Last Transfer

I didn't get to email yesterday because there was a thing called Mash going on in town. It's basically Carnival or run around in your undies day. I gotta say emailing is kinda weird now. Almost everyone is home from their mission now so I don't have too many people left to email. Well Elder Coehlo showed me around the area pretty good this week. We got a flat tire in one of the bikes this week so we have to get that fixed and we got transfer calls too. I got my final transfer call! Such a strange feeling especially when you know you companion is leaving and you know that you need a new one. I am going to be with Elder Nelson who is a Jamaican Elder who has been out for about 6 months. He is a really cool guy and he is pretty sincere when he bears his testimony. I am excited to finish off with him. Well most of the people that Elder Coehlo have kinda dropped off so I am going to be finding some new people this transfer. It isn't too hard for me because being a white guy in my area is basically the equivalent to being Tom Cruise. No Indian girl can deny me in my area. They could be a teenager or even an old lady and if I simply say "Hi" their eyes turn into hearts like on the cartoons and they blush. Yes even with the old ladies. It's really funny. We taught some people and one of the girls in the lesson asked if my eyes were real. I don't even have amazing eyes haha. Then she asked if I was married. I told her no and asked if she was "I want to be..." is what she replies. Elder Coehlo says I am a celebrity. I don't even try though. I felt sick yesterday and went to go get a few groceries at our local store and this Indian girl who looks about 18 followed me around and giggled. I felt sick so I probably looked a little crappy and I wore yellow shoes, blue pants, and a brown shirt and she still liked it all ha ha. Just gotta be careful not to give them the wrong message. We are working with a family called the Nazio family who is American Indian. They came to church yesterday and one of the daughters says she knows what we share is true. We are looking forward to a baptism for her and her mom. She has a sister who is deaf and can't talk so I want to work with her too because she came to church but it might be kinda hard. They are really cool and we are getting a family this week to help fellowship them. Not many members live near the Nazios though. Well last of all for my final transfer I withdrew the last of my money for the final transfer. The banks have changed now and they spit out $5000 bills. They are super crisp too! My money stack isn't as fat as it used to be but oh man I love the crisp $5000! It's $25 US so I am debating whether or not to take one home. That's an expensive souvenir. It's interesting with the book of Revelations. I just finished reading Day of Defense while staying in all day yesterday because of Mash. Revelations talks about John saying for people to not add into his own book of Revelations. Chronologically Revelations is not the last book. I am giving Day of Defense to my companion who is going home in a few days (He lives across the river in Guyana) he wants it because good LDS books aren't in Guyana. Basically people need to understand that we have need for modern revelation and when they come to know that it is indeed needed then they can come to pray about the truth. Lots of good stuff. Being a missionary lets you get to know the church much better. I am thankful for the knowledge I have gained out here. Well all is well and I made my final planner cover about marriage as you can see. My face over some guy and a question mark over the girl's face as the couple walks out of the Mesa, Arizona Temple. The backside is what I love so much! A cartoon drawing of a missionary getting home with the welcome home sign and some girl in a wedding dress waiting there ha ha. I am not really marriage trunky like some Elders are but this is supposed to be a missionary tradition to make this a planner cover for your last transfer. Looking forward to the next 6 weeks! I know you all can't wait back at home but I sure can. I love it here!

Somewhat Big News

I have half of my transfer call for my last transfer right now. I am back in Georgetown kinda where I started my mission but just in a different area. I am in East Coast now which is pretty nice because it's not too close to Georgetown but not too far. The reason I am here is because Elder Tupou was getting grumpy again and he grabbed me which ripped my shirt on both sides and threw me on the ground. He got upset because of a misunderstanding. Basically we went out to go teach and there was a lady who we had contacted named Katy and she was a pretty sincere person. She lives with her grandma and we set up an appointment with her at 8 at night and someone was playing music pretty loud across the street so we couldn't really hear her grandma too well. Her grandma sounded like she said that Katy was home but she wasn't sure so I went around the house to the door where we met Katy and knocked on the door even though there was loud music. Elder Tupou was upset because I just started walking there and then he followed me. I knocked on the door and Katy comes out and Elder Tupou was just so upset and the people there could tell. He told me he was really mad at me for going and knocking on the door and because he was so upset we had to cancel the appointment. Just before we left Katy starts telling me that she wants to know more about Joseph Smith. She was sincerely interested and as we walk around the corner the old lady then asks why Elder Tupou was so angry and rude. It was kinda funny and Elder Tupou just gets so mad at her and starts yelling at the old lady and says she is a liar. It was pretty sad because that threw away any chance that we had with Katy learning more. I asked Elder Tupou if he wanted to be my companion and he got really mad. I told him we needed to talk to the Zone Leaders and he always holds the phone so I got it and wanted to go talk in the light in public so that if anything was to happen people would see. I start walking to a light pole 10 feet away and he gets upset because he wanted me to talk on the phone right next to him so he threw me on the ground and it ripped my shirt. I called the Zone Leaders and said that I need a new companion. I gave Elder Tupou so many chances and I was so patient with him. He never took my advice which I gave lovingly and in a respectful manner. I had to let him just figure it all out but he wouldn't figure it out. President Mehr called us that night and boy did that calm Elder Tupou down. President Mehr sounded kinda like he would move me to about any island I wanted but I am not too sure. He sounded like he was going to move me out of Guyana but I told him that since the missionary Elder Coelho is going home in a week from East Coast that I wouldn't mind going there so he could show me the area. Some missionaries call me crazy for not getting out of Guyana but the truth is that I just really love Guyana. It's my home here. I love Georgetown too. I didn't get my end wish which was going to Diamond but I can do trade offs there. I have to learn the area in about a week so it's going to be tough and then I am on my last transfer. Elder Coelho was with a temporary missionary from Guyana so they were going to blank the area. Elder Coelho is Guyanese so he lives across the river from Georgetown. He is a really cool guy and we are having a good time. Well back in Rosignol it was a bummer because the morning after the Tupou incident I had to leave. I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone in person which was sad. Rishma has been slowly progressing so we moved her date for baptism to March 8th. She said she is going to miss me a ton because we have been helping her a lot because she has been sick and depressed. I just really hope that she ends up getting baptized. I had a really good talk with the Ramkumar family too. They are less active and we had a good lesson with them the other week and their daughter Farzana told me that she is so happy that we decided to come by. Her dad said the opening prayer and she told me that was the first time she had heard her dad pray in a long time. I called them and let them know I was going to miss them and they were really sad. I just hate leaving areas with little notice. I got moved Saturday morning so I didn't get to see anyone at church because I went to the new branch on Sunday. It's a good branch out here. Attendance averages about 80 people and it's AIR CONDITIONED! I also sold my camera to someone in Bush Lot so I hope my new companion will have a camera. When I get home I won't need a camera just big boy toys. I got 7 weeks left so I am trying not to get too trunky. I honestly love Guyana so much though especially Georgetown so it's going to be harder to leave here. My look on it here is this: If you are on an island it is beautiful and you just love it. You will probably go back someday and have even more fun by getting to swim and tour around there. I don't know if I will ever get to come back to Guyana though. There are no cruise ships here. The water is really brown and so not many people visit. I love the people here so much! I honestly hope I get to come back some day. When I go visit St. Vincent I want to see the missionaries there and say to them "Oh yeah I used to serve here. Well see ya I am going to go swim at the beach!"

Me & Elder Tupou

Animal of the Week

My Police Report Photo

Elder Dearing & I

Chucky & Me

Me & Elder Coehlo

One Week Down, a Few More to Go

Man it seems like each week I have less and less time to email. I feel like I email the mission president more than anyone else. Things are getting pretty busy getting ready to go home. I got my email from the mission saying that I get home on April 7th! I am just out of my mind! Time is really flying by. Well this week Elder Tupou is still not listening to my advice so it's tough but sometimes you just gotta let them figure it out. This week Rishma didn't come to church again so it's getting really hard out here. I always feel so rushed on Mondays trying to email everyone. It's going to be weird being home and whenever I need to talk to someone just pull out the iPhone and post something on Facebook. Rishma was telling me that some years back she met missionaries in Lindon (Guyana towards Venezuela) And they taught her a little bit. She was getting prepared back then and now she is getting prepared to be baptized. The Lord works so mysteriously. When I first met Rishma I didn't think she would even listen to our message but she is the most progressing person we have. Work is hard though. Most people won't listen to the message and most people if they do they don't understand it. We use a technique now. We ask people after the restoration if they knew it was true would they be baptized? It lets you know who is prepared and who is not. It is really nice to use. This week we visited an active family called the Narines. I love them so much! Brother Narine just bore an awesome testimony of how he just loves the Book of Mormon. They are a great missionary family. Well I also got a Gita this week. Pretty strange stuff. It's the Hindu scripture. Well I am out of time so I gotta go!

This kid says the flower is for my mom ("Awww, thanks" says mom)

Rush It!

Well I gotta rush it today. I have been taking care of gator orders and there just seems like there is so much to do in so little time. It's a fun rush though. Well Tupou seems to not like taking advice so I am trying to lead by example instead. I try to correct him but he doesn't like that so instead I do something good and then he sees how it works and he wants to do it. Like teaching the Plan of Salvation to Hindu people. It's more receptive to them than the Restoration. Well sad news is that Akeela is not getting baptized. Her mom refuses even though she understands the Restoration. Her mom understands the message and wants Akeela to wait till she is 18 (3 more years) Good news is I got all 3 hunger games books for less than $10 US! I can't read them so it will be nice just to take home. I think I like reading now. Well this cool kid named Chris that we met on the street talked about how he likes video games like Assassins Creed and I showed him the Book of Mormon and said they should make a game for that. It was pretty effective haha Well out water tank was empty so I borrowed neighbors water and had a bucket shower and then the next day (Sunday) took a rainshower. You never have to make up stories here. Well the Caribbean conference was great! Wilford W. Anderson of the 70 talked and then Bonnie L. Oscarson. Elder Holland talked about 3 sacred places to stand.  1. Home (not trunky haha) 2. Chruch 3. The Temple.

Boyd K. Packer gave a nice talk too. Well I gotta go time is up.

Love you all!