Cold Rain and Good Food

Hello everyone well it was another busy week in OTARA home of the cold and rain. I love it though everyone has an added measure of pity for letting us in when we are drenched from head to toe. Haha. I have had some good and sad experiences this week. This lady Eseta who is Samoan that we have been teaching for just over a month well not me but other elders I met her just a few fays into my mission though. She is amazing, but told us that she love what we teach and believes its true and she reads from the Book of Mormon almost everyday, but she told us that she couldn’t leave her church. It was one of the hardest things I have had to swallow since I've been here. The worst part about us is that she loves us so much. There has not been a time when we have come that she hasn’t baked something special, and boy is she a goooooooooddddd cook. Grandma you still are the best but she is definitely in the top ten in my book. After she told us the crummy news she reminded us that her home is our home. We will always have a place to stay and eat, she offered to do our laundry and many othere things that her mother did for missionaries. I told her that she is the kind of person that my mother prays for me to meet and come in contact with. The next day she invited us over for tea which just means milo, well hot chocolate in America. So of course we said yes, and when we got there she had this huge spread from steaks to meatballs chicken rice and taro (taro is a root that at first is gross but I love it now….way better than kim chee kyle haha). It was all so amazing and good with love. She also told us that her older kids that we teach it is totally up to them what church to join so we will never drop her because all it will take is just the right spirit at just the right time to fully convert her. On a slighter happier note we organized a fireside in our ward that we got our mission president to come and to speak at which is a really big deal seeing how busy he is with all the responsabilities of a of a mission president. That will be this next Sunday and should be great for member and non-member alike. Also, I had my first zone conference this week on Friday. It was amazing our president is such a motivational speaker and knows just what to say. I know that that is only through the power of god that has been given to him. He has been using this saying through the winter that is “Got Fire” and it just means is the spirit burning inside you to keep you and others warm though the winter months? So to go along with this saying that he came up with he had two elders that know how to breathe fire come out and do a show for us in the church parking lot. It was INTENSE!!!! I’m sure it was breaking all kinds of rules, but he is the president he can do what he wants hahaha. So I cant remember if I told you I ate horse or not in my last email, but I did and it was yum. Also this week I had lamb for the first time and I liked it as well. Grandpa you would love it here people are just like you and will always feed you no matter if you are hungry or not!!! In fact we don’t have meal appointments, they call them feeds. Its so funny to hear people say “Elders wheres your feed tonight” I feel like cattle. So far it is still pretty cold so today im going to go buy a nice blanket so I can return the ones that the relief society president has been letting me use. Also Im going to buy a flag of new Zealand and do the same thing kyle did with his companions pictures on the flag. On the note of flags I definitely missed seeing the fireworks from home or even just the stands that are everywhere selling them. It was just another sday nothing special like it is back home. Mom I never sent anything from the mtc you might be thinking of another boy who I told you had to send his stuff, but not me. Also I need the pics that we took with all my friends at our house and the ones I took with all the families that came. People love to see pictures and it helps the days go better to see familiar faces. Estee that is awesome that you got a house, but you know me I want to know about the out side of it….grass no grass trees, garden you know the important stuff haha. Its been hard here with the “grass” uncle Les and I would call it weeds!!!! It a mix of all the same weeds we have back home and they cut it crazy short so then its just mud everywhere since it rains so often. But as you can see in the pics I sent home I have been improving our flat as best I can!!!! Other funny news I got my first hole in a pair of my pants. I know mom I need to be more careful but I don’t even know how it happened!!! Its right below the zipper but a nice lady in our ward is fixing them up for me, and a button that fell off that same suit coat. Its funny how on the mission you have your church clothes and then your…….church clothes. No in between other than what you wear to bed. Well that’s my email for the week I love all of you and pray for you each day!!!!
TO MY FRIENDS: Elise I got your letter in the mail this week that you sent to the mtc it was good to hear about graduation and that you are excited for college. Please send me and my mom brynns email and have her email me and Kendal too Thanks. Lauren how is your soccer going, when do you start up, and could you have lane and Lindsey email me please and my mom so they can get my weekly emails? Oh and whoever has chris’s email could I have it please so I can keep him updated as well. I love all of you lots keep up the good work and let me know how life is.