Snake in the Grass

   As of Today I have been out on my mission for exactly 5 months. Kind of hard to believe but I don't know it if should feel like it's been longer or shorter than that. In one month I'm going to celebrate by burning a tie (then at my year mark burning a shirt, and at the 18 months I'll burn a pair of pants, and then at the end I'll burn my suit *yay*).
   I've been working hard with some of my recent converts and we've been reading the Book of Mormon with them, with one of them we read one chapter twice a week with him and he's getting close to finishing it (Book of Ether). If he can finish it within the next 4 months (which i'm sure he can) he will be the first member of our branch to have finished the Book of Mormon before hitting a year of membership. It can be really difficult to get people out here to read the Book of Mormon (because of their education) so I can't wait to see him do it.
   This week I had a pretty crazy strange lesson. We were teaching this one guy outside (I don't remember his name anymore) and one of his chickens starts freaking out and running around like crazy. Then it stops and stands about 20 ft from us in a circle 4 or 5 other chickens and they are clucking and squawking like crazy. The guy who were teaching suddenly stands up and then running at the chicken picks up 2 rocks and throws one at the chickens. A moment latter A snake comes flying out from the grass that the chickens were circling around, and lunges at our investigator. I then realize that he didn't throw the rock at the chickens but at the snake sitting in the middle of the chickens. Just as the snake is getting ready to attack our investigator, he throws the 2nd rock that he has at the snake, and it explodes on the snakes head killing the snake (which we later found out was a green mamba). He then casually walks back to he seat as if nothing had happened. Haha, what a crazy dude.
   -Elder Grilliot

5 Questions from Dad:

Outside of other missionaries, have you run into any other Americans in Lira?

1- Yes you see them sometimes, but not too often. Honestly though you see Europeans a few times a week though, they usually come from some non-government-organizations that try to save starving children and stuff. The Jehovah witness send out missionaries from Europe to Uganda so we see them on occasions as well. But honestly if it's not a missionary it's kind of strange to see another white person.

What are people’s general impression of America there?  Do they think we are awesome, or evil?

2- Everything people know about America are just from American movies, so some of their conceptions are correct, while some are dead wrong.

They mostly just see America as a place full of rich people, and a luxurious life. Overall when people see you they usually have one of three opinions towards you: 1- he's rich and I want his money. 2- He's white and I hate him because white people ruined this country. 3- WOW!

A WHITE GUY!

 

Do people there get your goofy sense of humor?  Or do you tone it down around the locals?

3- People here like to laugh, but they have a very limited sense of humor. Sarcasm for example is really a foreign language to these people. Imagine what humor was like in the states about 150 years ago.

That's what peoples humor is like here. I still goof around sometimes but people don't always get it.

 

From the map, it sure looks like there are a lot of colleges in Lira.  Are these like high schools, or are they actual colleges?  Do a lot of people go to them?

4- The education system is different here, when it's called college, it means high school. When it says university it means college.

 

Do people often ask you for money?

5-Yes, all the freaking time. Kids are the worst. It is sooo annoying.