August 26

Oh man, this week was crazy.

So Elder Lutz (companion) was very lucky, no, very blessed; his visa came through & he's heading to Brazil Belo Horizonte today. We're meeting with the mission president & he'll have a new companion. Since we're taking him Elder Oler wants to take me around Lansing for a while & show me the cool places there & his favorite people. One of them has multiple personality disorder, so some days show fully accepts the gospel, & others she get upset about the littlest things. There's also an Arab guy we're seeing who Knows the gospel is true. But unfortunately can't get baptized, because if he does his family will kill him. Which sucks.

So we spent the last few days seeing our favorite people so Elder Lutz could get a picture with them.

K, time for a crazy story. So there's this investigator, who at one point was a member, now she's getting her live back together & coming to church. We had dinner at her place, she sowed my pants I ripped a few weeks ago, and we decide to change the lesson last minute. We decide to give her the stop smoking program, so we run back to our house & got the materials & came back. The lesson went great, she's fully committed & she's been good the last 4 days. Anyway we leave the front door & hear this crackling noise. Elder Lutz thought it was fireworks. Then we realize it's coming from a giant tree in her front yard. I see the branch hanging over her house, so without thinking I stretched my hands up to catch it & hopefully spare some of her roof, it seemed small & light enough. Turning back my companions see a branch from the base of the tree fall on top of me & I disappear. The branch knocked me down, & I land fortunately on my back-pack.

We estimated the branch weighed >1,000 lb's. After I realize what happened I said I'm ok. I came between two branches that could have seriously injured me. My companions, & some guy across the street came to me. The guy asked if I was ok & I said yes. After talking to me he asked my companions if I seemed ok, he said I seemed a little disoriented, & my companions replied "No, that's just Elder Candland." We call our mission president & drive to intense care for a check up. No serious injury, just a sore shoulder I needed to ice occasionally.

During our last visits with one of the members we ate at cafe. The member ordered us a banana split, witch consisted of a banana, and 1&1/2 gallons of Neapolitan ice cream. The member was telling us how none of the past missionaries have been able to finish it. He almost seemed disappointed when we did finish it. I felt so gross afterward.

Anyway, I better wrap this up so we can get to Lansing.

I'll get back to you next week!

Love,

Elder D. Candland