Ulat

Halo Keluargaku,

I have my flight plans! Wild, huh? The rest of the elders actually got theirs a while ago, so I started to worry if something was wrong when I didn't get mine until just last week. But now it's officially confirmed. I'll be arriving home in Salt Lake City at 2:40 PM on Tuesday, August 16. Not too far away, huh? In fact, this is the second to last e-mail I'll be sending home from the mission field. I'll be leaving Singapore early Tuesday morning and flying to Tokyo, then from Tokyo I go to Los Angeles and from Los Angeles head up to Salt Lake. It's wild that things are all winding down, but I've had a great time out here and we have definitely stayed very busy getting everyone oriented in the new area before I head back.

I finally completed one of my biggest crazy mission food goals. This last week we met up with one of the members of the branch and ate "ulat." Do you remember that part in the Lion King when Timon and Pumba eat those big grubs from the tree stumps. Yup, these are something like that. I think in English they are called something like "sego worms," but to describe them they're basically these big fat white grub looking things with this soft rubbery skin. They contract their whole bodies to move, and look thoroughly disgusting! We totally ate them! I found out not to long ago that you can buy them at an Iban outdoor market here in JB and we finally managed to do it this last week. An Iban member taught us how to cook them (which basically just involved frying them up with some onions) and we all enjoyed a nice snack at his house. The biggest surprise of all? They actaully taste good! Really! You pick them up by their little head/jaw parts and bite off the head. Their skin has a really rubbery texture and, as our member always tells us, the inside has a liquid that is "like milk!" So, that was a lot of fun, and no one ended up getting at all sick. A win/win, right? :D (I have pictures, but didn't bring my cable to send them, so I'll just have to show you when I get home).

We're having a lot of fun getting the area together and ready for my departure. We're working with lots of good potentials and the work shows some great signs for the future.I love it so much here. It will be hard to leave, but I'm looking forward to everything ahead too!

I love you all so much! I'll see you at 2:40 on August 16!

Love you!
Elder Blissett