Woohoo! this is the last full week of this transfer! AAAHHHH! Yeah this week was great, crazy but great. We didn't get a lot of lessons or anything else. we had president interviews and they were great! president asked me if we should close my area. but today he decided that he isn't going to close it but instead he is going to be changing the way i work there. He said i am heading a family/ service approach at missionary work just becuase it has been a while since we have seen success in barber. It is going to be completely different but i am excited. This week i didn't have any accidents but i did have a tradeoff with one of the elders in my district. It was supposed to be a day and a half but ended up being about 4 days. because they made it too late to catch a bus. SO I WENT TO CHUCH HERE and it was awesome. Translating again and with over 100 people in church. next week i will be back in barber with less than 10 people in my front room. Woohoo!
But one more transfer here then i will either go to bonaire or back to puerto rico. becuase we can't get visas. it is just our immigration days and i am up until january when they reset. i have used all my days in aruba and curacaoso until they reset i can't stay. but as soon as they reset president will send me back. Woohoo!
well this letter is a little short and without pictures because i am still up here in punda and don't have my cord. but i love you and wish you all a great week!
August 17, 2009
Hello!
So this week we started out and Monday was pretty good! We didn’t get to teach anyone but it was nice walking around and just trying to talk to people. Then Tuesday we had district meeting and since we had another elder go back to Puerto rico because of medical problems it was just the sisters and us. And since our house is the church we did it in our house. It was actually really awkward. Never going to do it again. We got another elder from Australia in our district here. Woohoo! He’s way cool. We were catching crabs here for our P-day activity. Got some good pictures. But as well tomorrow we have president interviews. Before the mission I didn’t like interviews at all. But now I love it because it is a great time to learn to ask questions and to soak up as much gospel and life knowledge as possible. And I will get to report about our district and what I am doing to help them and everything I am excited. So I didn’t cut my self this week. But… I was walking with a candle that was lit. and it spilled down my hand and I dropped it and wax went everywhere. Not to mention down my hand. I have a nice burn mark on my hand. My right hand. Everything has happened on the right hand. I wasn’t even being unsafe this time just taking the candle into the other room. We have candles because the power goes out so frequently. I wasn’t burning anything just walking with a lit candle. But it was funny. Then on Sunday I was trying to close the closet door and took off a little skin on my pinky on my right hand. Bled a little but its good. But the other cuts are fine. The wrist one is all healed up and now just a scar the finger one is started to close up and now I can move my finger normally again. This week we seemed to speak with many Adventists. And I was studying studying and studying to try to prove them wrong. Completely wrong attitude then I read a quote by Ezra Taft Benson. It said. Something like “I am afraid the members underutilize the book of mormon. We don’t have to prove that the book of mormon is true. It proves itself. We just need to learn it and teach it and let people see themselves. It is not on trial. We are on trial. The members of the church. On how well we use this sacred history we have received. I realized instead of trying to prove them wrong with scriptures in there bible Just testify and move on. We had a great lesson with a guy named Theodore and then at the end his wife started talking to us and completely opened up on how she had seen a commercial and wanted the book but couldn’t call to receive it. It was awesome! We are going back this next week. Also our Colombian investigator Alexander came back this week and we have dinner at his house tomorrow. He is great! We had a family home evening this week to try to help the members relationships they don’t get along very well. All 10 of them. =) so for family home evening we wrote letters to other members. One member flat out wouldn’t write a letter. Just sat there and watched the other write. Then another member asked us why we don’t call to ask him to go out with us. It was a big smack in the face. (wake up call) As missionaries we are always afraid of bringing members with us. Maybe they’ll say something weird or take the lesson a different way than we planned. And so we just sometimes don’t even ask. And it just made me think of the quote I heard “if you never ask the answer is almost always no” So I know where I need to improve. One area at least. Its not easy but we are going to do it this week.Woohoo! But other info Somehow I am out of mission money for the month because they haven’t put our island support on yet. So we are waiting on that and I am using my home card until then. So the hundred dollars aren’t 100 anymore. Other clothes can wait.But mom! My shirts are getting dirty! I can’t get my ring around the collar out and my backpack straps are leaving lines on my shoulders. How can I get them out? Is there any secret remedy. I have tried spray and wash and many other things. I soaked them in bleach this week and nothing happened. Back in Puerto rico the Spray and Wash stain stick worked best. But they don’t sell it here. HELP I want white shirts again.
Things are good. Just riding bikes a lot and going from house to house. And then to another house. I met my first german in my mission.
Funny moment. Yesterday we were contacting and talked with a man and he thought we only spoke English so he walked to the houses with us to translate for us. =) it was funny.
I Love you!
Nick Bare got married! Matt told me. I WANT A LETTER IN SPANISH!!! I WANT TO HEAR FROM MY SISTER!!! OR SEE A SINGLE PICTURE FROM HER WEDDING! I HAVE NOTHING !!!
So this week we started out and Monday was pretty good! We didn’t get to teach anyone but it was nice walking around and just trying to talk to people. Then Tuesday we had district meeting and since we had another elder go back to Puerto rico because of medical problems it was just the sisters and us. And since our house is the church we did it in our house. It was actually really awkward. Never going to do it again. We got another elder from Australia in our district here. Woohoo! He’s way cool. We were catching crabs here for our P-day activity. Got some good pictures. But as well tomorrow we have president interviews. Before the mission I didn’t like interviews at all. But now I love it because it is a great time to learn to ask questions and to soak up as much gospel and life knowledge as possible. And I will get to report about our district and what I am doing to help them and everything I am excited. So I didn’t cut my self this week. But… I was walking with a candle that was lit. and it spilled down my hand and I dropped it and wax went everywhere. Not to mention down my hand. I have a nice burn mark on my hand. My right hand. Everything has happened on the right hand. I wasn’t even being unsafe this time just taking the candle into the other room. We have candles because the power goes out so frequently. I wasn’t burning anything just walking with a lit candle. But it was funny. Then on Sunday I was trying to close the closet door and took off a little skin on my pinky on my right hand. Bled a little but its good. But the other cuts are fine. The wrist one is all healed up and now just a scar the finger one is started to close up and now I can move my finger normally again. This week we seemed to speak with many Adventists. And I was studying studying and studying to try to prove them wrong. Completely wrong attitude then I read a quote by Ezra Taft Benson. It said. Something like “I am afraid the members underutilize the book of mormon. We don’t have to prove that the book of mormon is true. It proves itself. We just need to learn it and teach it and let people see themselves. It is not on trial. We are on trial. The members of the church. On how well we use this sacred history we have received. I realized instead of trying to prove them wrong with scriptures in there bible Just testify and move on. We had a great lesson with a guy named Theodore and then at the end his wife started talking to us and completely opened up on how she had seen a commercial and wanted the book but couldn’t call to receive it. It was awesome! We are going back this next week. Also our Colombian investigator Alexander came back this week and we have dinner at his house tomorrow. He is great! We had a family home evening this week to try to help the members relationships they don’t get along very well. All 10 of them. =) so for family home evening we wrote letters to other members. One member flat out wouldn’t write a letter. Just sat there and watched the other write. Then another member asked us why we don’t call to ask him to go out with us. It was a big smack in the face. (wake up call) As missionaries we are always afraid of bringing members with us. Maybe they’ll say something weird or take the lesson a different way than we planned. And so we just sometimes don’t even ask. And it just made me think of the quote I heard “if you never ask the answer is almost always no” So I know where I need to improve. One area at least. Its not easy but we are going to do it this week.Woohoo! But other info Somehow I am out of mission money for the month because they haven’t put our island support on yet. So we are waiting on that and I am using my home card until then. So the hundred dollars aren’t 100 anymore. Other clothes can wait.But mom! My shirts are getting dirty! I can’t get my ring around the collar out and my backpack straps are leaving lines on my shoulders. How can I get them out? Is there any secret remedy. I have tried spray and wash and many other things. I soaked them in bleach this week and nothing happened. Back in Puerto rico the Spray and Wash stain stick worked best. But they don’t sell it here. HELP I want white shirts again.
Things are good. Just riding bikes a lot and going from house to house. And then to another house. I met my first german in my mission.
Funny moment. Yesterday we were contacting and talked with a man and he thought we only spoke English so he walked to the houses with us to translate for us. =) it was funny.
I Love you!
Nick Bare got married! Matt told me. I WANT A LETTER IN SPANISH!!! I WANT TO HEAR FROM MY SISTER!!! OR SEE A SINGLE PICTURE FROM HER WEDDING! I HAVE NOTHING !!!
August 10, 2009
Yay. Some nice stories this week.
This week monday. we just stayed and did nothing in barber for P-day. Way fun! Then tuesday had our district meeting. Pretty good but not as smooth as i planned. then we went to Tera Kora for the rest of the afternoon. It was alright not my favorite but allright. Then we went back home and taught a lesson in barber. Then wednesday. =) we had a Tradeoff with the zone leader. We jsut so happened to have a service project planned as well. So we went to the ladys house to clean up her spiky bushes. We were working hard for about 2 hours. Then as i was cutting down a tree with a machete smack smack smack BOING. The machete bounce back and made a really funny noise then hit the ground and i turned around and looked at elder king. Started laughing then bent down to pick it up and realized it had sliced my arm. right above my right wrist. sliced clean through the leather glove and a good 1/8th inch deep into my arm its only about an inch long. But was open pretty big. So we went to the hopsital and (expecting stitches) they glued it shut. Went home and now i have a cool little scar. Thursday was weekly planning and we finished the day with no lessons and nothing really to show for a days work. Friday we went to tera cora and were behind a bit becuase of our hospital trip on finding hours. So we went finding for 4 and a half hours super D duper. Started talking with a lady that started trying to prove me wrong with the bible and i ended up proving her wrong and she knew it started out as a very defensive conversation and quickly we had control again it actually ended very good they started asking about our missions and then i showed them pictures of you guys and their hearts melted and they listened to us more. Then saturday we started with a nice service project painting our investigators house... it was fun. Then went to our dutch class. WoohoO! and man dutch is not easy. Spanish and papiamento were so much easier. Sunday church was good. ANother 2:30 hours of finding time and not a single lesson. Today...P-Day =) we studied and my companion was waiting for me so we could go to the store. i was trying to make a lizard trap. He went into the other room and before i knew it i had sliced my index finger. Almost down to the bone. blood everywhere. My companion was just shocked that in the same week i had sliced myself twice. So we waited for about 30 minutes for the bus and finally got to the hospital. The nurse laughed at me. He said he would have stayed home and put a bandaid on it. This cut was much worse than my forehead scope injury that took 7 stitches. Deeper at least. Then the doctor looked at it and just put more glue on it. I was kind of shocked that the nurse suggested that i just go home and put a bandaid on it. That would ahve made a much uglier scar and as well would just leave and nice big open wound ready for infection. Big difference in American medicine and island medicine. But other than that this week wasn't super exciting. Almost all our citas fell through and we had a very hard contacting week.
But overall things are good.
This week monday. we just stayed and did nothing in barber for P-day. Way fun! Then tuesday had our district meeting. Pretty good but not as smooth as i planned. then we went to Tera Kora for the rest of the afternoon. It was alright not my favorite but allright. Then we went back home and taught a lesson in barber. Then wednesday. =) we had a Tradeoff with the zone leader. We jsut so happened to have a service project planned as well. So we went to the ladys house to clean up her spiky bushes. We were working hard for about 2 hours. Then as i was cutting down a tree with a machete smack smack smack BOING. The machete bounce back and made a really funny noise then hit the ground and i turned around and looked at elder king. Started laughing then bent down to pick it up and realized it had sliced my arm. right above my right wrist. sliced clean through the leather glove and a good 1/8th inch deep into my arm its only about an inch long. But was open pretty big. So we went to the hopsital and (expecting stitches) they glued it shut. Went home and now i have a cool little scar. Thursday was weekly planning and we finished the day with no lessons and nothing really to show for a days work. Friday we went to tera cora and were behind a bit becuase of our hospital trip on finding hours. So we went finding for 4 and a half hours super D duper. Started talking with a lady that started trying to prove me wrong with the bible and i ended up proving her wrong and she knew it started out as a very defensive conversation and quickly we had control again it actually ended very good they started asking about our missions and then i showed them pictures of you guys and their hearts melted and they listened to us more. Then saturday we started with a nice service project painting our investigators house... it was fun. Then went to our dutch class. WoohoO! and man dutch is not easy. Spanish and papiamento were so much easier. Sunday church was good. ANother 2:30 hours of finding time and not a single lesson. Today...P-Day =) we studied and my companion was waiting for me so we could go to the store. i was trying to make a lizard trap. He went into the other room and before i knew it i had sliced my index finger. Almost down to the bone. blood everywhere. My companion was just shocked that in the same week i had sliced myself twice. So we waited for about 30 minutes for the bus and finally got to the hospital. The nurse laughed at me. He said he would have stayed home and put a bandaid on it. This cut was much worse than my forehead scope injury that took 7 stitches. Deeper at least. Then the doctor looked at it and just put more glue on it. I was kind of shocked that the nurse suggested that i just go home and put a bandaid on it. That would ahve made a much uglier scar and as well would just leave and nice big open wound ready for infection. Big difference in American medicine and island medicine. But other than that this week wasn't super exciting. Almost all our citas fell through and we had a very hard contacting week.
But overall things are good.
August 3, 2009
Many many things have happened. Our area was a bit neglected because I had to go to the other area so much. Monday we went to Punda to do email and as well while we were there I bought a nice pink tie! Wooohoo! Happy birthday! Then we returned home and went and visited two investigators and a less active member that recently had a stroke. She had been talking with us and told us that she prayed and prayed that she could have a visit from someone from church. Then same week Elder Mason (who finished his mission last week) and his parents went by and as well we visited her. She felt so blessed and felt that her prayers were answered. It was a great experience to be there. Then on Tuesday we had zone conference. We focused on The story of Alma and amulek in alma 8,9,10 and how we really need to involve the members in our work. Then president talked more about 17,18,20,26 and how we need to become more humble missionaries. It was good but I am reaching a difficult part of my mission. For some reason lately I have been getting really down when people say no. over and Over and OVER again I hear no. and it has never been so much as a little bump in my patch but lately it just really seems to hurt that we aren’t finding people to teach. I got a letter from Elder Freckleton who was my companion in the CCM and he said he has 8 baptismal dates set and has 13 people in church. They are completely different islands different cultures but I am just reaching a point of frustration/ tristeza that I am not seeing more people come unto Christ. And on top of that we are told by president that we need to contact at least 20 people a day. Here in this area it is very difficult to do that. So we come home and I have felt like I have talked with almost everyone in our path and a few out of our path and my companion counts our contacts and I ask him how many we got and he says “7” I just fee4l like we are doing what we can and its still not fulfilling what we are required to do from our president. And especially as District leader I feel like I have even more responsibility to fulfill what president requires. But yeah! There were many great experiences this week. As I told you I had a baptismal interview this last week. I fasted on Sunday and went into the interview and from the very first words I felt the spirit so strong. I asked her the questions and just tried to get a feel of her testimony. It was great. Then I asked one question and her answer wasn’t how it should have been. I was concerned and upset but continued as if nothing happened. We called president after to ask him to come to interview her. She was upset that she had to have another interview. She was great and ready for baptism minus one small thing in her past. I called president. He told me the church’s policy for it and told me he trusted me to follow the spirit and make a decision that would be correct. So we scheduled another interview and I asked her to see if she had completed the repentance process. After another interview I felt and prayed that I was making the right decision. She was baptized on Saturday it was great! The elders that taught her were very excited. BUT before all that we showed up to their baptism and they couldn’t get the hoses out of the shed to fill the font. So there were trying to pick the lock. They couldn’t do it. So we kept trying and trying and one elder decided to get on the roof to see if he could get in somehow. So he climbed the wall and threw his arms up in joy that he made it up and as he did that the roof broke and he went crashing down. After a few seconds he made some noise and started kicking at the door to try to break it down. (metal door) we kept trying and trying and trying. Finally we took the tire iron of the car and Pried the lock apart and about a half hour later got the door open. 6 oclock came around and the font wasn’t filled barely about 2 inches of water. So we started and had two talks and then went back out about 20 minutes later. There was about 3 feet of water. Good thing she was short. So he did it. Then a brother mentioned he held his left hand up not his right hand. So they did it again and everything was good. Then we started our exciting journey home. Got on one bus. And it wasn’t the right bus so we went and went and went and finally made it to our destination. Then as we got there we waited and waited and then finally a man stopped and gave us a ride and told us there weren’t any more busses that night on that road. Whew.One day this week we went finding in a dutch neighborhood. GREAT! Not. We couldn’t get into anyones house. They all have gates and I am not a big fan of shouting from the sidewalk anymore so I open the gate and go to their door. We walked up to one house and knocked and nothing then we turned around to leave and there was a guy standing there. He started shouting something in dutch. (I only understood that he said the property was private) then I said sorry we don’t speak dutch. So he said “I call the police” so he rushed down the street and left us just standing there bewildered by what just happened. He stood on his front porch with his phone to his ear. We continued knocking on doors and needless to say remained in that neighborhood for about a half hour and no cops ever showed up. Quite funny.This last week we were riding and ran into a man that says he was a prophet. God inspired him to make some power source that is virtually free and he is going to use it to make kids learn. That was interesting how because he received inspiration he thought he was a prophet. We told him god has a prophet and he said. “did you know there is a prophet in curacao?” then I said “are you serious? Who?” and he replied “you are looking at him”. Then he explained some things and just made me kind of sad he seemed fairly confused about things.Also learned a little about the muslim faith. They believe Christ wasn’t actually crucified but it was just someone who looked like him.This week I also was riding my bike close to the prophets house and kicking cactuses along the way they would stick into my shoe. Then one I kicked and it missed my shoe and stuck right into my ankle. My companion had to pull it out it hurt so bad. The spikes went in to my shin at least half an inch. BOY DID THAT FEEL GOOD!As well I was doing my magic tricks and every once in a while I like to show them how to do one. So I showed them the quarter bite one. The kid watned to try it. So he bit the quarter and yanked it off. (broke the rubber band and everything) then tried to spit it out and it didn’t stick so he thought he just didn’t do it right so he picked it up and tried to do it again and nothing so he thought it really was magic. My companion started laughing histerically. It was funny!
That was my week. Full of good moments. A few disappointments but all is good. I am excited for my first District meeting as district leader. WoohoO!
That was my week. Full of good moments. A few disappointments but all is good. I am excited for my first District meeting as district leader. WoohoO!
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