Email 12/29/2014

LONGEST WEEK EVER!!! MAN THIS WEEK WAS FULL OF THE BEST AND THE WORST! WELL NOT THE WORST!

SO MONDAY WE HAD P DAY AND THEN A MISSIONARY PARTY! WE STARTED BY GOING AND LEARNING HOW TO MAKE BREAD AT ONE OF THE SENIOR COUPLES HOUSES! THEN WE WENT SHOPPING WITH SISTER ERICKSON! SHE IS JUST THE BEST! IT STORMED WORSE THAN IT EVER HAD SINCE BEING HERE ON MY MISSION! THERE WAS HAIL AND I LITERALLY FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO FLY AWAY! IT’S OK THOUGH I HID BEHIND SISTER ERICKSON! AFTER SHOPPING ALL THE MISSIONARIES FROM LILONGWE DROVE DOWN HERE AND WE HAD A PRETTY LEGIT PARTY! WE DID A WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE (I GOT A COOL DRUM!) AND THEN ATE FOOD! (I LOVE AMERICAN FOOD MAN!) AND THEN WE ALL WATCHED THE CHRISTMAS CAROL! I COULD TELL PRESIDENT ERICKSON (WHO WAS THERE) HAD A BIT OF A HARD TIME WITH WATCHING A NON-MISSIONARY APPROVED MOVIE! BUT HEY HIS WIFE PICKED IT OUT!

TUESDAY WE STARTED THE MORNING OFF WITH THE SECOND HALF OF MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS PARTY! WE ATE A YUMMY BREAKFAST AND THEN HAD THE COOLEST DEVO I COULD EVER HAVE! THE SPIRIT WAS SO STONG! WE LEARNED OF THE SACRAMENT! THE COOL PART WAS AFTER LEARNING, ALL 60 OF US GOT DOWN ON OUR KNEES AS THE SACRAMENT WAS PREPARED AND BLESSED. THEN WE GOT TO PARTAKE. I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO THINK OF THE SACRAMENT THE SAME WAY! I NEVER NOTICED HOW RELATED IT WAS TO CHRISTMAS!

THEN WE WENT OUT AND FINISHED OUR PDAY BECAUSE IT WAS CUT SHORT!

WEDNESDAY WE TRIED GOING OUT BUT DIDN’T GET VERY FAR BECAUSE OF THE CHIBUKU DRINKERS! I GOT “CHASED” HA! MAN THAT GUY WAS SO DRUNK I WAS FASTER WALKING THAN HE WAS RUNNING! HAHA! AT 1:30 WE HAD A BRANCH CHRISTMAS PARTY (WE HAD 7 OF OUR INVESTAGATORS SHOW UP! ONE WAS EVEN DRUNK!) AND THEN AT 5 WE HAD A ZONE MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS PARTY! I I LOVED THAT ONE! WE ATE CANDY, TOOK PICTURES AND JUST HAD FUN! THEN WE WATCHED THE CHRISTMAS DEVO PUT ON BY THE CHURCH! MAN I LOVE JESUS’S CHURCH! THEN WE ALL STUFFED OUR POCKETS WITH THE LEFT OVER CANDY AND WENT HOME TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS! I BOUGHT MY COMP A STOCKING AND GOT TO PLAY THE ROLE OF SANTA THIS YEAR! SHE HAS NEVER CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS THE AMERICAN WAY BEFORE. PEOPLE HERE JUST TREAT IT LIKE THANKSGIVING! TOTALLY XING! SO I BOUGHT HER A STUFFED ANIMAL THAT COST ME 5000 KWATCHA! MAN! THESE PRICES!

CHRISTMAS WAS ACTUALLY A REALLY BORING DAY! I DIDN’T DO MUCH BUT I WANTED TO SHOW ALL THE AFRICANS HOW TO REALLY CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS SO I PUT ON MY CHRISTMAS SWEATER AND SNOW HAT IN 90+ DEGREE WEATHER, AND WENT OUT! MAN IT WAS HOT! I ENDED UP HIDING IN A HOUSE BECAUSE IT WASN’T TO SAFE OUTSIDE DUE TO THE HEAT AND THE DRUNKS! THEN FINALLY AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE AN ETERNITY I WENT TO SKYPE MY FAMILY! THAT WAS FUN! BUT I GOT SUPER TRUNKY! I NOW KNOW WHY ALL THE MISSIONARIES DON’T LIKE CHRISTMAS AND MOTHER’S DAY! IT’S AWESOME WHEN YOUR TALKING TO YOUR FAMILY BUT THE FOLLOWING DAYS ARE HARDER AND YOU AREN’T FOCUSED!

BUT IT WAS ALL FUN!