I don't have a whole lot of time left but I do have some. This week has been an interesting one. Elder O has been suffering from a condition called sinusitis which is inflammation of the sinuses. It's pretty much wiped him out and it makes him really tired since he can't sleep since he coughs so much. It's been rough but we talked to the doctor and he he prescribed some drugs and he's been getting better.
I forgot my camera at the apartment so I don't have any pictures but I do have a fun story. It was Friday night and we were back at our apartment and the zone leaders voluntold (volunteered + told) us for a service project. So the next morning at 5:30 we were up and getting dressed to head down town to help out the Red Cross or cancer society or something. We arrived and discovered that they were hosting a chili cook-off. We were slapped with volunteer stickers and sent to a corner to await further orders. We stood around for a few minutes and we had all worn short sleeve shirts so we were all very cold since it was windy. We talked about missionary stuff and talked to a few people but most people were very busy trying to get everything done so we didn't want to bother too many people.
We finally received a "boss" who told us what to do. She led us around the perimeter of the park and we adjusted the barricade that had been set up by the previous crew. We moved some signs and then were once again left our cold corner. An Indy 500 car was dropped off and it was shiny, red, and very very fast. I don't remember how but suddenly we were all standing by the Indy car and admiring it's features. I don't think anyone in our group knew a whole lot about Indy cars but we tried to discuss it's various features. "It's got tires." "Those are some nice tires." "Yeah." We stood and admired the shiny red card until the man in charge of the Indy car came up and talked to us about the car. That was fun to hear about the various models and makes of the engine and I learned that this particular model was an old one. 2007 to be precise. I didn't think 5 years was a long time for a race car but apparently it is. We set up some barricades to stop the large swarms of people who were somehow drawn to the shiny fastness. We were then left in our corner once again, standing by the Budweiser truck.
I was beginning to think that I would never hold down a steady job as a volunteer and was even considering changing careers when the golden job appeared. I was told to go the the gate on St. Joseph and Dauphin. I was to guard the gate and not let anyone in or out without a stamp, ticket, or wrist band. If they gave me a ticket, stamp them and take the ticket. I did that for about 2 maybe 3 hours with Elder K and Elder O. It was kinda fun if very cold.
The relief finally arrived around 11 am. We were relieved and sent to try the various kinds of chili's to warm up. I think I had about 2 dozen different kinds of chili. The little serving cups had about half a cup of chili in them so this was a large amount of chili. Whenever I burped afterwards I could still taste chili. There was some really good chili there and some mediocre chili as well. There was some really weird chili and some chili that I think was actually a vegetable soup. The best chili was by the Pirates of the Caribbean and by the aerospace guys. They were ironically right next to each other. The weirdest chili was actually white and tasted a lot like queso cheese dip. I later learned, after talking to the main chef, that the main ingredient was in fact, white queso cheese dip. The vegetable soup one was yellow, very watery, and didn't have any beans in it, so I don't think it was chili. There were several chili that used elk or deer meat instead of regular beef. There was another chili with hush puppies in it. I still know know why you would ever put a puppy in chili but they did.
We eventually left, full of chili and still dozens more left untried but I wanted to get back to the apartment.
I love and miss you all!
