ts raining here too. it rained realy hard for 2 or 3 days last week, then it was the hotest that it has ever been here. it rained lat night again. well im here for another month and a half. that will be 7.5 months in one area. at first i was a little down because ive knocked every door in the area and asked for references from almost all of the members. but we have some cool investigators and we should have success. my companion, is going to the other end of vallarta to be a zone leader. so im staying, but elder mikami, who trained me, trained another elder before me and hes coming to be my companion, my "brother" in the mission. hows kristen? if you havnt sent the package yet, could you send a few more things? if not dont worry about it, a new bag to carry my things not a backpack because its realy hot and i sweat alot, i take off my backpack and i have a back pack shaped sweat stain that dust sticks to. so a messenger bag type thing maybee? small i only need room for my scriptures a ldm and pamphlets. and new dress pants. 2 pairs? things that can be washed in a washing machine. cheap. some photos as well, maybee i have some on the computer that kristen is using. thanks mom. i love you. im in helaman 2 in the book of mormon. if i read 5 pages a day ill finish it before the next transfures. i finished preach my gospel.
good luck selling the house, make sure that you say the land scaping was done by and experienced profesional.
where areyou going to be trained to be a personal trainer? youll have to help me train for my iron man. if i keep jumping rope for 20 minutes every morning ill be in perfect shape to break 12 hours.
ive heard good things about my new companion. i just hope he will want to run with me in the mornings. its wonderful running.
thank you for everything mom. what is val doing right now? il email her rapido after yours mom i love you.
bye
-----Original Message-----
From: "Mardie"
To: "'benjamin LaRiviere'"
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:10:18 -0400
Subject: RE: care packages and bikes
Dear Ben,
We have had a lot of rain this week. Twice we missed an hour or more of swimming because of a thunderstorm. It sure is green and beautiful here.
Kristen and Sal have been here this week. Scott was gone on some business, so Kristen decided to come here.
We had one person come and look at the house on Saturday. We had made up our minds that no one would come all summer, so we had let the packing and organizing go. We worked 4-5 hours Friday night and 5 more on Saturday. Kristen helped a lot trying to get it to look fresh and de-cluttered. You wouldn't believe what is under my bed right now! We ran out of places to stash things.
We didn't hear how they liked the house, so I figure, not enough. Anyway, next time should be easier.
Dad and I are dipping shingles in stain to get them ready to be stapled to the house. It is actually fun if you don't do too much at a time. There are a lot of shingles going on this house! Rick says he'll teach me to use the staple gun if I want!
I'm off to Girls' Camp this week. It might be my last time.
I'm just reading the Book of Mormon now. No Old Testament just yet. How far along are you in Spanish?
I just talked to Ashley Harper on the phone. She said your mission president and trainer both said really, really good things about you.
I'll try to get Ben Gong's address. I'll send it to you as soon as I get it.
I plan to get trained in becoming a personal trainer.
I love you and think you are doing a lot of good. Your family will be blessed for generations for your faithfulness. Keep on keeping on. I'll try to do the same.
Love,
Mum

i might not be able to write next week because im almost defenetly leaving. things are well here. ashley harper came to my ward yesterday. she was here studying spanish from byu and they are in vallarta for a week and came to my ward. it was a little weird, i talked to her for a few minuets and went off to sit in class with investigators. but she said that ben gong is going to taiwan? do you know what mission? can you ask and then send me his address if you can find it. where are you reading in the scriptures? do you have any cool insights you want to share? i kind of want to read the old testiment, and read all about the symbolismo. but i should finish the book of mormon is spanish first. sam said he broke 25 in the 50 free. thats increadible. i cant beleive that. it started raining so it muddy and i havnt run for a while. its okay though. im still jumping rope. i love exurcising, i always feel great after and more focused. well im almost out of time, we are going to eat at a realy expesive restaurant for a zone leader who finishes his mission this saturday. life is good. im excited to get to know a new area. let me know how val is doing. love you.
ben
-----Original Message-----
From: "Mardie"
To: "'benjamin LaRiviere'"
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 21:18:47 -0400
Subject: care packages and bikes


Dear Ben,
I just checked out the care packages website. I will send you anything you want. Quick and easy food; junk food; stamps; you name it. I just don't want to get you stuff you can't use.
Dad and I have been riding our bikes in the morning. Dad goes more than me since I have early morning swim practice sometimes. It is so beautiful. I need to get mine tuned up. I am surprised you don't ride bikes. Are they considered expensive? Would it be too hard to ride around: is walking just as easy? I can't believe it would be, but if it is hilly, I guess it could be.
You look so fit and trim in the pictures and I like to look of your companion. He looks like a good elder.
It's a little late. I'll write again this week.
Love,
Mum

here is the 70 elder tenorio that came

i didnt know dad was a veil worker. i got permission to go with my ward to the temple, but the ward moved the date after transfurs so ill be gone. almost for sure. i realy like elder nelsons talks. i cant put a face with the name jacob smith but i remember playing at his house once, and that i saw his sister last summer. i cant beleive that that was a year ago. say hi to kristen for me. and sal.
we went to the beach to play socar, but there was a storm, so the beach was covered in 2 feet of foam. we played volly ball instead. it was realy fun. and this 45 year old engeneir from the midwest came and played with us. it was a fun day. life is good. we have been working hard, but almost no one came to church sunday, it was a little disapointing. but one of our investigators told us that she is going to marry her partener so that we can baptise her. i just hope we can make it happen before i leave. weve knocked every door in our area, so we are looing for new ways to find people.
im jelous. i want to go on a good bike ride and swim after. i think that we dont use bikes here because a while ago, a missionary got hit and killed by a car. it would be weird to have bikes, we have to do alot of street contacts every day so it would be harder on bikes, and our area ist very big. its pretty hot here. the rainny season started so its realy humid and we got rained on a few times. we are aloud to listen to classical music, so one of my compaions got a i pod full of classical music, and orcestas playing led zeplin. its pretty cool.
if you could send me a package that would be great. i need a scripture case, im not sure exactly what size, but something that will protect my scriptures, and keep them dry if it rains hard enough to soack through my back pack. chocolate would be good. a pair of shorts for p day, socks, pictures, flossand any thing else that you think i could use. thats all i can think of right now. in my last interveiw with the president, he told me he saw ashly harper. i gues shes in gaudalajara on a byu spanish trip. and she saw him at a stake confrence. he said it was a funny visit.
things are good. im kind of ready to get to know a different area. love you and thank you for your letter. elder lariviere
-----Original Message-----
From: "Mardie"
To: "'benjamin LaRiviere'"
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:01:15 -0400

Hi Ben,
Dad has been sending letters regularly except for 2 weeks. I think you should be getting lots more next time.
Dad and I went to Nashua today. There was a special meeting for temple workers and their spouses. Since Dad is a temple veil worker, we were invited. Elder Russell M. Nelson spoke. I really wanted to see and hear him in person.
He talked about temples through history and how ancient they are and how much they are like temples today. He said Moroni, who was given the keys to the Book of Mormon spoke about Elijah during his first message to Joseph Smith. Elijah and the keys of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. This dispensation is all about getting those sealing ordinances and other temple ordinances in place to bind families together.
I was so happy to listen to him.
We saw the Smiths there as well. I haven't seen them for over a year and it was a nice reunion. Their son Jacob just got his mission call to Hamburg Germany. He will be entering the MTC September 10.
Don't forget Valerie in your prayers.
Pop has gone home for about 4 weeks. He has a bunch of doctors' appointments.
Kristen comes here in a week for a quick visit. Sal is coming with her, but not Scott. Scott is through with school for the summer and has a job with the school doing something. Research? I don't remember, but he has to be gone for a week and Kristen decided to come here. That will be great.
Dad went fishing again yesterday. Frank Gilcreast has been staining the dock and I hope we can get it set down tomorrow.
It was in the 90's today. All of a sudden it was very, very hot. Yesterday was the first meet at Dover: cold in the morning, hot in the afternoon.
I actually didn't go for most of it. The stake Relief Society (that's me), put on a women's conference about families. I hated to miss the meet, but thoroughly enjoyed myself (except for having to speak).
I hope you are keeping cool. Buy a slushie!
Love,
Mum

the area 70 that came was awsome, elder tenorio. his message focused on work, focus and joy, and how we can use these things on our missions and for the rest of our lives. he told a storry about how he was workin in a company, and they said they were happy with his work, and if he could only speak english thed send him to new york to work in their headquarters for alot more money, he took a two week vacation and enrolled in a 16 hour a day 2 week class on english. he said he just kept fthinking about getting his raise and going to new york and that gave him motivation. at the end, he had an interveiw with his boss to see if he had learned anything. he said that he knew he couldnt understand anything, so his plan was just to talk for his whole interveiw and not give his boss a chance to speak. and he just started talking about what he are for breakfast and what color the floor was. and at the end, they gave hime the raise. he said we need to focus and work, and we will have joy. he was a great guy. i liked him alot. and i think that message was ment for me because ive never known how to focus or work hard before. i learned alot. he also talked about the first lady who swam the english channel. and how she was about to give up halfway through, and she pictured her self in the convertable that was the prize for the first woman to swim it, and she swam it faster then any man ever had. what is the record now? mom id love to swim it with you some time. mom i love you
did dad send any letters recently? i didnt get any the last zone confrence.
ben