Elder Parker Dial: Happy Birthday President

Elder Dial and his companion at the mission presidents 50th birthday celebration

So this week has been a good week. Although I attended my first funeral last Tuesday. I didn't know the guy but he left behind a wife and I think 3 kids. I' m so grateful for eternal families. If anything ever happened to any one I cared about I would be ok because I know that I would see them again. It would be so very hard but I would be just fine.

Another one of our investigators has a problem with the word of wisdom. We are trying to help him but he needs to start by helping himself. His wife works in another city so he is home alone a lot. We told him when ever he has the desire to smoke, to sing a hymn or perhaps read the scriptures instead. I can't imagine how hard it would be to try and overcome something like that.

I have yet to see any firefighters, sorry dad, but their police force is intimidating! They ride around in the back of a pickup, about 3 to 6 of them, with their guns ready to go.

School has started here. Starts at 7am and ends at bout 1 or 2.

I met Elder S. finally. He is a real cool missionary. We talked about how Boise has changed since he left and how we think it's going to change while we are out. There are actually a lot of people from Idaho in this mission. I think about 7 or 10. There is a senior couple from Rexburg here too.

We ride the bus a lot and here, they pack those things like sardines! I'm talking about standing room only! and the double yellow line means nothing here. It's scarey sometimes.

There is no pianist in the ward but luckily I don't have to play. They use a CD player and the Hymns are on a cd. It doesn't help with their singing though.

Dad would hate it here because nobody is on time to anything. Church is suppose to start at 9 but we don't start until 9:15. We need to plan better. We do a lot of unnecessary walking. We will walk from one side of town to the other and back again 3 times a day. I have a blister the size of a quarter on my foot but it doesn't hurt. I finally popped it and I covered it with super glue because a band aid wouldn't stay on and I didn't want it to get infected.

I have 3 baptisms set up for Sunday. Yeah, they do baptisms here on Sunday and then the Bishop confirms them the following Sunday.

Congrats Carson and Carly on the baby!! I'm excited to see how she grows while I'm gone.

So I'll include some pictures of my first apartment, my first baptism, my sweet watch tan line, and the wasp nest outside our apartment.