Hello Flossie........

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

Mom!! I miss you so much!!!  {Awe, man......} My companion and I doing great! I'm emailing today because yesterday was not a p-day for us.  I just got out of the Kona Temple a couple of hours ago, I'm in Kona right now writing this letter to you.  It's so crazy how the climates change as you drive from Hilo to Kona. You got Jungle, lava rock crap, desert, grassland, rolling hills and whole bunch of other junk in between.   The ride over was good.   I got to drive, so that was a good change from the bike.  

Yesterday there was supposed be a big storm or like a hurricane or something {Hello tropical storm Flossie!} so me and Elder Griffiths were all psyched for some trees to get up rooted and stuff,  but we sat there in all it did was blow some kinda hard wind and rain. I was bummed, i haven't seen lightning in like a year!  Everyone put up their tents because of the storm, maybe they are up again by now, who even knows.

It sucks Treavor had to go home.  I hope that he's happy and doing ok.  I'm started to forget what peoples faces look like -- so I'm at that point.

"C" did not get baptized last Saturday, because he hasn't to come to church yet! But that's all good, he will come home sooner or later.

Elder Griffiths and I are really starting to get along very well, he's kind of crazy, but that's all good!

I wont be able to send pictures or any of that stuff because this computer is also friggen slow. There was a missionary fireside last Sunday where the Mission President spoke and so did some recent converts.  President Warner is going to be a good mission president, he's a lot different then President Dalton, but he's going to do well.

Earlier this week had an encounter with another different kind of dude.   We were meeting with and reading the scriptures with "F", who is a recent convert.  This dude was visiting.  Elder Griffiths offered the closing prayer and said something in his prayer that bugged this dude.  He started letting every kind of profanity fly right in the middle of Elder Griffiths prayer.  It was kinda awkward, he continued with the prayer and said "amen". We just sat there in silence, super weird!  :/

We also talked with this guy named "H" who said he could talk through lightning.

I have to get going but I love all you guys, and Hawaii and its people are awesome!

Love, Elder Shoemaker

....and Happy Birthday Dad!