4 Junio 2001

Dear Family (and friends) of Elder Onken,

How's everything going? Good, I pray. Things are going good here, too. Not too much has happened since the last time I wrote. But lately Elder Christopher and I have just been doing things that have caused some of the biggest ruckus. For example, this one lady and her family that we're visiting (because she asked us for kid's songs in english so we took advantage and gave her primary songs and shared with her a first charla) live behind 2 other houses, and to get from the door on the street to her house door you have to walk about 20-30 feet across a driveway. Well, they also have about 7 dogs that bite. So everytime that we come in or leave she has to keep the dogs away with a broom while we make our way out. Well, yesterday we passed by to share with her husband. On the way in, the dogs were nowhere to be seen until half way when all of a sudden they pounced on us! We were left defenseless because she was a good meter behind us with her guard down (she didn't have a broom). With the dogs screaming their warcries (barking), the neighbors swarmed the area (about 3 7 year old fat kids) waving their fists in the air trying to scare the enemy away, but to little avail. 2 dogs broke through the line and, in an uncanny, premediated military maneuver they split, one biting me on the right calf and the other biting Elder Christopher on the left foot. We eventually made it into the base (her house) with no wounds that are seen by the eye - just lots of embarrasment. The other one was today when I tried to use my Banco Mercantil ATM card and we put the entire supermarket into a riot for no apparent reason. Rather odd . . . :)

Elder Christopher's doing great. He's now learning about the reality of the missionary work (unfortunately). For example, he said, "the second charla never comes right after the first like it should." But I think that this is what makes the new guys always so humble.

I'm doing fine here. I'm expecting to get changed these next changes, the 14th of June. That will give me almost 6 months here, which is a long time in an area. And quite an area it's been, too.

Well, I'm going to stop writing right now because we've got an emergency service to do for a family that always gives us food and who always takes care of us. If I have time to write when we get back, I will.

Well, no time. Lots of blisters. !Chao!

Elder Onken