WEEK 3 - - If Hell has a Mascot. . . .

First of all I'm just going to say that the crew here have waited an hour or so for the computers, internet, and power grid to all cooperate, so I won't have time to send any pictures this week. Sad day, but life goes on. On a happier note I remembered my planner! Which means I'll actually be able to remember just about everything that has happened this week. 

It was hot. It was humid. We walked a whole bunch. We taught a whole bunch. I got to baptize two people that we met the first day I got here on Saturday. We brought twenty investigators to church the next day. It rained more in two hours last night that I think I've ever seen in my entire life. And there are bugs. Lots and lots of scary, HUGE, creepy crawling bugs. 

Looking back over the planner it's kind of scary to see how the days mesh together and that it's already been another week. Time is flying. Elder Milambo and I have been spending a lot of time going back and forth from the mission office this week trying to figure out a way to extend his VISA his last couple of months here. I love going to the mission office. It has air conditioning.  

Along with the air conditioning we get to spend some time with Elder and Sister Semken. They're probably some of my favorite people in this mission... and that has NOTHING to do with the fact that they bought us food after going to the immigration office. They're just super friendly and fun to talk to. (I don't even know WHAT we ate. I would describe it as an African style burrito. It was amazing...) 

Also on the list of awesome things that happened this week was helping out with the Youth Conference here. Hands down the coolest youth activity ever. So much fun. There was a whole lot of dancing and game playing and dancing and gospel lessons scattered throughout. It was loud and proud. Apparently when the missionaries are asked to play in the games it's just so they can laugh at how silly we look trying things. It was worth it. 

Lastly for awesome things that happened this week was teaching the Petite Enfants. I don't really know the story behind it or how we found them, but somewhere deep in the middle of nowhere is a group of houses. Living in those houses is a number of families that collectively have fifteen to twenty children. We stop by once a week or so and then go CRAZY. It's so cool.  

The cuteness factor shot through the roof this week when we arrived to find two heavy wooden chairs and a bunch of rocks placed in a perfect circle waiting for us. We spend most of the time teaching them hymns and then the last twenty minutes or so we'll pull out the children’s book of mormon with all the pictures that I brought. They take turns reading and then we'll answer questions. I have the best mission ever.  

The only thing I would change about my mission is the bugs. I know I've ranted about that for most of this email, but that's because we discovered the most horrifying creature that has ever walked on this earth. If hell has a mascot... It's this bug. We haven't named it yet, because we can't come up with anything that suits how scary this thing is.  

 

It's almost the size of my thumb, which isn't the biggest thing we've seen, but that's not what makes it scary. I would describe it as a cockroach, but worse. It doesn't die. I don't think we've actually been able to kill one yet. The best we've been able to do is throw it out the window and hope it doesn't come back.

It usually likes to rest right where you want to go. It dodges the first billion times you try to hit it with something and just when you think you're going to kill it, it FLIES. That's right. It FLIES. Bugs that big shouldn't be allowed to fly! It shouldn't be possible! The scary thing is after you've made it fly it doesn't fly away it flies AT you! It's like it knows we're trying to kill it and it can smell fear! There isn't a whole lot of things that are more embarrassing than screaming like a girl, running away from something that is virtually harmless, and then begging Elder Kuadio to come get rid of it. 

Anyway. I think that's it for now. I love you all! By the way Grandma Gibson wins the competition for first letter to make it to Africa. Have the best of weeks!  

-Elder Cheston Gray