Jan. 5, 2010-Email & Pics

hey whats going on... i know i'm sorry about last week i didn't have time for a letter :( i was really going to send you one but we ran out of time. so i apologize but i have you one written already! so don't worry! it should get there thrusday or friday. i hope all is well! ok lets see this week has gone by so fast! it was like p-day then sunday hit all of a sudden now its p-day again. i can't believe it. its been kind of a slow week but we have been working really hard. my legs are dead tired from all the biking... and we decided to go work out everymorning at the church (a half mile away from us) to get in shape. so from that my legs are even more tired. i can't believe that i can keep going after my legs feel like they have nothing left. but thats the lord watching over me. i've had to completely different lessons this week among the 7 we have taught. one of them was the worst one i have ever taught. it was horrible! we went tracting and found this lady that seamed interested so we went in to teach a quick 1st lesson... so i start out talking to her about our church and how its different but i was a little nervous... which i am before every lesson but this time was way way worse... and i got on the subject of joesph smith and paniced a little and couldn't stop talking so i just kept going and then i said the first vision by memory which i'm pretty good at now but when i was panicing it was horrible. i totally messed that up! it was so bad! my companion says i said everything backwards and said ONE PERSONAGES... yes one Personages... plural yes i know that makes no sense but thats what i said. and let me tell you what he hasn't let me live it down yet! it was way bad. but she was really interested and we are going back this week to see how shes doing. lets see oh yeah the best lesson i've ever taught was last night! so we were riding around yesterday to go tracting and see some people and we get a call from president gee. he wanted to know if he could come and teach with us last night. which is really cool cuz that really never happens. but we said yeah of course so we went out with him in his car WHICH WAS SO NICE NOT TO HAVE TO BIKE but we went to 4 people and all of them said they were to busy so it was kind of a bust then we finally found somebody to teach... the last person on our list to go see. we went there and we taught the first lesson there with president watching and listening to what we had to say. i thought i did the best i've done so far which is crazy since he was there and i was nevous. but he asked her after and she said she loved it. it helped so much and that the spirit was so strong there. it was crazy. then we leave and get in the car and hes like that was a good job. he also said wow i had to keep reminding myself that elder downs was only out 2 weeks, which is a huge compliment coming from him. then we went back to our apartment and he taught us the first lesson and gave us some pointers which helped but he is such an amazing man! its going to be hard to see him leave in july. i've only known him a little while but what a man... he really is called of god! but yeah thats been my week. i've had the door slammed in my face a couple of times this week and anything you could immagine. and i think i'm starting not to like dogs at all. everybody here has a dog or 4. and they don't like us! and thats an understatement!!!! well lets see oh yes i got your package and it was awesome! i loved all of it especially the juice packets... they are gone ahaha! but you did forget to send hot coco... and i have some stuff i would like to request if thats ok... first off i would like you to send me the cd's that i told you too. also will you have michael burn me a copy of the last of the mohicans sound tract... and also the sound tract from 300. he should have it on my ipod or its on my hard drive. will you please send me that? lets see oh yes will you watch for some speakers that can connect to a cd player and also a cd player. something really small like yours and some small speakers so i can pack them around. just keep a look out for some. that would be nice my companion has some but he will probably be leaving this next transfer so i need to have some or i will go crazy. oh and send the thermals and my huckelberry shirts the ones i told you to send. i need some more. ummm oh yeah for the summer i would like to have a cammel bag since i will be biking in the heat. see if you can watch for one... but get a nice one so i can use it throughout my mission. but get one i can stick my scriptures in too. i don't need it right now but when it starts getting hot i will so that i don't get deydrated or have heat stroke. but everything is going well. i can't believe its been two weeks! it feels like i just talked to you a few days ago! but its going by fast and it will if you keep busy! here are some more pictures i'll send back my memory card when i can. i need to send it in a package beacuse it will get broken if i don't so it might be a week i'll try to send it as soon as possible so you know... ok the pictures one is the plane that we flew on that i thought i was going to die on! then its a picture of the family tree :) elder mckenzie who trained elder jackson then elder jackson who is training me. then me and elder jackson. my bike big blue! me and elder jackson being funny! elder jackson eating all my cearal, and the breaking the fast meal! doesn't that look good? its the best meal we've ever cooked at our apartment. well thats about it for another week. i sent you a letter too. and i hope everything goes allright with everybody! i love you all! have a great week and i'll e-mail you again next week! keep up the letters i love them!!! LOVE YALL!ELDER DOWNS :)
hey dad! so i forgot to mention so stuff in moms letter. we go to a ward so theres about 100 people there. its cool they all are way nice. i had to bear my testimony at church which was way fun! and i had to teach a lesson on sacrifice. with no help from any of the elders! it was really exciting. but yeah i've been trying to stay warm its not to cold but the wind is what makes it cold. we have been out riding our bikes at night in probably 5 below wind chill. which is so so cold because it just goes through all your clothes thats why i need the thermals. lets see our bishop is awesome he reminds me alot of kevin back in the day. way funny. hes got a lousinana accent so its funny to hear him talk. hahaha and we go to the same ward every week. so i love it out here but its just getting colder! AHHHH which is not good and i've found out that everybody smokes! and everybody has 4 or 5 dogs! and everybody is already saved hahaha i get that everytime i go tracting along with a few door slams! but everybody is nice when your happy and nice so thats been my main goal to be happy and love the people. so give me the scoup... hows the games? scores... umm hows utah state doing? hows church? you ok doing the addition yourself? i could get you a calculator :) hahaha umm, but yeah well i got to go! have a good day at work! pray for me that i don't get hit by cars... i've been brushed by a few... talk to you later LOVE YOU TONS!!!!!elder taylor... the best missionary in oklahoma... downs