email from 9/8/2014

hello everyone!

How are things back in Idaho? Things have been going great here.  Last week was quite the experience though, because we had exchanges planned for Tuesday to Wednesday and then we would have Zone meeting, then exchanges Thursday to Friday.  But then the Zone leaders called and asked if we could do an exchange with them before zone meeting. So we went on a back to back to back exchange with Zone meeting crunched in there.

And because Elder Orr has to stay in the forest with the car, I ended up going to do missionary work in Yate, then Cheltenham with the zone leaders, then Stroud all in one week. I left the flat first thing Tuesday morning and did not come back until Friday, which was exhausting. But it was also cool because I got to have my first experience riding on a Double Decker bus; I got to see more of the mission than I have ever have, and now Elder Orr and I are the only missionaries in the field who can say that we have had four different companions in one week. 

We also found out which flat we are moving into, sadly it is not the one that comes with a dishwasher, so we will still be doing our dishes by hand.  But it will still be a major upgrade from our current flat, which is about the shabbiest place I have ever seen.  The only place that compares with our flat is the Stroud flat which is just as bad.  They are looking for a new flat too. 

Today elder Orr had his dentist appointment to get his chipped tooth fixed.  You would faint if I told you what the bill was these dirty English dentists are even worse than the American ones (ha ha ha).  While I am on the subject of the prices of things here in England, I would exhort all of you back home to repent of all the nasty things you have said about gas prices in the states, because over here they charge a similar price but they sell it by the litter not by the gallon which is high way robbery.  

This is probably why food prices are so ridiculous in the English grocery stores. Which is why Elder Orr and I always shop at the little German grocery stores that they have over here, which offer better food at half the price. They make ASDA (or Walmart as we call it back in the states) look like a racket. 

While I am on the subject of food you might like to know that I ate my first Kebab today which is not actually English it is more of a Greek food, but it is still quite popular here. I liked but I think I prefer fish and chips; you get more food for less money and it tastes better.  Also sister plant said that the next time we came over for a dinner appointment, she would make us Eckle cakes.  I am still not entirely sure what they are, but they sounded good from the description she gave. 

I also had the good fortune to find a fifty pound note at the bank, which are very uncommon, but now I have a complete collection of all the British pound notes from the fiver to the fifty.  I am still working on getting the coins, but it is so difficult because they use so many more coins here than back home.  Anyway if anybody would like to get some English money, just let me know and send me some money on my personal card and I would be happy to get it for you on one of my P days. Well this Email is getting pretty long, so I should probably wrap up.  By the way has Dakota got her mission call yet?  Or is there anyone else I know going on a mission? And how is Activate and Shakespeare going?

Best of Britain 

Elder Purser

Hi Dad,

Thanks for the pictures of the baptism.

It is crazy to think how much has happened, both here and back home. It is crazy to think that we are starting week four of the transfer. I am already a third of the way done with my twelve week training, and Tana is a member of the church now!

By the way, I saw the craziest thing last week: I saw two stop signs! For a second I thought I was back in America. Because they don't have intersections with stop signs here, they just have traffic lights and roundabouts.

I also found my first fifty pound note, so I have a full set of English money friends now. Although I never carry it on me because England is loaded with Chaves (gangsters) although luckily England has had strict gun control for decades now, so the Chaves don't have guns. Which means they will rob you but they can't shoot you, so maybe Obama's got it right after all (yeah right).

Speaking of the devil, he was actually here in Wales last week. I tried to convince the people to keep him, here but they didn't want him either.

While I am on the subject of politics things are in quite a stir here because Scotland is going to have a vote in ten days on whether or not to declare their Independence from the UK and it looks like they might pull it off this time. I hear that things have gotten very heated up in Scotland over it and there have even been some acts of violence.

Most of my friends in the MTC went to the Scotland Ireland Mission. I hope that they are all OK. Anyway it was nice dumping all my concerns on you. If you want me to get you a full set of English Money, just let me know and send over the cash on my card. I may even be able to get my hands on another fifty pound note if I am lucky.

Best Of Britain,
Elder Purser