Hey man!
Just 13 more days until the big day, and when you read this it will only be 12 and counting. Almost like the Countdown to Kickoff that BYU Sportsnation takes part in. These next few days are going to be really busy. Just can't believe that this is all going down, and I have a girl that loves me. Yes, we're getting married. She asked me if I can get everything for the honeymoon ready, because she has a lot on her plate, and because she said she'd love anything I put together. We already have our first hotel booked in Chino Hills, but I still have yet to book stuff for the rest of the honeymoon. But it'll be a surprise to Sarah either way.
Dad gave me a lot of boxes. Why? So I could pack all of the stuff that I have. Mainly the books. You know, I have a lot of them, plus DVDs. So, when you get back, you will have a lot of shelf space for your books in the closet and in the bunk bed. I filled up a whole box with just my journals. I know, I have a lot of journals...which is a reason why I started my online journal.
Today was our last Sunday in the Single's Ward. They cancelled Single's Ward church for next Sunday so we could be with our families in our home wards, and the Sunday after that I will be married. I got released from my calling as Executive Secretary today as well. The man that is going to be it now is a really nice guy, and I wrote a google doc about all of my responsibilities that I could give him.
Sarah and I went to the Oleander Ward this morning to watch Mom and Dad give a talk in Sacrament meeting. They both did a good job. Mom expressed how thankful she was in the midst of the many hardships that our family, and particularly she, has endured. Dad shared about his childhood, not explicitly saying that he was talking about himself. He did mention how his Polio had affected him. After the talks, President Young came up and expressed his concern and love for our family and mom particularly. Three of the four Young girls sang a three-part harmony. It was quite beautiful, and someone mentioned how much Brother Young loved hearing his girls sing.
So, it was a bit bittersweet to be like this is my last sunday in the Deer Creek Ward. I will definitely miss my home of the last 3 and a half years. The ward has been good to me. So Sarah and I have decided to participate in the Fontana spanish ward, called the Juniper Ward, according to Dad. Oh man, this will definitely be a challenge to me, as my Spanish is only so good. But it'll also be good for me, in the long run. It'll definitely help me in my employment situation.
So, Stephanie strikes again with her Blood Candy today. She shows up during the Potluck and says she's bringing a girl in my ward a gift for her birthday. She gave both Sarah and me peppermint bark and hot chocolate mixes. She asks us when our wedding is and if we're excited. She is hard to understand that one.
Our Ward Christmas party was this week. They had a white elephant gift exchange. Sarah and I didn't bring anything, but a sister gave us both presents. One she says Sarah needs to end up with, because, once we opened it, we found dish rags, new ones. I also got a IPhone X box that was weighted down with five dollars worth of coins. It was stolen from us by a boy that was there because he liked the box. They had El Pollo Loco catered at the party! Crazy. Unfortunately, Sarah and I both had eaten with Dad and Mom. Chris Michael Acosta came with us to the party and he had a swell time. He had mentioned that he had bumped into the missionaries at the library on Tuesday. He really wants to have a good time, although, not really commit to the LDS church.
We got the fridge I told you about last week. Ryan Hiatt helped me by driving all the way out to Irvine to pick it up and hook it up to the truck. It didn't fit in the house, so dad and mom worked on taking the doors off. I came later and helped dad finish taking the doors off and putting them back on. It is a super nice refrigerator. Whirlpool. White.
We went to the temple night this week. It was my last time baptizing for the ward. Tyler Frederick was super sad and giving me hugs left and right. We had a poor turnout, though. Two of the girls got bloody noses while they were being dunked by me. I guess that happened because it has been so dry and windy. Although, I have never seen that happen before. The people were saying how I bloodied the girls noses. Sorry. haha. In N Out was great afterwards.
I've already put this last week behind me as far as work is concerned. I don't even really remember one thing important that happened. I was doing mostly roving at Sycamore and Jurupa Vista. Like I said, nothing notable did happen. I'm still waiting to hear back from the people about the SDC aide job I applied for. Probably this week I'll call them and hopefully they'll have good news for us. Really.
We're excited to have Sarah, our sister, come home tomorrow from Utah.
I hope you are doing well, doing your best as senior companion in your new area. I am so excited for you. Marry Christmas to you, my brother. I'm looking forward to speaking with you the day of. Can't wait to hear about your week.
I love you soo much!
Take Care.
John
