all,
I'm writing from a stand-up computer that only lets me on 15 minutes at a time.
Writing the above took up 30 seconds of that.
Anyway, This week has been great. The weather's bottomed out at -20, but it's not that bad.
Whoop, hold on. A computer opens...
OK, I'm back. And sitting down.
There's a great jump happening here in the Branch. I don't know what's caused it, but we're riding it as best we can. This week our Investigator came to church; The first one I've ever had in the Branch, and it was fantastic. We also managed to contact two of our investigators who have been busy for the last couple months.
The Branch is really doing great. Most awesomely, Elder Crowther and I are doing great at learning the Language. I do need that Pocket Reference, due to the App not being allowed up here. We have a good amount of language learning stuff, such as blue books from the MTC, a "hmong for missionaries" book and large dictionaries that go from one language to the next; What we need is a true dictionary that goes through both languages, is handy sized and has a LARGE amount of words.
As the pictures might suggest, This was also a monumental time for knives. Hmong Knives
are some of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life; Hmong people use
them for everything: from cutting down trees to killing/butchering animals, to
cutting greens, to killing evil demons in your dreams... The works.
Blessings up here are abounding. We're finally getting to see and teach the people like we've been trying for a long time. Elder Crowther and I work well together. It's been fun.
Here's a random miracle: I was made one of the Tech Elders a bit ago. (that's not the miracle) We were doing a training last week, and everything that could technologically go wrong, went wrong. (think Murphy's law on Steroids.) Anyway, we finally got things running (miracle 1,2, and 3) only to find that all the doors were locked to everywhere in the church we needed to get to, with none of us having the keys!!
Insert miracle number 4! My last companion left me a set of lockpicks, and I was able to get into all the doors we needed! YAY! Haven't been able to do it again since.
Coincidences don't just happen, especially not all at once like that. Miracles are real, all. Of that I know, as surely as I know the sun rises (it still does, even up here). They may not be angels coming down from heaven, but they're just as powerful.
One last experience up here. We were going to visit some people up here, only to find ourselves interrupting a Shaman-ing (basically Satanic. Whatever religion you are; these things are SCARY. Any of you who know me know that I don't scare too easy) ritual. To quote the Scripture in 2nd Kings 7:7
"Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life."
Don't forget to flee. ;)
Love from the North,
Elder Darcey
I'm writing from a stand-up computer that only lets me on 15 minutes at a time.
Writing the above took up 30 seconds of that.
Anyway, This week has been great. The weather's bottomed out at -20, but it's not that bad.
Whoop, hold on. A computer opens...
OK, I'm back. And sitting down.
There's a great jump happening here in the Branch. I don't know what's caused it, but we're riding it as best we can. This week our Investigator came to church; The first one I've ever had in the Branch, and it was fantastic. We also managed to contact two of our investigators who have been busy for the last couple months.
The Branch is really doing great. Most awesomely, Elder Crowther and I are doing great at learning the Language. I do need that Pocket Reference, due to the App not being allowed up here. We have a good amount of language learning stuff, such as blue books from the MTC, a "hmong for missionaries" book and large dictionaries that go from one language to the next; What we need is a true dictionary that goes through both languages, is handy sized and has a LARGE amount of words.
As the pictures might suggest, This was also a monumental time for knives. Hmong Knives
are some of the greatest things I've ever seen in my life; Hmong people use
them for everything: from cutting down trees to killing/butchering animals, to
cutting greens, to killing evil demons in your dreams... The works.Blessings up here are abounding. We're finally getting to see and teach the people like we've been trying for a long time. Elder Crowther and I work well together. It's been fun.
Here's a random miracle: I was made one of the Tech Elders a bit ago. (that's not the miracle) We were doing a training last week, and everything that could technologically go wrong, went wrong. (think Murphy's law on Steroids.) Anyway, we finally got things running (miracle 1,2, and 3) only to find that all the doors were locked to everywhere in the church we needed to get to, with none of us having the keys!!
Insert miracle number 4! My last companion left me a set of lockpicks, and I was able to get into all the doors we needed! YAY! Haven't been able to do it again since.
Coincidences don't just happen, especially not all at once like that. Miracles are real, all. Of that I know, as surely as I know the sun rises (it still does, even up here). They may not be angels coming down from heaven, but they're just as powerful.
One last experience up here. We were going to visit some people up here, only to find ourselves interrupting a Shaman-ing (basically Satanic. Whatever religion you are; these things are SCARY. Any of you who know me know that I don't scare too easy) ritual. To quote the Scripture in 2nd Kings 7:7
"Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life."
Don't forget to flee. ;)
Love from the North,
Elder Darcey
