The Final Email!

This e-mail was sent on April 6, 2010, but was never received.  Neal retrieved it from his sent mail, and now here it is:

Hey there,

Well by the grace of God I have a bit more time to email you, and on a different day (ask me later). I am not going to write a lot, but I thought that I would take the chance to just write one last blurb and bear my testimony.

As I have reflected back on my whole mission, I am nothing but grateful for the amazing blessings that I have received. I have been watched over, cared for, protected, strengthened, and turned into something and someone that I never thought possible. I know without a doubt that the gospel is true. I have prayed so much, and time after time my knowledge of the truth has been increased. I have felt the love of the Lord so many times, and I am happy because of it. I have felt and followed the still small voice many times, and it has brought nothing but happiness. I know that the Book of Mormon is a true record given to us for our benefit. I have gained a love and knowledge of that book that I know it is going to propel me through the rest of my life. I love the words of the ancient prophets, and I am glad that I have that book in my life. Before I left I told a friend that on my mission I wanted to gain a knowledge of the gospel that would allow me to teach and help people feel the spirit, and I know that I have gained that. I know that the things that I teach people are true. The Plan of Salvation is true, and it is the way that God provided for us to be happy. Nothing brings me greater joy than to know that I will be able to be with you all in the presence of God someday. I am pledging to do my part, and I want you all to be there too. My mission has changed my life, and the more I ponder on it the more happiness I find. I have learned so many things, and experienced so many things, and I hope and pray that I will always remember them. We are going to be having some long talks and we are going to go back in the spirit! I know that the atonement is real and available to all of us. I have felt its power more than once, and I know that the only way to gain happiness and salvation is to repeatedly feel it. Christ suffered for us that we don’t have to, but we have to repent! As I have repented time and time again I feel his love. I know that the scripture is true when it says that as often as we will repent he will forgive. If repentance and the atonement are the only reason that I was able to serve a mission, then what must it take to gain eternal life? I think that 2 Nephi 31:20 has something to do with it. I love the Lord, I love this church and the blessings that it brings. I love the fact that I always have someone to turn to, and to share my burden with. I am grateful that he takes my pain willingly. I know that Christ lives, and I will say to you the same thing that I have said on the street time and time again….. I didn’t have to see him to believe that he is there. I know that he lives because of the influence that he has had in my life. I love life, because I have the hope and the blessings of the gospel. I hope that all of you have felt the joy of my service. I am glad that I have gotten to share all the great bits of these 2 years with you. I thank you for your unwavering support. I expected nothing less to be honest. You have supported me all my life, and I know that that will never stop. I will be eternally thankful for the support that I have received.

I need to get going now, but I am grateful that I got to write this to you today. I love you all, and I am really excited to see you in a week. Everyone is reminding me don’t you worry. I am happy though, and I am working hard. I plan on continuing in that path right to the end!

You may never know how much I love you all, but I want you to know that I do! I have to go now and cry repentance to Blackpool!!!!!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 4/5/10 FINAL E-MAIL!!!!

Hey there family,

Well this is the final time that I will be writing to you before I see you. How crazy is that. I never thought that this day would come, but it has. Time is moving so fast, and it is crazy. This is my last full week, and I know that it is going to fly by. I am excited for all the crazy things that are going to happen in this week. I have always heard about how crazy missionaries are in there last week with the spirit and such, so I will let you know in a few days how it goes for me. I am excited and ready to go. I am working hard and still going strong. I have not slowed down at all I feel. We are still trying to build up the area, and I know that this final week is going to be a good one. We went to the temple today because it is a bank holiday, and it was amazing. Of course I had the thought that the next time that I was there it was going to be with you! That kills me, but I am ok with it. I am glad for the experience that I have had, and I would not trade it for the world. Now is the time to really dig deep though, and I know that I can. I will be in Blackpool tomorrow, and then we have interviews on Wednesday, so I have plenty of things to keep my busy. I am excited!

Conference was amazing! I loved Jeffery R. Holland’s talk and also President Monson’s talk at the Priesthood sessIon. I also liked Elder Chistofferson’s talk, I thought that that was great. I went into conference with a lot of questions, and as always I got my answers. I was asking things mostly about the future and looking for things that will prepare me. I received some great guidance, and I will share it all with you when you are here. I got to watch conference at the Chorley chapel and that was great. I saw a lot of old friends, and it was great. I saw Alan Seed, and a ton of others from Blackburn.

Well I am running out of things to say, mostly because I am going to see you in no time. I think you for all the prayers that you have said for me, and I ask that they continue. I have a long final week ahead of me, and I am going to need the help. I hope that all of you have a good week, and I am excited to see you all soon.

I love you all so much!

Elder Neal (for the last time)

 

E-mail from Neal -- Received 3/29/10

[Editor's Note] Subject Line of E-mail:  Hospital Part II

Hello to one and all!!!!

Before you freak out because of the subject line, I am going to tell you that I am fine, and all is well. In the words of Elder Dittmer “Alles klar.”

Well it sounds like all of you are dealing with some sort of sickness, and I can tell you that you can add me to the list. Although I would say that mine was a bit more than just a cold. Here is the saga……….

I went out and worked all day Tuesday (the day before zone conference), and was feeling great until dinner. As we were walking to the bus station however my stomach started to not feel so good. I just kinda ignored it, and went on my way because we had an appointment. The pain didn’t go away in fact it got worse. If felt just like normal gas pains, which I get occasionally. I instantly ruled out my appendix, so that was a relief, but still a worry.

SIDE STORY: Elder Dittmer had his appendix out a few years ago as well, but a few months after his operation there were some major complications which put him back in the hospital and caused him to have another operation. It was a long ordeal with him, and it was not good at all. This is why I was worried when I started to feel bad.

I ended up going to the appointment but it fell through. By this time however I was in a lot of pain. I was not able to concentrate while talking to people, and my stomach was killing me. We went to a members house who lived close and I crashed on his couch for a bit until I decided that I had to go home. The member and E. Dittmer gave me a blessing, and we went on our way. The pain was not going away at all, and I was heading straight to bed. We got home and I curled up into bed for about 45 min before I had to go the bathroom and throw up. I did that and went back to bed for another 45 min or so until I had to throw up again. That is where all the fun began. For the next 2 hours or so I was in absolute agony. I was throwing up (or at least trying to) every 10 min. after that I never felt any better through out all of that. I actually felt worse. I have never been that sick before in my life. At one point I was sprawled across the bathroom floor screaming because I was in so much pain. May I take this time to remind you now that this was the night before my LAST zone conference, where I had to give my departing testimony. I could not miss this! By this time the other elders were back along with the Elders from the Isle of Man, and here I am dying in the bathroom. Many phone calls were made (president, mission doctor, district, etc) and the call was finally made that we had to go the hospital. I wasn’t too happy about that because being back in the hospital was not my idea of a good night, but I submitted (humility I know). I had no idea how I was going to get there though, cause I could not move. I asked all the elders for another blessing though before we left. Picture this….. one elder dying on the floor of a cold and dark bathroom being surrounded by 5 other elders. An amazing sight I am sure. If you want to know what pure brotherly love looks and feels like, you should have walked into our flat on Tuesday night. Anyways the blessing was said and we slowly made our way out to the car. I am glad that my comp is big and able to carry a lot of weight. He helped me out a lot! I am also glad that the zone leaders have a car. We made it to the hospital and we checked into A&E (ER). I plopped down on a seat and just hunched over and tried to get comfortable. I am not sure what happened next except that I fell asleep and woke up to the nurse calling my name. I stood up and instantly felt much better. I went and saw the first nurse, and she said that everything was fine, but she wanted me to go and see another doctor, so I did. By the time I got to that doctor I felt a whole ton better. I felt as though I had totally wasted their time. I was in and out of the hospital within an hour, and I was in bed asleep at 12:15.

Is God a God of miracles? I submit that he is. He knew that I had to be at the zone conference. He honoured my faith and the faith of the amazing Elders around me that night, and I was able to be healed by the power of the priesthood. The blessing that E. Dittmer gave me said that I would be able to go to Zone Conference, and I made it there. The blessing that E. Rowley gave me commanded my body to be healed, and a hour later I was. The priesthood has amazing power, we must never forget that! I am so grateful that I have a loving heavenly father, that always honours the faith of his children! I am perfectly fine again, and I have been since Thursday! I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. The atonement was on my mind many times that night.

Zone Conference was great. It was very sad to realise that it was the last time that I would be standing up in front of all my missionary friends. It was the last time that I would be directing the special musical item as well. We sang “Abide with me tis’ evn’ tide” and it was amazing. I am really going to miss doing those musical numbers. People always ask me where I come up with the things that we do for those songs, and how do I get it to sound good. I always say to things….. There are great singers in the mission, and my parents taught me well! President and Sister Bullock always compliment me on them. I am sure that they will mention something to you in the mission home. It hit me this time though as I was singing the song that that was going to be the last one. It was a double hit when I had to give my departing testimony right afterwards. It was a sad day, but a good one as well. I got to see some of my great mission friends as usual, and we all had a laugh. I was hoping that Elder Nielsen was going to be there, but he is still out in Wales somewhere I think. I am really hoping that I will get to see him before I go. I think of the three comps that are still in the mission that I love the most, and I think of Elder Nielsen, Lloyd, Llaguno, and Dittmer! They are great men, and I know that you will get to meet them someday! My time is running short, but I know that our friendships will last forever.

We are continuing to plug along. The clocks moved up on Saturday for us and so the nights are no longer dark as early. That is really nice for tracting. We are still in the finding mode, but what can you do. I think that Satan is just trying to pull us down because at the same time that we have no investigators, no one seems to want to listen to us, I get sick, and I am going home soon. It is time to put all the attributes that I have learned on my mission to the test and “concur the enemy of all righteousness.” I know that I can, and I have my big German enforcer to help me! We will do it!

Today we are going to Blackpool for a district activity so we are way excited about that. We were going to plan football on the beach, but I don’t think that the weather is going to allow that. We have been praying though. Next week is a bank holiday, but we are still planning on emailing. There is an internet café that is open so we will use that. It will probably be a short one, but it is the last one so there won’t be too much to tell. I can just fill you in when I see you. We are also going to be going to the temple next week. I couldn’t really think of a better way to spend my last p-day and E. Griffeth agreed. I am really excited. That is going to give me the strength that I need to push through the final week. I am grateful for this time that I have had. I am looking forward to conference next week. I have really grown a great love for conference on my mission. This is going to be E. Dittmer’s first conference so I am hoping that he will enjoy it as much as me!

 Know that I am healthy and safe, and I am working hard. Satan can try all he wants, but he is not going to slow me down. I have a labour to perform and I am not done until I am done. I love you all so much, and I am looking forward to seeing you very soon! Time moves too fast. I was reading in Jacob today and in verse 26 of chapter 7 he agrees with me…. Go read it!

I Love you all So much…..

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 3/22/10

Hello everyone,

Well the second hand is clicking away. The hourglass is down to its final grains, and here I am still plugging away. Each day seems to move quicker than the last, and each event seems to come faster than the one before. We have Zone Conference this week… my last, and I will have to give my departing testimony….. I am not excited. I will get to see a lot of the members of my MTC group one last time before we go to the mission home together…. I am not excited. Things are going way too fast. I am excited to get home, but I am not excited to say goodbye, and to leave this beautiful place. To answer your questions; [Editor's Note:  Mom asked him: 1. Would you ever have been where you are now without your mission experience?  2. Will the rest of your life be better because of your mission experience?]  I would not be anywhere right now if it weren’t for my mission experience. I would hope that I would be active in the church, but I couldn’t even guarantee that! I would not know half of the things that I know, and I would not be able to do half of the things that I do. I know that this experience is going to help me in every single phase of my life from here on out! I have full faith that when I get home the blessings from my service are going to pour out upon me. I know that friendships are going to be tighter, talents are going to be more polished and cultivated, opportunities are going to be rampant, and happiness is going to be everywhere! I can put all that down to the amazing experience that I have gained on my mission! I guess that really answers the other question as well. I know that every aspect of my life is going to be better when I get back. Shauna told me today that Chris already has my schedule ready for May. How on earth could someone that I knew for 3 months miss me that much for 2 years with out that being a blessing from God!!!! I know that I am going to be abundantly blessed not only for my sacrifice, but for my service. I think that I am going to find that when I get home it is not going to feel like a sacrifice, it is going to feel like the greatest experience of all time! I have no regrets. I give all the glory to my loving Heavenly Father. He knows what is best for me, even when I think that I know better. I was talking to a missionary the other day about my Drum Corps experience, and that really caused me to reflect on just how wise Heavenly Father is. He loves us, and he gives us things in life to make us better. My mission has been tough at times, but it has prepared me to build up his kingdom in the future. I don’t know how, but I know that I will be able to participate “mightily” as it says in my patriarchal blessing. I could continue, but I will stop there. Think of more questions like that, and ask me them while we are driving around England, or when we have time at nights to talk. I know that I will probably make dad cry (as I am sure that this already has ha ha ha), but this is the truth, and this is honestly how I feel!

Ok so this week has been a good one. I was on two exchanges this week, and that was great. I was able to go to South Ribble and then stay in Preston with another missionary. We saw a really cool miracle on Saturday though. We were out street contacting before we traveled back to Blackpool to exchange, and we went through Avenham Park ( I will take you there for sure). This is the park where the first baptisms took place. As we were walking we saw this main sitting in a pavilion nice and dry and out of the rain. We went up and spoke to him, and we ended up teaching him right there. It was amazing teaching someone the restoration and challenging him to baptism right in the spot where the first baptisms took place in England. I felt really good about that, but it gets better. As we were teaching a man walked by and said “well hi Elders” in a very obvious Utah accent. He was on business in London and he decided to come up to Preston for the day to see the sights and go to the temple. Think about this from his perspective. He comes to see where the church and missionary effort really all began, and what does he see….. 2 missionaries teaching a man on a bench. The church is so true, that is all that I have to say. That same member came to church yesterday, and I got to talk to him a bit! I love these amazing experiences that we have. What made it even more amazing is that in 3 weeks I will be able to show you that pavilion!

Well I hope that you have enjoyed this letter. I had better get going. P-days don’t last forever. I hope that you have a great week. Keep studying. I am at Jacob 4, so I am flying along. I love you all, and I am so grateful for all the amazing support that I get from each of you! I am excited to see you very soon. I only have 2 more times to email!!!!!!!

See you soon!!!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 3/15/10

Hey there,

Well it has only been three days or so, so there is not much to report except for some cool things that have happened this week end. Nothing super amazing, but still quite cool. I have really been focusing on listening to the promptings that I am receiving and amazing things have been coming from it. Just on Saturday we had a couple to appointments fall through and so we had some time to find. I felt prompted that we should go to a certain spot that is close to the bus station, so we did. We started to talk to everyone as we usually do, and we soon talked to a man that was really solid. We are going to be seeing him this next Saturday, and I am really excited to see him. Good things are happening and I am staying happy, and working hard, so things are good. I am so grateful for the things that I have learned on my mission thus far, and I know that the learning is not going to stop. I still have about 4 weeks left, and they are going to be amazing. I am planning on doing my best all the time. I have decided as well that even if I don’t feel like working, it is not fair for E. Dittmer to have to work alone, so I am going to work for him if nothing else! He is great, and yes you are right when you say that I have had great companions. I am already planning on a making a trip over to Utah and Idaho in August to see E. Nielson and Weekes, and maybe a few others!!! Of course me and E. Lloyd are going to have a big party when he gets back! (Elder Lloyd is from Broomfield)

Well as I said it has been a short week so that’s about all that I have to share. I am going to be going on 2 exchanges this week. One to South Ribble and then one to Blackpool. That is going to make the week fly! I will talk to you all next week, and hopefully I will have some great things to share!!!

I love you all,

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 3/10/10

Hello to one and all!!!!

Well this week has come and gone faster than anything! Actually this transfer has come and gone faster than anything! I am honestly scared as to how fast these next 5 weeks are going to go. They always say that the end goes faster than anything else, but with it being a 5 week transfer on top of that, I am going to wake up tomorrow and it is going to the be 14^th!!!! GAH!!!!!!! I am excited for what is coming, but I never thought that it would come this fast! I am honestly scared. Nevertheless (good scriptural word) I am calm and collected, especially after going to the temple today. The peace that I felt today while I was in the Celestial room was very helpful. I know that all will be well, and that everything is going to go just as it should. I am still allowed to be scared, but I know that everything will be just fine. The temple was amazing today though. The sun was shining; the big stained glass window in the celestial room just explodes with color when the light hits it! I am really excited for you to see it. I have decided that we should start each day with a temple session if possible. We will have to see how that works out, but it would be very nice!

I guess to answer the question that you might have…. Yes I am staying in Preston, and so is Elder Dittmer. We are very excited! He has been one of my most favourite companions! We have another 5 weeks together, and then who knows. The zone leaders are also staying the same. So I will be with Elder Rowley and Elder Griffeth for the next 5 weeks as well. We are going to be working really hard, and finding some great people! I am really excited, and I am happy that I got to start off the transfer with a great visit to the temple! I am hopefully going to get to go once more before you get here, because there is a bank holiday on my last p-day. We will see. I love this place! We were in the temple with the South-Ribble Elders and the Lancaster Sisters today. Only one companionship changed in my district, and that was Blackpool. 

So we had some bad news this past week. Our main investigator David dropped us. We was supposed to get baptized on the 27^th, but that is no more. What we think happened is that he got scared. He was given a gospel principals book at church, and I think that he read into that and hit the commandments. If you find them on your own, you have to be really prepared to live them. It is much better to be taught them. It is really sad, cause he was really great, but I guess all we can do is pray for him now. He wanted to give us back all of the books and stuff that we gave him, but I refused to take the Book of Mormon back. I testified of it, and I challenged him very boldly to continue to read and to pray about it, and then to contact us when he wants to continue. I know that he had felt the spirit as he prayed, and I am was not going to let him forget that! I have a good feeling that he will be baptized sometime. I don’t think that it will be in my time, but I think that he will eventually! Sad day, but what can you do. Its not the first time that I have had something like this…. At least it isn’t a repeat of Sean from Manchester!

Other than that my week was really good. We got some training at interviews about our area books. We started working on cleaning ours up, and we found some good people to try by. One of them is named Hii, and he is from Malaysia. We went and tried by, and he let us in. He was taught about 2 years ago, and he was really good. He had just gotten back from Malaysia the day before after being gone for 3 months, so I think that we chose the right day to go and see him. He was really cool. We also got into the door of a Romanian man the other night as well. I thought that I was serving a mission in England, but I guess I should probably think again. He was good as well, but he was a Greek Orthodox man. Nothing like Camelia. We are going to be seeing him tomorrow, and so we will find out then how solid he is! The work is really going well though, and I am excited about what is coming in the next 5 weeks!

I really don’t have too much else to say. I have decided that my goal for this last 5 weeks is constancy. I don’t want to turn into something that I am not for the last 6 weeks, just cause I am going home. I do not want to make up for the things that I have not done either. I simply do not want to die. I want to endure to the end, and the only way that I can do that is by being consistent. I know that I can do it, and I am asking for your continued prayer and support. I want to finish strong so that I feel happy about the sacrifice that I have offered. I know that the way that I can be truly happy is by pushing consistently to the end. I really can’t speak too soon, but I think that you will notice a big change in who I am now. My mission has changed me because I have let it! This mission has not been easy at any time, but I am so grateful for that! It has turned me into something that I am happy about being. As I was sitting in the flat yesterday listening to one of my favourite mission songs, I was reflecting about how much I am going to miss this time. It is going to be hard to get back to “normal,” if in fact I ever do. I have decided that I am going to stay super busy when I get home. I am probably going to go straight into work so that my body doesn’t slow down. I want to stay at the level that I am at now, and I know that I can only through my own effort. I am going get off this subject now, cause I still have a night of work ahead of me!

Well I think that I am going to get going. I love you all, and I am so grateful for the amazing things that you do for me! Keep studying! I am leaning so much from the things that I am studying in the Book of Mormon, and I know that that will only continue throughout my life. I had a really cool thought as I was in the temple today too that I will have to share with you in a few weeks!

I love you all!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 3/1/10

Happy March!!!!

Well we walked out of our flat this morning to beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine! March is here, and unlike Colorado I think that we are going to be getting more and more sun. I am expecting lots of rain, but that’s just England for you. I am missing the snow for sure, but I can tell that spring is right around the corner, and that is one of my favourite seasons. Spring in England is amazing, so I am really glad that you are going to see it! Hmmmmm where to start…. OH YES!!

Ok so about this week. It has been a slower one. We had interviews and training this week. It is amazing how fast things come and go. It is March already and that is my final full month. That did not make me very happy when I heard that, but I will live. I was on exchanges in Blackpool again this week, and was really fun. They are teaching some really amazing people, and they are all progressing so well towards baptism! I like going to Blackpool, because there is always and adventure to be had. Other than that the week has been about normal. We have been working really hard and for the first time on my mission tracting quite regularly. I really don’t find it that effective so I usually try to find another activity to do, but I have learned that sometimes you really just have to do what you have to do, and that is tract. It’s good though, I am starting to enjoy it, I guess. Street contacting is still my favourite way to find people.  

Nicky and Yumi are doing alright. Yumi has been really busy and so she is not ready for baptism, and Nicky promised her that she would wait. That is the problem that we are dealing with at the moment, and it is not fun. We are praying a lot to find out what we need to do, and are hoping to get some answers soon. We have another investigator though named David that has really taken off. We found him a few weeks ago, and the first appointment fell through. We stopped by a little later, and set up a new appointment, and that one went through. We taught him once and when we came back for the 2^nd lesson he told us that he had read and prayed, and that he felt that everything that we said was true! I love it when people are humble enough to accept our invitations. He is now dated for the 27^th of March! He came to church yesterday and he really liked it. I love it when things go right like this. We are seeing him again tonight and we are going to be finishing the Plan of Salvation! I am excited. I will keep you updated with his progress.

Study this week has been really good. I just read 2 Nephi 4 over the past two days. I really love that chapter. There was one sentence in particular that stuck out to me, and it was during Nephi’s prayer. He says this….

“Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?”

Of all the things that one could wish for in the world, he asks for this. I think that you can really tell where his priorities are. Nephi knew exactly what was most important in life. It wasn’t money, cars, fame, friends, or power, it was returning to live with God, and we do that by avoiding sin.

Mormon says this…..

“for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.”

I know that Nephi understood that, and he wanted, no he needed help to accomplish that task. This wish of course would not cancel his agency, but it would in fact help him return to live with God. You said it right mom, the scriptures are the way to be happy and to find peace. Reading them is a good start, but I would have not noticed that if I would have just read the verse. I found that through study. Through opening my eyes I found some great truth. The Book of Mormon is full of it, and I am so grateful that I can learn more from it everyday. It is true! Keep studying it!!!!!

Ok well just in closing, yes transfers are next week, and I am 98% sure that I am staying, and I am 85% sure that Elder Dittmer is staying with me. We will be emailing on Wednesday if that is the case and we will be going to the Temple. I am excited for that. Yes I do have a new Email address, but everything is transferred over. Just keep replying to my emails, and all will be well. The new system is really nice. And last I am assuming that you liked my idea about the camera card since you said nothing.

I hope that this week is a good one for you. I will be going on exchanges on Tuesday, but I am staying in Preston this time. Good luck with the baptisms on Saturday, that is going to be very exciting. Baptizing families is so great. I will always remember when Dave and Cavan Smith got baptized on the same night…. SO COOL!!!

I love you all so much!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - 2/22/10

Hello to my Snowy family!!

You can complain all that you want, but I honestly miss snow. We had that big storm just after New Years, but all I could do was sit and look at it. We have gotten nothing really since. I don’t consider dusting a snow storm, so in my opinion we have gotten nothing! I miss snow, and hearing about the Olympics makes me miss it even more.  The Olympics are really not big over here at all. Hardly anyone watches them, and no one talks about them. I really do miss America sometimes.

Time is moving so fast. Every week seems to go faster and faster. Elder Rowley made a comment earlier this week about how we only have like 8 weeks or something. I think that he was able to read what I was thinking by the evil look that I gave him. It is good having Elder Griffeth with me, cause we are just choosing to forget together. It is going really well so far, and I can honestly say that I am far from Trunky!!!!! We had another really good week this week. I was on exchanges in South Ribble (the lower half of Preston) this weekend, and that was really great. I had to deal with some issues, but it is all taken care of, and things are all good again. I was with a missionary named Elder Kersey. He is going places. He is amazing. He came out with Elder Boahene, and he is a rock star of a missionary. I was so glad that I got to work with him. I learned a lot from him!

This week we have interviews and as always I am really excited. I am going to Blackpool tomorrow for an exchange. My weeks never seem to get any less busy, but that’s how I like it. Elder Kerr, our area 70 is going to be in Preston next Sunday, and he wants to go and meet some investigators and recent converts. We are going to take him to see Nicky and Yumi, and they are really excited. We have had to postpone their baptism again because Yumi has been really busy, but I think that Elder Kerr will help us move forward with them again. He is really amazing, as are all general authorities. I have gotten to hear from him many times over the course of my mission, but I never get tired of him. He is from Scotland as well, and he is just an absolute riot!

I am feeling great and working hard. My appendix scar is not even a thought anymore. It is still very red, but its doing fine. I can’t even remember what I went through anymore unless I look at the scar. It has just become a new fixture on my body ha ha ha!!!! I love you all, and I am so grateful that I have your thoughts and prayers. I feel them, I really do. I have been getting bolder and bolder as I get further in my mission, and I love it! I know that I have the lords support! Keep reading!!! I am at 1 Nephi 21 and I have noticed a lot of really cool things so far! I love the book of Mormon so much!

I love you all!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 2/15/10

Hello to my Crazy Family,

Well this has been a wild and crazy week. There has been no stopping, no breathing, and never has sleep been so needed. We have been running around like crazy. We have had a lot of fun though, and we have seen a lot of success. It seems as though we have been here, there, and everywhere as well. I was in Blackpool, Lancaster twice, Chorley, and all over Preston as usual. It has been a lot of fun, and a good solid week. I like weeks like this because they fly by way fast, but at the end you have a lot to show for it. Sometimes you get weeks that just drag and at the end you have nothing to show, those are the worst. Anyways let me run you through my week.

Monday – We had a district activity here in Preston, and it was WAY fun!!!! We played football (both types), Frisbee (OH-YEA), and a bit of touch rugby, but that was a disaster. My district is so amazing. I have a 2 Englishmen, a Welshman, a Scotsman, a German, and then me and the sisters are American. It was way fun to play sports, and to let loose and have fun. This was the first time that I had played sports, and so I was a bit scared. I prayed really hard that I wouldn’t get hurt, and it worked. I stayed good and healthy, and was able to play hard the whole time. Sister Mather had her appendix out last year and she was really worried about me. She was in Southport (my last district) for the past 4 ½ months, so she has been here for the whole ordeal. She got on my case a little on Monday, and I just said that I have to find out what I can and can’t do sometime right?? She understood and the games continued. It was a lot of fun. After the activity I headed off to Blackpool.

Tuesday – I was in Blackpool all day long, and it was great. That town is really nice. There are a lot of “interesting” people there, but it was still fun. Blackpool is right on the coast and as you can tell by the pictures its quite nice. We need to go there for an afternoon. Blackpool is full of tourists all the time, so we should fit in nicely. It was a cool town though, lots of things to see (being and tourist town and all). I was able to do a baptism interview as well while I was there. Here name was Zivile, and she is from Lithuania. She was so cool, and so ready. She is married to a missionary that left this mission when I came into it. I had never met him until Tuesday, I had only heard that he was crazy, and all the reports were correct. It was good though. He got to baptize his wife on Saturday, and now of course the next step is the temple! AMAZING!!!!

Wednesday – Pretty normal day. Nothing too exciting, just work as usual. It was good though.

Thursday – Zone Conference in Chorley. It was great. Nothing special, just a normal easy going zone conference. I got to see all of my friends of course, and that was great. Afterwards though, we traveled to Lancaster with the sisters to do another baptism interview, which got canceled while we were on the train. Yea it was fun. We got to help the sisters teach a man, and then headed home. Lancaster is a really cool town as well. It is extremely old and medieval. There is a really cool castle right in the middle of it! We will have to go there too. Good thing all of these places are really quite close to Chorley huh?

Friday – Normal day, except for the dinner appointment. We went to our Chinese investigators for dinner. Oh my goodness I have never had anything like that. They made us authentic Chinese hot pot, and it was amazing. I can now use chopsticks quite proficiently and I have a new found love for Chinese food. I thought that I had died and gone to heaven. E. Dittmer I think did die and go to heaven, cause he couldn’t stop smiling and laughing! It was Chinese New Year this past weekend, so they are going to be cooking for us again. Something traditional for the New Year’s celebration, I am really excited.

Saturday – We were back to Lancaster. I got to give the interview that I was supposed to give on Thursday. This lady was named Sheila, and she was 65. She was so amazing. She basically answered all the interview questions before I asked them it was great. E. Dittmer and I were going to alone and just head back right after the interview but at the last second Elder Rowley (zone leader that we live with) felt that we needed to go on exchanges. So him and I took the car over to Lancaster which allowed us to work over there for a bit after the interview. During that time, we found a man named Josh and taught him the entire first lesson on a bridge in the middle of town. It was so amazing! Elder Rowley had felt that there was someone that we needed to teach that day, and I had faith in his prompting, and we found him. It was a great testimony builder! It was a way cool day.  

Sunday – President and Sister Bullock came to the Preston ward and as always gave amazing talks. I love them so much. I have grown such a love and respect for them, especially after my surgery. They are great!!!!

Overall the week was great. We still managed to pass the mission standard and set up 19 appointments. We also got 5 new investigators which was amazing! I am really loving Preston. This is rapidly becoming one of my top favourite places!

This week is going to be much quieter, but still busy. I am going to the other side of Preston in the South-Ribble area on Friday and Saturday, so that will be good. I have to do yet another baptism interview. This time the person is 8 years old though, so it should be good. I am a little scared for that one ha ha ha!

One last thing…. We just started reading the Book of Mormon as a mission and we are marking it in a new way. Any time the Saviour is named in anyway we mark it in one colour. Any teaching from the saviour in another colour, and any attribute of the saviour gets marked in another colour. It has been really great so far. I am in 1 Nephi 10 right now, and I am loving it. You are welcome to join if you want. We are doing it as a mission and I am really excited for it!

I love you all so much. Keep studying and keep working hard!!!!!!!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 2/8/10

Hello to all of you amazing people!!!!

Well this week has really been a great week. I have really enjoyed it. We have worked really hard, and seen a lot of good results. We were able to get 96/18 for QGC’s and appointments this week, and that was a really great accomplishment. That is two weeks in a row now that we have reached the standard for the mission. Talk about exciting! I am really happy about it all. The only problem is that we are really struggling to turn those appointments into new investigators. That is the part that is really annoying. We could find and talk to people all day long, but unless we can get into their house to teach them, we have nothing. We are trying to do all that we can to qualify for the lord to bless us. We are being obedient, and working hard, so I know that the blessings will come soon. We are close - we have to be!!!!!

This week was way fun though because I got to go to Manchester on Wednesday to the mission home for the big district leaders meeting. That was a ton of fun, and a great experience. President Bullock is so amazing. He never ceases to amaze me. He taught me so many new things that day, and some things that I am going to be able to take all throughout my life. He talked a lot about how he does not think lightly about these big meetings that we have. He told us that taking 19 of the best missionaries that he has off the streets is a big deal. The only reason that he does it is because he truly knows that it will help the mission. It was a great day. I really am excited for all of you to meet him! The mission home is amazing too. I have not been there for a long time so it was really good to go back. I am excited for you to see that too. I think that the best part of the day was the fact of who I got to spend time with there. I got to see good old E. Nielsen, Weekes, Llaguno, and many others, but the best of all was Elder Lloyd. My boy is all grown up and leading districts. I have to say that two of my happiest moments were when I sat next to him in the training meeting, and now when I get to sit with him in the mission home at a district leader meeting. He is an amazing missionary, and I am so glad that I had the chance to give him his start. “I have no greater joy to know that my children walk in truth!!!!” It was a great day.

So this past fast Sunday was amazing. We are teaching two Chinese girls named Nicky and Yumi (I know I laughed and thought about the Bankhead girls), and they are going to get baptized on the 27th of February. They have been doing really well and progressing well, but they just need to jump to that next level. For Yumi that was coming to church. Yesterday we fasted and prayed for them specifically, and the Lord answered our prayers in a glorious way. They both came to church, even though it was early they were there! We were so happy about that and we told them that we had fasted for them. They were so grateful that we would do that for them! I love Chinese people. They are the most humble, teachable, and intelligent people I have ever come across. I have never had investigators volunteer to say the prayer let alone pray like thre have been a member all their lives! They are incredible. The Lord knows what he is doing with china that is for sure. We teach them here in Preston (now dubbed little China) and then they go back and build the church in China! As soon as the church comes to the light in that great county it is going to EXPLODE because we already have so many young people over there! I never thought that I would have an impact on the missionary work in China, but I already am! This gospel is amazing!

This week is going to be crazy! Tonight I am going to Blackpool (pray for me, I hear that it is the Las Vegas of England) and I will be there until tomorrow. I am going to be giving a baptismal interview there tomorrow night. Then on Thursday we have Zone Conference in Chorley, and right after that I am going to Lancaster to do a Baptismal interview there. Then on Saturday I am going to back to Lancaster to work with the sisters for a few hours. Yea I have decided that I am going to have no time to breathe this week, but that’s ok, I don’t mind! This is what missionary work is all about right?!?!?! I love it!

Alright, in closing I want to tell you about what I have been learning from the D&C this week. In Section 103:36, and 104:82 it teaches us the equation for all victory!!!! Check this out…..

Faith + Diligence + Humility
============================ = VICTORY!!!!!
 Prayer

How cool is that. Basically it is saying this…..
Atonement = Victory

It's all true. Nothing about the gospel is false. I love it!!!!

I love you all so much, thank you for all that you do for me!!!

Elder Neal

This is from District Leader Council:

E-mail from Neal - Received 2/1/10

HIYA!!!!!

Well what a great past few days this has been. Some amazing things have happened, and I am so grateful for all of them. I am loving Preston! There are so many great people here that I get to spend time with. I keep on meeting and teaching more and more Chinese people as well, and all of them are so intelligent! They are all over here on a study abroad program, and most of them are studying International Business. They are amazing though. I got to give a baptism interview to a man named Oska on Thursday, and it was a great experience. He was so committed to the gospel! The only concern that you always have to have is if they fully understand all that you say. The ones that I have met so far are really good about that. Oska spoke really good English, and he understood everything so the interview went very smoothly. I know that I am here for a reason like it says in D&C 100:4, and I am excited to fulfill this reason. Here is what President Bullock wrote to me today, it really made me feel good….

Elder Johnson, I gave a lot of time and prayer as to where you should finish your mission and I had a very strong impression that this assignment in Preston was just right for you. I know that you still struggle occasionally with ups and downs but I have all the confidence that you will stay up all the time, lead that big district and keep the momentum going in the Preston area and in your district. I have a lot of faith and trust in you. With love, President Bullock

I really love that man so much, and I am eternally grateful for the things that he has taught to me. There is so much that I have learned from him, and so many life lessons that he has helped me learn and apply it is unreal. Not only that, but he is not exactly small when it comes to the business world, so I might be able to use him as a reference some day, but that’s not a totally pure in heart desire ha ha ha. I am still very excited to be here, and I know that I am going to have a ton of fun these last 3 months.

I get to go to Manchester on Wednesday for the big district leader council meeting with president. I will be at the mission home with all the other District leaders from 10 until 4. I am really looking forward to it. I have heard about them doing this since president came in, but this is the first time that I have gotten to go to one. I am really excited to go, and to learn more from him. I am doing a 5 min training about how to conduct a baptismal interview so pray for me about that one!

So we got 4 new investigators yesterday which was an amazing thing. Two of them were students from China, and the other two were from India. Neither of them spoke much English (especially the ones from India), but the lessons went well. The girls from China want to become Christians, so I am glad that they bumped into us. We took one of the Chinese recent converts with us so he was able to help with the language barrier at times. It was really good. We got into the door of another man last night as well, but we didn’t teach him a proper lesson. The reason that we didn’t is because he was the carer of his severely mentally handicapped friend. I won’t go into details about the situation and about how his friend was dressed, or should I say not dressed, but lets just say that it was interesting. We are going back on Friday to teach them, and hopefully it will be a lot better.

Lets see….. Preston is actually quite a small area compared to some of my previous areas. It is probably not as small as Chorley, but it could be close. Wigan and Shrewsbury take the cake for size though. Oh yea speaking of Shrewsbury, they put Elders back into there. There is now a threesome of elders down there, so I am curious as to what will happen. I got moved out of there, and the senior couple move in. They did an amazing job down there, and they really got things moving. They had a lot of success, and got a lot of people baptised, that I never thought was possible. Good for them. Preston is a proper College town. It reminds me of Fort Collins around campus. It is really nice though. I haven’t gotten to see too much of it, but what I have seen is great. The Church building is an exact cookie cutter of the Shrewsbury chapel! I know that time is going to soar, and that scares me, but at the same time that means good things to. I still have a lot to learn, and I am very excited about that!

I haven’t had an overly huge amount of time to study anything new lately. I have just been studying for lessons and trainings and what not, but hopefully I will have something new for you soon. We are going to be starting the Book of Mormon reading next week, so I am trying to get as far in the D&C as I can. I read section 100 today, and the first 2 verses really stick out to me. I think that any missionary that is struggling with thought and worries about home needs to read that section and it should give them comfort. I love the scriptures, and I really love expounding on the scriptures. I think that that is one skill that I have really developed through out my mission. All the members of my flat (the zone leaders) say that they admire me for my “mass well of knowledge.” I have no clue what they are talking about, but hey it’s a good compliment. I have studied a lot, but more importantly I have experienced a lot, and that’s where the knowledge comes from. I am able to apply all the crazy experiences in my life to principals of the gospel. Who ever thought that snowboarding, drum line, and DJ-ing would teach a man gospel principals? Well they have taught me more than one, and I am able to use them all the time!

I love you all so much. I am so thankful for the many blessings that I have received from being a member of this amazing clan!!! I love you and I thank you for all of your prayers and support! Keep on studying, and keep on working hard. Tell everyone that you see that I am doing great, and if you see any of my close friends tell them that I am waiting to hear from them.

Talk you soon!!!!!

Love,
Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 1/28/10

Hello to one and all

Well the time in Wigan has come to a close. After 6 glorious, but crazy months I have been moved. I had to say goodbye to the amazing-ness that is Wigan. I had some hard times there, but I made the best of it, and I left knowing that I changed many lives for the better. That area was so good for me, and I will honestly never forget it.

I am now however moved to one of the most amazing areas that I could be in. President came up to me yesterday and first asked me how I was doing with my surgery and what not, and then he said this to me…… “The _________ ward is historically the highest baptizing area in the mission. You are sent there for a specific purpose, so go and do what you know how to do.” That put me back a bit for sure, but I was really flattered by that comment. I may not be the best finder, but I have been really blessed with the talent of teaching, and that is how you get people in the water is by teaching them. I feel that is why I had the great success that I had in Wigan. I am excited to be here now, and it's so cool that I get to add the famous city of Preston to my list of areas! And yes this is probably going to be my last area as well. I am now the District Leader in the Preston area. I am living in the same flat as the Zone leaders, and I have a huge district. I am over South Ribble, Blackpool, Lancaster (sisters), and technically the zone leaders, but they don’t really count. I am way excited. Here is my address……

49 Centenary Mill
Preston
PR1 5JQ

Please write soon and often (pass that on to all those who need to reply to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wink wink, hint hint)

This area is full of college students, and many, many, many, many, etc prepared CHINESE people!!! I met two of them last night, and I will testify to the fact that when China becomes open to missionaries, it is going to EXPLODE!!!!!!!! They are amazing people. So prepared and intelligent, and they are great to work with. I will tell you more as time goes on, but just know that this area is going to change me a lot. I am going to have to teach super simple, and that is exciting. I taught about fasting last night, and I have never taught that simple in my whole mission, but I also don’t think that the spirit has been as strong in all my teaching. Funny how that works!

My new companion is named Elder Dittmer, and he is from Hamburg, Germany. He came out last transfer so I am his follow-up trainer. He is really great. His English is very, very good and he is a really powerful missionary. I am really excited to be with him. I know that I am going to learn so much from him, and I hope that I can pass off some knowledge as well. He is about 6 foot 4 or 5, so I feel very short when I am with him. But that’s good though cause if we get into trouble no one will mess with him.

The last few days in Wigan were good. I got to say goodbye to everyone that I needed to. I didn’t really get too worked up about it cause I am going to be back in a few months, and I told them all that. I am excited to see everyone again. Elder Weekes took over the DL position in Wigan, and I know that he is going to do a great job. I totally called that that was going to happen as well. He will do great. We were still living at the Wigan flat when I left, so that made transfers interesting. We had to go over to the Hindley flat and get all of my stuff and truck it over to where we were staying. It all got done in the end, and all that I forgot was my hair gel…… CURSES!!

I am glad to report that I think that I have made a full recovery. I had to lift some of my stuff yesterday, and nothing hurt at all. I was trying to be as careful as I could be, and it worked, I didn’t get hurt. I was also running around a bit too. It was mine and Elder Burnett’s last time to play Frisbee (he loves ultimate too) so I pulled out my disk and we threw it around the parking lot. It was great to get out and run again. I am going to start running a lot so that I get rid of all this fat that I have gained. I think that I got all of my weight back that I lost in the hospital. No fun!!! President called me on Monday morning asking how I was feeling, and how recovered I thought that I was. I told him about 85-90% which on hindsight was probably not totally accurate, but that’s what came to my mind. I found out yesterday that I was being looked at for two areas….. Either here in Preston or in Chester. Chester is a bike area, and they didn’t think that I was healthy enough for that so I am now in Preston. I am very happy about that, cause I did not want to go to Chester. I am happy right where I am now! I would have gone of course, but I am here now, and I am not moving.

Well I think that is all that I have to share right now. I love you all and I thank you for your prayers. They were answered!!! I was studying D&C 93 today, and I learned some way cool things about receiving the fullness of the glory of God….. Way Cool!!!!!! Check it out. I will be writing again on Monday so take care until then!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 1/18/10

Hey there Fam!!!

Well I am back on my feet and having fun. I am not fully back to my normal self, and I don’t think that I will be for a while, but I am at least out working again. I stayed in until Friday, and then I have been out and about since then. I have discovered that a little extra rest is needed each day, and then I have the energy that I need to get through the day. I am planning on that extra rest being done away with by the time that this week passes. I am planning on getting transferred so I have to be able to lift bags. That might be a big pain, but I will do what I need to do I guess. I almost finished the Book of Mormon this week. I am on Moroni 6 so you do the math. I am really loving it. The reason that I am trying to hurry to finish is because in Feb we are starting to read the Book of Mormon as a mission. We are going to be highlighting all the passages that either talk about Christ, or the passages where he speaks. I am really excited. I am not going to be finished by the time I go home unless I break my leg or something, but I will continue it when I get home. I set a goal to finish the Book of Mormon twice this year, along with the New Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants. I know that I can do it…. Daily study right? Anyways I hope that you also enjoyed the pictures. That is the true evidence that I was in the hospital, IV and all!! It was an experience that is for sure.

I really don’t have a ton to report on this week, cause I didn’t get out that much. I did begin to go out on Friday though and I set up two appointments that day, it felt very good. It was a testimony that I was still a missionary, and that my skills didn’t vanish over those 2 weeks of inactivity. I felt good, and have felt good ever since. I have to give a district meeting tomorrow, so I will need some help with that one.

Our house is still waterless. The pipe that burst has not been fixed, and so we are still living with the other elders in Wigan. President wants us out of there ASAP, but we can’t go anywhere until it is all fixed. We have been bugging the landlord, and nothing has happened. We are getting tired of waiting around, but living in the 4 man flat is way fun. We are getting a lot of work done and doing good things, so we will survive until we can get into our flat again.

Ok I am really running out of things to say because I haven’t done anything. You are right that transfers are next week, and so I will be emailing probably on Wednesday. Everyone says that I am going to be a Zone Leader, but I don’t know yet. President asked me about putting sisters in Wigan, so who knows what is going to happen. I am just praying that I get a car for my last area. The chances of that are kinda high, so we will see. I am ready to move. Wigan has been great, but the time has come to get a move on I think. I am going to be going into my last area I believe so that will be good as well.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and support throughout this process. I have really been well taken care of through out it all. The ward has been great, and so have all the missionaries. Don’t worry about a thing, I am doing great.

Keep on studying and constantly improving. I love you all, and I want you all to know that I pray for you constantly. I am so grateful for all the things that I have been given in my life! Thank you for all that you do for me!!

Love you all,
Elder Neal

E-Mail from Neal - Received 1/11/10

Hello one and all!

I am doing quite good I would say. I have been inside constantly since i talked to you last, and that is starting to get to me. I have had a lot of time to study and chill so it has been nice. It is preparing me to go out and destroy my area for the last 3 months. That's what the plan is anyways. The wound is looking good. It is still swollen and tender, but it is looking good. I wanted to keep the bandage off of it, but I figured that while I slept I didn't want my pants to rub on it so i cover it back up. We are switching around companions all the time, so I never have the same comp for more than a few hours. Elder Burnett is going out quite a lot cause he is the missionary for our area, and so he is getting quite tired, but he is doing well. Both areas did really well last week considering that we were 1 missionary down, not to mention that it was the leader that was down. Things are going really well.

I got the card that the family sent! It was very nice I liked it a lot! Unfortunately I really don't have a whole ton to tell you, cause I have been in a flat for the past week, and it is looking that I might be there for this week as well. I am going to be going to interviews and training on Thursday, and I will talk more to president there. I am just taking it easy and healing up. I went to church yesterday, and it hurt a bit to have to stay active, and I was very tired at the end of it, but I survived! I had to wear all of Elder Weekes clothes, cause I didn't bring a suit from my house.... it's crazy! The big problem now is the snow and ice. We did get a bunch of snow on Tuesday, and it has not made things easy. I have almost slipped a few times, and each time that I do it doesn't feel good. I am having to be very, very careful when I do anything! I think that that will hold me back quite a bit, but I will survive.

We had a funny surprise a few nights ago. The Working elders were stopping by my flat to grab the post and a few things for Sunday, and they discovered that a pipe had burst in our flat, and that it was now flooding! Yea that was way fun. We are going over there now to see what the damage is, and we are going to call the land lord and get it all sorted. I guess it's a good thing that we are staying where we are, cause now the Hindley flat is just a mess. No bother though it will all get worked out. I should be back there by the end of the week.

Well I have been studying quite a lot, and i have learned a lot of cool things. I read all of 3rd Nephi and I am almost finished with Mormon now, so I should finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the week. I have to get off the internet now cause they need the computer, but I think that that is all that I need to say.

I thank you for all of your prayers, they have been felt! Stay strong and keep studying. Don't worry too much about me, I am well looked after. The ward is feeding us every night this week HA HA HA!!! The Relief Society is the same everywhere!!!!!!!

Love you all so much,

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal - Received 1/4/10

Hello to one and all!

Thank you for your prayers. I have really needed them this week. I am happy to report that I am home, out of hospital, and much happier for it. I got released this morning which was a great relief. I thought that I was going to have to stay in for another day or so, but the Doctor came by today and said that I was free to go. Everything was looking fine and there was no reason for me to stay. I am still no where near my full self, but that understandable. I am planning on doing nothing but resting and chilling for the next few days. The other Elders are going to be switching off who stays with me  for the next week at least. I am really tired and haven’t eaten properly in almost a week so I have a long way to go.

So let me tell you about what has happened to me in the last week…..

Tuesday – Worked all day long. Started feeling a bit ill in the evening right before bed, but nothing unusual.

Wednesday – woke up at 2 in the morning thinking that I was going to DIE!!!! I think that that might have been when the rupture occurred. The pain settled a bit and was able to sleep, but not well. I woke up still in pain, but I was not able to work at all. Stayed in that day and just kinda suffered. I didn’t think that it was anything major until that night when I had a sudden flash of inspiration telling me it was my appendix. I made some calls, confirmed it, and went off to hospital. Took morphine and was able to be comfortable for a long time.

Thursday – Had surgery about 2, and spent the day sleeping and waking back up.

Friday – Really good day. Was able to get back into my normal cloths, have a wash, and eat some food. I felt great all day long, and thought that it was all going to be great.

Saturday – Horrible day. I woke up and threw up several times. I had eaten too fast, and my body wasn’t ready for it. My fault. I suffered through that day improving a bit in the evening. I was not a happy bunny that day.

Sunday – Felt a bit better, but still not amazing. I was able to take a shower, and relax a bit. I ate a bit, but nothing huge. I was able to partake of the Sacrament, and all was well. Still thought that I had a few days to go though.

Monday – Woke up feeling alright. Got told I could go home, and now I am back. I am still very weak,  and I really need to eat something really badly!

I am alive though….. Just! The Socialized health care isn’t overly bad. I was in a room with 9 other men the whole time so that was interesting. I have never been a patient in a hospital before so I really have nothing to compare it too. I guess you can all tell me what should have happened, I will tell you what happened to me. It was ok I guess, but I know that it could have been better. I am now doing my own thing now, and working to get back to normal. I again thank you for all the prayers, and ask that they continue. I am not out of the woods yet. It has been an interesting experience, but nothing that has destroyed me. I have just had to laugh a lot. It hurts, but that’s all I can do! It was a nice way to bring in the new year, that’s for sure, one that I will never forget. Oh yea I think that I lost something like 6 pounds since I was in hospital…. Fun huh.

Well I think that that is about all.  I am going to go and get something to eat now, cause I am dying.

Again thanks for all the support and prayers. THEY HAVE BEEN FELT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of Love,

Elder Recovering Neal

Message from Mom

[Editor's Note] For those who haven't heard, Neal had his appendix out last Thursday afternoon. It had ruptured before they got him into surgery (thank socialized medicine for that one...they made him wait for the surgery). Mom has spoken with the mission president several times, so we are keeping up to date on the situation. Here's a message from Mom:

Neal is doing well and should get out of the hospital either today or tomorrow. His Mission President says he will be on “house arrest” for a couple of weeks. I want to send a snail-mail to Neal every day because he may not be able to get our e-mails for awhile. I’d like to include some things to help him get through these next couple of weeks while he is recovering . So here is the plan. Saving Elder Neal – 100 things to do (Missionary approved) to fight boredom. If you will all send me a few ideas, I think we can reach the goal and I will send him about 10 ideas every day. I’m sure that you can think of things that will make him laugh, but some things that will really be productive also. It is so hard not to be able to call him on the phone. I’d really like to do that every day. Oh well……………..

Thanks guys. Judy