February 9, 2014

Hello Family!!!

The time just keeps flying by! It is crazy to think that it is already February! I think there is a weird phenomenon in the mission field where the days feel like weeks but the weeks feel like days. This week was a little bit of a different week. Usually we do service for a sister in our ward every Tuesday, but this week we had district meeting on Tuesday. So we couldn't do that. Then our Wednesday morning was messed up because we didn't have district meeting but we did some service for an investigator so that was good. Then Friday morning we had something called Open Chapel. So pretty much what usually happens is that the Senior Couple in our district comes out here with the Sisters and the sisters go with the members to do some visits and the Senior Couple will help people with doing family history from 10-12. But this week the sisters couldn't find anyone to go out with them so they didn't come and also the senior couple didn't come so we got to run open chapel. Turns out that one person came and we couldn't really help him because he needed help with the computer and we couldn't get on them. So we kinda sat around for two hours of our Friday morning. But all good I guess! There were just a lot of plans we had this week that fell through or times where our plans to go tracting or whatever just got overrun by other random things.

Last Monday, my companion biffed it on his bike and broke the rear gear shifter thing so we took it into the shop to see how much it would be to fix. It cost him $170 to get it fixed! And it has been in the shop all week so we have been using the car, and walking, everywhere. The car is no good for my desire to lose a little weight! But I think it will be fixed in the next couple days so we will get back on the bikes. I am just glad that when I had a crash, nothing got broken too bad! Just had to buy a new set of pedals. 

Thursday was a national holiday called Waitangi Day.It is the celebration of the day that the British signed a peace treaty with the Maori people. So most people had work off and there were a couple of little celebrations in town. So we went down to one of these celebrations that was in a park next to the river. We were walking around trying to talk to people but it was tough because there was a live band playing. But we got over to a booth where there were some older Samoan ladies there that were selling some food. They gave us some Samoan doughnuts and also some chop suey and rice! For free! That was the best. But then we went back after we ate it because they were selling lava lava's too. So we each bought a lava lava for 10 bucks. I will have to send a picture of it next week but it is pretty cool! And my companion taught me how to tie it like a real Samoan! 

Well that was pretty much the highlight of my week. Nothing too exciting this week. Transfers aren't for another two Monday's so that isn't exciting. Hope things are going well for you all! Sounds like some exciting stuff with Kara! Love you lots!!!!

Love,
Elder Burnham