Dear Little Cousins...

Being on a mission is a lot of FUN! It is also hard work. I don't ever get to sleep in or play video games, but that's OK. I get to ride my bicycle every day and that is fun! I also get chased by dogs a lot. The other day a dog almost bit me, but my companion rammed it with his bike tire and we got away.

Oklahoma is as flat as a pancake. If you ever get up high, you can see for miles and miles. Oklahoma is also covered with RED dirt! The people here are very proud of their red dirt.

On Thanksgiving we ate a meal with some members. It felt like a normal Thanksgiving, but there weren't as many people as we have at my house. But last year I was so sick with the flu on Thanksgiving that I didn't eat anything all day. This year it felt great to enjoy a nice turkey dinner.

Our Mission President didn't want us to do any tracting on Thanksgiving so we wouldn't make anyone angry by disrupting their family holiday, so my comp and I bought a Pumpkin pie and some Cool Whip and ate it all Thanksgiving night. YUM!

 I can't wait for Christmas! There is a big park in Elk City that has lights everywhere in it. We drove by it a couple days ago. There are a lot of people that walk through the park and ride on a double decker bus around it. There is also an awesome carasell that people take rides on like the one we rode with Donovan in Seattle.  We're thinking about walking through the park and talking to people and getting some of the free hot chocholate they give out in the park this time of year.

My comp and I are best friends. We're having a great time.

Thanks for your support!

-Elder Shumway