Rainstorms, Taxis and Testimonies

Hey guys,

Everything is going well. Today I want to tell you about Jamaican rainstorms. But first, my address. I don't know my address. If you want to send anything, send it to the mission home. It will find its way to me from there. Pants, a couple snazzy ties from my collection, and some snacks would be good. I don't really need anything though. 

So. Rainstorms. When it rains it pours. Not that I'm not enjoying my mission. This is meant in the most literal sense possible. The clouds open up and the next minute you are drenched. There is no build up. They come and go in the blink of an eye. And all evidence of the storm disappears as quickly as it came. Some of the roads flood to the point that we dip our shoes into the water with every pedal of our bikes. And Waterproofing is a lie. Nothing can really withstand Jamaican rain. I end up soaked every time it rains hard. I got here at the beginning of a two week dry spell, but now it rains at least once a week. It's honestly pretty enjoyable. Soaked and riding through puddles. We end up with mud sprayed all the way up the backs of our shirts every time. So that's rainstorms. 

The next subject is taxis and shuttles. There is always room for one more. 5 seats in a taxi? Pssssh. Try eight people. Including a large woman. 12 passenger vans? 20 person minimum every time. Giant shuttle? Just keep em coming. Its pretty ridiculous. Another thing- Shuttles and vans ( what we take to spanish town for meetings ) don't leave on a schedule. You arrive, and you wait until they're full. Welcome to Jamaica.

The branch here is small. There are not a whole lot of solid members, but I love all of them. We attend sacrament meeting (which starts anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes late), go to Gospel Doctrine (which we end up teaching half the time because the teacher is gone), go to Priesthood meeting, which usually ends up being a large argument over stupid doctrine. Kind of like a bible bash. But where everyone is supposed to believe the same thing.  After church, we are fed lunch by Sis. Nelson, and we go teach until Mission Prep.  This week, all of our prospective missionaries are going to bring a friend to a cottage meeting at the church. We are going to teach the group the first discussion. It should be awesome. 

Don't be afraid to share the gospel with others. Be bold. We have something that everyone needs. Simply bear testimony to them that it has blessed your life, and can bless theirs. Then involve the missionaries. Support them and invite them over to the house to take the discussions. Misssionary work is not all my job. Missionary work becomes effective when it is done through the members inviting their friends. Then the investigator has the support they need to come to church. So be bold. Let people know that they need this. Pray as a family to know which people have been prepared to hear this glad message. Then act.

Elder Barber is awesome. We end up in a lot of deep discussions over both doctrine and psychology. He is actually a lot like me. But he has got me thinking on another level than the one I am used too. We make a good team, and I love him. Elder Bateman and Whitlock are awesome. They are really solid missionaries. Elder Bateman is getting transferred to Kingston, and Elder Whitlock is going to be training. So we will have a newbie in the apartment as of Wednesday. I love you guys. 

Bless,

Elder Pullan

The bug that was sleeping with me last night. It really didn't even bother me.
 It was the size of the palm of my hand. But it aint nah thang in Jamaica.