Email #98
Area: Alice Springs
Companion: Elder Richard
Excerpts from Mom's email:
Yes we had two hour church as well and it was a little weird. Yeah the bite has healed really great! So I went to the clinic this week with the Clarks for a follow up check up and she said that it is looking good. She gave me a few more bandages just to keep it covered during the day when I am out. Sister Sanders probably hasn't said anything because it is okay and she knows I will tell you about it. If there was a concern, that's probably when she would email you I feel like. I asked the doctor if it is necessary to get the records for the dogs and she said it wasn't. The important thing is that I have had all of my shots, because rabies and things is not really a thing here plus there is no sign of infection and two of the wounds have already healed completely.
The sister I am flying with is from Samoa. She is really cool actually, one of my favorite sisters! President told me I most likely will be flying to Adelaide on the 8th, but it is not set yet.
It was a pretty fun week! It started off with a great new year's party at the Clark's! Because it was new years, we spent all pday including the night doing things! That night we had a nice dinner at the Clark's and then did some New years games. Even had a Tongan new year because we celebrated the new year the same time Tonga did, at 8:30 our time haha. Even got hats and cool glasses!
The next day following district meeting we were surprised by a Samoan family having their new years celebration in the primary room at the church! They had heaps of food laid out, enough to feed an army! They invited all of us to eat with them and man it was good! I ate quite a bit, but didn't even make a dent to what was in front of me! I was talking to one of the members that was there and talk to her about my experience in Mildura learning about the Samoan culture. She ended up the next day giving me a block for Coco Samoa, a drink that I miss so so much! I will have to bring some home for sure!! It's just a block what looks like chocolate!
Having a new companion, I brought him around to everyone in town to introduce him. One of them being the Birds, one of my favorite aboriginal families around! While we were there, one of the guys, Alvin, is really good at guitar and he was playing it for us. He started playing this one song and Elder Richard's just brakes out singing to it and I have to admit, it was pretty dang funny! They loved it and I just cracked up the whole time! It didn't sound to bad ay! I also brought him by the other Birds where Marrie stays, the lady who gave me that painting. She is so nice though, she said last week that before I go she wants to do my little hymn book for me to match my scriptures. As well one of the birds just finished a painting for me that is really nice and another one of them, Tania, texted me saying she has one for me to. I think it is because I am leaving that they are making so many haha but I am very grateful for their love for sure. You honestly have to get to know them to fully appreciate the culture and who they are! Very different to anything we are use to, but an amazing blessing to have the chance to come here!
Another surprise blessing was our friend Cilla giving us another heap of food! She gave us this ice cream container that is I think 4 or 5 liters of chocolate ice cream! There was just so much that I knew there was no way we could finish it all plus she wants the container back end of this week to use it to put some curry in it that she will make for us... So what we decided to do is to take some of it to the kids out in one of the aboriginal communities. We did it on Sunday, so that they had something to snack on after we did the sacrament there. Surprisingly they finished a large amount of it and left a perfect 1 liter for us, which honestly is plenty. I will send a pic of both how much food she gave us in the freezer and as well the ice cream in Amoonguna.
Love you heaps and have a good week!
Excerpts from Dad's email:
Hey Dad!
Yeah this week has been pretty good honestly! I as well am downloading heaps of photos off of Elder Clarks drive and saving them to my flash drive so I will be able to send you guys photos that I didn't before! He has some good ones on there.
Yeah we had some good finding experiences this week. One day we were just knocking doors and one lady opens the door and says "Hi Elders, just one sec". So I quickly pull out my phone and try to see if this is a member I didn't know. Well turns out, not a member but she has former missionary friends that served here in the 70s! She just talked to one of them during Christmas even! I guess she used to have them over all the time, let them even practice the lessons on her. The only reason she is not baptized and going to church is that her husband did not approve of it. Even her daughter knows the missionaries. Funny thing is that just a week or so ago, we met them in town and the daughter told us how she respects us and wished us a merry Christmas. I didn't recognize the mom at first but when she brought this up at the door, I remembered. Anyway, the daughter was going to be baptized as well but her at the time fiance told her that if she did, they would have been done... Sad I know. Well she gave us drinks and fresh water which was super nice! Hope to see her around town because she said every time she sees us, she will be sure to make sure we are hydrated and fed haha. The cool part of this day was the very next door, a man answers the door and is casually shirtless and was just chill-in around the house. He didn't say all that much to us, but said he would be right back. Well then a Philippine women comes to the door and invites us in. Once we got inside, we see that he just got a nice shirt on and things. We talked to them for a good 30 min answering their questions like "what is the difference from your church and every other church in the world?" Well we got a return appointment with them after teaching them about the Book of Mormon and the restoration. Nice family and the women from the Philippines is pretty familiar with the church.
So bad news about M... and K..... We had planned to do a dinner with them and the Clarks just last night and they cancelled on us again. Kind of sad, but I think K.... is turned off to the whole idea. We saw M... at the beginning of the week and as always golden about the church and being baptized, but his health just won't allow it right now. Talking to the Clarks, they feel that for now it might be good to step back for a while. M... might not ever have the chance to be baptized in this life because his health is just to bad! I know that God has a plan for him and that he will have his chance, even if it is in the spirit world. I hope things turn around with K...., but not sure from here. Satan just has stepped in too much with her and I think part of the problem is that they both have had very hard experiences so trust is hard to come by. Keep them in your prayers! I hope to get a photo with him to remember him better, but not sure if I will have the chance for obvious reasons. Being an amputee, I don't think he likes to have his photo taken.
Things are going well here over all honestly! My companions is a little different to my last, but I will adjust. I plan on enjoying it to the end and I am beyond grateful to finish here in Alice Springs!! I have been so bless for what I have been able to experience on my mission and I can't wait to share about it with you all when I get home.
Love you and have a good week!
More pictures from a couple weeks ago.
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