Like I Just Got Sucker Punched in the Stomach

If you are wondering about the title of this email. That's pretty much how I feel whenever I truly think about going home. It hits you like a ton of bricks. It feels like you just got sucker punched in the stomach. It feels like the end of the world is nigh. Going home is something I've been looking forward to, but at the same time, it's almost like something I'm dreading. I have no idea what I'm going to be doing in particular, other than school starts in the fall.

Getting back to Jamaica... this week seemed to fly by. Elder Madsen and I have been tearing it up and having a good time. Working with some good people still. Wish they'd actually do something though.

I went on my final tradeoff on Wednesday. I went with Elder Brough, once again, in Kingston. We did a little souvenir shopping while waiting to tradeback - especially since we go home together. We also went to a dinner appointment that I had to laugh at. The member wasn't expecting me. Elder Emery also showed up with a different companion - Elder Stone - and he wasn't expected either. It was supposed to be a going away party, but not quite what the member expected.

Overall, there's not much to say. The double digit days to the end are now gone. No pictures today... sorry.

Elder Huffaker

The Last Conference in Jamaica

So for some dumb reason I forgot to include this in last week's email. On our way into the square in Yallahs to go and email, we saw a "procession". Whenever Jamaica begins it's circuit court (kinda like our district supreme courts) they have a formal procession done by the local police department. The judge is dressed in a colonial uniform with a wig and everything. Anyway, I thought it was really cool but forgot to get pictures. They use the circuit court for extreme offenders: murderers. Getting on to this week though... This week Elder Madsen and I went around getting people excited and ready for General Conference. We had 34 people at the church on Sunday morning for it! That's more than we get on any other given Sunday. At least 10 more and sometimes double. Plus, the Daniels weren't even there for the conference, so if we had them, it would have been 36.

For the conference we set up the church computer and a projector in the sacrament hall. I manned it and made sure everything worked properly. It was really good. The pictures you see are from Saturday. We had Elder Madsen and I, Pete, and Jordan who showed up for Priesthood. Priesthood session didn't connect very well and we had to keep reconnecting and consequently, missed most of the addresses. We also showed the, "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" movie between the Sunday sessions. This leads me to a question to all family members: is Clynn in this movie? Please note the man with his back to the camera and is somewhat out of focus at approximately 52 minutes into the movie. To watch the movie you can go to: http://newsroom.lds.org/article/film-about-joseph-smith-now-available-online You can watch the movie online or download it.

As far as General Conference goes, I want you all to be aware of the fact that Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the 12 did not speak this conference. Some missionaries called and asked me about it as well and I noticed that before and after sessions, Elder Hales had a series of tubes and what appeared to be an oxygen tank at his side during the sessions. He was also using a walker to exit the Conference Center.

Elder Huffaker

Wrapping Up

WELL, Well, well, here we are again at the start of another transfer, however, this transfer is my final as a missionary. Amazingly, I have a new companion, Elder Madsen. Elder Madsen is tall, taller than me. Don't get too many of those missionaries. Elder Madsen is related to the basketball player. I don't know much about basketball so don't ask me about it. He's also the son of my branch president from the MTC. Elder Madsen is currently 3 month out on his mission (this is his 3rd transfer). He says it's hard to imagine his companion going home. I asked him, well what do you do when you're a brand new missionary - he said think about home. I said it's the same for an old missionary getting ready to.

It's true you start to think about home a little more often. Yet at the same time, I don't want to. I'm perfectly content with where I'm at, yet, the home you remember is back over the ocean. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that I'm not quite sure what to do when I get back....

Also this week, I went on a trade-off with Elder Brough in the Zoneleader's area. I had to do a couple of baptism interviews. Both of them passed. I interviewed a 9-yr-old Justin Dakin and and Grandpa Dakin. The Dakin family is getting the whole family baptized. Sister Dakin was baptized a few weeks before.

With this trade-off, it went three-ways so that there would be an area knowledgeable person in each area. So Elder Snelson got to return to Yallahs for a day. Well, Elder Madsen also got a package from home so when I came back to Yallahs, I come home to find Elder Madsen and Elder Snelson going at it with sweeties! So I joined in. So now our fridge/freezer is half full of sugar loaded goods!

Bro. Archer and Sis. Clark are still preparing for baptism. We have one concern to overcome and I think it will be done with at General Conference.

Nuff tings me hafa do fore me a leave dis place here yazimme!

Elder Huffaker

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