2-13-12

Sup Goat Faces,
First of all, here's some pictures and stuff.  I'll leave a narration so you kinda know what's going on.  The first 28 pictures are from the day I left the MTC.  That's when I started taking these and then it goes until about last week.  The next ones are all the pictures I took in New Zealand.  That place was beautiful.  Gte some prints done al all the cool pictures on this card and send them to me cause there's nowhere to get pictures printed here.  #104 is dope--get some extra prints of that.  Also #110.  The pictures are mostly of me and two other guys from my MTC group exploring New Zealand.  #132-134 are pictures of the shore I took.  All the the Baginses came and wished us good tidings and invited us in for a feast (you know how hobbits are).  That was quite lovely.  And then there's pictures of us on the airplane and stuff, and then arriving in Samoa.  The video of us eating breakfast is misleading--nobody eats stuff like that in Samoa.  Then we hit up the temple.  Then there's pictures of our house in Faiaai.  #160 is of me standing on my porch--that's what it looks like from our house.  Then there's me with a lizard--there's tons here.  I made it into an ornament for our Christmas tree.  Then there's some pictures of these little kids from the family next door--those dudes are always over.  Then there's a picture of me looking really chubby standing next to an A Team poster.  That was probably the height of my chubbiness.  I've actually lost weight now.  I lost all my MTC weight.  Now I'm down back to what I was when I left on my mission.  #205 is my first baptism--that's Angela.  We forgot to get a picture before when we were in our white clothes.  And then there's some other stuff and then there's pictures of me with a black eye--that's from when my companion punches me.  JK--nah, it's from basketball.  This dude elbowed me on accident.  Get prints of #225 as well.  That's the sunset in the reflection of those Church of Jesus Christ things that are on the chapels.  Then there's some super long videos of these dudes gutting a pig--it's pretty dang cool.  And then 267-274 are our baptism with Ulia.  That was sick for sure.  And then me and my comp showering in the rain cause our water was broken, and then some really dope pictures of me in the jungle.  Get like ten prints of #289--that's the best picture ever taken.  What a stud, that handsome guy.  That was last p-day when I was on a split with Elder Bailey--that's him in some of the pictures.

So yeah!  That's most of the pictures I've taken so far.  Just save them all somewhere.  Make sure you have back ups and then just wipe the card clean and send it back to me.  Actually don't wipe it cause I think it's still got plenty of memory on it.  I'm just sending this to you for your benefit.

Anyways, this week has been crazy awesome busy.  We've been teaching lessons like mad men.  Yesterday we taught five lessons, had three hours of church, and had our fafaga (meal.)  We've been busy as heck--it's awesome.  The members are working wit hus like crazy.  They keep giving us tons of referrals for people who want to get baptized.  It's awesome.  We have three baptisms this Saturday and we have more next week.  The three baptisms this week are Taulosa, Sepi and Talalelei.  Taulosa is a referral from the family next door.  She's twelve years old and she's stoked on the church.  So it's sweet.  And then Sepi is 10--his family is actually members.  For some reason they just didn't baptize him when he was eight so now it becomes a missionary baptism.  His parents aren't married though so we want to get them married so they can all eventually be sealed in the temple.  And then Talalelei is a referral from one of our recent converts, Silia.  She's Silia's cousin as well.  She's twelve years old.  She's stoked as heck about the gospel though.  So it's good--the work is crazy good.  We've been working like crazy, you can really see the benefits of hard work.  

Also I can really see the true power or fasting.  We've done a few fasts lately and it's crazy how much of a difference it makes.  Everything just comes together, we have greater success, my Samoan improves, everything just becomes better.  So I can definitely see the rewards of fasting.  So yeah, not much else has been really going on this week other than than.  We've just been teaching tons of lessons, making tons of visits, doin' the work man.  This is where it's at, I'm lovin' it.  

On Saturday I had to give a talk at the zone leader's baptism.  I was kinda mad cause they didn't ask me until like fifteen minutes before, but I humbled myself and did my best--it actually went alright.  I still have pretty broken Samoan, so I was a little nervous to talk in front of all those people, but it was good.  I just spoke about baptism and the importance of being baptized.  So it's sweet.  

I got a haircut the other day--it's really short, like shorter than I've ever had it.   Some random dude from the ward showed up with scissors and said he was gonna cut my hair.  It looks alright though for some reason he left a little tuft right up front--it looks like that little little curl that Oscar used to have.  So it's cool, I'm kind of the man.

Anyways, good luck.  Keep it fresh.

Love,
Elder Bojangles