Howdy!

On May 16, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote:

Greetings all you fellow adventure seekers!

What a week! I am here in my new area in "Prados" tearing it up with my new companion and "step-son" Elder Schultz, we have been doing good work! When I first got here, we had a big problem with cockroaches! I have never before been in a room, let alone a house, so full of the little creatures. They have been feasting off of five years of missionary grossities, and there was dust everywhere. The cockroaches lived in every single corner, and anywhere they could get their filthy little bodies. The first night...was terrible. Being sick on top of being in that house was a nightmare. I didn't sleep well at all, and I woke up the next day with bug bites all over me...

So:

The first day we cleaned all morning long. My companion was just as uncomfortable as I was and quickly agreed to help clean. We have spent hours cleaning this week (but it needs to be done) and have hours left, however, the good news is that the cockroaches are dead, or poisoned and bringing it back to their nests to die with their sick little families. We have only seen two or so cockroaches in the past three days! We are winning! The house is also now livable. We are waking up now without bug bites. The smell of bleach and cleaning supplies have never smelled so good to me.

I don't have any pictures of the apartment yet, but when we get it cleaner I will take some and send them to you!

We found out also the morning after the first night, that not only had the previous missionaries not cleaned, but they had not paid any of the utilities for five years! Holy Smokes! I got here and I feel like the clean-up crew on the scene of a natural disaster! Oh well, as they say here, "hay que seguir adelante." You gotta move forward.

Hopefully this week will be a better week, and we can do good work.

I love you all!

Elder Johnson