Monday, July 15, 2013

"I got to ride a bike! It was rubbish though..."

Hey y'all! 
This was a good Scottish culture week. I ate haggis yesterday!...tasted pretty much like meatloaf. The Keogh family cooked it special occasion, because they were feeding us and also an American family staying in Dundee who came to our ward for a few weeks. So yeah, I've had haggis. 
OH! And speaking of the Keogh's...their son Matthew served in Santiago Chile mission, and he said he remembers Elder Cannon when I asked him! He said, "Yeah, I remember him...he would rap all the time, and went by the name "Drizzle Drip" when he rapped." He even remembered that they were called the "Horses". So yeah, you guys should tell Ryan that I met Elder Keogh, if he remembers him.
Also last Monday we went into a tartan shop and looked at kilts and tartan ties. Kilts are super expensive. I don't think I'll buy one. Unless there's a member who makes them and could give me a deal...but at this particular shop she said just the kilt would be £300, and an extra 400 for the special jacket, socks, shirt, vest, and other stuff that I don't even know. Not worth it, probably.
I've seen two guys in kilts so far; one out in City Centre playing the bagpipes for money, and another guy with a kilt, a Guns N' Roses tank top, a mohawk and huge gauged ears. It made me laugh, on the inside. But at weddings, ALL the guys wear kilts. But they usually just rent one, kinda like how we rent tuxedos in America. Maybe I'll end up buying one before I return. Prob not. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Anyway...
Last week I went on an exchange to Perth. I got to ride a bike! It was rubbish though, the chain fell off and got stuck in the gears, so we had to walk them home and take the whole wheel off to fix it. I'll stick to walking and buses.
On Tuesday we went up to the top of "Dundee Law," which is a big hill in the middle of the city. We had dinner at a members' house, who agreed to come with us to teach our friend Cameron...afterward we had no appointments, and he asked if he could take us up the Law...we could have gone and knocked a few doors for the next half hour or so, but instead we thought it was more considerate to accept his invitation.
It was a super nice view. Maybe sometime we'll spend more time there and I'll take some awesome pictures. (I got a few decent ones, will attach.)
I also went on an exchange with the zone leaders. They live with the Bingham elders. It was super fun being in a 4-man flat!
Saturday we did City Centre finding, where we just go talk to people on the street. I didn't like it. 
I wasn't used to being in a crowded area trying to talk about the gospel. Almost everyone we tried to stop was in a hurry. I think I just need to build up my confidence in this area though, so I can do it more better like.
Kris and Chelsea are still doing good. They LOVE the church. Can't wait till they are baptized...even though I probably won't be here. Vikram is alright too...he came to church the past two weeks, but said he's not quite ready for baptism. We still have plenty of stuff to teach him so that's ok. Jimmy is ready to be baptised this Sunday...(here they do the baptism on Sunday, and the confirmation the NEXT Sunday). 
Talking with the zone leaders though we kinda thought we should post pone one week...because we forgot to announce it to the ward, and we want to make sure there's a good amount of support there. We'll see how Jimmy feels; I feel like delaying it one week will make it a more special experience for him if he has his ward family there.
That's basically my week for yous...we're away to Broughty Ferry to see a castle and hang out on the beach! All the Dundee missionaries are meeting up there. Should be fun.
Hope you have a great week. Endure to the end. Read your scriptures. Pray. Give the missionaries tons of referrals. Peace.
Elder Burt

Photos:
View from Dundee Law


The monument on top of the hill

View of the Dundee FC and Dundee United FC stadiums (rivals)

Whilst waiting for a bus, Jimmy and Siobhan came walking up. We chatted for a while, then noticed the fence behind us was all destroyed, so we picked up the pieces and put them roughly back into place. We felt cool. Jimmy is wearing elder Meyer's badge for some reason.