Really?

I think that this could be the short email ever. I see where I stand with getting mail-last.  At least I know he is a live!!...

you can even email the recipes i dont care what kinds they are. sorry
to make this short times up sorry. but i have to go
________________________________________________________________________
On 7/29/13, Traci Erickson <tracirerickson@hotmail.com> wrote:
 I have bought the things you requested but am still putting some recipes together. Is there any special recipes you want? I will try to get them in the mail by Tuesday. This week was pretty uneventful. Just doing the normal day to day stuff. However, Saturday and today we are doing last minute packing for Zach and Ethan to go to Scout camp for the week. Zach isn't happy about having to be up at 5 a.m. in the morning. Ethan doesn't leave until 8:30 a.m. so he will be fine. He still gets up like it is the school year-6:30=7ish.
 We found a new home for Katie. I have found her peeing on the carpet. She just doesn't get enough attention, I guess. Since she doesn't go to the door and whine when she needs out, no one pays enough attention to her to let her out every few hours. A high school boy and his college age sister came and looked at her and asked questions and took her home. Katie went wagging her tail and was fine with it.
 We have moved all of the cat stuff to the top floor. Since he is usually up there anyways. He now sleeps in my closet or on my hamper. We see him a lot more now that you are gone. Also, one of the kids that signed up for preschool is allergic to cats. So I figured the cat shouldn't be downstairs.
 Our poor fish are still dying. I think we may have to start all over but we will do it right this time. I have been looking on line and have learned quit a bit about setting up a new tank, to adding the fish etc. We probably should have done that the first time. Oh well, live and learn.
So the most exciting thing that happened, happened to Grandma Erickson. She was riding her bike and ran into another biker that had stopped for a stop sign. She got bucked off her bike and hit her head on the road-no helmet.
 So an ambulance came and took her to the ER. She ended up with 6 staples in her head and a concussion. Wow, I bet she is a lot more careful when she rides her bike for now on.
Did you get transferred or a new companion? How are things going?
 Love ya, Mom

New mission President

Braden Erickson

7:27 AM

To: Traci Erickson

The week has been going very well. Transfers happen this tuesday/wednesday. The new Mission pres. is Pres. Chatfield, he is a great guy and is very excited to work with us all.Yes he is from UT. we also found out that elder bednar and the person over the mission area is also going to be coming down to uganda!! i Cant wait!  I hope you get felling well soon. That sound like Ethan alright, it sounds like you are having a hard time keeping the fish alive though you must be doing somthing wrong! haha jk.  The stake pres talked thats awesome! he always gives good talks and is a great guy. wait so paige and ethan are getting temple recommends? thats great! I wish i had temple close to Uganda so we could go there but we dont have one yet. Wait a sec did you say ethan is counting down the days to go to school?! thats not like him at all but i guess i could see why he is excited it is Jr. High after all.

 

So i had a wonderful idea about sending pictures not sure its something you want to do though.  my idea was that you could send me a USB cable that i can plug my Memory card into the computers here so i could send you pictures through email. that way you dont spend as much money mailing the memory card back and forth. I was also resently told that the mission pres. doesnt like us (missionaries) sending packages home but he doesnt mind us reciving them. i was also told that if you want to make sure the package will make it here you should tape pictures of Christ on the box's and us the Post Office boxes. It would also be nice if you could send some Scripture Highlighters (many colors) and some measuring cups i could use to make food. OH FOOD! email me some recipies that i can use to make food. you dont have to send the measuring cups but i would be nice so i dont have to guess the amount im putting in.
you dont need to send those things but if you do end up sending the Cable it would nice to get the other things as well.

 Traci Erickson <tracirerickson@hotmail.com> wrote:

How was your week? Did you get transferred or a new companion?  Who is your new mission Pres, and is he from Utah

Remember when you got your shots the nurse said she thought that she had meet the new mission Pres and his wife?

This last week was hard on me. I have another dumb sinus infection so I took it easy.  I did manage to take the 3 younger kids to seven peaks for a few hours.

Ethan has been saving his money and decided that he wanted a shark. Yes, a shark.  So we bought a 20 gallon fish tank that he has finish earning. He bought some fish that look like sharks but they eat algie. He also bought a bala shark that can get up to 24 inches long.  I let the other kids buy fish that were $1 or less. The shark died and then so did others.  We treated them with fish med's but more died.  So we then went back and bout more.  2  of them have died two but are covered so we get to take the dead fish on and get new ones.  I don't know how I get myself into these kind of things. More pets to take care of.

The Stake Patriarch spoke today in sacrament  meeting and was very inspiring.  Paige scheduled a meeting with the bishop so she can get hers.  Ethan also has an appointment so he can get his temple recommend to do baptisms for the dead.

Ethan is counting down the days for school to start. He is excited about going to Jr. High.  I on the other hand would love to add a few weeks of summer. Ya know, sleeping in, relaxing, having fun and NO homework to help the kids with.  But I guess, I can't stop it from coming.

LOve, Hugs and Prayers for you,  MOM

New mission President

The weeks has been going very well. No one has been transfed yet but tomorrow we will find out if are getting transfered or not. we also got a new misson president! he sounds like a great guy. we are meeting him tomorrow as well cant wait! The baptisms didnt go through this time because they couldnt make it. this week they should beable to though.I have not got any packages because they go to the mission house first then the ap's or misson president bring them down when ever they come down. my companion says he has recived all the packages everyone has sent him. so it sounds like they all make it. he also said if you send money/debit cards and stuff like that you should hide it in side  the packages. so if people do go through the box they wont find it  (hid it in a food box or something just be creative.  Its good to hear parker likes the piano its a lot of fun.  this sunday i had to lead the music in church and sing a special musical number. i sang the song "Come thou Fount" it was good and a lot of fun.

On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 7:13 AM, Traci Erickson <tracirerickson@hotmail.com> wrote:

Rain filling up your house-NOT fun. I know first hand. That happened to me in the Philippines. The storm drain in the back of the apartment was filled with leaves and sticks and so all the rain water came in the door and filled the whole lower floor.  It took 6 missionaries about two hours to bucket it all out. What memories.  I hope it doesn't happen to you again. 

How was the rest of your week? Did your baptisms go through? Did someone get transfered? Have you received any packages
yet?

Things are going good here.  Parker went to his first piano lesson and loved it. He has been practicing every day without a reminder.  

Since Dad doesn't have vacation time because of his new job, we are just going to go camping for few days for vacation this summer. Not sure when though.  

I went to a Stake relief society meeting and wow am I going to be busy.   We are incharge of ward conference mini trainings and visits with all 9 wards. A large training meeting for all of the Relief Society Presidencies, Organize Women conference and deserts and more, it will be good though.

Keep up the lord 's work. Remember we love you and pray for you daily. (even Hope)

Love , MOM

HOT, hot ,hot

Subject: Re: Hot, Hot, Hot!
From: Braden Erickson <braden.erickson@myldsmail.net>
To: lorenjerickson@gmail.com
CC: 

It gets really hot here to, not sure how hot it gets but its about 40C  not F!  its really hot here and its only the rainy season (cooler season).  i end up drink about 3 to 5 leater of water a day.  It has been raining a lot at night and the thunder is really loud.

Yeah we had 5 baptisms and we have 3 more coming up hopfuly.  i know grandma E said that she wanted me to send more time in than out i tried to email her back but it wouldnt let me.

The people here are very kind and i have only ever had 2 people here tell me no.  they are very open and try to feed us all the time but we were told not to take food from them.  Sometimes they feel like we dont like the food we just tell them we just ate or we are fasting.  Fasting is so hard here!  no water for 24 hours is hard!  The church is very small it has 3 rooms to it and then we have a seperate building for the rest of the classes.  we have about 100 people come to church each sunday.  the area in the city is very deserty but as you start to go to the less developed areas. it turns into a jungle! most of the houses here are very small  only have one room.  the house we are in has 3 rooms a bathroom and kitchen.

Haha Talking about water when my companion and i were giving a lesson we got a call from one of the other elders that live in the house next to us. and they said that we had water coming out of the front door.  my companion said that it has happend befor and told me to to worry.  so we kept on giving the lesson shortly after we got a call from the missionary couples that also live in a 3rd house next to use called us.  they said we need to go back to the house as soon as possible so we told them we would.  about 5 mins. later they called again and said we need to go the house! they said it  was raining inside the house.  so my companion and i and to run back to the house it was so bad the missionary couples drove and picked us up 1/2 way there. and took us the rest of the way.  we got there and it was literaly raining in the house!  and there was about 2 to 3 inches of water on the ground!  thank goodness the floor is all tile!  it took about 3 hours to get  all the water out and get the pick fixed that broke.  nothing was ruined luckly.

I think it takes about 2 or 3 weeks for the stuff to get here. i normaly wont get the letters until 4 to 6 weeks when ever the ZL's or the Missonary couples go to the mission house they bring us the mail back it all depends on when they go to the mission pres. house.

On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 4:02 AM, <lorenjerickson@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Elder,

Not sure what the weather is like where you’re at, but here in Lehi it’s very, very hot.  It’s been over 100 for almost a full week.  I know you wanted to go somewhere warm, so I hope you’re enjoying it.  I’d rather be in Alaska right about now. 

I loved reading your last letter.  5 baptisms?!  That’s awesome.  Grandma E says she hopes you spend more time in the baptismal water than out. 

I would love to hear more about the people, the church, and just generally what Uganda is like.  I expect that you are still trying to absorb it all, but let us know what life is like for you and the people over there.  Send pictures when you can. 

Filling up that SD card might not be the best idea because you never know when it might be lost or damaged.  I lost all my mission pictures because I stored them all in one place and they were damaged by a leaky pipe.  I would hate to see something similar happen to you.  Anyway, do what you think is best.  We’d love to see some of what you are seeing though. 

Mom has sent some special treats as you requested.  I hope the make it to you safely.  Have you made spaghetti for the other Elders yet?  How did they like it?  Please let us know when you receive anything that we mailed so we can get a feel for how long it takes, and how reliable it is.  If I remember correctly, we have mailed two packages and seven letters.

Grandma E had one eye surgery a couple of weeks ago or so.  That one wasn’t too bad but she’s scheduled for another one on 17-Jul that is supposed to be a lot harder.  I meet with the surgeon next week to decide when to cut me open again, but it may be a while because I have not earned any vacation yet.  If they had to do it right a way I might have to take some unpaid time off.  Not good. 

The youth went on Trek last week.  Paige did not get to go because she was very sick after Girls Camp.  Zach did go, and I could tell by his behavior when he got home that the experience affected him deeply.  We had the youth and Trek leaders sing Come, Come Ye Saints in sacrament meeting last Sunday.  They were supposed to have memorized that song while on Trek.  It was a very moving experience.  I am leading the ward choir until we can find somebody better. 

Nobody has moved into your room yet.  I’m not sure if they feel it’s too special, or whether they just don’t want to clean it up.   Zach has officially taken over the job of teasing and tormenting Hope.  It’s kind of funny to watch because nobody asked him to do it, but he’ll all of a sudden take Hope up to her bedroom to play dolls or house or something.  I think he feels the responsibility of being the oldest brother at home.

Know that we love you deeply.  When the kids speak of you, it’s obvious to me that they cherish you and are proud of the example you are setting, as are your Mom and I.  Know that we are receiving blessings because of your service.  Also know that whether or not you see the results immediately, you are blessing the lives of everyone with whom you come into contact.  We pray for you every day and hope that you are safe and having success in teaching these special people. 

Love always,

Dad

Things are going alright here, a lot has happend! The first transfer is almost over so, i might get sent to a new area. my companion thinks he is going to be sent somewhere else. I dont think he will.  the area is becoming very familiar to me and  it is now almost impossible to get lost. I have not yet got the Package i need to wait for the Mission couples to go to the mission pres. house and pick it up or when the ZL go to the mission pres. house. We have had 5 Baptisms and will be expecting at least 3 more by the end of this transfer.  Im glad to hear that you had fun on the 4th of july wish i could do stuff like that here. it has been raining a lot down here and sometimes its hard to get sleep it rains so hard other times its the lightning and thunder that walk me up but they say that it is the rainy season.  Oh i thought you should know that our house filled with water on saturday. we got a call from the missionary couples and they said our house was leaking water. my companion and i didnt think much of it until they called again and said there is about 3 inches of water in the house. we had to cut a the lesson we were in short and RUN all the way back to the house.  remember that is not a short distance its a good 2 or 3 miles away from our area.  that was so much fun!!!! not!!!!  about half way the mission couples picked us up and drove us the rest of the way back to the house on the way back we hit a motorcycle not hard though. it was very eventful that day.

On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 5:45 AM, Traci Erickson <tracirerickson@hotmail.com> wrote:

How are things going? Did you have any baptisms?  Did you every get the package with the visa card and memory card? It was mailed to the mission home.

This week was nice-we all stayed home. No camps or anything big. Hope finished swim lessons and she did put her whole face in the water -Once!

We spent the 4th of July at grandparents R's house. It was a small group of us this year but still fun.  We stayed and did fire works. Hope actually did the sparkers on her own. But when we started the big loud ones she sat by me and then said she wanted to go home. When it was over, she told me that it was the scariest day ever. Silly girl. Paige had to work but they closed early, so she came for the fire works. Yes, she actually found her way. Zach rode home with Paige and they got a little lost, but found their way home.

I signed Ethan up for piano lessons. I thought he would be excited-NO he wasn't. So Parker is going to go instead.  Ethan says he wants to take karate lessons. Guess he just isn't into the music stuff. 

Hugs-love ya, Mom