We had the great privilege of speaking to our beloved missionary last night, for just over an hour via Skype!
Here are some nuggets from our conversation:
He doesn't know what he weighs, but he has lost a lot of weight, especially in his thighs and waist. This is likely due to all of the bicycle activity. He described his area in Faaa as very steep like parts of San Francisco. On the third day he was there, he thought he would die from cycling up the hill, but now he is very used to it. He said the thinner, tailor fit shirts would fit better now [but they would have been too slim when he left]. His pants and shirts are holding up well, but he needs some replacement garments. He likes cotton/poly but the distribution center by the temple has only mesh and (Dri-Lux?).
His shoes are fine but he wears mostly the Teva sandals. They are holding up so far and are getting sun bleached.
The bike is holding up well but if he keeps riding at his current 9miles/day rate then he estimates his tires will last about 10 more months. The slight upgrade on the bike, with 29-in. tires and disc brakes was a good idea based on the strenuous use in his current area.
His stomach was unsettled when he arrived back in October but now it is great. He loves the local food and his favorite is raw tuna. Breakfast and lunch are mostly bread and fruit, and lunch is very light. A generous dinner is provided by members most every evening, with the staples being rice and meat. He has "touched the stove once," to heat a can of ravioli.
He is keeping up on his knee therapy and they feel good. The bike riding is probably helping them a lot.
He writes in his journal nightly and thinks he will fill his current journal x 3 by the time he is finished there.
Since Sister Taylor's accident, they are all getting new, more protective helmets with more coverage, like skater helmets.
All the missionaries on the island of Tahiti will be participating in the big celebration in May, commemorating 160 years of the church in French Polynesia. This will likely be near the time that President Sinjoux is released.
He is one of the three "tall Elders," with Elder Hunsaker from the MTC and one other. They are friends and think it would be a fun thing to work together someday.
They do laundry in a washing machine at home that "kind of works most of the time." The clothing is hung to dry in a room there.
He will be training a new Elder starting on Monday. The Elder is very local, coming from a neighboring ward that meets in the same building in Faaa. The missionaries are about half local and half imported. Most of the imports are from Utah.
He described how to find his apartment, and we shared some more personal moments. This was a great Christmas present for all of us.
Dad
