One Month Down!

I have been out now for a little over a month and have come to accept a saying that my trainer told me.

"The first month feels like 6 months, and the next five feel like 1"

But I think I'm really beginning to get into the swing of missionary life!

This week has been very extremely good and bad. Every day seems like it takes forever, but once I sit down at night to write in my journal I can't believe that 9 hours had flown by like that... Time flies when you're having fun!

We were supposed to have four baptisms coming up on the 8th of March, but two of them didn't show up to church so we have to push them back a week, but we have two still which will be so cool! We've got some great new members joining the Church!!

I think I'm getting better at teaching, because we have gone on splits with the Branch president a couple of times now, so i'm teaching on my own! I'm really liking it and think that I'm getting the hang of the lessons and such!! I'm also really enjoying trying my best to memorize scriptures we have been assigned! It's been challenging but a good challenge!

I'm glad that everyone is doing alright though! I always get scared when I'm trying to fall asleep that I'm going to check my email on Monday and I'm going to find that Dad got into a fight on top of a blimp again and he broke his legs... always in the back of my mind...;)

But I'm doing well. I'm getting eaten alive, even with repellent. The Senior couple over us is super sweet and from one of the Carolina's and Sister Carter is beyond scared for me because she thinks I'm going to get Dengue... haha. It could happen, but I've been meaning to lose some weight.....JOKES!

I'm getting a mosquito net either tomorrow or the next day, so no need to worry mom!

I'm really beginning to love the people now that I can understand them and really want to help them find their way to Christ!

Every day is a new adventure! I wake up and kind of mope around, our apartment doesn't have many windows, so the floor is always dirty, so I don't have much desire to work out on the floor, and walking is good enough excercise... haha! Then I have breakfast and start studying by 8! then at nine we have companion study and then at ten to noon we have training. where we just talk about stuff really, kind of pointless... We are usually out of the apartment by noon going to see people and not back until 9! I am loving the work and loving the people!

I hope everyone is well and enjoying themselves! Keep staying safe and keep me in your prayers! Thanks for the support! I love you all! have a great week!!

Love,
Elder Dorrance

***Info from extra emails***

The picture of me standing like on the titanic is from the day that it just completely poured rain, i was completely soaked... haha...

My companion is great, he has humor that is pretty different than mine, but it's just political humor and factual stuff, not my style, but he's a great guy and I'm learning a lot from him!

I am definately understanding people better! I really think that it is an answer to my prayers because that was probably the most frustrating thing I was dealing with... but it's definately getting better!

We have some freaking amazing investigators, that are really coming along great if they would just show up to church, gosh dangit.... but We have lessons every single day at every hour, I haven't had a single day where we scheduled time to go tracting, we always have lessons.

I mostly eat cereal, ramen, and spaghetti. I've definately lost weight, and my appetite, I eat like 5 or 6 little meals a day rather than two huge meals like my companion...

Singin' in the rain...

My companion isn't much of a picture taker so a bunch of selfies it is...

 

Results of the pig slaughter from last week, a little crispy on the outside but tasty underneath.  We only cooked half of the pig, we'll cook the rest in a couple of weeks.

The rest of our district lunch

New alligator scripture bag