MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE

Wow, most confusing week of all time, its been intense! Glad that home is the same, at least we know that craziness is a constant there. Ha, yeah, they called me 2 hours after I wrote last week's email and told me that ACTUALLY 10 elders who were "visa-waiters" headed to Mexico had arrived, and we needed to create 10 more areas with 10 trainers for them - SO I'm training Elder Paustenbaugh from Oklahoma until he goes on to Sonora Mexico(by Arizona). We had a few confusing days in which 3 of us in Logan were without companions, so we made a threesome and just taught people in a big combined area... but by Thursday we had things settled out, and the AP's decided to call us finally and tell us what to do. Confusing!
Last day of school, eh? Wow, took a while, here they finished like 2 weeks ago! Not fair eh? Enjoy the summer, it finally got above 59 here yesterday...
Hope the hamster funeral goes well. Cookie is in a better place for sure. Everything you learn in primary IS true, Holly, so don't worry. We actually taught a lady once that was very concerned if she'd see her dog in heaven. My companion at the time actually found some scriptures that seem like we will be with the animals that were here on earth with us, and that they will be happy and perfect. So, don't worry.
Can you believe I only have 1/3rd left of my mission? It's crazy! June just started! I'm kind of envious of Elder Paustenbaugh, he's just starting - but stinks that he waited in the MTC for 4 MONTHS for his visa and it hasnt come yet (surprised he survived that...) I remember talking Spanish at the beginning, yikes, painful experience. So weird that I can actually understand it, and I promise I have not put forth the necessary study and effort to speak it as well as I do now, I've been pretty blessed. Missions are pretty crazy stuff.
I don't like how some things are out of our control though - Satan has taken a huge hit on a lot of people this week. If there is one theme I've seen, Satan attacks families. I have seen SO many divorces and spouses just walking out and leaving the other with nothing. Its sick. We know a family here, 5 kids, and the wife wanted to feel "young again" or something, and now is living in another town, probably dating some people, and her husband is distraught with 5 kids every other week and not knowing what to do, after 15 years of marriage! and Satan keeps dragging them down and away from what we're teaching him. Another guy, nicest guy EVER punched his wife saturday, someone called the police, and he's probably getting deported. Ugly, she doesnt know what to do either, probably won't ever see him again. They were doing so well, thinking about all getting baptized and finding faith in Christ... Its crazy, like someone just flips a switch and the family that looked so nice now... isnt... just everyone try to invite love into the home and read the scriptures and go to church and pray and all that, it works. And pray for these families...yikes.
Anyways, sorry, less serious - so last week we hiked a mountain again - Sergio took us. Sergio is like the missionaries' best friend, baptized like 7 years ago, he wants to do stuff with us all the time, funny and kinda different guy, but anyways, we went, hiked a mile across a valley, then started climbing up, and halfway he announced that he was going back, and if we wanted a ride back, we had like 40 minutes and he was gonna leave. So we continued, got to the top (coool) - neat because we went to the back side of the mountain and saw there was a valley way up in the mountains, and an even higher mountain on the other side, its impressive) and realized we had 20 minutes left. And 3 miles to go down the face of a mountain and a whole valley to his car. We took some pictures, then began to sprint. Down a mountain. (The Elder with the Air Jordan shoes only fell twice). It was sweet. We got down the ENTIRE mountain in 8 minutes, with 2 30 second water breaks, and then we sprinted the remaining 1 1/2 miles across the plain in the valley in 12 minutes. I've never ben quite so close to death, ha. Oh man. Beautiful, but intense. we made it though, at 2:00 we got there and Sergio made us eat cake and some questionable turkey sandwiches. Good stuff. The mission is crazy. Thought we needed a story to match the boating and storm adventure.
Oh man, well, 2 baptisms here in Logan Saturday, Michael and that lady Isabel, and a girl that didnt get baptized in Layton invited me down Saturday afternoon, so 3 baptisms Saturday, good week! Good job surviving another year of school, luck with the song mom, that sounds pretty classic, I'll see it all on Youtube in a few months, I'm sure.
Gospel is true. Pray, read, and let the Spirit in. Love you all a lot, hope life is good, and we'll hear from you later!
-elder christopher tHelin

Ps way to go Henry!
pPs good luck with girls camp, heheheheheh