Hot nights, Toe Nails and a lot of sitting around - Week 13

So this week was not terrible, but it was definitely bad, numbers wise.

On Wednesday we were going to try and get my ingrown toe nail cut out but realized that we wouldn't have a ride home, except in a mini bus which would have been extremely painful. So we did a trade off Wednesday and I spent the night in Canje. Which was nice to get a change of scenery and get to know our district leader a little better. But Elder Hodgkinson and a next missionary got home and found no power. The bill had not been paid because there was a senior couple who lived in the apartment before us and they paid their own bill. 

So on Thursday we went with Elder Carter, the senior couple, to see Dr. Ganesh. a really nice guy with a sketchy office and operating room. But he just gave me some pills to go pick up so that he could operate on Friday. So we went to get the pills and headed back home to find that our power was still out and were told that it would be on by Friday.

So after two nights of little to no sleep because of the heat we headed to Dr. Ganesh to get the operation I needed pretty bad. He cut the side of my toe nail out after numbing it and cleaning it. To numb it he gave me a shot and asked if I could feel him pinching me. I said yes, a little bit. So he started chopping at my nail. When I repeatedly said ow, that still hurts, he gave me a next shot. After about 15 minutes of him just hacking away, he said he was done. We went over to his desk (which is in the same room) and he told me that he gave me two shots because sometimes the first one works and sometimes it doesn't. It didn't this time. haha. So we spent the rest of Friday sitting around. and when we got home we still had no power. We found out that we would not be getting it until Monday because the power company isn't open on weekends. 

Then on Saturday we literally spent the entire day sweating with no power in our house, and laying around and me taking some pain pills that didn't do much. 

But yesterday, Sunday, we were called by a member of the mission presidency that we needed to attend the Rosignol branch because of some false scandal about the branch president that wasn't true. So I wore my slippers to church because I couldn't get my toe into a shoe yet. haha, but we actually spent the rest of the day with President Goodluck who is an awesome guy and super fun to be around. When we got back home we found that we still had no power. 

So all in all, it was a pretty successful week sorta. I am wearing shoes today, and feeling really good!

I hope everyone is doing well. I love you all and want you to know that I know that this is the one and true church on this earth today.

Have a great day and week!

Much love,

Elder Dorrance

Elder Hodgkindson and Elder Carter waiting while I get operated on.

Easter Monday Week 12

This has been a very good, slow, long, frustrating, good week! haha

Tuesday we were very greatly blessed with air conditioning finally! haha and had some regular lessons, nothing too special.

Then on Wednesday we went to an investigator that we felt we had dropped but decided to instead go the route of having daily contact with him. We went over and told him how we will be calling, or going to his house at least once a day! So it seems to be working because he came to church on Sunday!

Nothing happened on Thursday except disappointment, a lot of our lesson plans fell through for the day, so we were left to street contacting which, for some reason, didn't want to work for us either on that day... So it was a long day of trying our best to share the gospel but to not much avail.

On Friday we were able to go and see a less active man about sending a letter to his missionary that baptized him. He can't read or write, so we had to do it all for him, but I'm hoping that getting this letter back from his missionary will spark something in him to get back to church with us. I even tied all like 7 of his ties for him, so he has no excuse except work. Which he told us he would take off.... But we still talk to him and share a scripture with the family when we are over there, unless he's wasted. haha

Saturday was another day of not a whole lot happening, same as Sunday. But Monday was the best Easter I have ever had in Guyana. haha

Here in Guyana they celebrate Easter on Monday and it is spent with not working, drinking, loud Caribbean music, and FLYING KITES. We have a recent convert who lives at the back of Rosignol who invited us over for some food and to watch the Easter Monday unfold. Her husband made us some awesome BBQ chicken and french fries. Most American meal I've eaten since getting here. Then we played with their puppies a bit and then she took us around introducing us to some of her neighbors who were out looking at the beautiful kites. It was an incredibly successful Easter.

Then because of Easter we moved P-day to Tuesday because all of the shops would be closed. So we are on today!

It's been a fantastic week here in Guyana and am excited for many more to come!

I wish everyone a happy Easter, even though it is passed!

Have a great week! I love you all!

Elder Dorrance

The last hair cut wasn't quite short enough.  "now I look like Dad"

Eight dogs!

Kite flying instead of an Easter egg hunt

you just make up titles anyway, so here's a subject bar - Week 11

So this has been a pretty non-interesting week to say the least...

Monday I found out that the terrible stomach pain that I had been having was because of a stomach ulcer that was growing on/in my stomach. Not sure what it is but it hurts to digest a lot of food. But I got some medicine and feel good today! Then that night we had FHE with a couple of cool families and watched "Finding Faith in Christ" Which is a sweet movie that I would highly recommend.

Then on Tuesday we had District meeting and then went and spread the word about this great gospel... haha...

Then Wednesday we tried to see this guy who was being taught in England and moved back home to Guyana. When we called him he set up a time to go see him but he wasn't home. We thought we were supposed to be there for a reason, but we just decided that we weren't supposed to be somewhere else, kind of a bummer....

Then on Thursday we had a crazy rainstorm and got stuck at an investigators house. Their Ajo and Agie are Hindu so they had some interesting things to say about our religion... haha. I'm not sure if it's just something Hindu people say but Ajo is Grandpa and Agie is Grandma. So I'm learning all types of things on my mission!;) I also learned that if someone says that's my buddy, it means brother. Not friend. So that cleared a lot of things up for me...

Friday I had the opportunity to go on a trade off with Elder Tillotson. He is one of the Zone Leaders serving in New Amsterdam. He is a fantastic missionary who I learn a lot from every time I go on trade offs with. But I did have a hard time without Elder Hodgkinson there with me to help walk around our own area, being so new, we ran out of things to do and I got a little stressed out... But it ended up going well!

Saturday we met back up and traded back so me and Elder Hodgkinson headed over to our favorite Chinese restaurant for some quick lunch and worked hard on Saturday.

Sunday was a great day at church with a wonderful testimony meeting in sacrament. But for this last fast Sunday me and Elder Hodgkinson decided to fast for an investigator we have to be able to make it to church, so we started Saturday and went to his house early on Sunday morning to wake him up. So we shared a lesson with him and told him if he didn't keep his commitments we would have to stop coming by, one of those commitments being attending church. Ended up he didn't care or whatever because he never showed up to church... haha but THE CHURCH IS STILL TRUE.

Today we woke up early and got over to New Amsterdam to go and get some fabric to get some tailored pants made. I got two pairs of pants made with a total cost of 32 dollars! What a steal! haha my companion who is 6'4" is getting an entire suit tailor made by some sketchy Rastafarian for dirt cheap as well! So I'm excited to see how it all turns out!

All in all it was a fantastic week, with lots of ups and downs, just keeping on the grind I guess...

I love you all and hope you are all safe and enjoying life! I know I am!

Have a great week! Elder Dorrance

It's raining, it's pouring...

Conference - Week 10

Another week has come and gone! I'm starting to realize that there really isn't a whole lot that I can report on each week unless something super exciting happens...

Last Monday after emailing and shopping and what-not, we went to the coolest members house and they taught us how to make roti and curry. Roti is just like a tortilla just thicker, you wrap it around the curry and it's really good! Before I left my mom made me curry and it was red and she put it on noodles. None of us knew how wrong she was. Curry is really just the name of the powder you put into the gravy is what they call it. It's really spicy and is still taking some time for me to get used to.

This week we were referred to a family of some members who are pretty interested in the gospel. Some of the kids even came to conference this last weekend!

Nothing too exciting here in Rosignol! I love the people and I love the work! I hope you are all taking the challenges we received this last conference, one of them being to pray for and act on missionary opportunities to share the gospel.

I love this church and I love you all!

Editors note: After reading the above, I wrote this to Hayden:   Hey, I want a better letter.  What is this new family like?  How did you meet them?  Go through every day of the week if you have to.  Like,  Monday we did this and this and this, Tuesday we did this and this and that, Wednesday we walked 20 miles but talked to no one, etc.  You are a really great story teller, give me something to read.   A short 2 minutes later I got this:

Monday we talked to the Persaud family and made Roti and Curry, we ate. Then we went and had FHE with sister Bickram. We watched the other side of heaven.

Tuesday, we had district meeting and spent most of the day in the Car with Elder Carter the senior guy and tried to get a police report for Elder Hodgkinson. Then we walked around the rest of the night and didn't accomplish much. Wednesday we talked to a lot of less actives trying to get people excited for conference and went to see this guy who is usually drunk when we go over so we got there early at like 2 in the afternoon and he was wasted. So we left and went to see some other people.

Wednesday we saw the family. I don't know what their last name is, I can't understand them when they say it, or hear it when they say it either. They have four kids who they want to get baptized and everyone lives with grandma and grandpa.We had a great lesson about the restoration and commited them to be baptized onthe 19th of this month. They all seemed pretty excited and wanted to come to church. So conference was kind of a let down for them, because they didn't understand the importance of it. but two of them came to one session which was way cool!

Thursday we went to see a few families who are not coming to church. Guyana has a sweet amount of members, but less than 1 percent of them come to church. Kind of sad... So we get a lot of less active lessons to get people back to church, which works sometimes. Then on Wednesday also, we taught a lesson to our recent convert Oksana about the temple. It made me miss it so bad. I already know that I want to be in the first session the morning after I get home. I miss it bad....

Then on Friday we only saw less actives to get people to conference, and the picture with like 8 people is the saturday morning session. pretty sad. Then we had a blackout and didn't get to watch  the saturday afternoon session so we just went and got some chinese food and told some more less actives about conference on sunday. Then we went and watched priesthood session at a members home until 10 and then passed out. I was exhausted. The on sunday we watched the first session, then the saturday afternoon session then the sunday afternoon session. That was brutal, right in a row, 6 hours of conference. Don't do that kids... Then we tried to go talk to some more people, but it was dark and no one wanted to listen to us. and I had a sweet headache and a killer sharp stomach ache. I have no idea what's up with my stomach. My mom thinks it's a virus of some kind, but I walked through a hospital last week to visit a member, and I think I would rather die than go to that hospital. It looks like a hospital that would be used in a zombie movie, a good zombie movie too, not the cheap stuff that you watch for a laugh. LIKE THE SCARY ONES YOU WATCH TO BE SCARED. Intense huh?

Hope that was a good enough read for you. I seriously typed that so fast. I'm so proud of myself.

Have a great day and week!

All my love,

Elder Dorrance

Making food with the Persauds in Rosignol

Watching Conference