Cleaning Shoes and Swapping Ties

I love Wednesdays!  I love getting Jared's letters.  They make me so happy!  So here's the latest installment.  (We edit the letters at times...so if it ever seems choppy, that's why!)  Here's the latest!

HI!

It's good to hear about all that happening at home. If i don't get a chance to write Chris, tell him I'm thinking of him and I appreciate his concern and everything he does for me.

I would love to tell you more about my peers and teachers, but I just don't know that much. My teachers will tell us stuff, but all in incomprehensible Armenian. I do know that all my teachers go to BYU. Brother White, Brother Carlson, and Brother Stutz. They all got back pretty recently. Besides that I don't know much more.

They like to tell us stories about Armenia though. I won't tell you some, because they would just freak you out......[edit, edit!] The Armenian people always keep their shoes clean, for some reason. Whenever they cross the street (by running with their hands behind their back) once they get to the other side, they always wipe their shoes off with a hankie. They also cross their legs the woman way, because they think it's rude to shoe the bottom of their feet. They have the Bible but they only use it as a centerpiece on a coffee table. They don't like things on the floor, especially books. So the culture will be interesting :)

Elder Maughan is from Idaho Falls Idaho and he is an INSANE Scripture master. If I ever need to look up a scripture on any topic, he always has the reference along with the scripture memorized, and possibly a conference talk or an ensign article to go along with it.

Elder Dicus is from Idaho as well, and he went to BYU with Maughan and I. They both lived in Wyview.

Elder Seegmiller is from Utah, can't remember the city, but it's up north. He is hilarious and knows how to have fun with us. (He is also our district leader)

Sister Tolman is probably the most chill out of all the sisters. She went to USU and likes to tell stories of the pranks she and her roommates pulled. Along with stories of how they went up to the "haunted nunnery" in Logan.

Sister Kholer grandma and Grandpa already know. I don't know much about her though.

Sister Boyle is originally from Ireland and is a History major at the U o U. She moved up to Utah when she was 5? And she enjoys keeping up with current events.

That's all the Armenians. We're pretty close and we do everything together.

This week, we had an epidemic of the Noro (sp?) virus. Everyone was ordered to not even shake hands with anyone. Zero contact was made. So that was interesting. I stayed safe from that virus, but I came down with a cold. Elder Seegmiller's sister gave it to him, then to Elder Dicus, then it came to me, then I passed it on to Elder Maughan.

All the loud people on our floor left yesterday for Florida and the other state, Spanish speaking. Things are so much better now. :) They were obnoxious. Beyond belief.

Random people tend to wander into our room. I think we need a fly net or something. Some random elder walked into our room and was like "ok bust out your ties, let me have a look." (apparently tie trading is huge here). so we were polite, but the whole time all of us were saying "gunaugh" which means "get out" in Armenian. Random hipsters who think they're cool also tend to wander in, it's kind of funny. One elder named "Kata" from Samoa, always seems to enjoy yelling at 11:00 at night. Sighh.... but he's gone now :P 

Something interesting that struck me this week: Things are hard here, really hard. But there is opposition in all things. The tougher things get here, and the harder we work, the more joy we can bring to the people of Armenia, who desperately need everything we have to share.

I sent pictures today, but they won't arrive for a few more days.

Anyways, I love you lots! Gotta go!