"Christmas in the Caribbean"

HE SURVIVED THE RAINY SEASON

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

MISSIONARY VS. WILD

Thanks for the corn bread recipe! such a great idea, right now I'm
really craving, too; I had forgoten all about it! I'm glad the
Christmas was good...I was kinda hoping to call and see everyone
was havin a lousy christmas because I was not there...but ya'll
looked great... Christmas was great here as you saw. We had a
great time with the elders and the Collings. They are great.
The day after Christmas was not so great though...I didn't
sleep at all that night and woke up so dang sick...I threw up
in the morning for about 5 minutes and then my head was
spinning the rest of the day...luckily the Collings are here.
They got me and Elder Garotta back to Moule, and me some soup
and other stuff. I felt bad sleeping all day but I was just
not feeling up to do anything but try and sleep. Saturday I
still had a headache and runny nose and stuff, but I was able
to get out and work and that cures everything. But its good now.

Tuck is lookin good man. I can't believe my little bro is
almost 18! I was thinking about that and it blows me away!
He is the man. He has got to start preparing for the mission!
Man everyone looked great! I was so happy to talk to you guys!
It put me in such a great mood! The mission has really made
me so grateful for the family, and also resentful for being
such a geek when I didn't hang out with you too. This week is
gonna be a great week for Moule, if it's Elder Garotta's or my
last week here we gotta go out with a bang. Bunch of
investigators and a bunch of people at church! K well I love
everyone
From a separate e-mail:
The zone leaders wanted to get all the apartments spick and
span because a lot of them looked like crap (not ours whoooop
whoooop!) so we stay at one of the apartments. The zone
leaders bring a bunch of extra matresses and then we wake up
at about 6 and clean till 9 or 9:30 and with 14 guys we get a
lot done. Actually to be honest it ends up its 6 or 7 of us
that do all the work and the others are lame. But after we
will go play soccer all together, see a beach and play frisbee,
or see a waterfall or something.It's really hard to transfer
from island to island because of flights so they will transfer
from branch to branch. Elder Garotta thinks we are getting
transfered... I think I'm staying still.
Elder Garotta has become such a wuss on me.. the last two
weeks i have set up markers on a long straight road and have
done ladders....they aren't doing tons though...but I think
he is getting trunky and wants to look good for when he gets
home so hopefully this week will at least be different we have
transfers the week after.
Dad thanks for your advice on the language...I definitely
find a difference in my french when i just get out and testify.
Testifying of the Saviour is the best. Its the fixer of all
things...it can fix a heart when its sad, it can bring calm to
a soul that is stresses, and it can bring the french language
to a missionary when he is feeling really insecure about it.
And as missionaries we definitely can not fear or worry about
sounding dumb when we are doing this work. This last sunday
...so yesterday I guess I had to give a talk and I was really
tired from the day before and hadn't prepared tons...but before
I started I just decided I was not going to worry about what I
said before hand, and I just had faith beforehand that what I
needed to say would be given to me. The talk went so well!
My first talk a couple of weeks ago was a wreck, and the
difference was definitely more faith and less fear.
So the utes are gonna pull an upset pretty soon...I'm so
excited to hear who wins!!!! Elder williams and I are gonna
fast...no just jokin'...first off the fast isn't for that
and second the utes don't need it! I'm glad to hear the jazz
are developing their younger talent. Sports are tight,
unfortunately im becoming a little bit of a soccer fan here,
but I can't help it! It's all they do...so me and hill will
be better buddies.

"Merry Christmas, Utah (Never Far From Home)"

This is last week's lost e-mail:
It was a crazy week...Monday to Thursday there was a huge gas
strike and we could not get anywhere outside of Moule from Sunday
to Thursday. We did not even know zone conference was still a go
until about 10 o'clock Wednesday night. I guess they are
complaining gas prices are outrageous here(like they are not
everywhere else, too, so everyone decided they wouldn't drive for
four days (the missionaries joked it was just 'cuz they wanted
another holiday). But it really screwed up our week. We had three
really good investigators who had baptismal dates: Michlo, Rosin,
and Renai. We had planned to spend all of Monday and Tuesday in
Moner a Leau working there with our investigators there,
specifically Rosin and Renai who live there. Moule is actually a
three city area (Moner a L'eau, San Francoi, and Moule). We
had memebers set up to come and teach, but because of the
strike our plans were all screwed up. We adapted our plans for
Moule and to work with our investigators there. Michlo was
the only one of the three investigators with a baptism date
who lived in Moule, and we had planned to see him on Tuesday,
but could not even get a hold of him until Thursday night. So
we worked with most of our investigors in Moule, but ended up
doing a whole lot of finding (port a port). Finally, we were able
to meet with Michlo Thursday night only to be devestated to
find he had found a girlfriend, and didn't think he could keep
the commitments of baptism. I don't know how to explain
the sorrow and desperation there is in seeing someone be so
close and yet still so far....Even worse was that we have not
been able to get a hold of Rosin for the last week for whatever
reason. I think he has started smoking again, but this week
has just been rough as far as the work goes. We are having a
tough time finding tons of good investigators too. Everyone
here seems to have so much potential, they are so nice and
great, and yest so stuck in their own religions. I wish i could
do more, but the French limits me still.
Luckily we had the best Zone conference to lift my spirits
after this week. The spirit was so strong and I really allowed
it to teach me some things. In all I still feel the branch is
growing stronger and becoming a more closely knit branch.
This week we were surprised by two of the sisters who made
a whole bunch of pancakes for the branch after church. I don't
know what it is but they are pancake crazy now! Mom thanks
so much for your testimonyevery week, it helps boost mine
each time a read it....I love you and love the fam...thanks for
the awesome recipes, too! They are so kick butt!

MOULE






COWBOYIN' UP, GUADELOUPE STYLE

"Incommunicado"

Andy apparently sent another email to the family that did not arrive. So, all we received this week was the email answering our questions. So, here goes
What are all the bottles on your kitchen counter (previous week's photo)? They are our attempt at food storage haha...we did a huge cleaning though so they aren't just chillin' on the counter.
How has apartment hunting gone? We have not done too much on that, we have been so busy and it is not that high on the list of the priorities
When are the 3 baptismal dates you talked about? See mom's letter (the one that never arrived)
How was zone conference? Oh my gosh it was so great! I wrote a letter about it that hopefully you will get...but I'm finding letters take a really long time to arrive.
Are the members taking Luissant under their wings? Are they fellowshipping him? Yeah he had becoming very well fellowshiped in the branch except that he just left this week for France for like 2 months with a member( they should be getting married in a few months) He needed to go to France for some type of surgery.
Let us know any time you receive packages. Have you received the package with Christmas CDs in it? I actually just got it today and can't wait to listen to the tunes!!!! I laughed so hard when I saw the old school pictures of me, Tuck and the girls.


ANDY'S FIRST CREOLE DINNER


FANCY BANANA LEAF PLATES


FINGER-LICKIN' GOOD


LOOKS LIKE A MISSIONARY CREATION?

"Jolly Mon"

Thanks so much for the recipe...cooking is so sweet...right now
my thing is rice. I've been cooking rice for about a week, and
trying different things. I'm known as the cooking "slut" ...
sorry for the term...but I'm just quoting other people. I've set
a goal to learn some good creole food to cook for the fam when
I get back. I think most creole food is cooked with native
spices though so its harder. Hopefully, I'll figure it out.



Dang it sounds like a pretty good week for you all! I'm not
gonna lie, I'm getting a little home sick...little...Christmas
is just the sweetest! Anyways...congrats to Brent and Emily
(baby boy due in April), thats awesome..its the best time of
year to celebrate life!
Christmas is so cool...I just finished Jesus the Christ this
week. Holy cow, it's so good. I read it in 2 weeks so my Book
of Mormon study wasn't as much as it had been, but you know me...
I'm a nerd, once I start a book I can't stop. Its really opened
my eyes though to the reality of his atonement and the difficulty
of his mission, and although he went through temptation that none
of us have been subject to and went through more than any of us
can imagine, he overcame the world!
I can't believe He-dont-suck Tuck applied to Blimpie's. Maybe
if he changes his name to Naylor he could score a job... Ash
thanks for the email..the postcard should be coming but it takes
forever! Moule is good though, the work is going great we have 3
people with baptismal dates, and a couple others who are family
of 2 of them who might come around.

Andy's First Baptism: Luissant



The biggest problem is the branch. There is no unity and
although the branch president is very capable he doesn't help
the best with it...so we have been trying to work with them and
pump them up pretty good. We just got news that the Collings
(Senior couple) are going to be working in Moule for the next
4 months so that should be huge! Keep on keepin on everyone,
I love everyone !

Andy on a P-Day Hike with His Zone

How did P night go? Did you really dress like pirates? Haha, I know you were probably worried we wouldn't look like missionaries if we dressed like pirates, but we ended up not doing it...I came as Papa Noel instead (Santa)...and not really even him. I just wore a santa ha, but its was stupendous! We had a bunch of people there...all the missionaries came to support and had most of our investigors there. We had domionoes, monopoly, uno, and other games that we played for about an hour. For a break Elder Garotta and I made a bunch of pizza thanks to mom's dough recipe, we probably made 7 or 8 pizzas and we shared a spiritual thought about prosperity. It went really well. Afterwords we played a game as a group for an hour. It was really great for the members and investigors both.

Is the weather getting hot(ter)?Naw not too much...its hot all day everday...I think there is a point where it doesnt matter how hot it is it just feels the same

When you and Elder Garotta teach, how much of the teaching do you do? Well...that depends. I'm really not that great at the french...its so hard to think in french and so difficult...I don't think I've immersed myself in french yet. Elder Garotta speaks perfect english so we don't speak french 24/7...I teach a lot if we have planned the lesson prior, but because people here are flakey and a lot of times we plan lessons on the fly for someone we hadn't planned on teaching, I don't have as much time to prepare. I can always understand what we are talking about, but still can't quite be in on the lesson as much as I'd like. My understanding has gotten better though

Are there any unique Christmas traditions on Guadeloupe? How do they decorate? There are only a few decorations up but not very many. haha christmas doesnt start in october like it does in good ole america...there are some cool homes of people from dominica who put up lights and stuff though

Church Members in Moule

"Lovely Cruise" Pictures

Andy on All Saints Day


Andy's Companion, Elder Garotta, on All Saints Day



The Kitchen



More of the Apartment



The Bedroom/Study

"Altered Boy"

I'm glad to hear that the thanksgiving was good. I'm sure it was. It sucks...its about 1 o'clock here, and I have not eaten since yesterday afternoon and so I'm starving. It wasnt much fun reading about all the great food you and dad wrote about...and dad was using details! We had our own little Thanksgiving dinner on thursday. I'm not sure if I told you..but the Collings had all the missionaries over and they cooked turkey while all the missionaries brought something...there were twice baked potatoes, green bean casorole, deviled eggs, breadsticks, mashed potatoes, stuffing, fruit salad (for you mom), and apple crumble. I almost won the contest for who could eat the most until I threw up....it sucked. Elder Williams won of course (he's a U football player) ...home slice can eat! But it was a great night; we had testimony meeting after and it was awesome. This whole week with the holiday season and everything I have been thinking about just how grateful I am for family and how much of a geek I used to be for not wanting to hang out with you all the time. It sounds like Tuck's less of a nerd than I was which was good. All the elders and I bore testimony and gave thanks to our families, to the unifying and eternal love we had for our families. I want everyone to know I love them.. I can't wait to get the picture of the family haha hopefully there are no floating heads like last one.
This week has been cool in Moule, we have a bunch of new investigators that are pretty new> It's so much slower (the work) here on the french side, and luckily I have been pretty good about not getting down when we hear how many baptsims the english side is getting. Truth is that as long as I'm working hard I have no reason but to rejoice in my God and that I already have taken part in helping one soul come to him. But ya love you guys tons...no worries about the game, mom, I knew they would win haha....Utah football kicks trash...

Other tidbits from the weekly Q & A:

• The West Indies Mission had 237 baptisms in November
• Packages sent via US Postal Service are best sent in a "packaged envelope, not a box".
• "Not gonna lie, all the elders are jealous of my popularity...I have been tearing up the letter records..haha I don't know if its because I get a lot or they just don't get much, but thank you Dianna and Travis, Phil and Mandy, Aunt Carol, Emily and Chad, Allie, Masha, Clara, Paul and Sara ...mail is crucial! and always remember when you send something it never hurts or costs more to throw in a little sports article.
• Louisant's baptism was not in the ocean. It would have been cool, but we are supposed to let the person choose and he wanted it in the baptismal font so that was lame, but cool still...Elder Garotta and I were witnesses.
• Andy wants for Christmas: I just want you guys to have a great Chrismas, and to keep putting me in your prayers, and drop a few lines and thats great