Tuesday, April 16, 2013

What's Up?! from the hoods of Africa!




April 15, 2013
What’s up everyone!

So just to let you all know, writing emails is the most stressful part of the week!! I’ve got so many to read and answer! I love it but ya'll need to have a little paciencia. I will write you! I try my best. Maybe not every question will be answered. But anyway.... sorry about getting upset right there. I should be counting my blessings this week!!!! It was soo exciting you guys would not believe it!!! NOT. hahaha like one of the most boring weeks of my life! Mainly because poor elder brown was sick for like 3 days straight. Sooo I was in the house a lot. haha, the house that decided not to have energy this week! Man I'm going to miss these times when we got the air conditioning going, the water running, and the lights on and then... Weeoooomm. Nada. It brings almost a joy ;) hahaha anyway... I did write down a few things that happened this week.
The crazy lady.
This lady was drunk and out of her mind! She was like yelling all kinds of stuff and in some native African Lang and wandering back and forth across the street! In the middle of traffic! Like I almost saw her get hit so many times! People were trying to help her but she would just hit them! And then she started beating the cars! hahaha that part was funny! She would just get ticked at a random car, run in front of it, make it stop and then just start wailing on the hood! hahaha but it was sad.... haha .. but kinda funny..
Next, there was fly hunting!!
This is what I did when elder brown was sick. We have this thing that looks like a tennis racket but its electrified. hahaaha Yeah, you know what I”m sayin. Haha Well needless to say, I put my camo and African war paint on and me and the flies in our house went at it! The flies almost won when the biggest fly flew right into my nose and I hit the ground! but obviously since I (like captain moroni) was fighting for my liberty and peace in the house was strengthened by the Lord and I beat the flies. (Notice: fly hunting, in reality, did happen, but the accounts in this story are not necessarily all true. However, the story is trademarked. TM. Yeah, don’t be publishing  this!)
Next.
I'm famous in Luanda! But for reals! There is a picture of me and elder walker walking the roads (with our laundry bags haha) on facebook that some random person took! Long story short the picture has 500 likes and counting and 300 plus comments! And we’re getting referrals off of it! Cool huh? Technology is a beautiful thing people.
So the missionary work has been slow this week. Investigators are being lazy Angolans as usual. Faith and patience though! Haha it’s our House Motto.
Umm what else... oh yeah I sinned this week.... like pretty bad. It was the second day elder brown was sick and I was going insane.. So I went into elder chandler’s room and listened to his country music. Yeah..... most pleasurable sin I’ve ever committed. But then I felt really bad, and I knew my area wouldn’t grow if I was doin’ stuff like that so I repented. 2nd principle of the gospel! And thank goodness for it!
Speaking of elder chandler. I freaking love this guy! Haha sooooo funny. He’s 22 and he has the best stories man. He had a rough upbringing and well his stories are the best. We talk a lot. It would be way cool to be comps with him in the future.  He grew up in south Cal like right next to Compton. Yeah.. straight negro man. haha I love him! But I still miss elder davis. My, the friends you make on the mission are priceless! I love it! Well, y’all keep on keeping on. Trust in the Lord with everything! Seriously, everything. The successful missionaries take the principles learned on the mission and apply them to their lives. And if we don’t... it’s our pride stopping us! Guys, I’ve learned that I’m super prideful. I’m constantly working on it. But ya.. fica bem ya?
I love you all! Seriously, everyone who is reading this.. all y’all. Voces!
Com Amor,
Elder Tingey


April 8, 2013

Well Hello everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed conference! I will get to enjoy it in two
weeks! Hahaahaha so thanks for giving me a sneak peak at the good
stuff! Actually, last night we all got together and watched the
Priesthood session and the Reedy’s (an American family here). Can you
say SPRITUAL BEEF?! Oh it was soo awesome! But I’ll talk about that
later.
Sorry peeps that my letters haven’t been that great the past few
weeks. An hour and a half to do internet is stressfull! But I will do
my best for you! First off, I got letters yesterday!  I was so happy!
So, thank you Troy’s family, the Berge family, Stefunny! Emmaline, and
Jayne! And mom thank you for the package. I made biscuits and gravy this
morning with Elder Wilhelm. mmmmm Good! So Stef congrats on the
mission! That’s so awesome but when the heck do you leave? And country
music; yes! I love how everyone is gettting into country music! The
Berges too! hahaha Country music is like the gospel. You share it with
someone and some people feel of its goodness right away but others
will reject it.... but then it works on them and they realize how good
it is and how it will uplift their life! And so they go searching for
it and they find it and they feel the joy! Hahahaahaha like that?! It’s
true though! Speaking of country music, the Lord has provided a way for
me to hear some country music here! hahaha I freaked! Oh I love that
stuff! It’s soooo good. Troy ,your family is sooo darn cute! I love them!
I wrote physical letters to a lot of you who wrote me so hopefully
you’ll get them within a month! ( Mom they’re coming to you first and
the addresses are attached. If you could mail them for me please that
would be awesome!)
Before I forget, I got to give a shout out to Ashley Clifford! What’s up
girl! hahahaha! (dont blush)
Oh and Mother, I really want your CDs. Like, you know the ones you made
with you singing. Yeah, those. Can you send those on like a pin-drive
please????!? Elder Harper has some songs you’ve done and I hear them
and I’m just like.... this would be way better if my mom was singing
it!
Alright, story time.
So this week was literally attack of the girls!! Like for real, idk
what”s going on! I think I just let my hair grow a bit too long and it’s
starting to curl and well.... haha. So me, Elder Brown and Elder Walker
are at the bank getting money from the ATM and all the bank workers
motion for us to come inside. So we go in and they’re all women. Great.
And they’re asking us like who we are and what we do and what not. And
then, it just gets too much like too many questions. So usually what we
do to get people off of us is give them a pass along card and go. So
that’s what I started to do. Except this pass along card that I pulled
out didn’t have our number on it. So I made the mistake saying I’ll
write our number on this card and give it to them. BAD IDEA! I know I’m
stupid! Wham! All of the sudden they are literally, like on me! I kid
you not, there was like 5,s 25 year old girl bam right next to me trying
to see me write the number! And they start touching me and what not
and I’m like oh! NO! My comps just walked outside but I was trapped!
Finally, I’m able to get through the "crowd" and get outside. So I’m
outside waiting for the ATM and the walls are glass and they keep
motioning for me to come inside and I’m just like no! So finally they
call our phone! Oh my gosh! Elder Walker answers it and they’re like,
“send the tall one in!” Elder Walker looks at me “dude they want you to
go in” and I’m like no. And so this goes back and forth a few times
until finally Elder Walker just yells into the phone in Portuguese "He
can’t date you! And he already has a girl friend!" Hahahahaahah sooo
funny! Elder Brown is a wise man, he keeps a pic of his girl and just
flashes that any time something like that happens. But it didn’t stop
there. This kind of stuff just was happening all throughout the
week! Even at church! All the mocas started flirting with me ( oh
sorry, young women) and I’m like trying to be nice but firm and then
they started swarming me standing next to me seeing how tall I was (which is every African girl’s excuse "wow your tall, let me stand next
to you to see how tall you are") Anyway it was bad. Geez!!! Darn
snakes! Hahaha its all good though, entertainment I guess!

So my new area..... needs work. So we’re gonna be doing some serious
work! It’s basically like were opening the area up. There is nothing
going. And we had to remark some baptisms from my old area because of
some complications with commandments in the past. But they’ll still
happen. Don’t worry, Rita’s family will be baptized! If it’s the last
thing I do! I saw them at church yesterday and they’re like, “we already
miss you!” And man, my heart just like broke! ahh!
So Elder Brown. He’s a stud from Cali bra. But yeah, he is super cool.
hahaah So funny our first weekly planning session, at the end we have
comp inventory and he just looks at me and goes ..." so basically, I
have no clue what I’m doing so we’re gonna learn together.." HA! I
busted up laughing! Soo funny! It’s his first time being senior comp.
I’m really glad I’m with him because we’re pretty close in language
skills so I get to practice a lot. My language skills are being tested and
it’s awesome! Oh I live with elder brown (cali) elder walker (utah)
elder chandler (cali, and the funniest guy ever who knows everything
about engines and what not and is gonna hook me up with a lift on my
truck that dad’s going to buy me after the missh ;) and he loves
country music! and well.... haha... haha.. I’m not breaking any rules, I
swear! I just live in the house!) elder wilhelm (az, st johns) and
elder harper (cali but his family is moving to montana).

So, no mom, I haven’t lost any weight, I’ve actually gained 12 pounds....
Things happen when you don’t eat right and bread is a lot of your
meals.... haha, but I like gaining weight. Makes me look better ;)

No mom, I don’t need money. I’m learning to live like dad. Speaking of
which, Dad, I got your emails this week. Thanks!  I wish I could be with
you! Sounds like a blast!

So, Darin, you are a freaking stud man! Dude Priesthood session of General Conference was all about you bro! like I couldn’t stop thinking about you!
Keep preparing yourself well. The priesthood is amazing. At home, a lot of
people have it so it’s difficult to really see how amazing it is. But
out here, the pickin’s are slim. Acting in the name of GOD, the one all
powerful and ruler of all; You are his son! Like wow! And He can
perform miracles through you! You have the power of God! like holy
cow! Us missionaries talk about super powers a lot, but we already
have the best one. The powers of all powers is at your disposal. Wow!
Sorry, I’m just fascinated by the Priesthood this past week.

Babes, wow, I’m so proud of you for doing that service. That is so
nice! Doesn’t it just make you feel so good! And just think you can do
little things all the time and always have that feeling! Uplifting
comments are some of the best service projects ever! They work
miracles. Elder Davis did it to me and I love that man.

Marissa, keep on keepin on! The mission is amazing at how it prepares
you for so much. With me its really preparing me for Fatherhood. It’s
amazing. Wish I would have started before the mission learning these
things.

Hannah, you little cute girl! I can’t wait to talk to you on Mother’s
day! I just want to hug you! I can just imagine you and Travis playing
amongst the African kids sometimes. Haha I love it.

My time is short. Sorry this letter was pretty short, but I gotta email
President! Keepin’ the rules; you know how I do. Entao, eu amo voces!
perseveram ate o fim!

Elder Tingey

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