Week 83

Hey I just got online, I'm emailing president but here in a few minutes I can start telling you how I've been soaking wet for the past 3 days....

So this morning we played some intense soccer in the rain, it was super sweet!! But I'm worn out now. It's been raining a lot in Assomada, and the zone is so spread out that it hasn't even rained in Chao Bom. This week was sweet, it really felt like hard work paid off. We had 8 investigators at church and 7 of them have baptism dates marked for sometime in September. Having 8 investigators is this zone's top, since it's super hard getting people to come to church.
Other than that I really don't have much to say for this week.
Oh! I got your birthday package 2 days ago! I opened it already and yes, I'll make Morty make the cake for me lol. Thank you soooo much for the socks, they have gotten soaked every time I've worn them, but at least they don't have holes so they feel a lot better.

Week 77

Hi! This week was pretty good, it definitely had it's ups and downs. Zone meeting was this past week, it was way sweet. It was the first time I got to see Elder Reid since we stopped being comps back in Santo Antao. I finally got your package! I now have 5 contact cases, lol. And freak you sent a ton of cookie stuff! Thanks, those things are worth their weight in gold out in the mission haha. Also, we had interviews with President Mathews yesterday, I feel like I trust him more and more every time I talk to him. He helped me out a lot with some things that have been bothering me for the past few months.
Transfers are this Sunday! I only have 4 more after this!!! That's nothing! It goes by like in a month!

Also, here's a random picture of me and Elder Kabanako the one time we went in the caves.

Week 76

Food poisoning sucks sooo bad, it's the worst I've ever gotten sick in my life haha. My comp had it pretty bad for a day but not as bad as me.
So sorry I didn't do anything new this past week, so I don't really have any pictures to send. The package you sent has been in Assomada for a week and a half now, but nobody has traveled up here to Terrafal for a while. The 9th I'll be going over there for a Zone meeting so I'll be getting it then.

Week 67, Now In Chao Bom!

Chao Bom has been quite the little adventure. First of all, I arrived in Praia on Monday night, around 10ish, and they stuck me and another 2 Elders who were also traveling in a house with only one extra mattress. You can do the math and use your imagination lol. It was SOOO HOT sharing a tiny mattress, so I just threw my pillow on the tiled floor and slept there.
The Southern islands are VERY different, the culture changed like crazy. I couldn't understand the Creole here to save my life for the first few days, but now I get most of it. On Tuesday morning I got on a car at 11ish and took a 2 hour car ride to get to my area. I couldn't take pictures in the car because they crammed 20 people into a small van and I didn't want to get robbed or something. I told the hiace driver to drop me off at the church building, but there was nobody there when I arrived and it was locked up. I had no idea where to go, so I just stood outside with my two suitcases talking to people on the street. After about an hour, one of the people I talked to had a friend who was a church member, so he went and got him. I then used the member's cellphone to contact the elder in this area, who, it turns out, was waiting for me at the next city away from here.
I am way in the ghetto side of Cape Verde, everyone is poor and Chao Bom is super undeveloped. There are no paved roads, only the main one to get here. There are pigs running around everywhere and everything smells like poop lol. But I still love this place.

Here is my last picture with Chevy, btw. I have another one with McMullin, but he was in a rather compromising position so I'm not going to send it.

My new comp is Elder Barros, he is way cool and a super hard worker. We taught 36 lessons in less than 6 days, I'm excited to serve with him, we are gonna destroy this area. Here he is next to a cow.

This is the view from our balcony, if you zoom in you'll find a pig lol.

And you were right about the packages, I do get them a lot sooner. You sent a ton of granola haha thank you sooo much! I'm gonna enjoy this next month diarrhea-free! And gosh dang it I have never laughed so hard reading a letter. That Nacho Libre pic made me crack up for a good 5 minutes and my comp had no idea why I was laughing lol. 

I also got a package from mom and dad. Dad apparently sent me Sponge Bob pajamas, here is me rocking them lol. 

So remember how I had that rule about food, that if I can't pronounce it's name by the third try I won't eat it?? Well, I broke the rule today.... and it was the worst decsicion....dessestion....decition.....choice I've ever made. I helped a member make "Borrorre" which is a vegetarian dish from Senegal. It was fun helping her make it, my comp took a video of it but it took me a lot of tries to say it. When it was time to eat, it was probably the hardest thing I have ever tried to put down lol. Never again. I can't pronounce any of the ingredients lol and it looks good, but it has a super salty weird taste. I don't know how to describe it, but here is no way I'm ever going to be vegeterian lol. 

So I'll be using Skype to call this Sunday at 7ish over here, which would be at 2 in the afternoon over there. What's your Skype name again? Mine is christian.zuniga81.

I gotta go now, talk to you Sunday!

Week 54, Ninth Transfer

Remember our baptism for this week, Erika? We have been teaching her for more than a month now and got her ready for baptism, but somehow her super Catholic dad found out and called her and threatened to take her to Santo Antao away from all her friends if she got baptized. He is coming here in 2 weeks so he would actually do it. She can't do anything about it cuz she's only 17. Ugh, bummer.
But I still had a great week :) It was interesting watching Elder Gooch die... I mean I had already seen Sanchez die but he and I didn't get along so I didn't care, haha. We had a ton of fun on our last week of the transfer. We had interrogation night, family home evenings, and a ton of other things we did with the members. And speaking of transfers, I'm staying, and I'm training! I'm getting a greenie straight from the MTC in a couple of days. I'm super pumped for that.
But on a different note, I don't know if I'll be staying here in Santa Maria cuz... you see this group picture I sent you? 2 of the girls there have crushes on me lol and they are acting really weird, so I'm telling President Matthews about it. He is really strict on rules so I'll believe it if he chooses to transfer me.

Also, I got your package!!!!!!!!!! THAN YOUUUUUUUUUUU SOOOOO much for this shirt!!!!! It's like my favorite gift of all time!!!!! But... it fits me small -.-' I got way fat haha, it doesn't fit me like other shirts back home. I'll keep it so it motivates me to work out and get skinny enough to fit in it lol. 

Oh and the Whataburger condiments got here nice and safely, my egg sandwiches are gonna taste like heaven now!

Also, the Twinkies got here super squished, haha. 

So today is the start of Transfer 9, almost double digits!! And I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but we live in a 4-elder house haha. Elder Gooch and Elder Manga both go home today, so I'll be sticking with Elder Sampson (the one that stayed) and Elder Chevalier, my long lost Mindelo friend, until my greenie gets here. I'm actually going to Praia to pick him up and everything. 

Also, I think this is my favorite picture of Gooch and I, we were doing ghetto Cabo Verdean poses haha and we were teaching with a member this past week and he took a picture of us teaching and I think it looks pretty cool. 

Week 36; 6th Transfer

Hey what's up!!! Haha poor Venom. Funny story, me and Burch trapped a bird named Jimmy in our apartment this morning. It flew into the window as well. We kept it for a few hours but then felt bad for it.
So guess what??? I'm staying here for at least another 6 weeks. I didn't get transferred, but Burch did :/ He leaves today at 3pm. He will be serving in Fogo, as a Zone leader. He is a total boss.
You know what's weird??? I'm in my 6th transfer. I'm as old as Burch was 3 months ago when we got transferred to be together! Weird, huh? I will be serving with Elder Welch, he's a cool guy from what I've seen, but I haven't talked to him much. I'm way pumped.
So good news and bad news! Good news is, the package you sent is in Praia, so I should be getting it later this week. Bad news, there was mold on it. It was all over one of the corners of the box. I got a call from the mission office asking me for permission to open my package and salvage anything that was still good, lol. But I'm still pumped to eat whatever is in there.
So I tried getting another SD card reader this morning but the dumb Chinese people didn't have one.
We had a baptism tho!! Of the sweetest old lady ever! She's John and Jasmyn's mom.
Flip, I'm out of time, tell you more about her next time!!! Love you!!!

Busy Week 30

Hey! Man, this week was way busy. I only worked 2 full days in my area. We left on Wednesday to Sao Vincent for zone conference and didnt come back until Saturday night. We got stranded over, with only 1 change of clothes so it wasnt very pretty. Apparently everyone was travelling cuz of parties everywhere, so the tickets were running out like crazy. Transfers were last night, and I didnt get transfered!!!! Me and Elder Burch are super happy we are sticking together another round. Hey i got your package this past week, you're the best!!!!! It felt like christmas morning opening up that box haha. its funny tho cuz I've never seen a basketball game in my life lol but still liked the shirt alot. And man you have a really good taste for ties, I gotta say. Kudos on the packing everything into that box and thanks for everything again!! chocolates were good!