Jan. 3, 2011
Happy New Year from Detroit! Thanks for the email and for sending those pictures. It looked like everyone was having a good time. Ha dad's and sean's hats were sweet. So Makenzie and Delaney already look a little older, maybe my mind's just playing tricks on me? It hasn't been that long. Sounds like New Years was fun, probably a little safer than mine was, which is always good. Can't believe Sean's back at school, he just got back home! But it's good to start asap, plus skype and cell phones make a big difference.

New Years here is pretty insane. This probably won't surprise you, but a ton of people out here have guns. Every once in a while you can hear a few shots go off at night. But New Years is nuts. People had starting telling us that the tradition is for people in the city to shoot off a bunch of shots once it hits midnight. Didn't expect it to be as crazy as it got. Around 8:30 some shots would go off every once in a while, but once it hit midnight Detroit turned into a war zone. It sounded like a bunch of people had automatic weapons too, some rounds of shooting would last for 10 seconds. It lasted for about an hour. From what I've been told the cops just basically take the night off. And I guess people just shoot up into the air and in random directions and the bullets just come back down who knows where - some people were killed last year someone said. An investigator said one year his canopy got shot up on his front porch. Crazy huh?

My companion is district leader and he's supposed to go on exchanges with each missionary in our district every time there's a new transfer. Exchanges are when two companionships split up for 24 hours - it's supposed to help us give/get some new perspective on teaching and to give the district leader an idea of how the missionaries are doing. And since I'm his companion I get to do this just as much as he does, which is pretty cool. So we did our first exchange a few days ago. I was actually with this other missionary on the night of new years eve and new years day after, haha and when the shots were going off he was freaking out. His bed was right by the window, and he ended up moving his bed to the other side of the room because he was scared of getting shot. Well maybe I shouldn't laugh, I mean better safe than sorry....but we were on like the 6th floor of his apartment building. Ha it was pretty funny. But that was cool doing exchanges, he and I got a long fine and had a pretty good day as far as teaching goes.

Tell Rocann thanks for the heads-up. Pigs feet doesn't sound much better. Glad to hear you all missed the floods. I guess that's a benefit from living at the very top of Portola Hills. I gotta send this because I'm running out of time. Good hearing from you all again. Keep enjoying life and finding reasons to be happy. You've all got a ton. Love you big time.

Elder Lamb