07 January 15--Raindrops

It is actually really hot here. Except when it rains. And it's been doing that for the last two weeks. When we try to sleep at night, with the combination of all the tin roofs nearby, ( we've got a tin roof too I guess, but there's stuff between us and it, which muffles the sound mostly) and the RAIN, it's sounds as though there is a relentless applause going on. Sometimes I like to pretend that there's millions of people cheering for me to go to sleep, they just don't know that the cheering is not helping, but I give them points for trying anyway. The rain is also fun at appointments when the investigators have tin roofs, then it's like being in a crowded football stadium; us: " THE HOLY GHOST SPEAKS TO US WITH A STILL SMALL VOICE!!!!" investigator: " WHAT?!!!" us: " THE HOLY GHOST SPEAKS T- ........NEVERMIND!! WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT LATER!!!!" investigator: " WHAT?!!!"....... yeah it gets pretty fun sometimes. I can see how the rain can really bother some missionaries. But the way I see it, if you simply decide to enjoy it, you will be saved a lot of misery and woe. For instance, it is my natural inclination to NOT like being cold and wet, however, it can be fun to make game about how many times in a day you get hit in the face by all of the short people carrying umbrellas, or sing songs walking down the street like, " Good day, sunshine" or " Jesus wants me for a suuuunnn BEAM!" (jump) (- in a puddle), or as we were coming home and trying to open the metal gate to our house, and struggling, we pretended we were in one those movies about a submarine where the people are trying to open the door before all the water gets in and they drown, "THIS IS U571, THE HATCH IS SEALED AND THE WATER'S COMIN' IN!!" yeah, it's fun.

Anyway, life's good. We've been having fun. It was Elder Edgley's birthday yesterday, he turned 20. I turned 20 almost 2 months exactly before him and came on the mission 2 months before him, so he's basically in the same point in his life ( chronologically speaking) as I was 2 months ago. interesting. We went and had a Barbecue with some other elders to celebrate, I think he had a good time. I still haven't gotten my guitar. I've been waiting for about a month and a half, the guy who makes them says it's because of the rain. But he says they'll ( I've become "the missionary to go to" if you want to buy a guitar, so consequently there is more than 1 guitar being made) be done on Wednesday. I guess we'll see. But there's the story about the guitar, (minus the middle part about him finishing my guitar 3 weeks ago, and it was great, except for the COLOR, which was hideous, and my refusing to take it and ordering another one, which is another reason the guitar has taken so long, Tsy maintsy vita tsara! " it must be done well":)

I still haven't received the package. I don't know why. We just received word today from church headquarters about people sending money to missionaries in Madagascar via the pouch, which is illegal, so now all of the letters we get are being opened. So the word is, Don't send money. I don't think that you guys have any problem with that, but that's what we were told to tell you, just in case.

I'm out of time again. But it is always great to hear from you. I love you all. I pray for you always. Until next week. Veloma!

Elder Draper.