Week 22: Good exits and good entries

This week there isn't a ton to talk about. We didn't get to do much teaching or anything done this week. Everyone was busy with their parties... So, we did tons and tons and tons of contacting. Which probably sounds like the average missionaries email, but not for me.... I try to squeeze in 30-60 minutes of contacting a day. Usually we have lessons (25-30 per week) and don't have to contact all that much... I´m very thankful that the partying time is over. ´Holidays´ here are special. They have a 2 day before and 2 day after buffer of sorts where no one is expected to do anything (mainly because everyone is too hungover to do anything anyway). Its a bit confusing and tricky to get stuff done. Hence why I am doing emails on Tuesday not Monday like usual.

New Years Eve was definitely the most interesting part of the week. As you can tell from the above paragraph people here like to drink, but on big holidays it gets insane. So crazy that at 18:00 we weren't even allowed to leave the house. The neighbors, all of them, were playing music as loud as I have ever heard music (Imagine IMAX theater next to the speaker, but your house filled with the speakers). Anyway, it was SO LOUD. The house was literally vibrating from it. I am honestly impressed with how loud it was, until about 23:00 when I really really wanted to sleep. Finally I passed out at some point (no way to fall asleep when its that loud), but was woken up at 00:00 by the fireworks all going off and general insanity. The music didn't stop until about 8:00 the next day for an hour, followed by more music until who knows when...

On the topic of other cultural things everyone here says `Good exits` responded to with ´Good entries´ for the New Year. Today people are all still ´Good entries!`. Its interesting.

On the topic of investigator stories, I have been challenged to chess by Belito/Laura. We will do a family night with them and play. I have been practicing all week, 14 wins, 2 ties, 2 loses in my house right now. I will also cook Pennsylvania Dutch cookies for them (Thanks Mom for the recipe!). They are a really awesome family working hard on documents still.

Random note of the week. The magic glowing thumbs I got for Christmas have continued blowing minds of kids and drunks alike this last week. We came up with a new ´act´ on the way home from family night. We ´took the soul´ out of Elder Bennion (who them crumples to the ground)... We then ´share the soul´, eat it and then calmly walk away with him just laying there... People all just stare in terror and then freak out. It is super funny. Once Elder Bennion gets up they know its a joke, but that 20 seconds before he does is so hilarious.

I hope everyone had Good Exits and Good Entries!

»Elder Howell

These photos are of the list of each day something that I'm thankful for.  A tender mercy, small thing or happy moment.  230ish.  Its a really good idea (from Hannah of course), no repeats.