Week 8- Pensacola (E-mail to Barnett's)

Dear Maren,

I have moved back to the old address because we got our car back, well, a car back. Elder Thomas lost his driving rights. Send the pack to 10025 Hillview Dr. address.

Oh, I haven't had the best week this week. I was in a different area last week and then I got a new companion this week. My companions name is Elder Packard. He has be out for 8 months and is from Idaho. My first companion was from Utah. It really sucks because I have to lead the area. Let me tell you, when you are new in the mission field they assign a trainer to train you how to do missionary work. Usually you have your trainer for 12 weeks or 6 weeks if the mission president thinks you are ready. I had my trainer for 3 weeks and I haven't even made it to 1 full transfer (every 6 weeks). I have already been in 2 areas and had 3 companions. I guess it was a little too much to ask for a normal mission. I really like Elder Packard. He is a lot cleaner than Elder Thomas. Elder Packard is a model missionary. In the MTC we are trained to go to dinner, leave them will a spiritual message and commit them to do something. Elder Thomas did not do either of these things.

As for Elder Hamblin, the injured elder, he really lucked out this time. There is another elder who needs the same surgery, so they are going to be companions in Tallahassee. Those people were only new because I was in the Pine Forest area and the catholic person was a women. I don't know how she is doing. I am in the Fox Run area again. We found 2 new investigators by tracting, Katrina and Jessica.

We are allowed to go to the beach, as long as we get there without using our mission cars. We are not suppose to swim, so I took that as don't go into the ocean. I didn't but the other 3 elders did. They justified it by saying thing didn't swim, but they were wet from head to toe. There are 2 parts to every rule or law. There is the spirit of the law, which is why the rule or law was set there to prevent, and the letter of the law, which is what the rule or law says word for word. Alot of missionaries follow the letter of the law, I try to think of why it was made.

Aunt Helen died. Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.

Cash or Nutri-grain bars would be great. I would love any package. It just sucks being a missionary sometimes. This week we ran out of stuff that we needed, such as toilet paper, paper towels, and everything else. Elder Packard didn't have much money, so I got to buy them. It's ok, when we run out again, it's his turn to buy them.

I guess everyone had a busy week because the only e-mails I received were from you and Kalen. Kalen's are only 2 sentences long, not much to go off of. No letter from mom or dad. Well, I did get one from President Summerhays, but that was just a group e-mail sent off to all the missionaries.

I will be sending my memory card home, on Thursday, after get some pictures with Elder Packard. That's my week as a missionary

Elder Forsberg

P.S. I forget to say, you want to know what I study, so here it is. Psalms 85:11,13; Ezekiel 37: 16-21 (keep the Book of Mormon in mind); Alma 32 is great chapter on faith.