HAPPY 4th!!!

July 6, 2010
Happy 4th!
It sounds like you all had a good fourth of July. I missed watching the fireworks and having a fire in the backyard. Like I said in my e-mail we just worked on the 4th. I think I know why everyone always thinks that we're with the Jehovah's Witnesses. We don't celebrate holidays as missionaries! We're always working!
Well, we have interviews coming up. They're this Monday. Hey, that's mom's b-day! I'll let president know...maybe I'll get a special phone call home! Um, yeah...not a chance that'll work but what the heck, I'll still let him know!
Wow...I just got done spending two hours in the kitchen! I made myself a tone of fried rice. That way I won't have to cook all week. I cooked all the rice and then breaded and seasoned the chunks of chicken and then fried them and then I fried some onions and peppers and then cooked some egg and mixed it all together with some sauce I bought. it took forever to make but it tastes super good. I'm starting to appreciate more and more all the dinners you made me over the years mom. Actually, EVERYTHING you did for me! It's hard to keep up with everything!
Well tonight we have dinner with a recent convert in the ward. She was baptized right before I got here. She loves to cook for us and feed us. She is also wanting to do a special musical number in sacrament meeting. She wants to sing 'I Need Thee Every Hour' and she wants me to play the piano. I've been taking a few minutes on p-days and before church on Sundays to try and figure out an arrangement. I've got a pretty good idea so far. We'll see if it pans out. She said she wants to do it but she wasn't even brave enough to go ask the bishop if she could and so I had to ask for her. We'll see if she'll get up and sing for a crowd.
My bike chain is making all sorts of funny noises. I need to oil it. Other than that my bike is still holding up fine.
So, Sam, have you written any more stories? I remember you telling me in a letter back at the beginning of the year that you finished the first draft of your Charlie Pool story. Have you revised it at all? Is it going to be on the market soon?! Have you had any luck with publishing your poetry?
So, a couple days ago I was looking through the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible and I found a couple of neat things. JST Gen 17:11-12 talks about baptism at eight years old and JST Gen 50:24-38 is that scripture in the Book of Mormon about how the Bible and Book of Mormon will come together. I think it's in 2 NEphi 3. Anyway, I thought it was interesting how those scriptures were lost and how much confusion there is today because they were lost.
Well, I know that this letter is short but I can't think of any news. Hope your all doing well. Take care.
Love you all,
Love Ben