#4 Ding Dong Curtain Ditch...Great Week!

Hello Everyone.  

This past week went by very fast week.  Both some cool stuff and a lot of really awesome spiritual experiences too.

Barbados is great but it has some crappy things too.   Like how you cannot even go to bathroom without sweating the entire time! It is frustrating but you can’t do much about it. 

Tuesday I went on a Missionary exchange with Elder Platt, he is our District leader.  He is so funny. I went to his area and I have to say, I have never laughed so hard.  He tells people that he is 50 years old and from china and they believe him.   We ended up going to family that he teaches and when we got there the women was telling us how they haven't eaten and how they were starving today.  Elder Platt and I, without telling her, went to the store and got her some groceries so she could make some food. We left them on her curtain step and then knocked and ran. It left me with such a great feeling.  I love that part of missionary work! 

We have been teaching this man named Gladstone for a while now.  Elder Miller and I gave him the lesson on baptism and got him to commit to being baptized and then two seconds later his friend Michael shows up and we started teaching him too.   It was so cool to see the confidence in Gladstone who wasn't even a member of the church, already wanting to do missionary work because he knows the great amount of joy that comes from Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

At church yesterday we talked about going to church and the importance of it.  Church is something that we go on a regular basis.  If we let things become as though it is just something we do because that’s what we are supposed to do, then that's when we are no longer able to improve ourselves in church.   If we frequently speak in a manner that is inappropriate or we dress in a way that's inappropriate, it becomes something that becomes normal.  It’s sad that in our world today, we can do so many bad things that Heavenly Father is disappointing in but we see them as normal.  So this next week have an abnormal week.  See the things that have become frequently acceptable and be different.  Church is there to make us grow and if we go expecting to have the same thing happen every time or go to socialize because that's normal, then you are digging yourself in hole that is hard to get out of.  Just ask me. It took me to go on a mission to see that I was a missing the boat.  I have guilt but through Jesus Christ, our Older Brother, who sacrificed his life and suffered for us, we can get through it!

Cool Stuff-

Elder Miller and I were walking down the street and a little monkey runs up to us and jumps on me. It was so cool! Then a little girl, about 6 years old, runs up and tells us we were stealing her pet!  I was like, THAT'S YOUR PET!!!!  I wanted to take it home with me.  She said he loves popcorn and is name is Cesar.  He is probably my best friend now. He is awesome!

Also when I was out with Elder Broadbent.  I learned a lesson of why I shouldn't be sticking my hand over every gate to pet dogs because I was reaching over to pet a dog and I hit an Electric wire and shocked me.  It wasn't anything too bad it just made me jump and then laugh like crazy.  It made Elder Broadbent day and he made fun of me the rest of the day!

Overall, this week are really great! 

I love you all and May the odds be ever in your favor (that's for you SAM)

Jerhi, the monkey picture is for you.  

#3 David who defeated Goliath

First off, Parker asked us to post a link to a short video that has helped him a lot so far on his mission.   It is directed towards missionaries but it might help anyone that might be having a hard time or just asking “why is life hard?”.    

Link:   Salvation was never easy

Hi everyone.   This week has been very interesting.  There are a lot of people on this island that are kind of crazy. We were just walking to the library today to do our emails and a man jumps out of nowhere and starts karate chopping the air and then stared at me and Elder Miller.  It scared the crap out of Elder Miller but I couldn’t help laugh.   Raymond, the crazy guy I mentioned last week, gave me my Biblical name.  It’s David who defeated Goliath.  He says I am here to defeat the big guys who cannot be defeated otherwise!  Raymond believes that he is the master of all the missionaries and he commands us to go and teach his word!

So more on a serious note, there is a lady that we teach, her name is Martha.  She is about 70 years old and is going to get baptized December 5.  She loves telling us that nothing is holding her back.  The cool thing is that when we first started meeting with her, she was cussing like crazy and was like super insane.  Now she is like the sweetest old lady I have ever met.  She has a little shop that she sells snacks and drinks out of and even though alcohol is a main income to her, she said that because of the things that she has learned, she wants to stop selling it.  She says, “The Lord will provide a way.”

Last week, at a service project, we cleared out a forest area.  We were all really confused why because it was in the middle of nowhere.  After a while, we started to haul away everything and we see a 10 by 10 shack.   We find out an old man is living there.   It was literally the worst conditions I have ever seen and yet he was still surviving somehow.  Barbados really isn’t to gross or anything, it’s just that people really don’t care about self-hygiene or self-care.  Anyway, 4 hours later, we were able to make his home livable and kind of safe. It was insane.

Today for our PDay, our Zone of about 20 missionaries went and played some sports on the beach.  Some missionaries went and played volleyball and futbol(soccer) and the men went over and played Rugby with some locals.   I love rugby!  Especially when playing with men form Australia, Kenya, Samoa, and a football stud from Utah.   Everyone calls us crazy but I just love just running around having fun like that.   Elder Miller thinks I’m crazy but it’s was a blast.

 Food here is not that great.  It was great that we did have a meal with a family in our ward Tuesday.  They are the Spalding’s.  Brother Spalding works for the embassy as a Police man, he is awesome.  It was good to talk to people who spoke English not Bajan.  Just so you know family, I have not pooped my pants yet but maybe soon. (Dave: We where told by someone who served there that every missionary poops their pants at least once from eating the food so we always joked with Parker saying we are going to have a "Parker pooped his pants pool")

   

It is really interesting what a mission does to you.  I look in the mirror every day and some days I see a man and some days I see a boy but every day I see someone who wants to do good.   I am working really hard to be a good missionary.   I’m definitely not the best missionary but being led by the spirit, I know that I can at least make some people’s lives better.   

P.S. Cricket is a dumb sport.  I throw it so flippin hard and the freaking cricket guys just lay there bat in front of the wickets or whatever it is  so you can’t get them out.   Coming here I thought I would like cricket but I’ll stick with rugby.

 I Love you all so much.
 Love Elder Fokken

A Nice Surprise Today. Pictures!!!

Got an unexpected surprise today.  A Good man in Barbados was out with Elder Fokken and his companion, Elder Miller who's first name is Parker too,  knocking on doors today.  He posted a couple pictures on Facebook for us to see.  Thank you Brother Taylor!

#2 CHEESE ON BREAD!!!!

So I arrived here in Barbados on Monday, 11/2.  We stayed in a hotel until Wednesday when we got put with our trainer.  My trainer is Elder Miller.  He is from Fillmore UT.   He played baseball like me but he is a Utah Utes fan so that makes things awkward.  I will stay here in Barbados for my first transfer at least.   My area is called Voxhall.   The humidity here kills and the only place that has AC is in our room in the apartment so we are sweating all the time.

This first week has been interesting.  We go out knocking on doors but don’t actually knock, we yell "good day INSIDE!!!" to let people to know were there.  They have doors to knock on but I guess it’s just the way it’s done.  There is a crazy guy in our area, his name is Raymond.  He thinks he is Jesus Christ and that we are his servants and such. He gives us names of Bible people.  The people here definitely talk super crazy and I’m already saying things like they do.  Like they don’t say the "th" it’s just "t" so you say “tat” for “that” etc.... And they say CHEESE ON BREAD!!!  I like that one.

We have a lot of investigators and I have been getting a lot better at teaching lessons.  We do have a baptism this week which is super exciting.   We also have an investigator named Gladstone (yes his first name) and he watches American football so that’s how me and Elder Miller found out who is winning and losing and pretty much the jist of what’s going on in sports.

You could get hit by a car every day because people are crazy drivers but we know how to handle it.  It’s kind of fun actually when people fly by yelling at us.  The hardest thing for me so far is there is no such thing as dinner here.  By the time we get back to our apartment at 9pm, I am starving!     

 I got all the packages at the MTC and I am so thankful for all of them.  It was awesome to get them!

I get homesick ever day but I read this scriptures about others being away from their family and it helps.

It’s hard here but I get better every day.  I live with the assistants to the president so I have a lot of really good examples already.

I am working hard and miss everyone.  I promise to get you some picture next week!

Love you
Elder Fokken

It's Official! Elder Fokken is in Barbados

And I did check, the plane has landed!