February 6, 2012 Email

Dear Mom and Dad,

HEY!

I just wanted your attention.

Let me tell you something interesting. My apartment is probably one of the largest in the mission. It is HUGE. It use to be a four man apartment, but now its just me and Elder Baker. We have a big living room/ bedroom, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, 2 changing rooms, a study, the room that I iron my clothes, and then the room that we hang random stuff. AND THEN we have a balcony with the washer and dryer. AND THEN we found a secret cave. I'm not joking, we remove a shelf, and there is a small secret room. Our apartment is extremely exciting, but its a little lonely. Sometimes I go long periods of time without seeing my companion, its really strange.

You may not believe it, but being a missionary has made me more.........conservative. But don't tell anyone. My economic values do tend to lean more towards self sufficiency. Today, I read a talk by Pres. Hinckley about being loyal. He said that when Utah's vote killed prohibition, a standard highly encouraged by the church, President Heber J. Grant was heartbroken. Pres. Hinckley praised those who stand with the church when they make public stands, even when they may face ridicule. Yeah. So I committed myself never to break Pres. Monson's heart. But I'm still myself, and some of my old passions are still there. I think that's important. I'm not switching parties, hahaha!

They have a TV show here that is basically people playing Wii. I think its really dumb, and yet, I catch myself looking at it on occasion. My generation is really stupid. Do you remember the Game Star by our house? Imagine a huge fancy one that serves food and drink, with a VIP section as well. Yeah, my house is within 5 minutes of at least 3 or 4. Mhmm.

I've officially decided that I am going to come home in November. Whether its November 6th or November 27th, I'm not exactly sure. University stuff, right now I've taken a 2 year leave of absence. I'm a dormant student. So when I come home, I shouldn't have to reapply. Ba. So maybe in the next few weeks, you could call the admissions office for me. I'll probably ask you to help me set up my schedule for me as time gets closer, probably around August or September. Yeah. I am thinking about applying to a few other schools, just for fun. I was thinking about applying for BYU Hawaii and Utah State, just to see. Maybe you could help me out with beginning the application process? We have plenty of time.

I love Taiwan, I love being a missionary here. I love the changes that I'm making as a person, and I love watching the changes in others. My first recent convert is now an Elder, he has a girlfriend (who's a member) and he is now the ward mission leader. He has plans to receive his Endowments this month. Awesome huh? I was able to talk to him on the phone a few weeks ago, it was so much fun to hear about how great he is doing. BTW, his name is Ye Qi Mao.

I love you both! Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Travis Leatham