THE LAST EMAIL!

Hey mom! 

This week I've been feeling better. Today my right hand is a little crippled but mainly fine. Yes I'm very happy! The hives are gone.  Elder Wilcox is my office companion he is from Utah. He was with me in Kamiooka! 

  

I can't wait to see Ivy! She looks so so adorable! She looks so calm! (YES ALLIE had her BABY!!!!) 

  

Ok I’m fine with the talk. I think I'd prefer to give my own and not based off of a conference talk! I'm excited! Scott asked me to give a talk in singles ward as well on the 20th of August.  

  

It's kind of sad to say that we're going to wash Japan out of me. But I know you're just talking about my physical body. I never want to wash Japan out of me! (I bought a detox system to “wash Japan out of him, he took that offensively!”) 

  

Ya I bet dry hot will be pretty hard to get used to. I just walked into the office this morning and the tables were damp from the humidity.  

  

This week I've honestly just been in the office doing office work! Kind of nice to relax a bit and give my body some rest. Before I left Shonan we were having like 4 lessons a day for like a week straight! I was only there for the first 3 days of all the business but it would have not been good for my health had I stayed I think. But I'm here now! 

  

 Ivy looks so so good! Oh my gosh she is a pretty baby!    

Today's email will be in chunks.  

  

This was his last email. Really nothing big, I was on at the same time so it wasn’t a real normal letter. Just bits and pieces of what is going to happen in the next few weeks. Please remember he will be flying in Aug. 11 about 5:30. He will be speaking Aug. 13th at 11:00 at our church near the Air Base and we will be blessing Ivy. Dinner will be at our house at 3:00. He will be speaking again Aug. 20th at 1:00 at the Stake Center in the singles branch. He sent pictures! The blog will get updated soon.  

  

Thank you all for your support! This is Elder Draper and his mom, signing off.

Elder Draper is continuing to fall apart!

Hello mom! 

  

I'm here! This week's been crazy. So I went into Kichijoji for the honbu for my farewell party/sleep over/ life skills seminar. It was AMAZING. But the night before I went to bed my left thumb starting hurting really bad. So I wrapped it and went to bed. I woke up and couldn't move my RIGHT hand and all my fingers hurt. So for the past 4 days or so the pain has been switching back and forth between hands and moving into my wrists and sort of my ankles and hip and knees. I've been talking to Dr. Myers the mission doctor and we've been watching it. It's urgent that I get to a Rheumatologist as soon as possible when I get home. So they told me to ask you to start looking up a good rheumatologist and set up an appointment for as soon as we can once I get home! He said there's no need for me to come home early but if I had 6 weeks left I would need to come in the next 2 weeks. But today is pretty good for my hands! Yesterday was not so good. I couldn't really do anything for myself. It was pretty pathetic. My companions had to like unlock my bike for me, tie my shoes, put my helmet on and off my head, tuck my pant leg into the sock so the chain doesn't eat it. But today is good. Dr. Myers said that it's some disease where my ligaments swell up but we don't know what kind. It's either the kind that just cycles the rest of my life or the kind that cripples my hands for the rest of my life. If it's the first kind we don't know what the cycle will be, days, mo the, years etc. if it's the second kind then they have a medicine for it at should take away the defect so that it never comes back. So ya. That's how my body is doing this week. We talked about me going home early but like I only have two weeks left and I wouldn't even have an appointment when I got home, I'd have to wait a while. The dr said I need to sleep as much as I can and drink lots of water. Well Shonan has been havig like 3-5 lessons a day lately and there is NO time to rest so President Warnick said I need to come to Kichijoji to be in the office again. I'll be there and inside until August 11 when I leave. I'm sure you have questions. (Ya this panics a mom! I’m sure we are going to find the jaundice, hives and arthritis is all related some how. I am a little freaked out to say the least but will be praying he will get well. Hopefully it’s really not as big of a deal as it sounds. He said he’s not down and his spirits are good) 

  

Other than that! Ookahara doesn't have his baptism date anymore for the August first. He got really busy at work and we haven't been able to meet him for a couple weeks. But when elder Bullag and elder Carrasco left and elder De Andrade came in, our two areas became one. We have like 20+ investigators and like 3-5 lessons a day. It's so fun! We are working with like 5 families and several individuals. I'm sad that I'll have to leave them to go to Kichijoji.  

  

In Kichijoji we had the life skills seminar with Elder Loftus. It was seriously one of the coolest meetings I've ever been in. He taught us about choosing careers and budgeting money and just general principles that will help you in life. It was honestly kind of hard to go back to my area after being with all these missionaries going home and then having that amazing seminar about life after the mission. But I adjusted quickly! But now I am also more excited for life after the mission!  

  

Man I can't believe that I'll get to see you all in 11 days! That's ways shorter than 2 years. How is Tanner doing? Does he have an accent? I don't think I have an accent. I just mix up word order and forget words sometimes. I'm way excited that they have a foreign exchange student from Japan coming!!, I'll have someone to talk to in Japanese! So the person will be at my homecoming right? When is Tanner's homecoming talk? (We have some people at church getting an exchange student from Japan) 

  

I don’t have much to say this week. We taught a ton of lessons and I've been crippled for like three days. Not much else haha. But I love Japan and I love our Heavenly Father and I am so grateful for all that he has given me. This opportunity to share what I know with these people in Japan. I am grateful for my wonderful family. I love the scriptures and I love repentance. I love the temple, I love my covenants. I love my life so so much! I'm going to miss Japan a lot. But I'm sure it won't be the last time that I'm here.  

  

I love you all so so so so so so so much! 

  

Elder Draper 

  

ドレーパー長老