November 9, 2015

oh and my new address is:

216 1/2 Jackson Street

Apt 2

Hancock, MD

21750

idk why it's 216 and a half, but it is what it is

On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at 2:06 PM, Truman Burgess <truman.burgess@myldsmail.net> wrote:

There's nothing quite like dumping 30 year old cannery foods one by one into massive buckets in 40 degree, 20 mph winds, 50% humidity weather with a companion who speaks only English he learned in downtown Baltimore and the scriptures. The "foods" were either shriveled into fungus puffing pods, dissolved into metallic tar, or just plain white and black mold. A member in the Hancock, Maryland ward needed our help to open the jars, so we ended up doing the whole shabang. Despite how I've begun to make this place sound, it truly is an amazing part of the country.

My area stretches from mid West Virginia on upwards through the tiny sliver of Maryland (that's where our apartment is) and spreads on out into Pennsylvania, specifically a little past the town of Needmore. Funky names out here. Massive waves of mountainous hills roll the landscape, forested with thousands on thousands of deciduous trees, all of which have lost their leaves by now. Clouds barely edge over the peaking hills and get trapped into the narrow valleys below. Our apartment is situated on the top of a smaller hill, giving us an awe inspiring view I have yet to take a worthy picture of. One day :)

Most of the ward members live in Pennsylvania, so that's where we spend most of our time. Wilderness is definitely the word to describe the land out here, but also the describe the people too. This area has very few jobs other than farming, lumber, and woodworking, leaving many of the people oldddddd timers. Long beards and pot bellies are pretty much a given, as well as tons and tons of guns. Hunting is the number one past time here and the people care very little for the local laws and customs. It's perfectly normal to see men lurching around huge rifles and shotguns down the street to the diner, completely covered in blood from their feet to chest, a huge elk thrown in the back of their 1960/70's pick up trucks.

My companion is unlike anyone I have ever met. His name is Elder Tausaga, a full blooded Samoan who knew little to no English before entering the MTC for only twelve days. He's been out in the mission for eight months or so, but that's apparently not nearly enough time to learn English. xD Back on his home island his life consisted of professional volleyball for his job, his hobbies being hunting giant dog-sized bats in the jungle mountains, catching and eating wriggling fish with his hands in the ocean, and beating strangers up for sport. The only food he buys is rice and canned salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Despite how his past sounds, Elder Tausaga is one of the most charitable, sincere, and heart-warming people I think I'll ever meet. He knows how to do missionary work despite the language difficulties and greets everyone with a true smile. Only for humans, though.

Elder Tausaga has a strange hatred for all living animals besides kittens, humans, horses, and spiders. I explain to him wild creatures form Africa like Giraffes, Rhinos, and show him squirrels and Hawks. No matter what it is, his eyes focus and he says, "I will keewl it." We were driving through the windy roads of West Virginia when in the middle of the road sat a buzzard, or vulture, a great big carrion bird. I pulled over and explained to him what it was, but before I could stop him he was outside the car, picking up a hefty rock over his head to throw at the bird. I quickly held him in place and put the stone down, but he kept saying, "I will keewl it and I will eat it." 

So that's one thing to work on. He's teaching me how to be 100% heartfelt in teaching and I'm teaching him how to love animals and not eat wild vultures. Give and take, I suppose :)

The best part about this area is the feeling of home whenever I enter a member's house. To them I become a part of their family, not even a guest but a son or brother. Out here people put away biases or grudges to welcome in a fellow wanderer in this strange, cold land. And holy cow do they have good senses of humor. I can go full blast hilarity level and they bounce right back. The warmth of unconditional love is far worth the cold walk home.

Keep going strong and don't eat vultures.

xoxo

Elder Burgess

 If it weren't for the White Handbook these would have been oursAs goofy as ever

Elder Tausaga in his leather coat only he could pull off as a missionary