Elder Pickle's First Email!

It was nice to be able to read all your emails today! Oh and just keep sending letters to the mission office, that's the best way to send them. Ok so when I had my interview with the mission president, he told that my young mens leaders gave me the highest rating you could get for some reason (I don't know why) haha So he told me " We can tell your going to be an awesome missionary so we're sending you to an area that has been struggling for a long time... so yah that was kinda scary haha but yeah so the area is in Grand Junction which is wayout west, the Grand Junction 1st Ward. My Companion, Elder Reese, is the district leader and he's really cool. He's from Dallas, and he's been out for like 17 months or something. His only problem is that he loves to sleep in and he forgets a lot of things... so I kinda feel like the trainer at times haha his last companion also left for home after being here for like 3 weeks too haha but that wasn't because of Elder Reese. He's an awesome comp though. So the area is interesting. They're are a lot of Vietnam and Gulf War vets and a lot of College kids. So half the people we talk to are either drunk or high haha its really sad though cause there's quite a bit of poverty and a lot of people have problems. The teaching pool is very small, so most of our lessons are with less actives cause there are a lot of those. The ward doesn't real trust the missionaries at all too, because of the Elder who left early. So we have quite a bit of work to do. And everyone here generally isn't in love with the missionaries, and Coloradans don't like Californians so much so I kind of have the double wammy there. I've already been yelled at and heckled quite a bit too. Most of them just yell out there car window as they drive by. One old guy yelled at me to get a job and he sped off haha it was pretty funny. I just thought I have the hardest job out there haha and I'm employed by God haha We also get a lot of doors shut on our face and a lot of cancellations. I can tell now that the area really has been struggling so we're just gonna have to work that much harder I guess. Oh yeah and Im also on a bike! Which sucks cause its super hot and dry, but I did buy a sweet bike so I'm pretty stoked. The bikes help out a lot too. We've been finding people like crazy. We literally talk to pretty much anyone who walks by, and we hand them cards and get their info and share a message. the only problem though is that they're all young single adults so we have to hand em over to the singles ward missionaries, but its all good cause at least they're somewhat interested. Oh and I missed my first sunday at church cause Elder Reese got pink eye, and we weren't allowed to leave he apartment at all. So it was pretty fun staying in our little 20x20 foot apartment for like 30 hours haha Oh you'll be getting pictures soon of everything but are apartment is in the back yard of one oof the members and its super tiny but its kinda cool too. the members who are renting the place to us are way awesome too. But keep the emails and letters coming, they help a ton because its been a pretty long week. I'll try to get back to everyone but everything is so crazy right now and it might take awhile so don't get too mad at me! Anyways I love you all and I miss you!