Surprise!

So no, the camera isn't fixed, but it turns out that it's still taking pictures fine, and, what's more, it uploads them! Here's some old ones from traveling to Zone conference.

Other than that...it's been an exciting week. Thursday we got to go do a service project for a family that lives way out of town (we ended up driving 150 kilometers that day), and that is almost completely self-sufficient. The sister told us that the only things that they buy are salt, oil, and gasoline. One of the highlights of that visit was getting to try a new fruit that the english-speaking brother called a "star apple". It's purple, and rather tastey.

We also had an exchange this Saturday; Elder Fraley went to go work with Elder Maoni, and Elder Call and I got to work together. It's true that he's still working on his french, but he's not letting it keep him from participating in lessons and bearing testimony. He's a hard worker, a good missionary.

Here's a cool experience for this week.

So last week friday, we had just finished our night and were heading home (like we were in the car, driving, and not too far from our place) when Elder Fraley sees someone sitting on the side of the road and says "let's go contact that guy". Yeah, I thought it was kinda weird, but I didn't want to spit on his greenie fire, so we parked the car and went back to contact him. As we were talking to him, I just felt like he wasn't really that interested (rastas tend to be surprisingly devoted to their religion), but that since he likes talking about God, he invited us to come see him another time, at his home which was close by.

Skip to this past Tuesday, and we decided to go try and see him again. We were walking up to his house, when three women sitting on the other side of the street called out and told us that that's where they live. We asked if our friend was there, and they said no. So, we contacted them too. What we discovered is that one of them had, recently, found a "The Restoration" brochure on the ground, had picked it up, read it, and started to answer the thought questions in the back of it. "But," she said, "some of the answers are in a book that I don't have-that book that it talks about". (author's note-this conversation was indeed happening in english, because she is from Guyana. Yeah, she just happened to find an english restoration brochure). Well, we offered to come back with a Book of Mormon for her in english, and she happily accepted.

When we came back the next day with her Book of Mormon, she mentioned that normally, she's always in the house, but that her sister had just suggested that they go outside that day. She said that she knew that God had done that, so that we could meet each other.

One of the cool parts of that for me is that we don't always see what God has in mind for us, and, as Elder Anderson said, we rarely get the miracle that we expect. Rather, we find that God has something in store for us much better than we had imagined. Do your little part, talk to that last person. Do what's right, because even if we don't see it, our little part is making miracles every day.

Also, did I mention that I cut my own hair this month? I've been finding surprise long hairs all over the place ever since. And I look like JJ. Still looking for that silver lining.

I hear everyone back home is moving, so good luck with that! I always hated moving. I guess living in the same home for just shy of 18 years will do that to you.

Yep, that's all I've got for now. But I love you guys!

-Elder Santos