What kind of recipe is that? (referring to Shima's Quinoa, Black beans and Corn recipe) I don't even know what half of that stuff is! Think simple! Simple food for a simple chef!
Top ten things Akounhas (white men) need in Mozambique
1. Toilet paper
2. Malaria pills
3. Coke (in case you eat something sketchy)
4. A friend who speaks Portuguese
5. Nesquick (everything tastes better with Nesquick)
6. The knowledge that a thumbs up and a smile can turn any situation instantly better by softening the hearts of the people who seem angry and you can't understand
7. Stay away from bean chmooses on the street (but the others are good)
8. Don't walk on government sidewalks
9. Wait for cars because cars don't wait for you and if you have to drive boa sorte
10. Ignorance is bliss sometimes - I think I'm glad I don't know what people are saying
So this morning we went over to a member's house and helped him haul mud bricks from the river to his house that he was building. His name is Jamal and he is a super cool guy. I think he finally forgave me because last week I accidentaly called him devil. We went to his house to give him a blessing and nobody ever uses last names here. But I asked him his full name (for the blessing) and it was like 5 names long . I didn't understand one, so finally my comp writes it down and one was 'Daibo' but I said 'diabo' and my companion started laughing and Jamal was pretty offended. As soon as I said it I knew I was done for! But he wasn't mad at me today and it was a fun service project.
I'm leaving for Luaha on Thursday. It's a 6 hour train ride and then on the back of motorcycles for about an hour to get there!! So my e-mail might be kinda late next week.
We went to a funeral this week - the elders quorum president's mother-in -law. Strange experience - a lot of singing . But all of a sudden this guy makes us follow him and everyone is shaking this lady's hand and saying stuff to her and then it's my turn so I have to go. I didn't even know who she was at the time so I just half smiled and shook her hand while like half of Nampula just watched .
So we have been trying to find what points are what in our GPS and we do a lot of walking in the outsirts of town where it's just houses and huts where people live. A lot of the girls just stare and say stuff I don't understand (refer to number ten on the list ) and the kids just point and say 'akounha.' But Saturday I turn around and there are like ten kids following us. Everyone knows how to say ''how are you'' in English but when you say something back they just laugh. But anyways when we would turn around they would just hide and laugh so we just started running and it turned into a race - it was way fun and everyone was just laughing at us but they are super quick .
We have some super cool investigators right now though. One of my favorite ones is Joseph. He is awesome. He is from the Congo so his main language is French but he learned English in in Kenya whn he lived there for about a year. He works in a barbershop ( I swear every block has a barbershop and a DJ house here. People just blast music and 80% of the time it's American rap) near our house and one day we were walking by and he runs out and starts talking in English. He asked where our church was so we showed him and he said he had been trying to find it for a long time because his friend showed him the church in Kenya. We gave him a Book of Mormon in French and he has been reading a ton . He and I are on the same level with Portuguese so it's pretty cool, but he has such a desire and he has really been prepared by the Lord.
I didn't really take any pics this week but I will take a lot in Luaha. Thanks for all the e-mails!
We have some super cool investigators right now though. One of my favorite ones is Joseph. He is awesome. He is from the Congo so his main language is French but he learned English in in Kenya whn he lived there for about a year. He works in a barbershop ( I swear every block has a barbershop and a DJ house here. People just blast music and 80% of the time it's American rap) near our house and one day we were walking by and he runs out and starts talking in English. He asked where our church was so we showed him and he said he had been trying to find it for a long time because his friend showed him the church in Kenya. We gave him a Book of Mormon in French and he has been reading a ton . He and I are on the same level with Portuguese so it's pretty cool, but he has such a desire and he has really been prepared by the Lord.
I didn't really take any pics this week but I will take a lot in Luaha. Thanks for all the e-mails!
Elder Bigelow
(The people here don't get our name -Bigelow - they always ask what it means . 'O que e a significa de esta palavra?' The only way to explain it is 'grande' for big (and then I flex) most people know what big is - and then 'baichu' or short for low because most people know what low. Or they say that and just laugh!)
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