Zoo, Camera Broke, Retention, Wedding, Afro Jesus

Kwatta Monkey (English = Spider Monkey)

So I'm working in the area Kwatta, it's named after the Kwatta monkey.  It's going well, Jerry and Ingrid are getting baptized in December, and also married in December, the same week, but the wedding comes first.  


We went to the zoo today. I stood about 3 feet away from a lion, gave a high five to a wild boar, played on the swings, and went down a zipline.  The monkeys are still just like gangsters.  

I was studying Preach My Gospel, because that's what we do, and found an activity I've never done.  It is to ask you all to share an experience.  The question is "How have you been blessed by obeying a specific commandment (i.e. tithing prayer or sabbath or something)?"  I need the support from everyone!  Oh, I got a new pen today.  

I don't know what's up with my camera, but it's not working very well.  It always claims to have a lens error.  The lame part is that it didn't get dropped, or wet or anything, it just stopped working properly.  I may just purchase one here, they are about the same price I think.  I also know of a store that sells Canon.  Or I can try to locate someone to fix it... I'll likely do this next week unless you have any other plans.  

Elder Job, Elder Hulme upside down

The district Presidency seems to be really waking up.  They have committed themselves to help us with retention of recently baptized members.  Up until this point it's been the work only of the missionaries.  It's incredible to not feel like I'm working alone anymore.  We bought a new tie for our branch president to butter him up in hopes of teaching him how to delegate work better.  There was a missionary serving in Wanica when I got into Suriname 362 days ago.  He got married Thursday to someone he baptized while in Wanica.  We went to the wedding.  Two missionaries accidentally drank alcohol for the first time at the wedding.  They ordered a bunch of non-alcoholic Champaigneq but some of it wasn't non-alcoholic at all.  I came too late to be a part of that group.  We did see the groom give a nasty nasty kiss to his bride.  Elder Norton was disturbed by it for the entire evening.  


We've got an investigator named Tony.  He's the oldest investigator I've ever had coming in at 78 years old.  Well, actually my first investigator in Bama was over 80.... Anyway Tony blacks out some of his afro, and bleaches the other, putting a big white stripe on his head.  It's great, he's also got a painting of "The REAL last supper" his house.  Afro Jesus is great.  I took a member there, and he was so excited about it, he took a picture of it with his phone.  Tony may have memorized the restoration pamphlet we gave him.  He's read it many times, and understands the restoration really well.  I don't have a date picked out for him yet, but he'll be joining brother Jerry's family home evening tonight.  I hope to hear that he's read all the way through the Book of Mormon.  He should be our newest old single man in the branch soon.
Things are great.  I love missionary work, and I'm excited to hear your responses to the Preach My Gospel assignment.  
-Elder Hulme

Q: How are Jerry and Ingrid coming along? 
A: Jerry and Ingrid are doing really well, they decided to push their marriage date back a bit, which is fine, and will be wed and baptized in December.  They are really enjoying the church.


Q: Is medical care typically considered very poor in Suriname?
A: Yes.  I refuse to go to the doctor even if I'm dead.

Elder ?, Elder Norton, Elder Baker, Br. Jansen, Elder Bell, Elder Hulme

Q: Are the bananas tastier in Suriname than in the states, or is a banana a banana, whether it's fresh off the tree or not?
A: There are gross bananas here sometimes.  But if you find the good good ones, they are better than American bananas.  


Q: Do you find mangoes year-round or are there definite seasons for them in Suriname?  Do you usually purchase them or find a random tree?
A: Mangoes are seasonal, even usually you can get your hands on them for a higher price.  We bought about 25 last week, and are still working on eating them all, one by one as soon as they are ripe.  I also bought about 40 bananas today.  I hate running out.  I've replaced most junk food with fruit, and I think it's a good thing.  


Q: Do you speak often in church?
A: Not too much, we are trying to make the branches more independent of the missionaries.  This branch especially is excelling in that regard.  


Q: What is a typical Sunday for you?
A: Wake up and make phone calls after studying.  Study a bit more and go to the service.  I'm in either the investigator class or the YSA class.  Both are great.  Then we have priesthood, which is getting better.  Afterwords, we make lots and lots of appointments, eat some food either at a members house, the Jansen's, or home, and go preach the gospel until 8.  8PM we do weekly planning.  That lasts usually until about 10.  Then we take numbers for the whole zone, and fax them in.  That numbers part I've never completed before 11:30pm, and no that's not ok.  I'm still trying to find a way to follow that rule.  I think they give us way too much unnecessary stuff to report.  

Q: Tell us a little more about Elder Norton (interests, quirks, life plans).
A: Elder Norton often gets into this "zone" where he's deep in thought and it lasts all day.  I just learned last night that if he's like that, it's still ok to talk to him.  He's very dedicated to studying the scriptures and writing in his journal.  He plays bass guitar, and dances a lot.  He's very kind to everyone.  


Q: Are you still sweating all the time?
A: Yes of course.

Q: The internet says the long rainy season is April-July, and the short rainy season is December and January.  Does it rarely rain during the dry season, or does it still rain quite a bit?
A: The rainy seasons haven't been following their patterns for the last 2 or 3 years.  But when I was with Elder Job, it only rained 4 times, which is very very few.  Usually outside the rainy season, it rains at least a little bit every single day.  

BOY I enjoy hearing about bike rides and bike stores.  I also sometimes daydream about lefty, and how good a bike that is.
Congratulations Simon the Champion.  Millie, stay cool, don't worry about mistakes, I've been doing this missionary work thing for 1.5 years and I still make mistakes.  Mom's cool, Oli's cool
Much love.
-Elder Hulme

Spiderman Box, Better Fathers, Losing Legs

Elder Tullis

That box in the photos is used to transport important documents in the car.  We were at district meeting and I took photos of everyone holding it.  Steve O. inspired move. I've had many shirt fatalities this week.  3 down due to collars.  I resurrected one though, it had a coconut stain on it, but I washed it many many times and now you can't even see the stain. 


Breakfast is pretty much always disappointing.  I'll sometimes eat cereal with yoghurt or use a banana instead of a spoon.  Or bread with cheese, sometimes an egg too.  I ate leftover yellow rice this morning, and last week I ate leftover Bruine Bonen once.  I hope to find a ton of mangos today, that's my true desire.  I eat at least 3 bananas a day.  

Monday last week we went to the Van Tholl's house.  There we met with 6 active members who all live in the same area, we talked about how we could boost the amount of members in the neighborhood.  They came up with an idea of starting a class there, aimed at teaching the men to be better fathers.  It's a huge task.  But it'll be good, we start Saturday.  There is a beer here called Guinness.  They have a slogan, "after work is guinness time" that slogan has destroyed fatherhood in this country.  Many many men sit outside the supermarket all night drinking beer.  



We've got two progressing investigators right now.  They are Jerry and Ingrid.  We're helping them to get married and baptized.  This will take place over the next 40 days I think.  They were wanting to get married on January 3, because that's their daughters birthday, but then Ingrid had a vision last week where a man in white with her son came and told her to get baptized on another day.  She decided to do so and the whole branch seems to be excited to help them.  They are getting fellowshipped really well, and they are a legitimate family!  Jerry had an infection in his leg 3 years ago.  They removed it, but then left him sitting in his bed with an open wound for 5 days in the hospital.  They then had to amputate his left leg, so he has only a stub.  He seems to be handling it really well.  The same thing happened with a member 2 years ago.  He had an infection, so they removed part of his leg, but then realized it was the wrong leg, so now he has no legs.  This story ended kind of sad, but they are both well on their way to the Celestial kingdon.  Love you lots
-Elder Hulme