don't worry

So I imagine that Mom has spread news that we were robbed this week. I would just like to put your questioning at ease. We were emailing and shopping last Wednesday and thieves entered our house and took our electronic devices. I fortunately had my camera with me, though Elder Snyder was not so lucky and he lost all his pictures from his mission. I also had my MTC backpack stolen, which was empty except for my study journal, a tragedy all in itself to lose. But in any case, it is not like other missionaries don't suffer more than that, and though inconvenient, we will survive.

As for other news this week, well there isn't much news this week. We have had some really great lessons, and some really good times, including an exchange where I went to an English area for a day and accidentally started speaking Spanish once. We also had interviews this week, which made me think that I should write a bit about our mission president.

President Robert Craig is a unique unique man. As a convert to the Church he never served a mission on his own. He grew up in northern California on a ranch that his father owned and when he grew up eventually established himself with a large and very successful construction company in the same vicinity of California. His wife also converted to the Church, both before they were married. After becoming very successful in his own business, the Church came to President Craig and asked him to work for them. He took an enormous pay cut, sold all his equipment, dissolved his company and began working for the construction department of the Church. His work on temples and chapels took him to live around the world, literally. They lived in Russia, some place in Asia (maybe the Phillippines?), Central and South America, and Utah. Both President and Sister Craig talk about their life abroad with a lot of gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful experiences they shared there. After being reassigned to Utah for a while, he received the call to serve as a mission president, though the plan was to send him to a newly opening Russian mission, as he speaks near fluent Russian. But at the last possible timing, the assignment was changed by President Monson himself and he was sent to Arizona. President Craig's spiritual sensitivity is at times astounding. He has a way of driving things home that we wouldn't normally take very seriously. But at the same time he has a humor that can be almost silly with just the right goofy face to match the current joke. I am so grateful to be called to serve under his direction, and look to him for example and guidance. I think only those who have been missionaries would fully understand the relationship between a missionary and their mission president, but take that description of him for who he is.

I love you all and miss you.  Don't worry about me, if anything really bad happens, the Mission Office will call and tell you.  It has been very nice to hear from a few of you, and I would just remind you all, that receiving mail can save a whole week for a missionary.  Thanks for all you do.

-Elder Sam Bostwick