Dear Family,

Things are OK here in Connersville. Each time I move it seems to get a little easier. I can already tell that it is going to be a little different here than anywhere else I have been so far. The Ward members here are very nice, but the Ward itself is very small. It is a little weird at the moment because our Ward Mission Leader is in Utah, and has been for about 6 weeks now. Without him here, it is a little harder to work things out, but it will work out in the end. It just means a little more responsibility on our end of the work.

Connersville is a smaller sized town. It reminds me a lot of Lebanon, my first area I was in. So much so, that people actually call this place Connertucky, just like Lebanon was Lebtucky. There are so many people here from Kentucky that they have been nick named. The city is shaped like a “J” for the most part. The town center is at the bottom of the vertical stem of the “J”. Because of the shape, things are spread out somewhat. I guess I will be coming home in better shape than when I came out.

Elder Lewis is a tall missionary, 6 feet and about 3 or 4 inches tall. He is also built big. I think it is kind of funny because we sleep in bunk beds here in Connersville. I find it hard to imagine that he can sleep comfortably in the bottom bunk, but that is all we have. Luckily, the beds are a little bigger than normal bunk beds. He has a family of 5 as well. He is the oldest, at 24, with two younger sisters. One sister is around 21, and the other actually is Levi's age, she just turned 17 yesterday.  

I will try to get the tooth problem taken care of as soon as possible. I know that tooth pain can be bad, and I don't want it to flare up worse than it was before. Also, with health things, our mission is telling us to get both the regular and the H1N1 Vaccine if at all possible. I figured I would let you guys know. If the church thinks it is good for us, then I figure it would be good for you as well.

My mission is great. I just hope that everything continues as it has, and things will be good. These two years will change my life forever.

I am really excited about tomorrow. We have a Zone Conference, and a General Authority, Elder Richards, will be speaking. It is so cool to have the opportunity to go and listen to someone such as him speak. They always speak with power. It is also really cool that we have President Corey. The funny thing is that I could some day see him as a General Authority as well. He is just so spiritual. Whenever I have the opportunity to sit down with him one on one, it is like the spirit that is with him has a calming effect on me.

It is great to hear that Mike and Keysha seem to be doing well. I still can't believe that Mike is married. But then, I still can't believe that Misti is having a baby. Life changes so fast. Before I know it, I will have been home for a while and I will be thinking about marriage. WOW!

It is good to hear that everyone is doing well at home. I hope that no one gets the H1N1 Flu. From what I here, and as a missionary that is much, it is getting bad. Just take care. Sister Corey told us that if we were to gargle with warm salt water twice a day, and swab out our noses with it twice a day, it would help prevent the virus from acting. She just said it would help. Also, don't touch your faces if at all possible. That will also help prevent it. I have discovered out here that Hand Sanitizer is a great tool if used properly.

I hope that Grandma continues to improve. She said in her letter that things were going well for her. She also said that she is having to find some interesting ways to get things done, like opening a bottle with only one hand. I guess you have to be creative in a situation like that.

I know what you mean by the routine. I get up at 6:30, shower at 7:00, study time is from 7:30 to 8:30, breakfast is from 8:30 to 9:00, and then our second companion study is from 9:00 to 10:00. We go out and work until 9:00 pm, taking short breaks for lunch and dinner, and then we plan for the next day from 9:00 to 9:30. We get ready for bed, and go to bed at 10:30. Then, we get up and do it all over again the next day. It is really interesting when we are outside for the 10:00am to 9:00pm time, but everything else seems to get boring after a while.

Everyone take care! I miss all of you, and yes, I will take care of myself, too.

Love,

Elder Savage

      Elder Colton Savage

     1216 N. Central Ave. #7

     Connersville, IN  47331