Picture Heaven

Dear Family,

What a fun week I have had!!  The work is going, slowly but surely, and I am just loving learning how to be a better missionary!  So, Tuesday was fun, no running water.  That meant no shower... man I just hate when I feel dirty and that all that gross stuff.  Work was alright, kinda slow actually.  Lots of appointments that just dropped us so we had some time to see some members.  Hahah, funny story... dont take after my example Brock, but at our members house they had started to watch the (I believe) new Need For Speed movie... and they asked us to stay and watch it with them.  Of course, being the nice, generous missionaries that we are obliged and helped them!  It was in french though so wasnt much fun for me... Wednesday was the day!! All of our appointments dropped us so we had like all day to tract.  Our area is like the biggest in the mission, it just goes on forever, so we took a bus and took it to the last stop that it went.  We got off and started hiking.  It was a B-E-A-utiful day!  Sun was shining, wind in my face, walking across the hills of Madagascar!  With the honest intent of finding people to teach we just hiked up this mountain and along the way found some way cool opportunities for pictures!  Then we saw this HUGE sign that said CARMEL and it looked like the Hollywood sign thats says HOLLYWOOD, so we hiked to it!  We got some way cool pictures by that sign, on a rock, with a painted picture of Jesus, it was all just so cool and so pretty!  Long day, Thursday was a better day for the work.  We got times and taught people of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  An interesting thing happened though that night.  Every night the 4 sisters who are in our district must call the district leader (my comp) and tell him that they have made it home safely.  So, just like every night, they called and told my comp they had made it home, and then one of them asked to speak to elder herrin... I have no idea why she did this because its not like I speak spanish or malagasy (those are the languages she speaks) but she began to tell me about a problem that she and her companion were having with one of their investigators and she wanted my "priesthood help" as she called it.  I was just shocked... what the heck was I supposed to say to help her, I mean she was literally in tears she loved this woman so much and wanted to help her with her problem but didnt know how.  So, I just kind of told her to first talk to her branch president and take him with them to their next app. with her and if that  doesnt work to call me again... wow.  So Friday was cool too.  We worked and then that night we went and stayed the night with some other elders in their brand new home.  They opened an area so they got a new home and boy was it nice!!  We came home Saturday morning and went out to work that day!  We had a couple times and then I taught English Class.  That is an expereince in and of itself.  The people wanted to know about dating and marriage in America, so I demonstrated how a man gets down on one knee and asks a girl to marry him, pretty funny!  Sunday was nice, but a little dissapointing too.  We only had 41 people at church and only one investigator... I know that numbers dont matter, it just makes me sad you know!  We went to church, and then went out to work.  We worked until about 6 and my comp was not feeling to well so we went home a little early that day.  I think he is nervous about transfers, but that is just my opinion. Yesterday was soo fun!  We went to the Croc Farm.  We saw humungeous crocodiles, I got to feed a lemur and I got to hold this wierd lizard looking thing on my arm.  I also got to see a Fossa or Fosa, not sure how to spell it but it was a wierd looking creature.  After that, we went to the one and only mall in Madagascar... can you believe it, there is a mall here and it is SOOOOOOO expensive.  I saw so many white people in there it was ridiculous!! We ate at the little food court they had and looked at the nice watches and rings they had... one day. We then stopped at the office and to my surprise, I HAD A LETTER!  It was from Sis. Tolman, so I ripped it open in excitement.  It was a dear elder.  I got it open and read the last two sentences of the letter, thats all that ther was... the first part of the letter either was lost or didnt make it this week?  So thank you Sis Tolman for the letter, hopefully I get it all next week.  Thats been my week so far.  Next week I will have transfer news which is always exciting for a missionary... I love you all so much and cant wait to share my experiences next week.

All my Love

Elder Herrin