Fireworks, Music, All that Jazz

January 27, 2025

Happy P-day, Everybody! The time flies out here... I actually don't quite understand it. It's been another beautiful week in Aruba! Let me lay it out for ya!

                  🎆 Aruban Independence Day 🎉

     Woooooooo! Independence Day! Music, food, fireworks, all that fun stuff, right? No. Incorrect. Wrong. Independence Day out here is the most low-key day ever. The way that Arubans celebrate Independence Day is by silently getting drunk in their houses with every door, window, and blind closed. I wish I were kidding, but the one person who spoke to us told us that's the way Independence Day works out here. It made for a kinda crazy day full of no lessons actually going through, but we found plenty to do. At one point, I had chased 2 dogs down the street on my bike after they chased us first. That'll show them.

          ✨The Village ✨

     There are a few interesting places out here in San Nicolás. One of them we don't go into at all, and the other we just ride through, waiting for something crazy to happen. So here's a list of the crazy things that have happened here!

- A very high man tried to steal our bikes. It did not work.

- We saw a 2-ton Pig just taking a casual stroll out in the middle of the streets. After about 2 minutes, some random guy slapped it, and it was down the street in about 2 seconds.

     Okay, maybe it's not that much aside from all the high guys, but it's still always an adventure.

     Alright, I can't really remember what else happened this week, but that is the life of a Missionary! Or maybe that's just life? I don't know right now. Check back in 3 years. Anyway, I am loving it out here! The mission is the best, I love the people, I love the work, and I love the gospel. The lord always has his arms wide open to receive us and give us his love. All we have to do is show that we want God's love, and he's right there. "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9. Our Heavenly Father has our backs, and he loves us more than any of us can begin to comprehend.

     I love you all. Every one of you has a piece of my heart. Have a great week! 

Keda ketú (Stay Cool) 

Elder Aldrich

New Nephew, New Sister, New Responsibilities!

 January 20, 2024    

    Okay. So I did a thing. Last week I wrote an email, I think a pretty lit one. But, the only problem, I never hit that little paper airplane in the top right corner. So I left yall hanging for a week. I do sincerely apologize for that. But I can send it this week, so here it is:

*Blows dust off book*

     Good Afternoon my beloved friends! This week has been a little crazy, but it's been great! It's going to be a short one this week, but let's hop into it.

           Christmas in January!

     Okay so out in the ABC islands, we cannot receive packages. It's too much of a challenge to get a package to the mission home, and then to the islands. So we just don't have them. But a member from Salt Lake (shout out David Dyatt) works for weeks at a time in Aruba and then goes back and forth between places. So my parents were able to send me a package, and it's the first one I've gotten on the mission. It was Christmas. It was glorious.

          T-Call?

     Usually, we receive a document with our transfers, but this time we did a full mission transfer call! It felt like a fantasy football draft, and it was bringing the good vibes. I'll be DL staying out here in San Nic for another transfer with Elder Smalley, good vibes all around.

     I have another nephew now! My nephew Theo was born on Saturday, and I already have so much love for this kid I've never met! It's been a good week out here, make sure to count your blessings, and name them one by one, and you'll get exhausted from counting so much! I love you all! Stay gold!

Elder Aldrich

Phwoooo! I'm tired, are you tired? Let's take a deep breath... Anyway here's this week!

          The vengeful cactus

     My companion loves to pick the fruit off of the wild cactus. One day as we were riding, he saw a wild cactus fruit, and not seeing any spikes on them, he picked it. What was not seen was that there were hundreds of hair-thin spikes on this fruit. After about 2 ish minutes of holding this fruit, he noticed the little hair-looking things in his finger and saw that they were not too fond of the idea of coming out. And so off to the apartment, we went to pull the spikes out of Elder smalleys hand. Lessons were learned that day. Particularly cactus are not very good party guests. Sometimes they seem chill and smooth, then all of a sudden they're secretly spikey and pokey.

          Mawage is wut bwings us togefer

      MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED THIS WEEK! I'M SO STOKED FOR THEM! I didn't get to be there, but we all know I was the best man 😉 but I seriously cannot be happier for them. They are the best couple and I got a new sister-in-law now. I was dressed up for the occasion too, tie and everything.

     Sorry I don't have too much from the week, it was a blur, but that's the best kind of week! But as I was studying this week, everything kept coming back to love for one another. Love, or better yet charity, is something that's so important for each and every one of us. Loving one another is a primary answer, but it's also the best answer to many of life's problems!

     I love you all! Happy January!

Elder Aldrich

Ready for wedding 🫡

New Year, Same Vibes

January 6, 2024

  Kiko ta kiko Ruman! This week has passed in the blink of an eye, and so have the last 5! Tdoc is here once again, so keep your eyes open for next week's email!

          Sunday

      I'm going to just start here cause Sunday was a crazy day. It started with church, which consisted of about 20 members. But about halfway into sacrament meeting, in walks a group of about 20 Utahns, which was just completely unexpected and culturally shocking. But they were all very kind people and the branch absolutely loved having them there! Just wasn't on my fast Sunday bingo card.

     From there things just got more strange. We had a lesson cancel because the lady was sick, and about 30 seconds later some guy, also on a bike, rode past and yelled at us to come with him and visit for a moment. And what do missionaries do when a guy tells you to come teach him? You follow. Safe? Don't know. But did we follow him? Yes. We followed this guy all the way out to this hill leading to what would become the middle of nowhere. He'd gotten of his electric bike cause the battery died, and so we caught up to him and talked with him to his house. We didn't get kidnapped, but we did finish that lesson about 2 miles from regular civilization.  Immediately following him we met a man who had just gotten out of prison, and it was a little hard to tell if he had gotten out of prison or gotten out of prison. All is well though, he gave us Coca-Cola. 

          New Years 🎉

     The New Year is huge out here. Like, insane. Mortars are everywhere, and everybody gets completely wasted. So wasted that nothing, and I mean nothing, is open on New Year's day. Even the gas stations that stay open for Christmas closed on New Year's day. I don't think I saw a single soul outside of their house for the first 4 hours. But our new year was a lot of fun. New Year's Eve meant turning all of the lights off at 10:30, grabbing headlamps, playing card games in the dark, seeing the fireworks then going to sleep. And New Years Day meant Horchata and lessons with members (they were the only ones not drunk) 

          Other Highlights

    - I had an exchange with my District Leader, Elder Winfield

    - Chair soccer has become my favorite game of all time

    - My brother gets married in a week and a half

    - My other brother and his wife have their baby in like 4 days... Crazy

     This week has been crazy, and the new year always makes for such a special time. It's a time of reflection and planning. Remember to include God in those plans, and accept that those plans will change because God's plan is better than our own. He loves us so much, and he knows what we need better than we do. I love you all, and I love hearing your stories! 

Bon Aña Nobo na Tur di Boso! 

-Elder Aldrizzle

Exchange Arepas with Elder Winfield

Last 2024 Sunset