Email from James - July 26, 2010

Tranfer II week I, 

  So I'm still in Kaunas and my address is still the same. However, we changed domes. We live right on Laisves Aleja. My companion's name is Elder Porter. Oh my gosh, him and I get along so so well. He's great. This is his last transfer. The Apartment we are staying in is way old. There was over 25 spiders that we had to kill. They were huge, it was awesome. There is no a.c. so we put the fan right up against our beds and let it cool us. It has still been hot as ever. My arms have a very nice tan lol. But a horrible, I hate to say it, FARMERS TAN!!!! I didn't think the day would ever come. lol.
  We have no less actives to teach so we just talk to people all day and go harvesting all day. Yesterday, we took an adventure walk to go harvesting. We usually just harvest on sundays cause everyone is out on the beaches or the kaimas on the weekends. Elder Porter doesn't know his way around Kaunas so he follows me. But we went out to this cool foresty area that I had spotted a few weeks ago. It was cool because we got to get out of the city for a little. It had poured a ton yesterday so it got way humid and the roads were all foggy looking. It was fun. We followed a road into this small village. It was so cool. totally looked like a WWII scene. We knocked on lots of doors but no one would let us in. I had fun though lol.
   All of the branches in Lithuania is having a Roumšiškas this saturday. They do it once a year. It's where we all get together and act out parts of the book of mormon and play games and what not. It's apparently the biggest thing here lol. I'm way way excited. Elder Porter can't stop talking about it so it must be huge.
  My lithuanian has been increasing more and more. It makes me somewhat in a way happy when I can understand what people say about us lol. I have been able to have conversations with people and what not. It has been lots of fun. I hcan't wait til I get fluent. But it will come in time and I got loads of time. lol. But I work very hard at it.
   So very sad sad news. My really good friend and my MTC branch president just died. I got an email about it and it broke my heart. He was like a second father to me and I didn't imagine that would happen to him. His poor wife is so so sweet to us and cried when we had to leave. It's so sad. Please pray for her. Her name is Sister Payne.
  But today is a fairly nice day. We are going to play some sweet clay tennis after we eat at Can Can pizza at the huge Akropolis mall. I love playing tennis here. Elder Hatch, he is serving in upper Kaunas, said to Elder Porter, you do realize we are a sportsy district and your with hercules. lol Elder Porter always jokes about how he's the side kick and i'm the super hero cause i'm very sportsy. I'm well known for running and never stopping in Lithuania. Even all of the branch knows i'm a huge sports person. lol.
  That's so cool you, dad, got to talk to John Stockton. I told Elder Porter and he was shocked. Everyone knows about your job and the call me the rich boy lol. I just laugh and say whatev. lol. But they think your job is the coolest. Which it is! I love hearing about home and all the crazy stories. lol I can just picture parker being all crazy and what not. That's so cool about tanner's farewell. I don't know who his girl is though. Maybe if i say her, I may remember. Lithuanian messes with your brain to much. I have issues putting english sentences together sometimes because sentence structure here is funny. I can't wait till brandon gets to head out again. I also i'm excited to see pics of the office. Pics of home just are so so cool and make me happy to see.
   I love you all so so much and love hearing from you. I can't wait to get the pics!!!
         Su mylė.
            Vyresnysis Sanfordas

Email from James - July 19, 2010

I lived through my first transfer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          haha jk. All is great in Kaunas. It has been freaking hot. It has getting up to 36 plus humidity. I'm just loving coming home feeling like I have ran through a thick mist machine. lol It rained really hard last night and it made me happy but now it's way hot again. Sister K, the sister missionaries, Elder Hatch, and I went and played tennis today. They all left after about an hour but Elder Hatch and I kept playing for 2 more hours. It was awesome. They were clay courts so I was loving it. :D Now I got a nice tan on my arms and my legs lol.
       Before I forget, on the blog, you can just say send packages to the mission home but letters send to whatever address I say I'm at. I read it and It was kinda confusing and sounded very complicated on how and when to send letters. I haven't gotten any mail except from you so I would rather have them send their letters then not at all. I'm pretty posititve I will be staying in Kaunas. We don't get our transfer call til tomorrow. But they can send letters in normal letter things but all that info, doesn't really apply here. If I transfer and letters come, the elders just bring it to zone conference. It happens all the time. Plust it takes a while sometimes to get here so I would rather have peole send a letter. It's kinda sad opening the mail box everyday and nothing is there. lol.
        But ya this transfer is Elder Hatch's last transfer. I can tell he is gettting really excited to get home. He has been teaching me some cool russian phrases lol. So I'm beginning my Russian learning. lol. My language is still improving. lol We went on splits on thursday and I went with Elder Wicker. We had such a grand ol time. He has only been out for 2 transfers. We taught someone and the guy we taught thankfully understood we didn't speak a lot of Lithuanian. But I talk to people on my own a lot and am able to teach more too. I have placed a few book of mormons.
       I love the huge story from the YM camps. I do miss camping. I also greatly miss gatorade and powerade. All the time I want one so badly cause those quench my thirst and they are o so good. All they have here is water, sprite, pepsi, coca-cola, and million brands of alcohol and vodka. So not much to drink. haha. I miss variety in drinks at gas stations. But ya i love the stories. That knee part didn't sound too fun. ouch. Don't become crippled before i come home. We still got to play more tennis.
       But nothing too exciting has happened. We went harvesting in a way cool dome and it was so cool on the inside. It was a huge hallway on each floor with doors lining on either side. It was pich black except for a creepy old light bulb hanging at the end of the hallway. It was awesome. I was like, " oh ya, we are in the crazies place." Elder hatch said, " your catching on" haha. We met the nicest people. lol. Well we still met crazy people. But we got 4 numbers. It was awesome. lol I talked to a teenage girl who was only in a towel and was way flirty. haha......akward.... he he anyways. But ya so I learned to never judge a building. I also learned if a building looks creepy, try it, pray they are nice people, if there aren't nice people, your going to have a fun time. lol I will explain that when my mission is over. haha. Oh the stories I have. I love it here!!!!!! My life was so boring and simple and so not as exciting and crazy as it is now. I don't know how I will be able to live with myself after this crazy time and with all the crazy... adventures. lol. I'm sure I will find a way though.
        Lol i'm in a weird mood. The heat causes a problem to my head. But yes all is well here. I''m safe, for now, hahah jk. The heat sometimes feels like the only threat to me. The sun taunts me everyday.
        tonight we are teaching FHE. That will be fun. I'm excited cause we play ultimate frisbee after. ya more running!
          I can't wait to hear more from home and to get more pics. I showed the pics to our english class and they all said that mom was very pretty. I told them I would tell my mom. :D Lithuanians love seeing pics of America. So send tons, like family, church members, our house, what not. Plus I want to see them. Take a pic of my room and what not too. I miss seeing that.lol
           Ok now i'm done emailing, I get so distracted lol.
            Love,
                  Vyresnysis Sanfordas