Death by Hot Dog

Hola!

It sounds like a fun Thanksgiving party occurred without me in my family. I'm sorry to hear that I missed it but I'm sure things were just as happy without me. I've had enough food in the last week anyway to have me covered for 3 thanksgivings. Maybe you caught the Subject of this email? Well after writing last weeks letter I was approached by 6 other Elders in the library and they told me I needed to do the Triple Dare Fire Dog Challenge. There is a restraunt here called the Hot Dog Shoppe. It has the most delicious over priced hot dogs. Well they have a challenge where if you can eat 2 1/2 lbs hot dogs and a basket of fries plus a coke in 45 minutes the meal is free and your picture goes on the wall. Did I mention these hot dogs are cooked in Ghost Pepper powder and smothered in Javenerio (I don't know how to spell it) peppers? It was one of the hottest things I have ever eaten and I got about 3/4 done before time was up. I lost 20 bucks and don't know how I will eat for the rest of the month but it was definitely delicious and worth it. Elder Kempton who is the other Elder who did it with me was actually trying to finish and came so close to throwing up and was crying for most of the 45 minutes. It was a great bad Idea. 



I had the opportunity to meet with an Elder who had previously been in my area of Morgan HIll and Red Hawk. He asked about a family who Elder T and I are working on and when I told him that the wife had passed away and the Husband was coming to church he started crying. He was distraught to know that she had passed away but even more so he was crying tears of joy because this was the first area he served in as well and he had been offering prayers from the beginning of his mission that this gentleman would come to church and have his heart softened. He is now progressing with the lessons Elder T and I have with him, slowly, but it was an answer to this Elders' sincere prayers and it was touching to see this first hand. 

It's been a rough transfer. All our appointments are always falling through almost no matter what we do. We attribute it to the time of the year but there has to be more. We continue to try our best to work with the members to get friends and people we know of to church and to take the discussions. We have a lot of people standing on the almost there cliff, it is just a matter of seeing who will fall first. We got a call earlier this week that we will be receiving 80 more missionaries in the next few months and my area will be split in 2. This will definitely give each ward the individual focus it needs. Elder T and I always make the joke no man can serve to masters and no missionary can serve 2 wards. As a result of this influx of missionaries however, we are desperately looking for housing. The lord will provide a way. 



The other day we walked into a scheduled Recent Convert lesson with a family and we walked into a house with 30 people shooting each other constantly with nerf guns, literally screaming around corners and jumping off the balconies of the giant 3 story home trying to get each other out and hit each other with nerf swords and axes and everything imaginable. It was clear we weren't going to get a lesson in so I played on their extremely nice hand made Ukulele for 30 minutes. It was really the only relaxing part of the entire week. It is very disappointing to not be teaching as much though. We are trying our best and still helping some people have better lives in the small things we do though so I feel good at the end of the day. 

I love you all and hope you continue to find joy in what you love. 

Elder Gemperline