Re: back to work

Hi, Momma.
To answer your questions first:
No, in fact both of our dryers are broken now, so it all gets hung up to dry inside our apartment.
Things are fine with my companion. Anyone can find something to get cranky about when they spend every minute of every day, sleeping and awake, together. We really are doing fine.
The teaching's going well. We're finding a lot of new people to start teaching right now, so it's a lot of trial and error. We had EIGHT investigators in church yesterday, which is unheard of. Typically we feel accomplished if we get one to show up.
Yes, I'd love to have one of Casey's programs and a wrist band.
Driving the stick shift... is no longer relevant. We crashed the car on Saturday. No worries. I'm not hurt, and neither is my companion. (We're actually the second companionship since November to trash a car and walk away totally unscratched. The Lord really does watch over and protect His missionaries.) We fell asleep on a long drive and ran into the guard rail, and then bounced across the lane to hit the other guard rail, and then repeated until all four corners were smashed. Now she only drives straight if we hold the wheel at a 45 degree angle, and her back tires make an awful groaning noise. So we're walking and taking the bus for a while. It's probably for the best. I've started gaining weight because every time we get fed, the members think my plate needs to be refilled about 4 times and insist I eat every bite of it. The walking might help take care of that.
I'd love to have a few of Casey's shirts and his books. Thanks for thinking of that. I'd also love to read the books you're reading once I get home. "As The Father Hath Loved Us" sounds really good. I really want to read "The Miracle of Forgiveness," but it seems that missionaries are actually DIScouraged from reading that until after they've gone home. Oh, well.
Tell Keira that I fought Casey for possession of my old room every time I came home to visit, and I'll fight her for it too if she thinks she's going to take it over now. Casey's a lot bigger than me, and I won every time. I think I can take her. ;-)
If you think you're going to give up and let Rich do all the parenting from now on, Keira really will have problems later on. You didn't fail as a parent with any of us (including Casey), and you're not going to fail with Keira. Keira actually has a much better chance of turning out right than any of the rest of us because you and Rich are united when it comes to church, having a family, and raising her. You and Dad didn't have any of that working for you at all. Chynna's going to figure things out. Maybe you remember, I traded my family for my friends for a long time too. I outgrew that, and she will too, sooner or later. Be patient. Keep loving her.
Doing the temple work together when we get home will be great. Do you think we could find a way to do it in Utah? I'd love for you and everyone else to get to see the inside of the Salt Lake Temple some day. I wanted to take Jeremiah there back in July, but we just didn't have time. It's crazy that Jeremiah's a District Leader now. His mission really seems to be flying by. Mine seems very slow, due to the longer transfers (5 weeks down, 10 more to go for this transfer). I realize that I only have about a year left, but it seems like I'm still at the beginning since we can't get past this second transfer, and I'm still in my greenie area.
Did you know that Uncle Richard served his mission in Sweden? Cause I didn't. If I'd heard it, I didn't remember. He just sent me a letter saying he was a greenie in Sundsvall too, and that Grandma Evelyn had ancestors in Sweden. I didn't know that either. Funnily enough, he mentioned some members that I do know here - Hakan Stegeby just helped us get our poor car back to town yesterday. Could you pick his brain for me and send me more information? I honestly had no idea I had legitimate relations here. For months I've been telling everyone that I'm not Swedish at all, and that God's sense of humor is the only reason for me being sent up here. ;-)
I wish I could say more, but we've got a lot to do, and it's going to take a lot longer to get it done without the car, so I need to finish here. I love you so much, Momma. Take care, and please try to be happy. You pray for me, I'll pray for you, and Heavenly Father will take care of both of us.

Love,
Syster Hillary Kiser

P.S. Did Unlce Richard go by Elder Smith or Elder Lambert back then? I didn't realize he doesn't go by Lambert until I got his letter; it actually took me a minute to figure our who Richard Smith was.