First Area, Riverside, CA

Dear Family.

I am writing from the public library of Riverside California. Riverside is my first area, there are 12 areas but im in riverside. It sounds like its the most alive area next to Corona. It is monday the 24th, it is my second P day, P days are on Monday. I wrote a letter last week but didnt get around to sending it ill send two today. Some of this is in my other letter but ill say it here again. Elder Harding is my trainer. He is one of the best missonaries out here. He was a zone leader right before he started training me. He only has this transfer and one more left, so about 2 and a 1/2 more months. He is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He likes to surf.

We live in a small house. There are 6 Elders in there. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a main room. Elder Lopez(spain) and Elder Russel(Virgina) sleep in one, while Elder Ealy(Pennsylavia) and Elder Lund(Texas) sleep in the other. Elder Harding(Virgina) and I sleep on the floor in the main room, it will probably be like that at least for the next month.

There were some investigators that the other Elders gave to us when we came in. They are Arturo and Max. And then Zaidi and her son Wilson. We commited them all to baptism on the 15th, which was my fourth day out. (Max wasnt there so we actually commited him a little later) They are all really cool. They had already came to church 5 times before we got there. The first three times they just came on their own and the missionaries thought they were members.
Elder Harding and I have taught a lot already, thats the best part.

I can understand pretty well what is going on, but most people think im oblivious. There a joke that whenever you dont know whats going on just nod and say "si". A member will ask me something and whenever i nod and say si they laugh because they think i dont know what they said.

Elder Harding and I go to the Spanish branch along with two other Elders, Elder Price and Blackburn. Church can be very hard to stay awake for because we are really tired, and trying to understand takes a lot of energy.

I got my bike one of the office Elders put together my bike so and first it was not working so well, but then a Mexican saw it and fixed it for me. Now it works really well its got big smooth tires and is really fast. When we go down hills I hunch over and get aerodynmic while Elder Harding is peddaling and I pass him, its really fun riding a bike. We just got a car on Saturday, for when dinners are far away and things like that. But bikes are really fun, you can talk to a lot of people, and they keep you in shape. All the other Elders are telling me im going to gain a lot of weight but i dont think I will.

Well I hope things are going well over there.

Elder James Meiners