Week 23 in Lugazi with Elder Woodland

 

 

  

 

We had a pretty good week. The world cup is going on right now and this week the Muslim fasting period ended, so it was a huge celebration all week. We got bounced A LOT because of all this. Everyone is too busy celebrating. Tuesday, we had a slammed day and taught  18 lessons. It was so crazy, we were so dang busy. When we got home I went straight to bed. I feel like we walked like 20 miles that day. There was a guy who offered to give me a Noongueza tattoo that day as well. Tempting, I know, who doesn't wanna risk picking up HIV from an African tattoo needle. You'll be glad, and shocked I'm sure, to know that I turned him down….This time. We had exchanges with the zone leaders on Thursday. I was hoping to get to go with Elder Millecam, but I went with his companion Elder Kagson instead. We got bounced for every single appointment, so we did tracting all day long. We got 14 new investigators though. That day Elder Woodland also got extremely sick. He started throwing up during a lesson and didn't stop until the next morning. We called President and Sister Collings but couldn’t get a hold of them due to travel. So I called the area doctor. Elder Hyer and I gave him a priesthood blessing and things changed within the hour. It was cool to see a miracle like that. Poor guy has been wrecked for the last few days. He's a lot better now!  Been thinking a lot about Dads this week and I sure am grateful for mine. Dad has been such a good example to me and he's such a good guy. I really love him tons! Happy Fathers Day Dad!   The boys will get a kick out of this story. Saturday for lunch I ate something that I really wish I didn't. A ridiculously hot pepper called Hell peppers. I didn't know the name in English until after I ate it and almost died hahaha. I bought these little red peppers from a mama who didn't speak any English in the market. She tried to warn me and told me that they were too hot, that even the Indians won't eat them because they were too hot. I thought she was exaggerating. She wasn't. After I ate it my mouth and stomach and throat felt like they were on fire for the rest of the day. Nothing brought relief either, I must've drank like 3 gallons of water. Even my hands hurt just from handling the pepper, and I touched my cheek and my cheek started to burn! It was soooo bad, I was miserable for a little while. Everyone thought it was so dang funny though, Andrew couldn't believe that I ate one. Those peppers are not for man, I will never eat one again. On Sunday we were able to get Matia confirmed, and then this next Sunday hopefully Mercy will get confirmed. Malayka loved the book of Mormon stories book and Britton loved the coloring book. I gave the other coloring book to a girl named Joan (in the picture). She's the tailor Mourine's daughter. They loved them.  I got the package btw!!!! It came with unreal timing, I was missing you guys SOOOO badly. Man did I love that package. I really needed it, I was dying to hear from you guys. I loved the ties you sent, I wore one of them on Saturday and the other to church on Sunday. And I love the glasses. I know what you're thinking, that I need to cut my hair- don't worry I already did -hahaha. That picture of Woodland is after I white washed him in pool last Monday. That means I sunk all my balls and the eight ball before he sunk a single one. I made him take a picture with all his balls, so I could hang it up in the apartment hahaha.  So the door is at the cathedral. Every one of the doors there is hand carved and they're pretty amazing. I'm trying to convince President to let me stay in Lugazi one more transfer after this. Things with Woodland are good, we get along really well most of the time. I really wanna spend another one with him. We have a lot of fun together. Ya the huts are in the middle of the jungle. It's a trip to get there. Makes for some cool pictures though. No missionaries have ever been out there, but hardly anyone speaks English so it's slim pickings. My Luganda is getting good though. I can pray and teach quite a bit of the lessons in it. I can understand most things too, I just have a limited vocabulary when it comes to responding. But if I get transferred it'll be a new language. You walk 40 minutes in any direction and it's a different dialect or an entire different language. By the way-  I did take care of things with the neighbor’s chicken. I bought her a new, and improved chicken, with no chopped off head, I got a good deal on it- so it was a FAT chicken. Also got her and all her kids chips for dinner. Chips are just fries. She was super happy and even tried to feed us during the week. Love and hugs-Elder Payne