A First of Lasts - Again

It's reached that point again. The point when things are reachin' the end, but not yet! NOT YET!

First of all, I have to send some of the photos I was supposed to send last week. The one with Elder Toutai and of us breakin' into the church because I locked the keys inside.


Last week was an adventure:

So After I emailed and shopped last week, I gave Elder Snelson a trim and then I trimmed myself. I actually had no intentions of trimming my hair for the rest of my mission. I thought about getting my hair cane-rowed (equal to what we call corn rows). However, I had a dream in which I was instructed to cut my hair. There was some quotation or prophecy about young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams. Somehow I didn't think that I was on the old category for dreaming dreams. But I had a dream in which I was instructed to cut my hair. Better follow the counsel. There are the before and after pics of my hair. No I did not walk around with my hair looking like a birds nest. I have hair gel I used to keep it looking nice and decent.

Wednesday was our zone meeting in Kingston at the Constant Spring building. The whole day was discombobulated. So we go down to the bus stop to get a coaster to go downtown. The conductor calls "town! town!" so we got on. Then the bus starts going the other way. I ask the conductor "you're going to town right?" "yeah". Ok..... Then we sit in Yallahs town square for 20 minutes (at least) I'm not too happy about this, because by the time we were halfway to town, I would have liked to have been there already.

Then we get on another coaster from downtown to Constant Spring. No sooner do we get on the coaster then it makes to leave. At this point I'm thinking YES! we're gonna make it on time. However, there's a police man who stops the coaster driver not more than 2 minutes after we get on the bus. So we now have to sit there for 10 minutes while he writes the driver a ticket. grrrr. We get underway again. Not 5 minutes later when he's making a pickup, he gets stopped by another police man and receives a second ticket. These tickets were for picking up passengers in undesignated places. Now we're definitely late. The zone leaders have called and want to know where we are.

Finally we reach the chapel about halfway through the zone meeting.!

On the bright side. I had one of the best lunches ever. after the meeting we all piled in to two vehicles (13 missionaries in two pickup trucks) hopefully you got the front seat. The meal was worth it however. We ate at TGI Fridays! I ordered a JD chicken and shrimp. It was somewhat costly, but so worth it. I haven't ate good chicken and shrimp like that for a long time... a long time.

But then it took another turn for the worse. Oh the bus ride back downtown was ok. However, the ride to Yallahs was ridonculous. We sat in the bus park for an hour waiting for our bus to leave while at least 6 other buses left! We were the bus at the very front, aren't we supposed to leave first! When we finally reached Yallahs, the driver totally passed up our stop. So I had to stop him at the next road. When I get off, I pay the conductor with $500 only to get $100 in return. He jumps back on before I even have time to ask for the rest of my change. I should have received $220. That day just made me mildly upset.

Friday, brought transfer calls. The last time I will receive a phone call about transfers on my mission. Oh, I still have one more, the transfer home, but the last phone call I will get for transferring. I will be staying here in Yallahs for my last transfer. Elder Snelson will not be here for my last transfer. I will be accompanied by Elder Madsen.

I do want you all to know that my mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'd even put it above an eagle scout award. I always thought that old missionaries and returned missionaries had to be joking when they said, "I'd switch you places in a heartbeat" I could never understand that until now. I would do anything to do this over again.

Elder Huffaker

I Don't Have Them!

This week has been a different week for sure! A few things have happened but first, I must say that I have some of the pictures that go with last week. However, on another note, I forgot my camera so I don't have the pictures that go along with today's email.

First of all. Wednesday I went on a tradeoff with Elder Toutai. I stayed here in Yallahs while Elder Snelson went down to Boulevard. Elder Toutai and I had an enjoyable time together. He's one Tongan you just have to get along with. Not like he forces you to do anything, but hes just a lovable guy.

While on tradeoff with Elder Toutai, we hit a snag. I left the keys at the church from when we were there for district meeting. Well, I locked them in the church. SOooo now we have a slight problem. We can't get in so that we can teach Book of Mormon Night. Well, luckily we left the street gate unlocked, although we did put the lock on the gate. Then, we had a spare key for the veranda. Next we used a knife to open the latch that goes into the hallway. Well, then we hit another snag. We had no way to get into the office where all the supplies are and, not to mention, the keys. This was the real adventure that took us probably a half hour. We first tried using a bobbypin we found on the ground to pop the lock in the office... no dice. Then Elder Toutai found he could open the top of the veranda window however, the bottom part was locked. So now we have to somehow open the bottom. We tried using wire and a wooden stick but that didn't work. Then we found some rebar, bent it a little and after at least 15 minutes of using that we finally got the window unlocked, climbed through and grabbed the keys and supplies so we could have our study night.

Last thing I have to talk about in the email this week is that some people are desperate. Since Elder Snelson has acquired a new bicycle, we've had to go through the process of replacing crappy parts. Saturday, his bicycle was at the repair shop and we were on foot again... grrrrr. Anyways, so as we were walking to go see a member on clerk business, a guy stops us and asks us to do an HIV test. I had to laugh a little and said, "no thanks," he says, "come on it's free and this way you can know." I said, "I already know." He didn't seem to get the point! So to get him to stop following and nagging, I did the stupid little finger prick and now I have a little paper that says I'm HIV free. I don't know how many people can say that they did an HIV test while on their mission.

Law of Chastity is a beautiful thing! Makes you know that you're clean! Don't ever forget it.

Elder Huffaker