January 4, 2022

Hello everyone! I am in fact alive! 

Things are going well here. Breanna is still set to be baptized on the 22nd. And Esty and her family are wanting to get baptized too! So please be praying for all them.

Nothing else really crazy going on here. Things are just going good. Sorry I'm not good at writing emails. I promise stuff happens haha. 

Anyway, it snowed here and I'll attach some pictures. 

Thanks for all your support everyone!

From, Elder Pack 

PS.  It has been pretty cold in Loveland and the first picture is on the temperature where is says "-6" degrees.  That is so cold!  Last week Ethan and his companion lost heat and hot water in their apartment.  Ethan thought, because it was the end of the month, that the Church had cut off their utilities because he had been taking long, hot showers.  He thought maybe they got a certain allotment of money for utilities and they had gone over so they didn't have hot water or heat until it reset for the next month.  Haha!  They finally, after 3 days, called the apartment manager and reported it.  It was fixed within a few hours and they now have hot water, heat, and a life lesson.  Ethan said one morning they woke up and their apartment was in the 50s.  But they put on sweatshirts, beanies, socks, and bundled in their beds.  Their temperature is now 70 degrees in the apartment and he is happy. Crazy kid!

Ethan is finally getting a winter on his mission.  Wyoming didn't have much last year for him but Colorado is coming through.  They had 6 inches of snow the other day.  Ethan said it's been fun driving/sliding in the snow.  They had the opportunity to help push someone's car out of an intersection where it got stuck in the snow.  Ethan and his companion were first to get out and help then others got out.  Ethan said it was cool to see other people helping. They have been able to shovel a few sidewalks but not many.  They are supposed to get more snow this week so he thinks they will have more chances to shovel this week.

P-day is going to be fun today for them.  One of the elders in their District is from Louisiana and will be making them authentic gumbo.  The missionaries are all going to help buy the ingredients and the elder is going to cook it for them.  Ethan was excited because this guy is real Louisiana.  He eats alligator and all kinds of weird stuff.  Ethan can't wait.  He said they have a cool district because one elder is from Louisiana, another is from Alabama and a sister is from Florida.  The rest are from Utah but this is the first time that it hasn't been the majority of his district from Utah.  Diversity in the district!  Ethan hopes the gumbo has shrimp in it!

Every 4 weeks or so they get to go and clean the Fort Collins Temple.  They are going this next Monday to help.  Ethan said that last time, after he finished vacuuming all the baseboards, they asked him and his companion to clean the font.  So they got in the water and were able to clean the sides and the railing.  He said a few times they "slipped" and went under. 😉  He said it was the best job.  The worse is doing the baseboards because there are a lot of them!

Ethan has found a trick to not gagging when he goes in homes that smell.  He puts a piece of gum in his mouth and then it helps him to not gag.  Wise guy!  

Ethan bought himself a guitar for Christmas.  He went to a secondhand store and bought one that looks nice.  He was playing a bit for us when we were on the call with him.  I found some sheet music of church music for guitars and put them on the Google Drive so he could have something to help him learn to play.  I am going to send him a tuner because it sounded a little sharp.  But he is enjoying it and it is helping him develop talents.

I think that's about all we talked about with him today.  But he is alive and well.  Thanks for all your support!