Elder Herrin's Madagascar Adventure: This week's update

Dear Family,

How are you all doing this week!? I hope that graduation was fun and exciting. I hope that you all enjoyed the thrills of the NBA playoffs. And, I also hope and pray that you are happy and healthy. "Because Im happpppy, come along, if you feel happy!!" I hope that your summer looks great, I know that my winter looks awesome.

So this week was great. We started off the week great. But, I have yet another emberassing story to tell. So on monday night... My companion had returned home to our living quarters and were playing a card game before the other elders had returned home. We decided that we would play one more game and then go to bed. As we said that, we heard a small sound come from the kitched. I figured it was just another lizard (as that it was it usually is). We finished up the game and i went into the kitchen to brush my teeth (that is the only place with clean water) and I heard something moving in a box we had stored under the microwave. So, elder herrin being elder herrin, he called for his companion to check it out. Elder Trujillo walked in and I told him to look in the box. He, realizing how freaked out I was, grabbed a broom to look and not use his hands. He tilted the box to see inside and all he saw was something furry. It was too dark to see. So he called for me to get him a flash light. We flashed the light on the box and a RAT the size of a gatorade bottle jumped out of the box and started to run.... This happened and I freaked out. I screamed for like 5 minutes straight. We didnt want it to leave the room, so we shut the door and tried to trap it. I was still sceaming, so loud that a neighbor was frantically banging on the door thinking that something really bad was happening... well there was. The other elders were still not home... so it was up to Trujillo and I to kill the rat. We had him in a corner... but we didnt exactly know where. We were pokin bags of rice and moving this and that. We probably stood there for 10 minutes before I decided to start moving things. As I moved the microwave, out came ole Johnny! I freaked again. He had no where to go, but we had no idea how to kill him. I grabbed a stick and Trujillo grabbed a pole. As Johnny started for the door we got into position. The elders were getting home and they heard me screaming so they ran upstairs and watched from the window as i shouted to not open the door. I stood back as Trujillo started to swing his pole, furiously. He was swinging back and forth hitting both the trash can and the oven. He connected on a swing and Johnny layed limp. we gave the pole to the malagasy to finish the job... we lit him on fire after that, just to make sure he was not gonna come back... oh good times.

Tuesday and Wednesday were great teaching days. We got a lot done and were really making some good progress with our investigators. On Thursday we had a zone meeting where elder trujillo and I talked about becoming the 4th missionary! its froma talk given by an old man in 2002. Its an amazing talk for missionaries and just pushes you to be better and better. We taught a new family this week who has aleady learned twice from different sets of missionaries. We hope that he will be ready this time to enter the waters of baptism. Friday was a little rough as I fell asleep during our studies and didnt wake up until 3... I guess i was just really tired. We went out to work after that and taught some great times. We met Alex (who is gettin baptized on Saturday) and we had a little soiree with him. I made moms or gmas chocolate cookies and they turned out awesome! I love cooking, well, baking. This week my companion and I made mexican food for a couple meals. It took forever, but boy was it good.

We end every week with a meal at Pres. Pauls. He is the District President here in Tamatave. He feeds all 10 missionaries every Sunday night. Such a nice man. And SUCH GOOD food. Last night we had cotelette with beans as the laoka.

I love you all so much. I feel so blessed to be serving here. I know that this truly is the Lords work.

Elder Herrin