Interesting Week

This week there were a couple of things that really made me excited about the Mienh program in the upcoming weeks. We had heard that there was a group of Mienh people who get together for food and to talk at a local place.  All are welcome, so me and Elder Lassley deiced that we would go and make our presence felt. The room was filled with about 100 Mienh people and they were all talking, which was really loud, but I assure you that as soon as Elder Lassley and I stepped into the room it went dead silent, as they all turned and looked at us. I did the only thing that I could and that was to start talking Mienh to all of them. The room burst into cheers and excitement as they saw a white guy speak their language. One of the people in charge came up and tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around to have a microphone placed in my hand and I was then ushered up to the stage so that I could address the whole group. I was told not to preach, so instead I told them all that we were here to serve them and that we would be back next week. They are now expecting us to sing a song for them.

Cool news, I am now a translator for the state of California in the language of Lao. How did this happen you say? This past week I got a call to go translate, at the state capital, to help one of the Lao members from Stockton to receive their citizenship. He had to take a live test from someone and he needed a translator and they call me. :) It was interesting because we went into the room and they swore us both under oath and then really swore me in good.  Most of the questions on the test were easy but some were hard.  Some of the questions I did not know let alone a Lao guy who does not speak English. He still passed and is now a US citizen :)

Last week he told me about how he is referred to as the “robot missionary” in his ward. This made me laugh, but I have always appreciated Eric’s attitude.  The last thing he wants to do is make the fact that he has a prosthetic leg awkward, instead treats it like a fact of life and can come up with some really funny stories. 

All in all, my missionary in Sacramento is doing well and loves what he is doing.