1-16-12

Sup Dudes, 
It's me, your boy, Elder J.  Yeah, another week has gone by.  That's nutso crazy.  Time is flying by here.  I'm already more than three months out on my mission--that's wild.  

This week was freakin' sick.  We tore it up.   We got this referral from a member that we're way tight with. The member is dope though.  He helps us out a ton.  His name's Paulo.  He was stake president at 25 and his family's way smart too.  That was the dude you guys were calling on Christmas, but you couldn't understand.  But actually he speaks really good English.  It must have just been a bad connection.  But yeah, he hooked us up with a referral from his niece who lives in another village.  But when we got to his house, the girl was there with her little sister too, and they both want to be baptized.  So that was freakin' sick, and he called us out of nowhere , so it was lucky we were in the same village at the time.  We went over to Paulo's like ten minutes after he called, and we taught the first lesson.  It went really well too.  That's the one I'm best at in Samoan, so I was able to contribute a lot.  

It really was a testimony to me the power of study though.  Cause when I study the lesson in the morning and I'm prepared, the words just come to me.  But when I don't study the lesson we're gonna teach that day, my words just get caught up in my throat.  But yeah, the work is really picking up for us.  The whole Christmas season was really sucky, just cause everybody is really busy and no one wanted to listen to us.  But it was still dope, it was just difficult.  I got a lot of studying in though so it was still good.  But yeah, it's dope.  Everything's been going really good lately.  

We get to go to Apia today cause our zone and a few other zones get to go to the temple.  So that's way sick.  Actually we're going to the temple tomorrow, but we leave today and then we're gonna sleep at the office tonight and then hit up the temple tomorrow.  So that'll be way sick, I'm stoked.  The trip to Apia kinda sucks though--it's like  1 1/2 hours to the wharf, and then it's like another 1 1/2 hour ride on the boat to Upolu, and then it's another hour from the wharf in Upolu to Pesega.  But it's cool.  I'm not complaining.  Going to Apia is crazy cause it's just so different cause they have cars and people and buildings and stuff like that.  I love Savaii though just for that reason--there's just dirt, and jagged rocks, and coconut trees, pigs, and the ocean.  So it's sick as heck. 

Haha, the other day we were walking back from our fafaga (dinner), which was in the furthest village in our area from our house, so it's a pretty long walk.  Anyways, this dude in this big diesel truck pulls over and offers us a ride back to Faiaai, so we're like, "Heck, yeah."  So I open the door, and there's only three seats in the cab, so I had to sit in the middle.  And I had to hold the dude's big plate of roasted pig--it was like half a pig.  Haha.  Anyways, so as we're driving, this dude's just cruisin bro.  The guy looks over at me and pulls out this big bottle of beer.  Then he uses the edge of a pipe to get the cap off.  But the thing about Samoans is that they like to share, so the dude's like, "You want some beer?"  Haha and I was just like, "No, thanks."  So he takes a big swig--the dude was pretty drunk--it was funny.  So then he gets a call on his cell phone, so he's talking on the phone with one hand, and with the other hand, he's holding his beer and driving at the same time.  And by this time it was getting pretty dark and the dude forgot to turn on his headlights until we were like halfway home.  Haha, it was dope.  I'm blessed to live in Samoa where we get to do cool stuff like that.  But yeah, so then he dropped us off.  I slipped him a plan of salvation pamphlet under his pork plate.  So maybe he'll get converted--haha, you never know.

But yeah, it's dope, I love it here.  It's safe though, no worries.  The Lord is watching us real close--we stay real safe.  Oh yeah, my comp was saying that I was speaking Samoan in my sleep the other night.  Haha, so yeah--I take that as a good thing.  The language is coming along pretty good.  It's still hard, but it's getting better.  Everything that I know how to say, I can say it right.  I just need to learn more words.  I understand a lot more than I think--it's just if I don't listen really close, then I miss it.  Cause I know a lot of the words they're saying, they just speak so fast that I miss it.  So lately I've been writing down words in a little notebook, it's good cause it forces me to listen closer for words that I don't know.  But yeah, so that's all good.  Hopefully by the end of this companionship I'll be speaking good Samoan.  My comp grew up speaking it.  He speaks like a native.  So it's good for me--I'm learning Samoan how it's supposed to be.  So hopefully I'll have mean Samoan soon.  That's what everyone says--all the white guys that get called to Savaii end up with dope Samoan.  So it's good.  All is well.

I got your package--that thing was like the best thing that ever happened to me.  After a month and a half of taro and breadfruit it's nice to eat some garbage like chocolate and cotton candy.  Haha, but yeah, everything made it through really well.  The chocolate wasn't even melted--it's the best.  So thanks a ton, for reals that package was the bomb.  And that CD is dope too.  Some of the songs are lame, but the good ones are way good, so I like it.  Oh yeah, when you get the chance any time in the future, please send me some batteries.  That would be lovely--double A and triple A would be just smashing.  But yeah, did you guys get my first letter with the lizard in it?  Cause maybe it didn't go through or something. 

But yeah, things are dope.  My companion doesn't even beat me up that much.  And when he does, it's not that hard.  He only beats me up when he gets really angry.  But his girlfriend doesn't really come over all that often--only three or four times a week.  So that's good--we're working on cutting down on the time he spends with his girlfriend each week.  It's important to set goals, you see.  NAH.  JK MAN.  No worries mamma.  My comp's the bomb, he's a good missionary.  No girls or fights or anything wild like that.  But yeah, don't fall into the prejudice that Samoans are bad missionaries.  Cause there are Samoan guys that are way good missionaries and there are white guys that are trunky as heck.  It just depends on who it is.  But yeah, that's funny about that kid's comp getting a tattoo on p-day.  I could see that happening .  But that's just part of the culture.  Every person you meet, regardless of who they are, has a tattoo.  All the bishops, the stake presidency, everyone has at least one or more tattoos.  I think if you understood the culture better, it might not be as shocking.  It's not like back home where only the scumbags have tattoos--it's everyone.  But yeah, that's funny.

But yeah, mom, don't worry bro, everything's way good.  You worry too much--everything's totally fine.  My comp and I are dope--we get along way good.  And we're doing work too, so no worries.  The people really love him.  There's a lot I can learn.

But yeah, in one of your letters, momma, you asked about laundry--if we do it or if someone does it for us.  But yeah, we do our own laundry.  You let it soak in a bucket overnight with detergent and stuff.  And then in the morning you have to scrub it out and hang it up to dry.   It takes forever, but it's alright--I don't mind it.  

Yeah, and you asked about breakfast--we usually just eat Ramen noodles with Ragu on it.  Or the family from next door will bring us some food--they're way nice.  They're always feeding us and helping us out. So that's good.  But yeah, the reason I haven't spent any money from my account is because there's nowhere to pull money from, and there's nothing to spend it on.  Everyone grows their own food, and for the most part, builds their own stuff.  But yeah, it's cool.  Everything is dope.

Good luck,
Elder Jenkins