Monday, October 12, 2009

"Something So Feminine about Wheat Bran (a Mandolin)"

Haha. I ain't cute, but I'm thinking the medicine is going to help...I did get it Friday even though I hate DHL....every time they talked to me they would try to speak in english when it was just gosh darn obvious that my french was better...it's just because I have the worst accent ever! haha...everyone tells me that...it's alright though, the members tell me I speak creole the best of all the missionaries...but still its the french that counts ...at least with the girls.

So this week was definitely one of the better ones. I was able to prayerfully apply some of the things that I learned from conference. I heard the family night was on President Uchtdorf's talk about love ...and that was one that really hit me. And now why...

As much as I have loved Martinique and the people and members are great...little by little I'm starting to see the real reason there are 6 branches in Guadeloupe and only 2 here...the island is smaller in Martinique, but the populations are the same. The people are just a lot more hardened and the usually open and friendly mentality of the West Indians is not there....the missionaries joke and say that Martinique is just more "french"(haha I have nightmares of serving in France, where no one receives the missionaries). So with our contacting and teaching overall...it's a lot easier to be discouraged. Sometimes we do contact someone a little half heartedly...maybe assuming they will just turn you down. I don't know when it was, but one day it just hit me that it was a lack of love...Christlike love. It is in 2 john 4 I think that speaks of how love makes us perfect. And that we love them because HE first loved us...I think I'm paraphrasing badly, but if I am I think its still true. I have a testimony that love can shoot us to greater heights. This last week I prayed a lot to have a greater love for the people we would meet throughout the day...and I found that instead of getting discouraged after getting turned down I was excited! Excited to go share the message of the restoration with someone else. Love is the sweetest...Elder Nelson and I had our best week together last week...we taught many lessons, met many new investigators and fixed two baptismal dates, one for an older man named Robert, and one for a member of a part family. Her name is Shanna Solbiac and she is 8. I'll tell you about her family. This family is poor...and because the mother is selfish and greedy, the children do not have much. Among 6 children there are 3 fathers.. There is Sandra who is in high school, and is the true mother of the home. She is the one that first met the missionaries a few years ago. There are 3 brothers between 6 and 12 who just fight and beat on each other...there are times during lessons when I have to put a death grip on two of them and Elder Nelson the other so we can teach without a fight breaking out. Then there are two little ones..and then there is Shanna. She is such a sweet heart...I dont remember if I have told you about her, but every time we go over to their house she makes some little present for us. One time she gave me a pencil, another time she made one of those chinese paper fortune tellers..she doesnt have much but she shares with us what she has. Because Sandra is the one that normally gets everyone ready for church, it is truly a task, and when Elder Nelson and I got here they had been struggling...as of the last couple of weeks we have been getting over there to help them get ready for church. So, depending on the sturdiness of the family in a few weeks Shanna will be baptized. Although lessons are hard over there, we continue to go because the family just struggles. We love them a bunch.

Well what else to say? The weather is still hot, hot, hot. I have a feeling I'm going to be freezing next year as I have not been cold for nearly one year now...wierd! I have been getting back into shape just doing pushups, sit ups, running every once in a while, and the regular missionary tracting. Being in a car really fattened me up. Elder nelson and I are normally eating cereal, crepes, or fruit in the morning...pasta or rice for lunch...and not too much after that...usually a floup. Actually, I dont know if I have told you about floups before...they are no doubt the best popsicles in the world. There is either the syrup flavors(mango, grape, pineapple, blue rasberry, etc) or the milk flavors( coco, chocolate, peanut butter, almond). The milk flavors are my favorites. My favorite is coconut. Elder Nelson loves the floups...there are some days when he will sometimes have 4.

Here's what floups look like:










Well, I was stoked to hear that Wes passed by the other day! I love that kid...even if he goes to BYU....he is a stud though. Tell him I say "hello" I sent him an email last week I think, but I wasn't sure if it was a good address.

Well, I want to tell everybody that I love them, and tell all the cousins, aunts, and uncles hello. Oh, and thank Grandpa Bob for his great letter haha..I laughed pretty hard. I love my grandparents..I'm pretty sure I have the best in the world.

Alors
a dotwa solé(see you later in creole), it means...see you another sunrise

PS Mom, I forgot something that reminded me of you. Normally, on this mission in the West Indies because of all the food..the biggest problem missionaries have is diarhea. Well this week, strangely enough, my biggest problem was not that...my problem was I could not poop...3 days I went without pooping...it sucked. Then Elder Nelson shared the secret of fiber with me...he said women eat it because they can not poop...so we bought some fiber bran and it up and did the trick. It reminded me of your old cereal that you would always buy when we were kids....IT ALL MAKES SENSE! Haha, you really learn so much on missions...women have trouble pooping?! Get outta town!

2 comments:

Julie said...

What a great experience to work with a young family. He can make such a difference with them.

The things you learn on a mission! Thanks for sharing the fiber and pooping story. It made me laugh until I cried.

Leslie Knaphus said...

I love how Andy tries so hard. He is such a great missionary. His mission reminds me of the Philippines so much!!

I love how he talks about his accent!! Can't wait to hear him speak. We still have Logan say the prayer in Cebuano...