June 23, 2014 Oh, some stuff...

Dearest family!

I love you. This week was great! I did stuff.

Just kidding, we had our last zone conference with President and
Sister Young this week. Emotions ran high. They had us make a
scrapbook page for them with pictures of ourselves and I'm just going
to send you what I wrote:

President & Sister Young,

Thank you for changing my life. Serving a mission has been a terrible
and wonderful struggle, but strength has always come from knowing
right from the start that you loved me and believed in me, more than I
believed in myself. It wasn't difficult for me to leave my home and
travel to this strange new world of Oregon, not at first. I remember
my first impression of Oregon was just to be overwhelmed by the
emerald greenness of it all. Then how wonderful to be welcomed by
piercing blue eyes that looked through me and seemed to know me
instantly inside and out, and by the warmth of a thousand mothers
combined into one being.

Oh I quickly began to learn that mission life contained it's fair
share of struggles and disappointments. I was surprised to learn that
missionaries aren't perfect, the members aren't perfect, and helping
our investigators along the path to perfection is no easy process! I
learned that life could fluctuate as quickly and easily as the Oregon
rains: sunny one minute followed by torrential downpours the next, or
gray drizzles which could last for weeks only to suddenly burst into
dazzling rainbows. I have learned to love these Oregonians, to love
the wonderful missionaries in our mission, and to love serving
alongside them to help the good people here to overcome life's trials
through the gospel.

Most importantly I've come to love serving my Heavenly King. That in
His service I've been blessed to be nearer to Him than I've ever been.
I know He loves me, because I am His son. He loves all of us so much
He sent His Only Begotten Son to suffer and to die that we might live
with Him eternally. I know His church is here again in glorious form
and order, that truth once again rains down from Heaven, and that We
are His angelic ranks sent forth to proclaim redemption to the world.
Thank you so much for your service to all your missionaries and to our
Heavenly Father.
I don't want you to go! It's so much easier to leave than it is to be
left. But I will keep in touch on all the big stuff! I love both of
you so much.

Go OEM!

>From your:

Forever Youngster,

Elder Quinn Jerome Georgia

At the end we bore our testimonies and I just sobbed through mine.
I've become so emotional on my mission........ But now I'm resigned to
them leaving and it will be a fun new experience with President
Russell! He'll be here on Saturday.

Saturday was the Community Family Night. We had four hundred name tags
and they were all taken! Some people never got name tags. We had 35
pots of chili and they were SO GOOD. The line for the food came in the
back door then wrapped halfway around the building, went through the
gym where the food was, and out the other side. We didn't eat until
everyone else had eaten and when we got there most of the chili's were
pretty depleted and the cornbread was basically all gone. It was
great. There was a dunk tank, volleyball, basketball, pie eating,
square dancing, tug of war, chili contest, and zany zoo! <- an exotic
petting zoo with a boa constrictor, a tree porcupine, a lemur, a
cockateil, a giant tortoise, a big gerbil deer mouse guinea pig thing,
and a bunch of other snakes and turtles and stuff. It was pretty
amazing. There was a pretty good turnout from the other churches, but
it was hard to tell how many. Everyone had a lot of fun. We also had a
drunk homeless couple show up asking for food and then dance the rest
of the night away! It was great.

We taught Mitch the rest of the Plan of Salvation and we taught the
whole thing to Cindy and they both were great! We thought Mitch wasn't
coming to church because Tyus was supposedly going to their cabin near
Bend over the weekend, but the whole family were there, Mitch
included!

And last night we had some plans but they didn't really happen, it was
the night of the desserts cuz at dinner we had brownies and ice cream,
then we stopped by another member's later to use their bathroom and
they fed us s'mores (and Elder Carroll had a piece of chocolate pie),
then we were biking back when Cindy and her boyfriend Walt saw us and
invited us in for spice cake! Good thing I gain no fat. But anyways it
was a great week!

I did get my package! Thanks so much for the cookies and everything! I
have to admit I'm fairly worried about the 5 billion active cultures
you expect me to eat.....

Love y'all!

Elder Georgia