A Full Week & a Miracle

(Brandon's letter from September 6, 2010)

This week has been hectic!

To begin, Elder Walker had a leadership meeting for 3 days, starting on Wednesday and ending Friday. So, I was able to experience being with a greeny. Talk about reminiscing. Elder Ostberg is new and in training. His companion also went to the leadership meeting. So, Wednesday I was in his area... getting lost! We did not know where we were other than we were still in Kingston. He works in the Boulevard Branch while I work in the Kingston Branch. So we don't really know the other person's area. So we rode our bicycles around in the hot sun until we were content.

Thursday was his turn to come to my area. Thankfully I knew most of the places to go. One thing that he did that reminded me of when you are brand new is you just want to talk to EVERYONE! Every single person that said anything, he would stop to talk to. I don't think he was taught about people that just idle and chat you.

It was during this day that the miracle occurred. I want to make you all aware of the power of prune juice. Some of you laugh because you may know what's coming. Others of you may think what the heck can prune juice do. This is the miracle solver for people who are constipated! BOY WAS I HAPPY! The only downside to prune juice is it is THE most expensive juice. Cost me about $800 JD! That's almost $10 USD! On the other hand, I think i would rather spend the money and feel relief than to still be blocked up.

Friday ended the meetings for leadership. I was back in Boulevard for the morning and in my area by late afternoon. I received a great birthday package that I couldn't wait to open.

Saturday, Elder Walker and I had an interesting experience. I must ask if anyone has watched Beverly Hills Cop. When Axel Foley arrives and is walking down the street and sees the two people in the black and red leather outfits.... we had a similar experience. These two Jamaicans one with all green attire and the other with all blue attire. They were also wearing the weirdest and least in fashion shades. I just had to laugh and wished I had my camera.

I did enjoy a birthday, no cake as yet. I need to buy some vegetable oil. However, I also managed not to get floured this year as well. Unless something happens later today.

Here's some pics of my time with Elder Ostberg and my new living conditions:

Elder Huffaker

Hmmmmmm

Well, I'm not sure exactly what to say this week. Things are going pretty good down here. Yesterday we had interviews with Elder Coleman. They were pretty brief because he had to go interview a bunch of other missionaries all over the island. I don't remember if I mentioned this in a previous email, but Elder Coleman used to live out in Lapwai. I don't know where in Lapwai. He also graduated from WSU. So he's one of the few people I've met that actually knows where I live. Not to mention I'm one of the few people he's met that knows where Lapwai is.

Friday, Elder Gantt and I rearranged our house. We had a little extra time after our weekly planning session, so we moved things around. We made the main room the bedroom and made the bedroom the junk room. Everything that we don't care about basically goes in that room. We also made another giant chocolate chip cookie, again. You'd think we'd learn the first time around that a giant cookie makes you sick, but for some reason it didn't stick with us.

Wednesday we had our district meeting in Negril. Afterwards, Elder Gantt and I went camera shopping since he needs to replace his digital camera. We didn't get anything while we were there, but it was pretty cool to see some of the souvenir shops there. We're going there later today.

Speaking of today, it's Elder Gantt's birthday. As tradition in Jamaica, you flour someone. Usually you flour them in their face. But I didn't. Instead I floured him in the shower this morning. At first he thought it was powdered bleach and wasn't sure what to think. Plus it didn't help that I missed his face. Anyways, so we're going to Negril later today and he's gonna look at getting himself a birthday gift.

Take it easy this week.

Elder Huffaker

Bikes!

First off, We had Zone Conference last Tuesday in Spanish Town. The Kingston-Portmore zone came as well. There, we met a new senior couple who will be serving in Turks and Caicos-Elder and Sister Herbert. They're from Eagle, Alaska, I think. Also, I got to enjoy the zones singing happy birthday to me as well as a few other Elders who had and will have birthdays.

Next, Elder Olson got sick for 2 1/2 days He got sick on Thursday and didn't head back out until Saturday afternoon. We're not sure what it was, but he had strep throat about 3-4 weeks ago, and we thought it might be that coming back. So I stayed home all day Thursday. At first I thought it was kinda nice, but then it turned to the fact that I now had boundless amounts of energy. Then on Friday after our weekly planning, we split. I went out with Elder Tonks in the afternoon and Elder Hicken in the evening. I learned my lesson of patience, which brings me to my next point...

I will not ride a bike ever again while on my mission. The bikes down here are quite different, despite the fact that they ARE bikes. My butt still hurts from riding just half a day. Sure it doesn't hurt when you first get on and you have a good time, but by the end of the day. OUCH. I then stayed in again on Saturday morning and proselyted the rest of Saturday with Elder Olson again, he felt good to get back outside.

Lastly, I finally finished peeling my sunburn that I got a week and a half ago. It didn't blister, but it kept peeling.

Thats all for today, hopefully I will get some photos later today to send next week.

Elder Huffaker

A Week Mostly Dedicated to Food

Well, I've had quite the interesting week. Yes I am now officially 20 years old and I don't feel too much different thankfully. This email is mostly dedicated to food as I have had quite a few experiences.

I learned that peanut butter is not best to leave on your skin. It eventually becomes a lot like superglue and hurts when you 'peel it off'.

This last Wednesday was zone meeting and we learned how to make a weird juice mix that's supposed to be like Gatorade, but isn't. Afterwards, we went to Pizza Hut/KFC like usual, and Elder Harris and I had a specialty pizza called the jerk sausage bites pizza (see photo).

Then Friday I made a birthday cake, double decker style. It was a white cake with cherry frosting. (see second photo)

Then yesterday, while we were at a recent convert's house, I ate aloe vera. Yes that's right, he grows the plant and gave me a slice to eat. It smells like onions but is very slimey and takes a lot of water to get down. It also has a bad after taste. He also has an almond tree and you can eat the fruit of it. The nut is not the only thing edible (I didn't know).

Lastly, we had some cool cloud formations. I wish I had my camera but we're not supposed to walk around with it. One of them looked like the surface of Mars and another one looked like waves in the ocean at night. Wish you could've seen it.

Elder Huffaker