We have 37 new investigators!!! The challenge will be to help them all progress. This place doesn't really have the best address system so it's hard to find people again (that guy we taught last week.....no idea where he lives and we feel real bad about it). Yesterday we had a one-day mission in Vintar, so all the ward missionaries (all 15 of them, because Bishop Augustine is awesome!) went to Vintar along with us full-time missionaries and visited with as many people as we could.
We are teaching a family and one of them is a tiny young lady who's 9 months buntis (pregnant). She's due any day and she LOVES the concept of families being able to be together forever. Elder Soriano taught this principle and asked me to share my testimony of eteral families. The pregnant lady was crying after the lesson (not because of me but because of that beautiful doctrine and the spirit that testified of its truthfulness) and it wasn't just hormones because her mom and sister were crying too.
I was showing my family pictures to some of the members and they loved them but then they started screaming and pointing at my leg. I looked down and only saw a piece of string. Then I looked on the other side and there was a spider the size of my hand! It was the biggest bug I've ever seen - so cool! They expected me to flip out but instead I grabbed my camera to get a picture.
There's a river in town and I didn't even know it was a river since it looks like a huge field of rocks. We sat on a big cement wall and then I realized it's a dyke and the water is way off. Apparently at some point (in September, I'm told) there's going to be some major flooding.
It's been pretty hot here. I think working in Fort MacMurray prepared me a lot as I was in cover-alls in 30 degree heat with hot pipes all around me. The food here is generally good but I ate at a sketchy restaurant in Vintar the other day and almost vomitted.
I had bamboo shoots which are awesome, and mung beans and I liked them too. I had a banana today. It was short and fat and really sweet but had seeds in it that are hard and you can't eat. Our neighbour also gave us avocados which grow on trees all over the place here (am I stupid for not knowing they grew on trees?). I love breakfast - rice for breakfast is great. We also eat and lots of eggs and meats. An old man bikes around every night with a side cart with a pot in it and shouts "BALUT!" Balut is a big thing here. I won't eat it though I don't think my system can handle it.
I remember Elder Nelson saying that we're safer on missions than our friends are back home plus with you guys all praying fror me and the prophet praying for missionaries in the temple every Thurday, I feel pretty safe.
Not understanding people is really hard. In a lesson I can say a few things about some principles and bear basic testimony but getting what other people say is still really hard. I didn't do my laundry right last Monday and it stunk realllly bad. My hands have cuts and blisters all over from doing laundry as you just rub the fabric against itself as we have no washboard - just a big bowl.
Our neighbour (not the Calaramos) is investigating the Church and told us she knows the Book of Mormon is true but won't get baptized for 2 years as she works for a Catholic school - not sure why she can't get baptized. We met two inactive members, the Agtaraps, and got them to come to Church. In Sacrament meeting the bishop announced that they had been called as ward missionaries! He didn't even ask them before hand, as far as I can tell. Is that even allowed? I'm glad he did though. Now we have more people to work with.
At the beginning of every month we get 8,100 pesos and we are given a JP Morgan card to take it out with. It's plenty, so don't worry. There's a million things I want to tell you and even show you but I'm out of time. Just know that I'm safe, I love all of you so much. I'm thankful I have a strong testmony of Christ because this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
Take care, and Keep the mail coming.
Stay safe.
-Elder Dustan
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