving us strength or words in time of need. As a special witness of Jesus Christ by being a missionary I testify of this. Every day I experience all sorts of things but if I do what is right and put my faith in Jesus Christ he will help me. And trust me when I say we need his help. I challenge whoever reads this to be that witness of or beloved savior and redeemer of the world. To stand for in places and times where we know we should. And I promise from the deepest part of my soul that you will, you will be blessed in ways we can even dream of them...

yo les ama y deseo que ustedes son feliz y tienen consuelo en todas las cosas
Con amor- elder salmond capo, guapo, snaker