4-9-12

Sup Rat Farm,

It’s just me here keepin’ the fresh gnar.  Double dank bones gnar good.  So yeah, this week was pretty cool—we’ve been busy doin’ some stuff and things.  We had three baptisms on Saturday—that was really good.  All three of them actually live in the area next to ours, down at the bottom in Taga.  But since Elder Bailey went home and Elder Tafiti got transferred to Upolu, the last couple of weeks we’ve been going in and teaching lessons.  It’s been real good.  The baptisms were really good.  My comp did them all.  I’ve pretty much performed all our baptisms so far, so I thought he could get to do some.  Two of them are brothers—they’re like 10-12 or so.  And the other girl is like eighteen—she’s the one that doesn’t know how to read.  But she goes to seminary like every day and she’s stoked on the church, so she should be alright.  She can’t even write her own name.  It’s kinda sad.  A lot of kids go to school here, but some just don’t get the opportunity for whatever reason.  But it’s all good.

So yeah, I hit six months this week.  That was pretty cool, I guess.  I didn’t burn anything.  I guess you’re supposed to burn something at six months.  Yeah, oh well.  It’s crazy though, the time is runnin’ quick.  It feels like I just got here—time is goin’ crazy fast.  But yeah.  Also yesterday was Easter.  That was pretty cool, I guess.  Technically today is Easter for all you American folk.  Today’s Monday for me, but Sunday for you guys.  So yeah, happy Easters.  We didn’t really do much.  We pretty much just went to like seven hours of church and then had some food and then went to a fireside back in Faiaai.  It was good though—a stokeage day to the days.  Thanks for the Easter package, by the way.  I gave all the eggs to the family next door to us.  They didn’t hide them though, they just ate them straight up.  I don’t think Samoans actually believe in the Easter bunny.

Oh yeah, so this week was transfers as well.  So I’m still with my same companion, Elder Nansen.  But that’s cool—we’re dope gnar.  We get along really good.  And we technically sort of got transferred, but not really—cause our area now covers from Faiaai to Faga Fau.  But now we just cover Samata and Fagafau.  They pretty much just cut our area in half.  And now they’re putting sisters in Faiaai and Fogatuli.  But it’s cool.  Pretty much all of our work is in Samata and Fagafau anyway.  So I’m not really that cut.  We’ll be living with a family too—that should be cool.  I’ll probably end up sleeping on the floor for the next little while.  But it’s cool.  We’re not really sure which family we’ll live with—but I guess we’ll have to see.  I guess the days of our four man zone are over too.  They put in three other companionships.  Hopefully it’ll be cool.  I’m just kinda stoked on how it is now, though.  There’s only four of us, but we’re still having more success than any other zone on the island.  So, hopefully, these new peeps know how to work hard—otherwise it’ll just slow down the work.  But yeah, it’s shredgnar by the brothers.

So yeah…I’m trying to think of what else happened this week.  We have some investigators that we’re teaching right now, but the problem is that all of them need to be married first before they can be baptized.  One in Fagagau, Ruta, was supposed to be married like last week, but the stake president said he was too busy.  So yeah, we’re pretty much working on getting some marriages soon.  That happens a lot in Samoa—people live together for years, but they’re not actually married.  I don’t know why though—it’s actually a super easy process.  Yeah, so that’s what we’re doing with our other investigators—teachin’ and preparin’ for marriage.  There’s like three couples that need to be married.  I guess the one in Faiaai we’ll just leave to the sisters.  So yeah, the work is goin’ really good.  Things are sick fresh steeze neck.

Oh yeah—I had snails the other day.  I thought it was gonna be grody, but it was actually really good.  They had this big bowl of sea snails.  You just shake it til it comes out of it’s shell and then you just eat the whole thing.  Nah, for real—it was good.  I guess I should be worried about what people think.  Just like it says on Arthur:  “Life can be tough as nails when your friends think you’re a guy who likes to eat snails.”

Anyways, with that I leave you,

Elder Eric R. Joham n’ cheese