Finished

   It's hard to believe that 2 years can go by so fast. I'm proud of how my mission has gone, and of the hard work that I put in each day of my mission. I'm well satisfied with what I've accomplished and what I've become.

   I can't wait to see everyone at home. I love you guys will see you soon!

Lady named Prossy

   This has been a pretty nice week. Things are going pretty well. The area I'm in is prospering fairly well, and we have got some people to teach. We should have two baptisms my last week, and there are several that are getting prepared for next month (after I'm gone). I'm pretty proud of the work I've been doing the last few weeks.
   There is this one lady named Prossy that has a baptismal date for my last week. She had been taught by missionaries for years. She is the sister to the Sunday School presidents wife, and she had met many missionaries but had never really been interested in joining the church or being baptized. She allowed us to teach her a couple of weeks ago and all of the sudden she just started keeping commitments (reading the Book of Mormon, Coming to Church, Praying...) It was pretty cool. This last week as we were teaching her she opened up and thanked me for finally helping her to understand, that she had been taught for so long but she only started to understand when I taught her. It was a really satisfying moment to know that the lord had prepared that individual for me and that I was able to make contact with her because I was prepared and worthy.

   I'm thankful for everyone's emails. You guys are great, it will be nice to see you all in a few weeks time. Love you all!

-Elder Grilliot

P-Day in Entebbe

   This has been a rewarding week. We've got a lot of work done, and I'm pretty satisfied with how things are going in Kajjansi. Today for P-day our whole zone went to the beach in Entebbe, it was pretty fun. We played beach volleyball and soccer. Afterwards we went to KFC (they just opened one in Entebbe).

   DAD, that's cool that the missionaries back home are teaching a Congolese, they are really spiritual people. There's a reason why they are about to get a temple in the DRC. There's a cool story my mission pres. told me about a state formed in a village in Congo. It's kinda long though, so I'll have to tell you about it when I get home. The people of DRC are supper awesome though. There's a place in Kampala named Makinde where all of the refugees from the DRC go. In Makinde Ward there's like 50 Congolese, and everyone who serves in that ward just talks about how awesome the Congolese are. If the missionaries convert that Congolese guy make sure they get referrals from him. One cool thing about the Congolese is that once they find something good, they share it with everyone.

   I'll listen to conference my last Saturday and Sunday in Uganda. I'm really looking forward to it.

   Yes! please bring a thick coat when you guys pick me up. I would appreciate that. We may have to go clothes shopping when I get back too. I don't know what I have back home that will fit me...

   I'm doing well right now. Though I'm anticipating going home a lot. My comp and I made a goal in weekly planning though that I won't talk about home this week and if I do then he gets to hit me on the shoulder. I think it will help. I'm pretty focused on the work though, and I'm still working hard.

   Love you guys have a great week.

-Elder Grilliot

Hard Working Week

This has been an hardworking week. Opening a new area is no joke. We have a lot of finding to do. The branch has been very suportive though, they have a goal that each member gives the missionaries at least 2 referrals per month. In the first week we got a good number of referrals, but not many of them really worked out for one reason or another. We hope that this next week things will really go well.

   I don't really know what else to talk about... Have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

Picture of me back in Lira with Elder Cardon at the start of my mission

In Gulu towards the end of my mission

Starting up Missionary Work in Kajjansi!

   This has been a difficult week. Adjusting to a new area, and trying to learn where everything is at. For like the first few days I really missed being in Gulu, it was almost as if I were homesick for Gulu.

But after being in Kajjansi for a few days I started really pushing and becoming immersed in the work.

   Kajjansi is actually an old branch in the mission (it's been there for like 13 years) but because the branch wasn't doing any missionary work at all, they took the missionaries out and for a while they had no missionaries there. Then they eventually put in sister missionaries, and then Elders, and that's when I came in. Because they went for a while without any Elders it kind of humbled the branch and now they are really motivated to do missionary work. They also got a new branch pres. this year and he is very good at making sure the members are unified with the missionaries.

   The first few days in Kajjansi was hard. We didn't know anyone, or the area. But the members have helped us out a lot this last week and we already have a few people to teach. There are like 3 or 4 branch missionaries who are going on their missions in the next 3 months, and they are always willing to help us, so that's also a plus.

   Kajjansi is part of the city of Kampala, or I should say that it's like a subberb of Kampala. It sits just between the International airport in Entebbe, and the City of Kampala. We have to go into Kampala to be able to do our shopping though, and even to email.

   Time should go by fast here. I'm with a pretty good companion, (he's been out for around 18 months) Elder Mamani, from South Africa.

Funny enough, he was in my zone last transfer. He's a good guy, pretty laid back.

   My last Saturday and Sunday in Uganda will be General Conference.

You guys will receive it earlier than us but we will watch it at the end of October.

   Love all you guys! have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

New Area-Kajjansi

   We received transfer news today. I felt pretty confidant that I would stay and finish my mission from Gulu. It was my last transfer news. I was surprised to hear that I was to be transferred for my last

6 weeks on mission, and to open a new area in a place called Kajjansi (It's in the southern part of Kampala). I suppose that it will comfort my parents to know that I won't be driving in Uganda any longer.

   I'm going to miss Gulu a lot. It was my favorite area on mission thus far, and I had the most amount of success here as well. I am leaving like 5 people who are ready for baptism in the area as well, I really wish that I could have stayed to witness their baptism.

   I look forward to going to my new area though. And doing some great things in Kajjansi. I plan on Finishing my mission strong, and I hope that opening this new area will help. I think that if nothing else it will make time go by fast.

   Love you guys, hope that you all stay well.

-Elder Grilliot

Teaching English class with Elder Frakes

   Thanks for all of the birthday wishes, from family and friends. I love you guys. To be honest it's hard to believe that I'm 21 years old, but I'm excited to know that I am finally old enough to drink. My birthday was on a fast Sunday, so I didn't really do anything too outrageous, but the day before my B-day, I started my fast at a fancy restaront called Cafe Hut. I ate a nice juicy hamburger and a banana smoothy.

   The companion that I have right now is a cool guy named Elder Frakes. We get along well, but the problem is that we are only a month from apart from each other on mission. It gets pretty tempting to talk about home with him from time to time. Just gotta keep on pushing though.

   My comp and I have been teaching an English class for the last month or so. We have a few students that come every week and are making some very nice progress. We intended it to help us find more investigators, but so far only like 2 have come since it started, but It's a nice experience for myself. Perhaps eventually it will pick up steam.

   We found a nice family this week. They are from the central part of Uganda (near Kampala) and live in Gulu for work. They are very humble and nice. The man is like 50 yrs old and his wife is like 27 but they get along really well. Very nice couple. and very smart as well. Hope that things go well for them.

   Love you guys, have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

CHANGES: Not as Much Driving to Kampala

   We had MLC (mission leaders council) this week, but up in Gulu they did it a bit differently. The mission president wants to reduce on the number of times that we have to drive down to Kampala so rather than drive down to Kampala we did a live video broadcast strait into the mission home. Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Ethiopia, and Rwanda all Skyped into MLC. From now on that's how they are going to do it (except 4 times a year we will do it all together). It was alright doing it from the computer (from the church in Gulu branch) but I kinda miss being able to meet up with the other missionaries around the mission. Anyway I'm sure that it will save my parents some worry knowing that I'm not driving down to Kampala as much.

   I was watching these videos about the history of the church in West Africa, there are some super cool stories about the early pioneers in Ghana and Nigeria. There was this guy in Ghana that once he found the church he ran around bringing in like 30 new converts to the church per month. I guess that's why Ghana has 3 missions now, and a temple.

   Been hard at work this week. I got sick during this week though. A Fever and some diarrhea. Didn't know what I was sick with so we just called it butt aids. Monday through Thursday I worked super hard, Friday was weekly planning and MLC so we didn't get anything done, and Saturday and Sunday I was sick. I'm doing much better now though. I hope that I don't get sick anymore on my mission.

   Met some cool new investigators this week. Some nice families and stuff. I hope that things go well with them.

   Love you guys have a great week.

Fruitful Harvest in Gulu

As my mission sums up, I am trying to make each week better than the last. I am trying to work my butt off and save the time for relaxing on the plane ride home. This week has been alright. We had a baptism on Sunday, and it was a pretty nice baptism. The service was nice and the spirit was there. It was the brother to a recent convert of mine. He and his brother are super elect people, and they both want to serve missions (one is 20, the other is 22). I am pretty happy with the fruit that I have been having here in Gulu. About half of my baptisms on mission have been in this branch. I also really adore the members here.

   It's a weird thing, concluding your mission. I keep on wanting to think about home, but then when I think about home it puts me in a daze. Mentally I have to kick myself every time I start daydreaming about home, because I don't want to trunk myself out.

   Love you guys, hope you have an incredible week.

-Elder Grilliot

Me and a member named George brawling it out

Built a House

   Sorry no adventures this week. except I accidentally cut my thumb while cutting tomatoes this week. That was about the extent of my adventures this week. Don't know what else to tell you about. We did some service projects this week though. One of them was weeding (which is a lot easier to do than in the US because the ground is super soft here), and in the other we helped build someones home. To help build the home we used bricks and mud and just built the home. just like that. The mud was used as cement (their mud is super strong) and the bricks were used as bricks. (ha) Then they put plaster over everything after the mud dried so that it would endure the elements. Apparently a house like the one I helped build can last up to 40 years. The end!

   With 6 missionaries in Gulu branch my proselyting is a bit smaller than it was before, but I suppose that it works to my benefit because my area was massive before. The way that we split the boundaries of the areas most of the people that I have baptized in the last 6 months that I've been in Gulu are now in a different set of missionaries proselyting area, but that's alright with me, I now get a chance to build up the church in a different side of Gulu.

   This week has been fair, We've started teaching some cool new people. There's this one guy were teaching who we are helping to get off of cigarettes. He's making some really nice progress right now, and he gave us a referral to a family who are actually married properly!

   Things are going well in the missionary work. Love you guys.

-Elder Grilliot

   Attached is a picture of what we call a goondy bird. The bag on it's neck can stretch to be about 3 ft long and is full of acid. The goondy bird eats anything it finds, including and especially garbage.

People say that it can even eat human babies. They are everywhere in Uganda, they are more it's national bird that the crane is for it's sheer population. They are extremely ugly birds. Just though that you would be interested.

5 Referrals!!

   This last week Elder Frakes (My companion) and myself spent about the whole week doing transfers. The senior couple of Gulu is no longer around so the mission is depending on the zone leaders to help with transfers. We took one missionary down to Kampala (from there he was taken to Busia), and we brought up 3 missionaries to Gulu. We went down on Wednesday, Thursday we helped the AP's transfer some missionaries to Jinja and around Kampala. And Thursday we took our missionaries to Gulu. Two of the Elder's that we got were missionaries that were previously serving in West Africa but were taken back to their home country to finish their mission, because of the Ebola stuff that's going on. One is named Elder Dramadri, and the other is named Elder Ajalu (I think I spelled that right). One has served about a year on mission the other has been out for 3 months.

   Even though we were only able to be in our area for like 2 or 3 days last week, we have some nice people that we are teaching. One of our recent converts in our area gave us 5 referrals yesterday, so I'm excited to see how it all works out.

   Everything is going well out here, and I'm loving the people. Love you guys, talk to you next week.

-Elder Grilliot

Sad Goodbye and Staying in Gulu

Expounding doctrine to the wild pygmy people.

My district that I'm in plus some loyal members, in front of the church.

A lot of stuff has happened this last week. In Gulu we have a pair of Senior Couples that are here to train the leaders, and support the branches. The last two weeks the husband was having some really bad back problems, so last week when I went down to Kampala we took him with us so that he could get some x-rays. But a few days after he reached Kampala the problems with his back escalated and he and his wife had to end their mission and go back so that he could get back surgery. When we returned back to Gulu we helped the wife pack everything up and run her last few errands. We drove her halfway down to Kampala (to Merchisine falls national park) where there were some people who work in the mission office waiting to take her the other half of the way. It was pretty sad to see them go.

   Today we got transfer news, and for myself this was a big transfer news. I really want to finish my mission here in Gulu, but where ever I go this transfer will determine where I spend the remainder of my mission most likely. I get the transfer news, and it turns out that I'm staying, but they are adding 2 more missionaries in Gulu (that makes 10 in total) and I'm going to be in a companionship with my Zone Leader Companion. On top of that, we (my comp and I) get to live in the empty Senior couple's home! It is an incredibly nice home; it was furnished and preserved for senior couples. Gulu branch has 6 missionaries in it now, so that will be a nice adjustment. The two new missionaries coming into Gulu are Elders who were serving in Sierra Leone but have been taken out because of the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa (The Have taken out every missionary serving in Sierra Leone and Liberia). They both are going to finish their mission from Uganda, and they are both Ugandans by birth and nationality.

   I'm excited for what this next transfer will bring. It should be good.

Love you guys, have a great week

-Elder Grilliot

   Haha, ya I don't care about the smart water anymore mom. I just really miss your cooking! But please don't worry yourself about the ebola thing mom. West Africa is hundreds of miles away, And you never meet west Africans in Uganda, Let alone Gulu. Don't worry yourself, West Africa is like on a different Continent from East Africa. I can assure you that I won't freak out about moths anymore either.

  Love you mom. Don't worry I will return safe

   Ya the 9th of November is fine for the homecoming.  When I went to Kampala the other week I found that I will be coming home on the 31st of October (While you'll be eating your Halloween treat, I'll be sitting in an Airplane seat). Don't have much more info than that.

   Really I don't need anything for my birthday. Maybe some cash in my personal fund would be nice, but other than that I don't need anything.

   Love you mom!

-Elder Grilliot

Trip to Kampala

Had another successful trip down to Kampala and back. It's one heck of a ride. It's nice to be in Kampala every now and then, but I'm glad that I don't have to take that road very often. On the way down we saw some nice monkeys. I gave them an empty bottle of Fanta, and I saw tears of appreciation stream from their faces. It was the most touching thing I've seen on my whole mission. Kinda makes the whole 2 years worth it.

   I really don't know what else to write about but I want you to all know that I love you and miss you and I'm working hard.

-Elder Grilliot

The shoes are holding up... but I don't intend on wearing them when I get home.

   My camera is doing splendid. I'm afraid that I might not be taking enough pictures, and you'll be a bit disappointed in me when I get home.

   Isaac and Jeniffer have been fighting this last week, and it's been kind of a deterrent for getting them married. But if they split up maybe that's an answer to our prayers, because if they separate then they will be living the law of Chastity, and get baptized (they don't have kids yet so it wouldn't cause that big of a problem).

   Mom, your going to be a grandmother. What did you think when you found out. When I found out I was going to be an uncle I thought "IT"S ABOUT TIME!"

   Love you mom

-Elder Grilliot

Love Teaching People in Gulu

   This has been a nice week. I really enjoy the area that I'm serving in right now. I really like the branch that I'm in, and the people here as well. It's the will of God, but if I were to choose, I would like to be able to finish my mission from here. I've been working hard this last week, and I've been focused on the work. We are teaching some nice people, and I would love to see some of them get baptized.

   The couple that we are teaching (Isaac and Jenifer) are doing really well. The marriage thing is a small problem though. They are both willing to get married, but the wife wants her parents to be there and for her to wear a nice dress and for there to be rings. The husband doesn't have money to pay for any of that (he barely will have enough for the transport to Lira and back). It's causing a bit of tension in the family, because the husband wants to get baptized super bad, and he doesn't care about any fancy stuff at the wedding and he can't afford it. The wife wants to get baptized badly as well, but she wants to have a nice wedding, and doesn't want to have one that is unmemorable. It's just a difficult situation.

   Otherwise things are going well, hope everyone back home is alright.

Love

Elder Grilliot

   I don't know my release date but I do have a clue. My last Sunday will be on the 26th of October. That's what I figure anyway because my final transfer ends on that day. Usually they do the farewell dinner for missionaries on a Wednesday or a Thursday that week, so chances are (and I might be wrong) that I will be flying home on the 30th or the 31st of October. I will get a more accurate release date in the weeks to come.

   Good to hear the family is doing well.

Testimony of the Priesthood

   For all of you wondering I did get rid of all the bedbugs. I haven't seen them since I last had them. So you can all stop freaking out.

   I have a testimony of the priesthood this week. On Wednesday this last week I noticed in myself that I was developing a bit of a cough, but I didn't really think much of it. That evening I started feeling much worse and I retired to bed feeling a little dizzy and in the morning I really just felt awful. I had a fever and I was vomiting. I requested a priesthood blessing from my comp and then called sister squire (the mission Doctor). I went to the hospital on her orders, and the doctor had found out that I had contracted typhoid. They injected me full of this green liquid and told me that I need to come back for two more injections the following days, following which I would be taking some antibiotics for the next week. They told me that it would take up to 4 or 5 days before I would be feeling good again. I went to bed that evening early and the next morning, and contrary to what the doctors had said, I felt great the next day. Even the doctors were surprised to see how fast the fever had left and how upbeat I was feeling. I am sure that the priesthood blessing that I had received was the means by which the recovery came so quickly. I'm grateful for the priesthood and for the power provided in it. Regardless though sister squire (the mission Doctor) is determined that I stay healthy the rest of my mission, so she's going to load me up with a bunch of vitamins to last me the rest of my mission next time she sees me.

   Love you guys have a great week.

-Elder Grilliot

Mom out of all the things that have happened to me out here I can't believe that Bedbugs were the number one thing to freak you out. The bedbugs are gone. I havn't gotten bitten since. I took a nice long shower after finding the bugs. All of my clothes and stuff were washed since then and I haven't had any trouble with them since. You should consider me lucky though. Some Area's (mostly in Ethiopia) get REALLY REALLY bad cases of bedbugs. like for months. I know an Elder that had bedbugs infested in his mattress for 4 months long until they soaked him mattress in paraphine (bedbug killing spray). But you shouldn't worry about Gulu, bedbugs are not as common here. And they don't last long either.

   Isaac and Jennifer are doing alright. There is a church meeting house in Lira that I think will be accredited by the end of this week (if all go's well). So that would help us a ton if needs be.

An Elect Couple and little bugs

   Time is just flying by so fast. It seems like my mission only just begun a short time ago, but when I look at it time is just so limited now. I pray that I can Finish strong, and that I don't think of home for the next 4 months.

   The work is going so well. One of our recent converts gave us a referral last week, the referral's name is Isaac. We began teaching him and his wife (but they are not married yet, just living together) and they are one of the most elect couples that I have ever met. They are a young couple, so they don't have children yet, but they really really love each other (you can just feel it). We taught the husband, Isaac, first, and he just ate it up. He was very ready for the gospel.

The second time we visited we talked about the Book of Mormon, and this time with the wife, Jennifer, as well. Because the wife wasn't able to hear the restoration when we came to teach the first time we left a restoration pamphlet with her to read. We came back a few days later, and not only had she read it, but she took SUPER DETAILED NOTES! from a pamphlet that is like 16 pages long (and half of it is

pictures) she took like four pages of notes about everything. She was genuinely touched by the message that she read. They both are progressing extremely well. They read the Book of Mormon together when they can, and pray together every morning and evening. That's not something that very many couples do in Uganda. They both have accepted to work towards baptism, and they are doing so well right now. The only barrier right now for them is marriage, they have to get married together before baptism, but with some faith I think that things will work out. I have confidence in them that things will work out. Please include in your prayers Isaac and Jennifer. I am really praying that they can get baptized, it would help their lives so much, and it would make me super happy.

   Kind of an funny story. This week we were teaching a recent convert in his home. He lives in a mud hut, and the place that he's staying in is kind of like a boy’s home (he lives with a few of his brothers).

It's kind of a grubby place, and the foam chair that I was sitting in wasn't in the best shape it's probably ever been in. At the end of the appointment I notices a little bug on one of the fold of my pants. I brushed it off and really didn't think anything of it. We continued the missionary work for the rest of the day, without much trouble, accept that my back felt a little itchy. That night after planning out the next day's activities, I began to change into my pajamas. As soon as I removed my white shirt felt super itchy all over my back and sides, like EXTREMELY itchy. I checked under my undershirt and there were these large bumps all the way up and down my sides and back, they were way to big to be mosquito bites, but they itched like it was nobody’s business. I showed them to my companion and he kind of laughed/ was in awe. I then showed them to my zone leader companion at least he knew what they were. He had seen them on another missionary before. It was bedbugs! And they feasted on me for sure.

   It's been a nice week so far. Thanks for all of your prayers. Love you guys!

-Elder Grilliot

High Centered and Driving in Gulu

  This has been a crazy week. Wednesday was transfers, Thursday too, Friday we drove down to Mission Leaders Council, Saturday we drove up from it, Sunday was church and baptisms, and on Monday (today) we had Zone Conference. I just feel tired right now.

   This time down to MLC was an interesting drive. In transfers a missionary called Elder Frakes came up to Gulu to be in the same home as me. I drove up to MLC and we did so safely, it was pretty smooth sailing for the whole way. That night when we arrived for MLC we held it at the mission home and I parked the truck next to the place. When I tried to drive the car out of the place I circled around the home next door which was abandoned (so that way I would'nt have to back out). But as I did so I drove over a tiny hill on the front lawn of the home, and in the process the car got super high centered. the front tires were not even touching the ground. Luckily my cousin Elder Bitter and his companion were there to help me out. They tryed to pull me out with their truck but to no avail. we tried to dig out the truck a bit but nothing. Eventually We took the car jack, jacked up the front wheels put a bunch on stones underneath the tires and tried to back it out in 4 wheel drive while the rest of us jumped up and down in the back of the truck to give it traction. Finally we got it out, but it was one heck of a job to do it.

   Then on the way back from MLC we had a few close calls too. The Lord was really looking out for us. The road that goes to Gulu is small and narrow. So small that if a car is moving in the opposite direction then one of the two of you will have to get off of the road.

There are also these huge busses that go flying down that road, and everything in their way just has go get out of the way. Well there was this one time when a bus was coming FLYING super fast down the road and then just next too us there was this little old lady riding her bike just off of the road. My companion was driving and he had to pull himself off of the road just to avoid being hit. For sure when he pulled out I thought we would hit that Lady, but it was a mirracle, somehow we managed to fit just barley between the lady and the bus. It was amazing. We will drive safer from now on!

Love you guys have a great week

-Elder Grilliot

My Zone at Chobe resorts

   This has been a great transfer, Alot of good memories. My companion and I are staying the same, but my zone leader companion is leaving.

   Today for a p-day activity our zone went to Chobe resorts, We got to eat an incredible breakfast and see all the animals. It was really cool.

   Mango season is ending here in Gulu, but now orange season is beginning, should be good (we will be fed oranges like crazy).

   The work is going well right now. Still trying to find out how to get people married from here, hopefully we will figure out a way soon.

   Love you guys, have a great week.

-Elder Grilliot

This is a picture of my zone in Gulu

My companion is the one on the far right.

The couple is the missionary couple for Gulu My zone leader companion is the second to last one on the right back.

(he's getting transferred though).

This is In Murchisine falls national park we went there for our p-day activity.

The Gulu Fair

Elder Scott Grilliot with huge Snake at the Gulu Fair

Bird at the Gulu Fair

Ostrich at the Gulu Fair

   This has been a nice week. My companion and I have been hard at work this week and we have received a lot of blessings from the Lord.

We found 3 families this last week (2 of the as referrals), which is awesome. The only difficulty with that though is just that none of them are married properly yet (which is common in Uganda because it can take them years to raise the money to pay dowry to the wife's parents, which is usually required before the parents allow them to be married). On top of that, there isn't a place that is credited by the Ugandan Government for the Church to perform marriages in Gulu. The nearest place would be in Kampala which is about a 6 hr drive. So either we would have to perform the marriage in another church (like a catholic one or a protestant one), which would cost us a lot of money, or we would have to pay a lawyer and perform the marriage in the judicial court (which would also cost a lot of money). We will figure out a way for it to work eventually though.

    This last week we have had a fair come into Gulu. It is pretty sweet, they have a few rides and a ton of cool crafts to buy (but at ridiculously high prices). They also had some animals that you could look at. They had a lion, a lepord, a crested crane, a monkey, a snake, an ostrich and a giant turtle. I'll send some pictures. we paid the caretaker of the animals a little bit of money and he let us take some pictures withe the snake which was pretty sweet. However while they were taking out the snake it bit one of the caretakers on his hand he stated bleeding everywhere. It was pretty gruesome, he should be alright (it wasn't a venomous snake). I'll send some more pictures in another email.

   Love you guys have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

Best Baptism Yet!!!

   It's been a busy week for myself. We had several baptisms this last Sunday so we had to make sure that they were well prepared, and all of that good stuff. It was a great baptismal service too. It was probably the best baptismal service that I have ever been too (either on or off my mission). The spirit was so incredibly strong that I almost shed tears. The talk on baptism was given by a 94 year old man who had been a member for about 6 years. His daughter was getting baptized that day. It was one of the most heartfelt talks that I have ever heard in my life, he struggled a little to get all the words out, but his words were clear and the spirit was strong. I felt really happy about the people who were baptized yesterday, they are really strong people who will help out the church in Gulu to continue growing.
   I sent some pictures in some other emails. hope that they go through well. Love you guys have a great week.

 Me and Elder Antony (he's another missionary in our zone). He's from Kenya.

Me and our police officer friend

Me and my companion

Found this guy outside of our house one morning

Me and Elder Lombola (my last companion)

Soon to be my pig stead 

Gulu District April to May 2013

Eagle Scout Project

   It's been a nice week so far. Things have been going fairly well. Kind of an interesting story. On Saturday we got a call from a family who came down to help dig a well for an Eagle Scout project.  This Mother and her son came up from the States to help dig a boar hole for a village out on the outskirts of Gulu. As part of the Eagle Scout project they went to a local community and set up a manual drill and taught the local community how to use it to drill into the ground until they reached water far enough down. 6 of the missionaries in Gulu (myself included) went to help out as well. It was really cool to see how it was done. they set up a 20 foot tall tripod over the ground, and use it as a pulley to pull this drill up and down. one guy holds a rope and pulls, while 1 or 2 people throw the drill (which is like a giant metal straw) into the ground. Then they pull it out of the ground, and throw it back down. Each time they throw the drill down it collects a bit of dirt, and they do it over and over and over again. It can take like 3 days until they reach water doing that. It was a cool experience to see them do that, and to help them do it. It made my Eagle Project (painting a fence) look wussy.

   I have been meaning to send some pictures to you guys, but every time I come to email, I for get the cord that allows me to get pictures on the computer. I should be sending some pictures to you  guys next week.    Gulu and Lira are about the same temperature I think. I may be wrong though, you can check online to see which one has higher temperatures. I think that I'm just used to the heat by now.

   Love all of you guys, enjoy your week.

-Elder Grilliot

Child Named "Grilliot" in Uganda

   This week I didn't have a lot of time to work in my area. We had transfers this week (I have a new companion) and so for much of this week I wasn't able to work as effectively as I wish that I could have done.

   My new companion is a good guy. He's still adjusting to Uganda and stuff (he's been in Ethiopia his whole mission until now) but he's a boss. He's a smart guy and quick learner. I think that I will get along with him well.

   Good news to all of the Grilliot familly. There is now a child in Uganda that shares the Grilliot name. His name is Otim Grilliot, named after the legendary Elder Grilliot. We were teaching a family, and the daughter-in-law to the familly had a child recently. A few weeks back I jokingly asked her to name the child Grilliot, and she said that she would. So now there is a Ugandan who holds the same name as us.

   It's been a good week, although a hectic one. But I had some very good experiences this last week to uplift me. I'm happy with where I am right now, and I am learning alot right now.

Love you guys!

Letter to Dad

My new companion is pretty good. He's served in Ethiopia his whole mission so it's interesting to learn about all the differences between Uganda and Ethiopia. He's a good spirited guy, and I think that I'll get along well with him.

   There were no other changes in the zone. Our zone is doing really well right now so I don't think that the mission president felt that many changes were necessary.

   When we hold zone meetings we all meet at either the couple missionaries home, or else at the nearest church meeting house (which is like a 5 min walk away from our home). We usually hold a zone meeting once a week, but we work a lot with our district leader to organize them and stuff. It doesn't take too much preparation, but there is preparation that is needed.

-Elder Grilliot

A Great Week Mother's Day Call

   For Mothers day I was thinking that I would just call. I can skype you guys from a couple missionaries home, but It would be for 30 min, and I would not be able to call afterwards. I don't think that I would be able to connect to Rick/Mimi if I did that. (BTW calling this time will only be for 30-40 min, they have changed the rules this time)

   The war in South Sudan is pretty bad from what I hear. Every now and then I hear a story about the war and some of the things going on there, but I don't hear too much. There are no permanent missionaries up there but there is one pair of senior couples that go's there once every few months to check on the branch there (I hear in Juba the fighting is not too bad now). The small branch there is still meeting every Sunday, and it is still functioning well. They have an average sacrament attendance of about 50 people. They have two missionaries from their branch serving right now (both of them in Ghana).

   My home in Gulu is like this: You go down Gulu Lira rd, untill you reach a road called upper church hill road. turn right on upper church hill road and it is the first house on the road. There are 7 identical homes in the same compound. mine is the home farthest from the road, in the back left corner.

This is going to be a great week. At the end of this week. I will call home (mothers day), watch General Conference, and we are planning to have 6 baptisms on Sunday. It is also the last week of the transfer so just in case myself or my companion leaves, the members have volunteered themselves to feed us dinner (and some even lunch). We have meal appointments with members all week long which is awesome. If I'm not careful Gulu will make me become Fat.

   Since I am calling my parents at the end of this week I won't write too much, but things are going well.

-Elder Grilliot

Pot-hole City

   This week has gone by really fast. I drove down to Kampala and back this last week. Kampala is crazy. You have to be really alert there. I wonder how my driving will be when I get home, I might also be a crazy driver. The road going to and from Kampala (especially as you get close to Kampala) is awful. The road is really narrow, (there is only enough space to fit one car on the road at a time) and you have to be careful not to hit the other vehicles. On top of that there are tons of pot holes on the road too, A TON OF THEM! You can't drive 10 feet without passing at least 3 potholes.

   This next week will be nice though, We are preparing like 10 people to be baptized over the next two weeks, which is exciting. We will be busy preparing these people but it will be a nice experience.

   I hear a lot about Luna. Do you think she will freak out or anything when I come and she see's a new person? Or is she usually friendly around new people?

   I am also looking forward to mother's day. Isn't it strange that I still have yours and Dad's phone numbers memorized even after a year and a half? I don't think that I will have any difficulties calling.

This year the mission president has changed the time that we are allowed to call from 2 hrs to 30-40 min. So it will be a slightly shorter call than before. That will also be the day that I will watch general conference, so overall I'm just looking forward to that day.

-Elder Grilliot

Miracles Do Happen

   From the beginning of this week until now everything has been going really well. Gulu really is a great place to serve. It is a beautiful place, with many humble people. The branch here is doing really well. For Easter Sunday we had a lot of investigators and Less-active members come to church. Sacrament attendance is usually steady around 100 to 110, but this last Sunday the Sacrament attendance was 140! It was really cool. A very spiritual sacrament meeting. I really like the branch president here. He is a very smart guy and he's a returned missionary, so he knows generally how the church is supposed to be run. Most returned missionaries know how the church is supposed to run, going on a mission is really what trains most of the church leaders in this side of the world.

   We had a really amazing experience this last week. We were tracking in part of our area on Thursday, when we ran into this nice old lady and her two children. We didn't have enough time to teach them, so we just set a return appointment with them for Saturday. That Saturday, our schedule was really busy. We were to do Zone conference, the A.P.'s and the mission president were coming up to Gulu, and our whole day after zone conference zone confrence was super packed with appointments. Our original plan was to meet this lady and her family at around 5 o clock, but because of the time zone conference ended we didn't know if we time. we had to move some of our appointments around but we were unable to tell if we were going to be able to see here on that day. We gave her a call and she assured us that she would be around all day and if we found time to visit she would be there. That day our appointments were super packed but somehow we managed just in time to finish all of our plans by 8 o clock, so we headed off to see that woman and her family. It was a really powerful lesson about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit was really strong as my companion and I testified about the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson, she paused us, and told us two things. The first is that her Uncle is also a member of the church, and when she gave me his name I recognized him as the patriarch of the Kampala Stake. The second thing is that, that very morning she had prayed to God that if we (My companion and I) really have a message from Him, that we come today, and that if our message is not from him, that we don't come today. We honestly (from the schedule that we had that day) should not have had time to visit her, I don't know how it happened but somehow we managed to get time to see her that day. It was a miracle. We gave her a baptismal date, she came to church the next day and is now progressing very well. The Lord truly blessed us.

   Everything here is doing great. The lord is blessing us, and I can see it in my life. Love you all, and wish you a great week.

-Elder Grilliot

Dinner Appointments Every Night in Gulu!!

   This has been a great week for myself. Gulu is a blessed place. I have never seen on my mission what I have seen here. First of all. We have a dinner appointment every night. EVERY NIGHT! I normally am lucky if I can get 2 in a month. The members love to feed the missionaries, and we are always being fed by members. Another thing is that the members are constantly giving us referrals. In this last week alone we received 19 member referrals. That's a new record for me. I have never seen so many cool members before. There are a ton of young single adults in Gulu as well (there are like 7 or 8 that are preparing for a mission) that always are working with us to see investigators. There is no shortage of members to work with us or to fellowship the investigators. The people here are so humble and nice.

This is so unlike any area that I have served in until now.

   I am also feeling much more comfortable with my driving now. Today for P-day we drove about an hour and a half to Murchison falls national park (I went there last year when I was serving in Lira). The drive was really rugged (the road has tons of pot holes and it's really narrow), but I drove it pretty well.    Don't worry about the driving. I'm being safe and obeying every rule regarding the vehicle. The lord will protect me so long as I obey Him.

   This last Sunday we had 2 baptisms. One of them was the wife to the branch's Sunday School president. The other was the younger brother to the branch mission leader. It was a really nice baptismal service, and afterwards we had dinner with the Sunday School president and his newly baptized wife. They cooked us a really nice meal which consisted of fried pork, cabbage, and cassava (kind of like a potato). It was some of the nicest pork I've ever eaten.

   Don't know what else to talk about, but just want yall to know that I love ya, and care about ya. Take care!

-Elder Grilliot

Gulu is Awesome!!

Question answering time!

   Being a zone leader is kind of nice, it is a really good opportunity for me to learn to be a better missionary and person. Yes as a zone leader I do drive a truck and since my zone leader companion doesn't have a drivers license I'm the only one authorized to drive the truck. Driving isn't so bad, it took me a few hours to get used to driving on the left side of the road, and driving while sitting on the right side of the vehicle (I still sometimes accidentally turn on the window wipers when I am meaning to turn on the turn signal). Driving in Gulu isn't so dangerous except that there are tons of motorbikes that drive around the road like drunk insects and I have to be super careful not to hit them. I haven't driven in Kampala yet, but at the end of this month I will be driving down there for Mission Leaders Council, so that should be one heck of a driving experience.

   My new companion is from Malawi, he's a pretty cool guy. We get along pretty well so far. In my apartment we have 4 Elders (myself) my companion, (Elder Lombola) My zone leader companion (Elder Vihanga from Namibia), and his companion (Elder Dlamini from South Africa). We have a really nice house that we live in and there are 4 other missionaries from Gulu Zone that live just next door to where we live. It's pretty fun to have the 8 of us missionaries living just next to one another. The missionaries living next door have a washing machine in their home which is pretty convenient, I feel blessed to have one around to use. Water usually never go's out here so that's not a big worry in our homes, but power go's out like twice a week and usually stays out for the whole day.

   The work in Gulu is awesome. It is known as one of the most fruitful areas in the whole mission. The church has only been here for like 6 years but there are two branches here (one has a sacrament attendance of around 110, the other is around 70). The branch that I am in is the original branch for Gulu, and it might split in the next year if it continues to grow (it is not part of a stake so it can't gain ward status, only just split into more branches). The people in Gulu are pretty humble, and the Acholi people make education a priority (even if they can't always afford it) so there are many people that speak great English. Many people are farmers but also there are lots of teachers here, and boda-boda drivers. There are also a lot of stores, and places to work at within Gulu town.

   Dad asked me a question about if I ever go to visit other provinces around the northern part of Uganda. No I don't go to Lira (it's its own zone), but there is a group that has formed in Kitgum (a town about 2 hours north of Gulu) which we are expected to visit from time to time until the group is large enough that the mission president decides to send missionaries up there and to turn it into a branch.

   And yes mom, I am taking my malaria pills.

   Love all you guys, and I pray for you.

-Elder Grilliot

Transferred to Gulu and Being Zone Leader

   All of this last week we have seen miracles come into my area. we have been very obedient and super hard working, and the hand of the lord has blessed us. We have quite a few ready for baptism over the next few weeks, and some good ones progressing too (including a family that has come to church for the last three weeks). The ironic thing though about it all is that we received transfer news this morning, and I'm going to be transferred to Gulu on Wednesday. 

   Yep, I'm going to be transferred back to the village. Gulu is an area pretty similar to Lira (where I started my mission), except that the church has been established there a few years longer. They have a lot of mud huts there and they speak Acholi, which is an almost identical language to Langi, which is spoken in Lira. As much as I am disappointed that I am leaving Lugazi I am also excited to go to Gulu, I have heard a lot of good things about the area. I have also been called to be a zone leader there which is kinda exciting/ humbling. I hope that I can do a lot of good while I am there.

   We have a senior missionary couple that comes down to Lugazi every Sunday, and last Sunday they cooked a really nice tasting stew with some rolls. It was super nice. They gave me the recipe yesterday, I look forward to trying it out (it doesn't even look too expensive either. I learned a recipe for biscuits and gravy some weeks back too which I have made several times too.

   I will spend this week saying my goodbyes to the people that I have come to love here, and then prepare myself to go back to where it is super hot all the time. 

   Love you guys, have a good week!

Questions from Dad:

Is Easter a big holiday in Uganda?  Do they do anything special?  I don’t suppose they have the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts?

General Conference this coming weekend!  I’ll let you know about which talks were especially good.  You get the DVDs a week after, right?

   Ya Easter is a fairly big holiday in Uganda. They eat a lot of chicken, and sometimes they get work off on that day. Usually it is spent with family. 

  I think that we will watch conference in several weeks. I am getting transferred to Gulu, and in the northern part of Uganda Conference is broadcast a bit later. 

Walking and Weight Lifting

    Lugazi is pushing onward. The work is continuing

   We have managed to progress some excellent people this last week. and we are working on some families as well. We have several people that we are working on now and I'm pretty happy with what has been accomplished this last week. This is the last week of the transfer, and based on how things are looking right now I hope that I stay so that I can see some of these people get baptized.

   As Lugazi is a new branch there are several things that I get to do here that I normally wouldn't get to do in most other settings. Each Sunday I get an opportunity to pass or to bless the sacrament. I also get to train the recent converts to home teach, and I get to home-teach with them. I also get a chance about once every two months to give a talk in sacrament meeting. As well as all of that I am also serving as the 2nd councilor in the branch presidency (just kidding). Having all of these extra duties helps me to appreciate the fully organized wards and branches back home, where the majority of the church is already trained in these types of things.

   One thing I like about Lugazi is that it is a pretty small area. It's easy to reach most places (we have to walk everywhere), even if it's on the other side of town. It isn't to difficult to reach members homes, and investigators homes, the area is pretty small.

   My weight has stabilized over the last 3 months. I am no longer loosing weight nor am I gaining weight. I average around 205 to 210 pounds. We have a gym near our apartment that we go to on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, so I've been working out there. If anything I will probably begin to gain some weight back, but this time it will be from building muscle. It's super weird to me that throughout high school I always measured the weight I lifted in pounds, but now I am lifting in Kilograms. I have to make quick calculations in my head to convert kilos into pounds every time I go to lift something.

   Love you guys, have a great week!

Blessings of Having Faith

   Been a pretty nice week. Lots of rain that has been attacking us this last week. It is strange to me, when I was at home I loved the cold weather and would wear shorts in 40 degree weather, but here when it rains and the temperature drops below 70 I start shivering. I'm afraid of how my body is going to react when I get home at the beginning of November. I hope that I don't freeze to death.

   My comp and I are doing pretty well this last week. He was sick on Saturday but besides that we have been working diligently and seen the blessings that come from it. The mission had a fast this last week, and I have really seen the blessings that come from such things. We found like 3 complete families this last week, with stable jobs and stable working hours (which in Lugazi has previously been a challenge to find). My testimony in faith has grown this last week. I have been able to see first-hand how faith is much more than just a passive belief, but rather it is shown in your actions, behavior, and attitude.

   We are teaching a nice family that we found this last week, where the father of the home works with our branch president (the branch president is his supervisor). It was a nice little suprise that when we trackted into his home he read our name tags and then told us that he is working with someone from our same church. I have good hopes for this family, unfortunately though the wife's mother just passed away on Friday, and they had to go to her village for the burial. I hope that teaching them that families can be together forever will give them more hope and faith in the restoration.

   Love you guys, have a great week

Healing the Sick

  This has been a pretty nice week. My companion have been hard at work this last week, and we have been able to accomplish much good.

   There was this super old guy that we had been teaching for the last few weeks. He is 78 years old. He has great-great grandchildren. He has 3 teeth. He's an old guy. But he's really funny and really smart too. For the last few weeks since we had met him, he had been reading everything that we had given to him, from pamphlets to the Book of Mormon. He had been doing everything that we had asked of him to do. However, there was one small problem, he was having difficulties coming to church (he had been going to his church for over 30 years and was very attached to it). This last week when we went to go visit him he was having problems with his health (a really bad flu) and hadn't been able to sleep properly for the last week because of it. We sat down with him and had a really powerful lesson about the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson we committed him to come to church, and he told us that he might make an effort to come to church if it wasn't that he was sick. We asked him that if he were to feel better, would he come, and he told us yes, but that he doubts that he would be able to make it due to sickness. From there my companion and I offered to give him a priesthood blessing, and he accepted. That happened on Wednesday of this last week. On Sunday we were surprised to see him walking into church wearing a nice striped suite. It was a pretty cool thing to see, and it built my faith in the power of the priesthood. I hope that he continues to progress as well as he has been doing so far.

   Been a good week though so far. This last week My Companion and I were doing service: We were filling up and carrying Jerry Cans from peoples homes to the well and back. As I was walking back the quarter mile to someones house with two filled up Jerry Cans there was an old Lady who saw me and yelled out to me "You're so strong! Why don't you marry me!" It was really funny the way she said it, and my companion and I laughed all day about it.

   It just started raining again today, for the first time in like a month. It felt soo good. I hope that it was a sign of the dry season's end and the beginning of the rainy season.

   Love you guys have a great week!

No Water in Lugazi

   Water has been out in Lugazi for 5 days in a row. No rain in sight. The whole of Lugazi looks like a desert. I don't know who has it worse right now, me in Uganda (hot and dry), or you guys in America (Cold and freezing). With the exception of a few minutes each day, we receive no water in our home, or in the surrounding homes. We are praying for rain. This is a famine indeed.

   We went to Kampala today. Just wanted to pick up a few things there. Went to a supermarket called Game, (the African Walmart) and they had a sale: 1,000 shillings for a large bag of doritos! Yay!

   Other than that, things are going well. Sorry ran out of time emailing today, but I love you guys, and I will write you next week.

RE: Dad's Letter  

   My shoes are holding up alright, I think that they will last me to the end of my mission. I fixed up the hole in the front and side.

   My companion is adjusting to Uganda pretty well. It can be hard for him at times (Like when water go's out and stuff) but he's pretty good at adjusting thus far.

   Ya most of the time my companion and I get along. Just a few times when we have some small contentions.

   Yes, I am picking up the language. Webele nyo, sebo

   I am one of the only whites in Lugazi. There is this super old white guy though who lives here too. He can be found at times waddling around with the support of his cane. We don't know why he is living here in Lugazi and I've never tried to talk to him but when I see him in passing I tell those around me that he is my Grandfather.

   In General we focus our teaching on families, on the people who can support themselves (have a stable job), and those who speak English. We do teach people outside of this category but not often. Teaching single mothers can be difficult too because you need to have a priesthood holder with you to teach them, so with having a small branch with limited priesthood holders it can cause some difficulties.

   I have heard a little about South Sudan but not much, I just know that there are not any senior couples there as there once was, and that there is a lot of bloodshed up there.

Work is Moving Forward By and By

Hi Family and Friends,

Water has steadily begun coming back. Sometimes it is on, and other times it is off. But usually we have had water when we need to cook or take a shower which is a blessing. There are some parts of Lugazi that still up to this time don't have water at all, like the place where the church is for instance (still can't fill up a baptismal font). But where our home is right now the water is fluctuating. The reason why water is such a problem right now is because Uganda is experiencing their dry season right now, we haven't had any serious rains in several weeks. The ground is super dry and the sun is really powerful.
  The funny thing is that when water go's out it doesn't really effect most people in Uganda. They usually don't have running water in their homes anyway. The way that they get water for cooking or washing is by going to a boar hole and pumping their own water from the ground. If they want to drink the water they just boil it.

   All year round the weather is pretty much the same except in just a few months. February is considered the driest and hottest month in Uganda. If you can remember last year this time I was serving in Lira and I was melting. I am so great full to not be serving there right now.

   Yes, Ugandans are very superstitious, especially the older generation of them. But not so much that it interferes with teaching the gospel to them.

This last week was transfers, however my companion and I stayed the same. A new elder from South Africa came in named Elder Nozintaba. So right now I'm the only American Elder in Lugazi. It's my second time on mission being in a home with 4 Elders and being the only American, it can be a bit lonesome at times just because their culture is often similar to each other while the American culture it different from theirs. I have also noticed that while I am not serving around American's my accent slowly changes in a dramatic way. I start enunciating words much more.

   Our teaching pool has shrunk a lot in the last week so we have been doing a lot of trackting and finding this last week. Finding in Lugazi has just one minor difficulty, English barrier. More than in any area I have served in, people here in Lugazi, "Not speak English". It can be an even bigger problem with members of the church who might have friends who are interested in the church, but because they do not understand English they are deterred from coming to an English speaking church. Gathering referrals and trackting, are the ways that I have always worked on finding people, but in the last 3 months my testimony of these two ways of finding are beginning to dwindle. We have started to work on contacting more, it is one of the easy ways of knowing instantly of who knows English and who doesn't.

   Either way things in Lugazi are doing alright, and the work is moving on by and by.

-Elder Grilliot

NO WATER

   This last week went pretty nicely. My companion and I had a baptism this last week. The whole city of Lugazi has been out of water for the last 2 or 3 days though so we had to take the baptism to the chapel in Mukono (about a 45 min taxi ride). My companion, myself, our branch president, the baptismal candidate, and her fellow shipper all got into a taxi to Mukono to perform the ordnance there. It was a really nice baptism though, it was the first time I've had a baptism in an actual chapel, rather than in a dumpster filled with water behind our meeting house.

   And yes, Lugazi has been out of water for the last 2 and a half days. We have 3 or 4 jerrycans filled with water in our garage, that we have been using so that we can take bucket showers. We have also had to buy a lot of bottled water this last weekend, which hurt our wallets a bit. I don't know when water will come back on, but I hope that it comes back soon.

  It has been a pretty decent week thus far, and I have high hopes for next week as well. 
Love you guys!

Lesson Learned: Stay out of the Gutter!!

    Since I have reached Lugazi I have not yet had any baptisms, but we should have our first baptism this upcoming Sunday. We've had a lot of disappointment since I gotten here as far as investigators go: people who were golden investigators becoming too busy for us to teach them mostly. In Lugazi that seems to be one of the biggest challenges that I have experienced. Most people who live in Lugazi work either in Kampala or at Jinja. It's a long bus ride in either direction. Most people leave for work at around 6 or 7 in the morning and get back at around 9 or 10 pm. It's extremely difficult to find the time to teach them that will help them to progress. But in any case we are trying new things to see if we can find more people who have more time on their hands.

   The water that we use for the sacrament is bottled water. Like the bread they have to buy the water for the sacrament. So I have never had to worry about the water being impure.

  

I know that it's been 2014 for a while but it feels so strange that it is that year. The year 2013 flew by so fast, I almost feel like it didn't exist. That plus being in Africa and on a mission, I have absolutely no clue as to what happened during that year in the outside world, or what is going on currently. In a way that's good though because it helps me to focus on my calling, rather than what is going on in the rest of the world.

   This week has been pretty nice. It started off a bit rough though. On Tuesday when I was walking I fell into one of the gutters on the side of the road (not like our gutters back home, but it's like a 1.5 to 3 feet drop, with rocks and trash at the bottom) and cut up my leg pretty badly. I also punctured a large whole in the front of my shoe as well. But I got it figured out. I took it to a cobbler today and they superglued a piece of rubber to the front and then sowed it to my shoe with string. It looks pretty ghetto but it gets the job done. The rest of the week went by pretty smoothly, though.

   Good to hear that the family is doing good. Nice to hear from everyone.

-Love Elder Grilliot

Teaching at a Clinic and Sloppy Joes

Things are going well in Lugazi. Were teaching some cool people, having some fun in the sun and stuff like that.
  One of the people that we are teaching is a guy named Joseph. He's a doctor in Training, he works at his fathers clinic in Lugazi. He wants us to do some service at the clinic, like to give a presentation on the danger of HIV and AIDS. Maybe I will go and teach a bunch of kids the law of Chastity instead though. It will help them more...

  Fast Sunday was a really nice experience this month, I made Sloppy joes for all the missionaries in my district. It was a really nice way to end a fast. Thanks mom and dad for sending the sloppy joe mix.

  I hate to say it but i honestly can't think of anything interesting to write about this week. I know that it's going to annoy my parents but I don't have any good stories to tell or anything this week. I've just been immersed in the work I guess.

  Love all of you guys though, and thank you for your prayers.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 This week has been a pretty nice one. I've been working hard and I feel like we are really preparing the souls of the people around us to have the restored gospel in their lives. Don't have a lot of words to share with you guys but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So I'll just send a few thousand words attached to this email.

Enjoy!

 pic. 1- The Mountain

pic 2- behind me you can see my whole area that I work in

pic 3- me and some waterfalls

pic 4- I was feeling lonely

pic 5- A little slice of heaven

pic 6- Some Ugandan Children

Yes I think that I got a package from Craig and Maria... It was either from them or from Grandma/ Grandpa Weber. I did get a letter from them too.

No I'm not homesick. I really love the missionary work and everything like that. I'm not trunky, missing the family and stuff. I will miss missionary work a lot when I'm finished. But receiving American food in a giant package is bound to remind you that living in a third world country for two years is not easy. I've never been homesick or trunky my whole mission. I just miss the luxuries of the first world. (Speaking of which do you guys still know if you are going to come down and visit Uganda at the end of my mission? My mission president wants to make sure that you are still planing on it so that he can get approval from the area seventy).

I really Like the area. We have a few things going well in our area right now. I also really enjoy the companion, He's a goofball (in a good way) and we get along really well.

It was only the Kampala Stake that saw David A. Bednar. About half the mission (those serving in Kampala) got to see him. The other half only got to hear stories of his power and authority. I was one of those unlucky missionaries that missed out of seeing him.