October 15th

Any time Sophie does something cute, or I think of something I need to ask Calvin, or we have a fun family thing, I write an email to Calvin. So he ends up with about 5 emails to read on P-Day just from me. Todd's memory is better than mine (or maybe he's just more conservative with his letter writing) so he usually sends only one email. So I will put the 6 emails I got today (in answer to my 6 emails) in some semblance of order. *grin*

Momm,

I am so glad that you got that email [the picture from his mission president's wife]! [She] is such an amazing woman! She does so much for us. She has this miracle hotline, so we call her every time we have a miracle, actually we call her every once in a while, and share with her all the miracles that have already happened all at once. So, [she] is super awesome, and so is President. He is a very wise man, who..... well, they are both just so awesome I am at a loss for words. Yeah, so I should really just tell you how awesome they are. So lets start at the mission home. It is so warm, and cozy, and it feels like Christmas every time you walk in. They have pictures on the walls in the basement showing all these missionaries' pictures of cool places, or funny things that happened, stuff like that. They also have lots of matresses in the basement, for when the new missionaries come in. So then, all around the mission home there are little jars or cups or plates with all sorts of chocolates and treats in them all over the house. It's almost like a treasure hunt. So, when they visit us, [she] always brings granola bars, or stuff like that, and this last time they visited, they each had an interview with each missionary. So, President asked us how we are doing, and how the area is going, and if there is anything wrong, stuff like that. Then he asked me to share with him something I learned form the scriptures. So, that was my interview with him. So then I talked to [her]. She called it "Chat time". She asks how we are doing in relation to health, and this time she had us write  down two things we like about our companion. Oh, and she takes great care of us. I told her I didn't really have much of an opportunity to buy winter clothes, so she called the assistants, who were at the mission home, right away, and told them to look in the mission "Free Store" (a room full of all sorts of missionary winter clothes, that missionaries don't need anymore) and told them to look for some stuff right then because they are coming out here really soon. She also exchanged some of my American money for some Canadian money. So she goes out of her way to make sure we are doing well, so don't worry about me.

I am having a lot of fun out here, and am glad to hear all is going well with you!

LOVE
Calvin

[next email]

I haven't bought postage stamps yet, but I will try. Sort of. I don't know where the post office is. But i will try. 

I love you! 

Calvin

[next email]

Wow, it sounds like you have been seeing a lot of miracles lately! I am so happy to hear that everyone is doing so well! I hope Miranda and Chantal do well on their game!  I wish them luck! 

Actually [a sister in his ward] reminds me of [a sister in our branch, but not me!]. It's funny how I find all these people that remind me of people I know already. 

Love you!

Calvin

[Okay, this next one needs both my email and his reply]

Hey!
  Dad got the mail today and there was a notice from the health insurance company addressed to Sophie. Dad usually lets Sophie open the junk mail. So Sophie read her name on the mail and opened it
and she took it into Dad's office. Dad came into the living room and said, "You have to see this. Sophie opened the letter and said 'It's from Calvin! He knows me! He loves me! It's from Calvin!'" So I went
in and asked her who the letter was from, "Calvin." I asked her "what did Calvin say?" "He says he loves you." I repeated, "You mean he loves Sophie?" "No, he loves you."
  So Dad says please tell Calvin and your mom and my mom to send mail to Sophie because she LOVES to get letters!
  Maybe you can write a special email just to her? Really simple and short. It doesn't have to be anything long. Just "Dear Sophie I miss you and I love you" sort of thing. I'll print it out and give it to her.

Love you!
MoMM

That is so precious. I have been writing letters to Sophie on my mission, usually for later when she is older and it might mean more for her,but I think I will start sending stuff to her now. I do love her, and I want her to know that, so It  would be awesome if you could print off emails I send to her. I think I will send her ones now. 

Love you

Calvin

[The next email we got was this one]

To Sophie, 1805 Ny rte.7 harpursville 13787 [@] *stamp*

Dear Sophie,       I miss you so much! I saw you in the picture dad sent me, and I thought "Gosh! Sophie is growing up sooooo fast!!" I hope you know that I love you. I love you soooo much, you have no Idea. I cannot wait to see you again, so we can play together as much as we can! I hope you know that I am your big brother, and I am always there for you, to help you out no matter what. I love you so much, and think of you often!!!! Love Your big brother Calvin [next email] Dear momm,  This week has been so amazing, I feel like Nephi saying I will make an abridgement of my journal record to send to you, because there is to much. Oh, By the way, [a sister's] name has a space in it I think. [next email] AUUGH! Sorry, I pressed send too soon, sorry. So, this week, I went on an awesome split with another Elder, and it went super well, and showed me how fun a mission can be. Then we had an amazing time at the Chapel Hill Show Tunes, which turned out to be a super awesome missionary opportunity. So, then we had [a] baptism. That was sooooo special. When I baptised [the husband] ( I messed up 3 times) I was thinking about how Jeffery R. Holland was saying " I want you... to remember the times you stood in the waters of baptism with your hand raised to the square, and said "having been commissioned of Jesus Christ..."" The fact that I was helping this man make that commitment to Christ hit me at that point. It was really special. The whole baptism was special. So, there is my short blurb about this week, so now I will answer the rest of your message.  Yeah, so I wrote President about [some questions I had], so I will tell you his responses to your questions. Also, (I haven't wanted to tell you this) But I have heard that President does let you visit family. Really only for only like one lunch appointment. However, I would NOT recommend it. It takes missionaries a long time to get refocused on the mission, and I just got to the point where I thought I was pretty focused, so I don't want to mess that up. Also it is super unfair to the other Elders, and could cause some problems with them focusing. So, I would love to see my family, but I would advise against it, but  it is your  choice. However, if I run away from you at full speed, it's just a natural consequence. (No, I would not..... Well, I don't know, I might just be that heartless. I actually think I would. Just like you wouldn't let me out of the car if I visited home. [I told him if he showed up here, since he's only 5 hours away, I'd give him a jar to pee in and make him turn around and go straight back to Canada! And I probably wouldn't give him anything to eat either!]) I just don't want to go through the hard time of refocusing on my mission. But, President, if the rumors are true, doesn't care just so long as it doesn't interfere with my missionary work.    I'm glad to hear Chantal had a great time! [in Kirtland, Ohio, visiting LDS church sites]   The girls and I put up chairs before the meetings today, and we had just one young man today, and no one reminded the young men (or the older men for that matter) to take the chairs down in the back half of the chapel, so I took them down and hurt my back. UGH!!! Don't you miss putting up chairs and taking them down? Not really, but I would love to be there to make life a little easier for you.      It's our turn to clean the building this week. I don't know how much we'll be doing, but it really sucks without Dad. Sorry, I'm not in a happy mood today. I put up chairs and took them down - read that in an "I pick things up and put them down" voice - and I didn't even get to sit through Sacrament Meeting because Sophie was being disruptive. Then I spent second hour in Nursery. And third hour was Young Women's. I'd really like some "adult time" at church!! Yeah, I just want to be a normal person in church, rather than having to constantly worry about investigators, and if they are getting fellowshipped, and stuff like that. But, I  can look forward to that in 2 years.      Did I tell you that Dad and I saw a license plate from Maine, one from Vermont, and one from Quebec on Friday? *sigh* Oh and then [one of our friends] was visiting today and he says, "Yah, there's a brother in our ward who goes to Ottawa all the time to visit his family," (maybe his Mom?) so I got all excited thinking that maybe we could get stamps to you that way and the man is a snowbird, so he's gone South for the next 4 months and you'll probably not be in Ottawa by the time he gets back. Phooey!! AWW! Darn! You could mail some Canadien stamps to me, but I might have a chance to get out there and buy some.      So. Do you know how to get your money exchanged? When I went to Europe, there were banks near the bus stations and the train stations that would exchange money. They had signs on the doors with their rates, and you found the bank with the best exchange rate (and least amount of fees!). Can you find time to exchange your money? Can you find time to get stamps? Or do I need to have [your Aunt and Uncle] go over the border, buy stamps, and send them to you? Maybe I can get one of my facebook friends who lives up in Malone to get stamps or something. But I'm trying to figure out how you don't have time to get stamps WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO DOES YOUR LAUNDRY FOR YOU?!! Did I read that right in your last letter or the one before, that you have someone who does your laundry for you!!? Must be nice. Yes we do, the lady does it so we can talk to her husband who is not a member, and this was the only way we could get into their busy schedule. Otherwise, I think we would be doing our laundry ourselves.      Anyway, I have to get going. I want to let Dad sleep in tomorrow morning, but if my back still hurts I probably won't be able to. *frowny face*   Oh, what's the best way for you to get a package? Do we have to send it to the mission office? We've been telling everyone to send your mail there because we don't have your street address to send mail to. The letter from the mission said something about if you weren't home when your package arrived at your street address they wouldn't deliver it, it would go to the post office for 8 days and then come back to whomever sends it, so we should send you stuff at the mission office. Just wondering so I can tell Grandma Hargrave where to send the sweaters. I figure if she marks the sweaters "gift" and "used" you shouldn't have to pay any taxes or duty on them. For me to get a package the best way is to send it to the mission office. Just send it there and I will get it! Oh, tell both grandmothers thanks for the letters! They make my millenium whenever I get them! I think I actually get the most mail out of all the missionaries in my zone, but maybe a few sisters have me beat there. So, thanks for all the support from everyone, it helps me out more than you all could know! So, I love you all sooooooooo much!!!!!!!!  Calvin