Welcome Home Elder Grimm

Well, it's all over. David arrived home on Wednesday August 3, 2011 when he landed in Salt Lake City. He was very nervous about coming home - maybe because he doesn't speak English very well, it's too cold here (it's been about 90), there are very few short, brown people around here, and he speaks with a very distinct accent.

The reunion was very sweet. It is so much fun having him home and we can tell he loved being on a mission. It's taken a couple of days of adjustment, but David's hilarious sense of humor is returning and he's getting back to his old self.

We are so proud of David for his choice to serve the Lord for two years. He has fallen in love with the people of Sinaloa, has fallen in love with the gospel, and has grown and matured into such a great young man - we couldn't be prouder!

12 Days Left!

So David is down to less than 2 weeks left on his mission. For the last few months he's commented in his weekly emails that he wasn't ready to come home. He included that he didn't want to hurt our feelings, but he would stay much longer if he could. Well...this week that all changed. Now he's tired, he's worn out, and he's way ready to be home.

In his spare time, David finds a lot of pleasure finding, shall we say...unique things to take photos of. This probably isn't for the faint of heart...

In any event, we can't wait to see David!!! Of course there come with that reunion a little saddness...Daniel leaves in 5 days. His blog will be added to our family link.

Back to Baja

We learned the day before Mother's Day that David was being transferred back to La Paz, a city near the south end of Baja California. David has been on the mainland, much closer to the mission home, for more than a year but he's happy to be going back to Baja. We talked with him on Mother's Day and had a great visit! He's happy, he's looking forward to the beauty of the coast, he isn't looking forward to coming home but at the same time he's very, very excited - and maybe a little anxious - to return home.

David will be home from about August 1 until he has to go back to school at BYU later in the month.

Those who know David well can really appreciate the attached photos...

Dodge Ball Missionaries

We continue to regularly hear from David, each week in fact. David is still training new missionaries and he loves it! We are having more and more trouble reading David's emails. Each email has more grammar and spelling errors and more Spanish than we're used to. However, we're still able to tell that David loves being a missionary and would stay in Mexico if he could.

No new pictures from the mission field, but a sport report instead. This week the mission got together for a giant game of dodge ball. President Cantu organized the teams and presided over the tournament. David told us "We had a lot of fun. But I haven't thrown ANYTHING, much less a dodgeball in like 2 years. Now my whole body hurts. Or at least the parts I use to throw stuff"

David's Latest Update

David's emails lately have been pretty brief. The missionaries are staying so busy, trying to be obedient, and work with wards, branches and members that P-day is really for preparation, not just play. In fact, there hasn't been much "play" in P-day.

David has had a Peruvian companion for the last transfer and is hoping that they'll stay together one more time. He loves his companion and gets along with him so well that he'd like to stay with him through the holidays.

David writes: "This week was really good. We’re working more with the ward and members and it seem to be going very well. Sometimes it’s a little frustrating cuz members are retarded, but I guess I was a retarded member too at one time. I can’t believe I didn’t like doing this more before. I feel like I could never loose the missionary spirit. I dunno if it’s possible, but I figure I’ll be going to your ward when I get home, since I’m definitely not gonna go to church alone when I get back, so could you call me as ward mission leader when I get back? I know it’s the Lord’s call final, but you can think and pray about it for the next 8 months : )"

Susan and I had to laugh at David's comment - he'll be home for about a month before leaving for school so calling him to be a ward mission leader might be a bit of a stretch - but I'd sure consider it!

Busy, Busy David

The last few weeks have come with only bits and pieces of news from David. It seems that the missionary work is going so well that they only have an hour or so on their P-days to write home. And so it is with David. He's been very busy and writes a couple of paragraphs about how things are going...barely...and how busy they are. The last couple of weeks he's cc'd on the email he sends to the Mission President on how things are going. Needless to say, it's difficult to really know what's really going on since his emails are in Spanish. We just sent David a package that included a new cord for his camera so he can start sending pictures again. In the meantime, here area few older photos of David in Mexico.

We didn't get to hear from David this week. We don't know what happened but can only assume there were transfers and he just never made it to the email. Either that, or he was kidnapped by a drug cartel. The latter can't be the case because we're fairly certain that a 6'5" elder who isn't very happy can revert back to the 5 year old David we all remember...they'd have brought him back already!

David's had a couple of hard weeks. He's trying to follow the counsel of his mission president about how to teach with the Spirit, but his companions are very young, very inexperienced, and not in the habit of teaching and paying attention. However, his letters have always ended on a high note as he preservers and does what he's been asked to do. He's past his year mark so it's all down hill from here...well, at least on a calendar.