You’re welcome for the letter! 7-25-2014

[We received a handwritten letter in the mail and were so excited! It's been months since we've received any of those! Also, in the same day he was able to email us! Yippee! Here is the snail mail! MOM]

Mommy!
So yeah I don’t write letters, but I guess I promised you.  Words are nothing if you don’t mean them.  Ok, new pen because mine’s garbage.  Sorry my handwriting is pretty junky now.  It would be awesome if I keep up with the letter writing!  So yeah, I’m going to Lae Atoll!  That’s going to be one of the most exciting adventures of my life.  I know these next couple of months are going to absolutely change me and how I view a lot of things.  I’m excited to "die" on an outer island!

I will be the maximum amount of weird when I go home!  At about 18 months out I’ve learned a lot and have enjoyed my mission.  I talked to President before I left and because of the transfers I think my release date will be before Christmas.  I think the 17^th or the 22^nd.  President brought it all up and said that’s what he’s thinking.  You guys will probably get a letter or email about it before I officially know.  That would be such a great present to go home and be with you guys and everyone for Christmas before we all go out to school.  Still five or six months away!  These last weeks I’ve had absolute desire to study really hard and work really hard.  Life has been busy but I feel pretty accomplished.  Missionary work is hard, but it gets easier as I continue to learn the language and accept the rules.

My investigators in Ebeye were awesome and I know that they will all one day receive the Gospel.  I can’t tell you about my investigators in Lae because I’m not there yet!  I actually flew back to Majuro last week and have been working with the ZLs in Uliga!  I should be flying to Lae tomorrow if the plane flies!  So no boat… for now…  I could still take one, and coming back from Lae I still could take one!  I’m so scared to take the tiny little plane and land on a field of grass.  I’ve seen a video of it landing.  I’ll be sure you get a ton of pictures about it!

I’ve taken a lot of pictures!  And I’m doing my journal pretty well.  I wanna write a separate memories journal/book out there.  I’m not sure what I will do but something to keep me sane!  Lae Atoll is one of the smallest atolls in the Marshall Islands, only being about one and a half miles across!  And there are about 300 people there!  There is a branch there, too!  It’s one of the strongest outer islands where the Church is at!  I really wanna build it so it can eventually be a ward in the future Ebeye/Kwajalein Stake!  I know what I’m doing matters and I know that I’m not out here to waste time!  I’m the most lethal and effective as a missionary right now!  I wish I would have got to this point sooner!  It all comes down to preparation.  It’s difficult to mold to missionary work and the schedule.  But it’s good.  It’s cool being one of the oldest elders in the mission, and having people look up to me for whatever reason.

I want to be a good example to them and I want to be a good role model.  I don’t want you guys to worry about me in Lae.  I’m going to work hard and be obedient.  This place is like any other area; full of people who need this Gospel and need to see me being obedient to it.  It’s a lot more fellowshipping and just living and strengthening people.   I’ll be doing a lot of service and being of whatever assistance I can be to these people.  I’m so lost in what I’m doing.  I really just love it.  I went to a grocery store here and stuck my head in a freezer and literally couldn’t breathe…  Checked the temp and it was at 20 degrees!  I’m so in trouble!  I’m going to freeze when I go home!  Hope you guys are ready to take care of me and put up with my complaints about being on the verge of death!  FYI, 72 degrees is wayyy too cold to live in… So turn up the house to like 84 degrees before you guys get to the airport) so then I will be used to it!  PLEASE!            So yeah, that’s basically it.

I wouldn’t buy too many clothes or anything, because I have no idea what size I’m gonna be when I get home.  And hold off on the Challenger until I can come pick what one I want! J  On a serious note, I can’t wait to see you guys and I can’t wait to share my experiences with you.  You guys take care and be strong.  Five-ish months more and the boss will return!  Keep being strong in your prayers and studies.  I love you, Mommy!  Sorry I’m so sucky at writing and my handwriting is bad.  You’re welcome for the letter!  This was hard for me to do!  Okay, babe, I will see you guys in a couple months!

I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!  - Elder Ingalls 4.0