Zone Leader!

Dear Family & Friends,
     So.....the rumors are true.  This last Sunday Elder Perez(my companion) and I were called as zone leaders for our branch.  There are five current districts and there are two more coming in on Wednesday.  I never could of thought that I would be in charge of seven districts.  Granted being a zone leader in the MTC and being a zone leader out of the MTC are completely different. It's still a lot of responsibility on me to always be an example and to do the right thing.   Now my days got a lot harder and more stressful, because I want to do my best.
      The branch president gave us a quote when he had the meeting with us and it said "The Lord will shape your back for the burdens that are placed on it."  I know this to be true. I have experienced it before.  How else was I suppose to work 13 hour days with only 4-5 hours of sleep? Day after day and not be exhausted or tired.
     I am excited for this calling, it will be good to better myself as a missionary and a person.  I am making so many new friends and I love them all.  I am going to be sad when I will have to leave them.  Less than two weeks before I leave for the Philippines.
      The language is tough but it doesn't matter. I know if I keep my faith, work as hard as I can, that I will be blessed and I will learn the language in no time.  I get emails from people I met in the MTC and are already in the field, and they have already had a baptism in their first week! That's crazy! I'm so excited to get in the country.
     So, I think since I have been here I haven't gone a day without drinking chocolate milk, let alone a meal!  I am gaining a lot of weight, probably the heaviest I have ever been.  Oh! One thing about the language that is really cool. I can understand it so much better than I can speak it.  That's so weird how it works.  Well, time is running out it's time for me to go to breakfast. One thing that I would really love is pictures. Everybody here has got these huge albums of pictures of their family and friends.  I'll be honest, I'm a little jealous. So if it's not to much to ask, I would love to have pictures from everyone! At least a few before I leave for the Philippines. I heard it takes two weeks to send mail to the Philippines!
     Thank you all for you love and support!

Mahal Kita Lahat! - "I love you all"

-Elder Kikel