The dogs got me

Email #96
Area: Alice Springs
Companion: Elder Olsen

Excerpts from Mom's email:

Hey Mom!

This week was just chalk full of cool stories and experiences that may even have to wait until I get home, but I will try to include all that I can! It is Christmas time here in Alice springs to even though the heat has exceeded 42°C some days haha. We have really been enjoying our time here with Christmas around the corner and I know that the next few days will be so amazing as well.

First here are the Christmas plans for the next few days!! This morning we went on a hike as a zone which was great. Later today we are eating dinner at a members home at about 5pm as a zone as well! Tomorrow we will be skyping home at the Clark's house between 8-9pm. Anywhere between there, but I will have Elder Clark message you to give you a heads up when we are about to get on. If you have any questions email ................. just let him know who you are. I probably will use his profile or mine. The call is supposed to be around 45 min this time around, so sorry that it may have to be a bit shorter this time around! Be sure to come ready with questions and things because I probably won't. Know what you want to talk about haha.

Then we are going to another friends house as a zone and having lunch for Christmas day at around 1pm. Then we are going to another members home for dinner around 4pm. Then at about 5pm, we are going to the Clark's home until late to watch movies (the new beauty and the beast and Incredibles 2 I think), play games, and have breakfast for dinner!! Then the next morning, we arise early and drive to Uluru!! We will get there at 10am and spend 5-6 hours there and head home. This is going to be a big three days and should be heaps of fun!! I'm really excited about it!!!

Well that's the plans anyways for the holidays! This past week was good to! Started last Pday going to the reptile center and got to hold some reptiles! I held a few lizards and the really cool one was holding a Python! None of course were dangerous and was a cool experience doing that! That same night they had this basketball game they asked us to play in just to keep their players in practice during the holidays. A lot of the really good players were gone, so I didn't get schooled like I usually do haha.

We found this lady who is friends with one of the members and we're able to do some service for her. We spent about 1.5 hours out in 40 something degrees right next to a swimming pool. We removed some bricks, so they could install something for their pool and then helped with the weeding as well. Just was so tempting to have a pool right there and not being able to swim in it! Best part was though was the dogs there were so cool! Just so loving and super well trained! They kept us good company as we worked! We've done a couple things for service as well this week like putting up a new trampoline for these kids.

We had a trade off this week with the other elders here to and man we ate super well. One of the elder's mom ordered all of this food for him for Christmas through the Coles here. So we had all go this good food to cook during the trade off and it was so good! Speaking of, we just heard that President requested to SLC for a raise in our funds! Now we can actually get better quality food for ourselves starting Jan 1! To bad this is just happening, but still grateful for it! Anyway on the trade off, we taught this part member family who is preparing for baptism in Jan! I was with one of the newer elders and he has never taught any of the commandments before, so they asked me to come and help teach. It was pretty fun, because we taught the law of tithing with cookies that they made! One of them is a little 10 year old girl and the other is her dad. We all really enjoyed it and they even had us over for dinner before the lesson.

We found another friend this week named C.... as well. He grew up Jehovah Witness, but has since lose his faith in God in general. He let us in to teach him, because he wants to find God again in his life. It was a little different teaching him because he grew up believing so differently to what we are teaching him, but he is also so mold-able in what he is willing to learn. He even invited us over during the Christmas break! None of his family really lives here I Alice, but his room mates have kids and that is who he is spending his Christmas with.

Just yesterday we went Christmas caroling! We first went by Mack's house. Us elders were actually a bit nervous about it, because we knew he doesn't really like surprises. After serving in the army so long I am sure surprises aren't the funnest thing. Anyway, we sang in the front and he came out with a big smile on his face! It surprised us more then him I think haha. We gave him cookies and just felt special. Then we went to the old folks home and even Jordan Mcween, his wife and kids all joined us. He has two little boys really young btw. So we sang and after about 40 min of doing this, our voices were done haha. We finished last night with watching the mission slide show from this past year. Unfortunately I can't send that to you or even get it myself, because I guess that is one of the things they give you in your leavers package. The Clark's fed us last night though and we just sat back and watched this video. They had this one massage thing there as well that I just loved! Some head massage thing haha. Good time!!!

That's basically my week! There is heaps more that will have to be told another time! Love you heaps! Talk to you tomorrow!


Excerpts from Dad's email:

Hey Dad!!!

Most is in Moms email about skyping and all that just so you know.

That's really crazy what happened to Noah!! Peru must be a pretty dangerous place! Hope he is okay, let me know what you hear! Here it is not dangerous like that at all!

I don't know if I told you about how the aboriginals treat us here. Basically they love us and will defend us if anyone tries to mess with us haha. There was this one guy who barely raised his voice at us and these abo guys yell "hey don't you mess with the Christian people!" (that's what they call us usually). It's crazy how nice people are to us here though! Way different then in Adelaide! We get rejection sure, but in a nice way. In Adelaide people tell us well rude things haha. Another probably big reason people are nicer here is because everyone know the Ford family here! The branch pres family is just super well known in Alice and everyone respects them and they know we are with them haha.

Crazy experience this week that you may or may not want to tell mom yet haha. It's not bad just I know she worries to much lol. You can show her this if you want to or wait until I get back. I don't know how she will react, but sorry mom if you are reading this, I just don't want you to worry lol. Well the story starts with simply visiting these members that I know from Samoa. The dad was gone and it was only his daughter home. She answers the door and I guess she forgot about their dogs. Their dogs are mean as to strangers without the dad's approval of the person if you know what I mean. Basically if the dad is there, the dogs are nice. If not, well this happens...😅 After hearing them bark, she said "hang on I better put the dogs away" but right when she said that the dogs lunge through the door and the first one nips at my knee (the first photo). The other one comes around and bits me on the back of the leg twice. Happened so fast, but we got them inside and calmed down but they got me real good in the leg. So I was wearing those Lulu pants that are super tear resistant. They didn't have a single tear in them! They held up completely! My leg didn't though haha. So I get back and I told the mission nurse and she told the Clark's to take me to the clinic to get it cleaned properly. The clinic was closed, so the only option was the E.R. Well they took good care of me and I'm all good haha. Doesn't even hurt now! Honest, I hiked today and the day after this happened biked around like normal with little pain. Normally dogs are nice or behind gates, so that was just bad luck.  Haha so cool story because they say you haven't served a mission until a dog gets ya lol. These two dogs were about as big as our neighbors, the May's. Good size haha. Anyway, up to you if you want to share:). You don't worry either! I'm fine and safe haha. Feel free to post on blog to its fine.

If you are curious about what the doctors said, basically the dogs mouth is pretty dirty, so they gave me some antibiotics to take for a few days. It's teeth didn't get into my skin luckily because of the pants so that saved me a lot! It didn't get to the layer of skin where they would be worried at all or would need stitches so was pretty easy. They just cleaned it and gave me some antibiotics. It looks worse then it is in the pictures trust me. 👍

Besides that, all is well in Alice Springs! I'm a lot more cautious around dogs, but my companion is even more so! I protected him from these dogs, so he is fine😎😉.

The heat feels great sometimes and other times is hot as!!! I'm grateful for that cooling towel y'all sent me ages ago! Oh I got something in the mail from you, looks like a bunch of candy and stuff I think! Thanks so much for that! I'll send a pic of our Christmas tree I think you will have a kick out of it. As well, yes I know who sent that package! He was a really nice member that loved me in Grange! All the members there loved me I feel like, because I was there for so dang long! 😋 Yeah just hang on to it and I'll open in when I get home. Didn't know he was sending anything and have no clue what it is haha. I was pretty surprised, but I will tell him thank you!

Hope you like the snake photos to. It was cool holding it, because it felt strong as! Wouldn't ever mess with something like that in the wild ever! I also sent some extra pics from camel riding that we got sent to us. There are probably more photos that I will get and send eventually. By the way, did you clear up some of the Google drive because a lot looks like it is missing. I have it all backed up on the TB drive you sent me. Do you have them all saved to? Just curious:)

Come prepared as possible to skyping because I won't have as much time as usual.
Love you heaps! Talk to you tomorrow!

Dog bite

Bandages

Crocodile

Bearded dragon

Python