I found Familysearch.org

I'm really glad that things are going well with the family. I've been thinking a lot about family and eternity and I've been learning how to use familysearch.org to help the people I teach get excited about family history. As it turns out there's a lot of work to be done for our family. I've already reserved the rights to do temple ordinances for an aunt who lived in the eighteenth century, and I'm going to go and reserve more so that the boys can have people to go through the temple for. I'll send that information along when it's all ready so that they can do that. I've also requested some patriarchal blessings from ancestors to read and think about. I think I've been bitten by that 'bug'. I've already discovered that on Mom's side I can trace back all the way to Augustus Caesar himself! This is amazing stuff, and I can't wait to really dedicate some time to it when I get home.

Tell everyone that I return their regards. I don't know how I've been able to stick it out some days, but it must be by their prayers and love. I pray every night that if anything comes from this, it's that my family is blessed and taken care of. This work is incredibly difficult and draining, and I don't know why I'm here sometimes, but I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Everything rides on that knowledge. Nothing else matters as much as that does. I feel as though I've lost who I was. I don't know what I knew, and there is nothing I have out here that reminds me of myself or the things I enjoy. It hurts a lot to face yourself and see that everything that makes you happy and makes life amazing is a facade. Except for history facts. Those are still handy. I just wish I could remember them as well as I used to, because it comes up a lot. Sister Thomas asks me all the time for explanations on Bible doctrine and historical context. As it turns out, I'm terrible at remembering dates and sometimes names!

We went out and bought a copy of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat'. MoTab gets exhausting and we have the luck to be allowed almost anything as long as it isn't too distracting. Sister Thomas was most comfortable with that choice, and I can tolerate that musical to death. As matter of fact, that's what we've been listening to ever since we got it, and we still sing along with it. I don't know if it'll last for the rest of the mission though.

It rains cats and dogs here. I wish my dog were one of those, and that she'd fall from the sky one of these days.

Love you, miss you, talk to you Sunday!

-Magen