6 Months Left

Hey everybody! 

So this week wasn't all that exciting here, so its not going to be the most exciting email, but I do have at least one fun story and a cool experience, so that is all you need right?

So also side note, this week officially marked 6 months left in the mission, so if that is weird to anyone else, get on the bus.

So coming up this next week we will be having our Christmas zone conference, and as part of that, President Barney has us submit videos of us sharing our talents or singing or whatever it may be, to kind of have a more festive zone conference. So the idea that I came up with for our apartment was "Hot Pepper Hymns". We decided to sing joy to the world and after each verse we would take a good chomp of a hot pepper and then just see how it progressed.  Well it was quite the time, and it was quite a blast watching the other 3 just run around like they were literally dying for like 15 minutes after the video.  I have the video all put together, but its too big to try and send over email, so if you are interested in some quality content, you will have to let me know and I can get it to you.

So the other good thing this week was that I got to go on an exchange with the Spanish area that we live with in our apartment. So Elder Marchant and I went and squaded up in my old area and it is always fun to see old faces and to actually speak Spanish and feel just back at home.  One member ended up taking us to a Rodizio grill for lunch. If you don't know what that is, look it up, but pretty much I ate more meat and food than I probably ever have, to be honest, and the family just kept getting a kick when I would get more food and were hyping me up to eat more and more. So basically we went all in, like you should right.  I didn't even need to eat dinner that day, so that is just being a thrifty saver right here I'm pretty sure. 

So the coolest part of the night ended up being when we stopped by this one member and she decided to take us to her neighbors apartment to show us the nativity that she had set up. Well last year when I went caroling, we ran into this same apartment and I ended up working with the couple for the last few weeks before I left and then the missionaries after me called the husband once and he didn't answer so they dropped him.  So fast forward a year and here we are, I remind the lady of the whole story. I never got to know her as well because she would like cook during our lessons or wasn't as engaged, but I come to find out, that her husband ended up passing away just like a week or two after I had left the area. So no wonder the Elders who called him didn't get an answer... but it was super cool to be able to talk to her and kind of reassure her and build off that common ground of me knowing her husband and being able to connect in that way that she couldn't with a whole lot of people.  So the elders should be working with her from now on, so hope all goes well! A cool miracle, that is for sure though.

Well that is all I got for you today! Next pday will be Christmas and we will have transfers before that, so exciting things to come! 

Love you all

Elder Pickering

Also I got to finally meet my "personal trainer" Melvin in person, it was amazing

Melvin

A district meeting - aka gingerbread house building