Week 34

Hey everybody, here is this weeks letter! i got the packages and had an AMAZING birthday week. thank you for everything.

Hola Familia!
Well this has been a pretty good week…I’m 20 now HAHA.  I had a really great birthday though.  It started off pretty normal, I got to the office and started doing some work and then later Elder & Sister Ray came in with some brownies they had made me and sang Happy Birthday to me.  The brownies were so good, now that I think about, I don’t think I’ve had brownies in at least 8 months HAHA.  But I’m really grateful the Rays did that for me, it was a really nice thing for them to do.  That night this family invited me over to teach a lesson to their neighbors, after that they surprised me and brought out a cake and sang.  I was really surprised.  It must have been a big sacrifice for them to buy a cake like that.  The next day me and my companion did our weekly run to the national post office and the airport to pick up mail and packages for the mission and I finally got your packages I was waiting for!  From Mom & Dad, Matt & Ali and Brett and Ashley.  Thank you so MUCH!!! They were amazing.  Mom/Dad thanks for the ties, they are my new favorite and can replace the ones that burned in the fireJ Also the jersey is awesome! I’m impressed that you fit everything in that tiny box.  I almost don’t want to eat the German chocolate you sent because I want it to last for a really long time HAHA, and it looks like Luella nd McKenzie are growing up so fast, I can’t believe it, I loved the pictures.  Also thank you for the candy/tide-to-go/ silly putty.  My companion love the silly puddy HAHA.  He’s never see it before.  At first he thought it was gum and almost ate it.

Saturday was awesome.  President Flores invited us over to his house to eat lunch and to celebrate my birthday.  We ate a bunch of typical food from El Salvador, because that’s where President and his family are from.  There were a ton of pupas and this salsa he had a guy go to El Salvador to buy.  Then after we ate, Sister Flores brought out a huge chocolate cake she made.  It’s like that German Chocolate cake with the coconut topping.  So overall I had a really great birthday!!

Things are pretty tough in the area though.  We’ve been finding and teaching a lot of new families that seemed to be really positive, but when we’ve come back to visit they say they’re too busy to meet with us or they are never around.  But there is this one family that we’re teaching, LaFamilia Sosa Mejta, that are very interested.  The dad has been in the army for 30 years, and they are a very close nit and kind family.  They want to go to Church, but it’s almost impossible for the dad to get off work.  But we are praying for a miracle.  I have a lot of hope for them because they look like they already are members of the Church in how they act and talk.  We’ll see what happens there.

Anyways, Thank you again for everything.  I love you all so much.  I love getting pictures from everybody and hearing how they’re doing.

Until next week
Con Amor,
Elder Archibald