Things I've Eaten...

Hey how are you guys?? :) I'm sure you guys are doing just fine since you are in California this week!!! That sounds like a blast, I am not going to lie I am kind of jealous.  I miss those summer vacations, but the work is moving steady down here.  It has been a pretty solid week.  I got my new comp, Elder Mathewson and we are just tearing this area apart.  I was worried that it would be difficult to lead an area but it isn't at all.  Elder Mathewson is a pretty cool guy, he is from Vegas and has been out a year.  We teach well together, he is a little bit on the quiet side which is the exact opposite then Elder Wright was so I have been having alot bigger part in the lessons which has been really good for me.  We still have some pretty good investigators plus we have some that we are going to drop soon but that's alright, we have been finding alot of really cool people too.  We have been working hard and it will start to pay off soon I think.  Well this week has just been blistering hot!!! I thought that it was blistering hot when I got here in March but I forgot that that was their winter months as well.  It is just always so so hot, it just never cools off and there isn't anywhere to go to cool off. Lessons are always taught on their veranda (front porch) and in our house you just get home open the doors and windows turn on the fans and blow 97 degree air around all day and night and during studies, I basically just sweat constantly here.  I'm pretty sure I have not been fully dry since I got here.  I am sitting in this internet cafe emailing just sweatin cuz you guessed it all they have is the door opened for ventalaion and that doesn't work too well, I guess that is a contributor the the 20 pounds I lost my first month out here. But remember how Elder Cornish of the 70 came last week and spoke to us, well he also spoke to priesthood leaders and leaders of other auxilaries in meetings throughout last weekend and that has just gotten most people in the branch to start getting excited about missionary work which is really good.  Not only missionary work but just to really tell them the responsibilities that they need to be taking care of as leaders and stuff which is good because it will help the branch start working better, most of these members are first generation members and aren't quite sure how everything is supposed to be ran but they are trying hard to improve and it is cool to see.  But we had our elders quorum president call us and set up a meeting to go over less actives that we could group up together and go visit.  We also had a meeting with our branch mission leader, he is a old guy, recent convert but he is trying super hard to do the best he can.  He told us the other day that he wants to be the best branch mission leader in the world but that he just doesn't know what he is supposed to do.  Us missionaries in the branch were like crap that is kind of on us for not helpin him out so we have been having some meetings with him, and he has gotten really excited about helping us out, we need to keep the fire that Elder Cornish put under these people going for a while and it will help the work out so much. 

Well this week we had lunch at a members house, she cooked stewed pork with rice.  It was really gross, it wasn't normal pork at all.  It was pig tail and basically pig skin.  It was just solid chunks of fat and the tail was pretty much just bone.  But the chunks of fat had hair on it still.  It was flat out disgusting!  I ate most of it but we then asked her for a refill on our waters so that she could go into the kitchen and so I could dump alot of food on Elder Wrights plate who just loved that lunch. It reminded me of the bet I made with Russ for $50 but even worse cuz it had a terrible flavo, not a nice ham flavor. Just so ya know Russ I could finish that bet now!! ;) I have eatin some pretty crazy stuff now: cow skin, cow foot, tripe, pig skin, pig tail, ox (cow) tail, curry goat, and i'm sure that more crazy stuff will come eventually.

Mom you need to check out Global Mission Shipping.  It sends pacages here in 2 days and it is half the cost of the post office.  It is a legit thing not somethin that I am making up, they send it through DHL which sends all the church supplies and stuff around that world, tell me what you find out about int next week.
Well it sounds like Mohler is just lovin it in Oregon, especially with all of that AMAZING looking food!! Jealous about that one too.  Adam at a Yankees game, a joke you tell!!! <--- that is a likkle bit of patois. ;)  That sounds super fun tho! Well I hope that you guys continue to have fun in California, tell everyone down there hi for me! :) Well I love you guys, happy Fathers Day Soon Dad!!! Well I'll talk to ya next week. Love ya!!

Love Elder Colton Harris

So one more quick story since I have some time.  It is a story about a guy named A.  He isn't a member but has started to come to church the past couple weeks.  Well he is this old guy who can barely walk, doesn't talk very good but he is still at church every week.  To get to church it takes him about 2 hours to walk every sunday cuz his house is pretty far away.  Well he always brings a big bag of Mangoes and passes them out to everyone till he runs out.  Well Bro L., a member here took him home yesterday and he said that he is living in a 12' by 12' board house thing with no roof, just a piece of zink (tin) to cover him partially from wind rain and sun.  He probably only eats things that he kind find on the ground like mangoes and stuff.  Such humble circumstances, some people literally have nothing here yet their faith is so strong.  If there were ever a people on this earth that need the good news that is the Gospel it would be people out here.  Bro L. actually took work off today 

and gathered up some supplies and went over to help build it up better, he is in the middle of moving across town as well and he just dropped everything to help him out. People in the church are great everywhere and it is good to know that people have your back and are willing to help you out when you need it.  Well have a good day I just thought I would throw that in. Bye.

"Me struttin' my stuff in the wind"

 

"Me and my comp on transfers"