Brussels and the Manneken Pis

This week was a mix for us. We had a pretty disappointing drop from our most solid investigator. It is not over, but they decided to start investigating elsewhere and make a decision between the two parties.

The good news was that we had some miracles. We took the time to do some centrum contacting while waiting for a bus, and ended up missing the next couple buses because it was working so well. We got information from one man form Suriname, and while we were telling him about the Book of Mormon, another man came out of nowhere and asked if we had the same book in German and gave his address so we could bring it by. We also met a lady from Russia who has the same name and profession as another Russian member here. She wants us to come by sometime. Also, of all places that she has been to in the US, she has visited New York, Phoenix and Sedona.

Another miracle is that we had a couple hours before we needed to get to our next destination, so we took a short bus trip to a dorpje that we had never worked in but ride through all of the time. While there, we were walking and decided to knock a couple houses along the way. The first door that opened was a man who after a few seconds invited us in. It turns out that he is an engineer and is only home on days with bad weather when work can not be done on his projects. That day was one of the few days of the year that he does not work. He loves tudying different

religions and told us that he was very interested in our book. I do not know if he is searching for truth, but he took a Book of Mormon and said he would read it slowly. He told us that if we are lucky enough to catch him home we can come back and teach more. Whether he gets the opportunity to go farther is his choice. But we were sent to the right place at the right time.

Other cool things of the week include eating Banku with one of our Ghana friends and his non member family. Banku is a sort of meal made from corn that you cook with water until it becomes a very thick paste. You pinch some off with your fingers and dip it in hot peppers that have been ground up with a mortal and pestal and also take a little bit of fried tilapia. It is incredibleI really do not have much time today we are going to Brussels for a pday with the whole zone. I got the letter with the twig of creosote in it.  It still smells great and I carry it around with me. My comp thinks I am on drugs. 

This was a long week for no particular reason. We could not get a whole lot of appointments set up this week. We also found  some cool potentials but they are all in the sisters area so we have to give them to them. But we are keeping one of them because he is a really chill kid named Jeremy and he is from Suriname. He is really good at football. We are going to play with him sometime. We met him on the street and gave him a book of Mormon. He was pretty confused apparently and when his cousin asked him who had given him the book he didn't really know. But they had been reading it every night since together. That is awesome. We also went to visit a guy who had asked fro a copy in German. It turns out that he was an investigator years  ago and from Turkey. He is kind of crazy though and he made a prophecy that I will have a very prestigious career and have 5 kids and my comp will have uncanny wisdom and have 3 kids. He would be an interesting guy to take a greenie to.

Last night we ate the fried heads of "doctor fish" with a sort stew on rice with an african members. It was super good. they make the most interesting stuff. I will have to cook you some african food when I get back. It is very simple and actually quite healthy. 

We also had some other really good food this week as we had a dinner appointment every night. that was quite a victory. We ate very typical Belgian food, to African and Surinamese food. 

Last week we went to a chocolate factory and the european parliament building. It was actually interesting to me because I remember learning about a lot of the stuff in AP Euro. I wish it was still fresh in my brain though. The Manniken Pis was all decorated with a costume for carnival. He is not that impressive, but now I can say that I have seen it.

NOTE: The famous Manneken-Pis remains the emblem of the rebellious spirit of the City of Brussels. His wardrobe counts more than 800 suits. The Museum of the City of Brussels presents one hundred of these suits. A multimedia database allows the visitors to consult the whole wardrobe of the famous ‘ketje’.

The statue is dressed in a costume several times each week, according to a published schedule which is posted on the railings around the fountain. The costumes are managed by the non-profit association The Friends of Manneken-Pis, who review hundreds of designs submitted each year, and select a small number to be produced and used.