Happy Birthday America!

Dear Family,

It´s a great day. The photos, if they all send - a HUGE mother slug in
the shower! A noche de hogar with the rama, photos with my mamita
(curley hair) and HERMANA Lidia (dark hair) I stress the hermana
because for some reason I´ve been saying "Hola Lidia, como esta?" and
once she asked me if she could see my missionary handbook (las reglas)
and read to me where it says, "refer to other missionaries as Elder or
Hermana¨" and said that the rule applied to members as well. She
doesn´t like me family. With everything I do and or wear, she
comments. "Do you like that watch? I had a companion who had a watch
like that, it was really uncomfortable" "You don´t look like a
missionary." "I want to break your glasses" oh my gosh! haha. She
served a mission. I´m just trying to win her trust and make her like
me. And she always makes "gringo" comments. It´s funny...I guess. But
the mamita stood up for me, one time Lidia said one of these comments
(I don´t remember) and Mamita said, "Alright Lidia, you´re not his
mission president!" Whoo go Mamita! I gave her a twix bar and things
have improved immensely. Thanks mom for teaching me that trick for all
those years. Photos of freezing Chile and me trying to stay warm. and
photos of a table FULL of candies and birthday surprises! Thank you!
No seriously, thank you. (I´m sending official thank you letters
but...) Thank you Aleksi and Cassie for ALL the candy and ALL the
sweaters! I am SO happy. I love you guys. Mom and Dad, thank you for
the BOX FULL of candy, letters from the ward (thank you ward) and the
new watch. and Gleason family - Thank you for the package of treats
and toys - my companion loves the dart gun, I let him have one toy but
the rest I´m giving to the kids in the rama and of our investigators.
Thank you so much. In less than a week, I´ll be 20! It´s weird. My
entire 20th year will be spent here in Chile. There is so much I want
to be. Thank you for thinking of me. I love you family.
This week was one of Elder Cayoja and my best weeks here in Lago
Ranco. We now have 5 people with the fecha of July 28th to be
baptized. Mario and Corina. They know the Book of Mormon is true and
that Joseph Smith was a prophet. On saturday we watched "Joseph Smith:
the Prophet of the Restoration" I love that movie. As much as that
movie helped Mario, it helped me. I love the gospel. And I know, with
all my heart - that it was restored by Joseph Smith. He lived great
and he died great. He is a prophet of truth.

I love you family, thank you for making my birthday special. I can´t
believe Aleksi and Cassie tried to send me sparklers! haha. Thank you
for everything, the candles, the candy, and the love. You guys are
mine forever. No gift is greater than that.

and Happy Birthday America.

Much Love,

Elder Maxwell Poirier

P.S.
"Happy Birthday Harry."