Wednesday, July 23, 2014

July 7, 2014 - Utah

Bueno,

First to answer your questions.

Things are going well here! The food in the city here is pretty normal, actually. It is in otavalo with the indiginous people that the food gets weird.. or so I have heard haha. Tons of potatos, and I guess they dont always prepare them. I talked to an elder that said they just gave him potatos, dirt and all haha. Can´t wait! :P   The most different thing I have had here is I had a fish the other day that was just cooked, bones and everything, then yesterday for lunch with members I had sea food, and I don't know exactly what it was, but I heard them say tentaculo. (tentacle) haha there is a lot of sea food her, but it is good! 

Our apartment is fine. Its nothing special, but it meets our needs and is home. haha I don't have my camera battery yet, but tomorrow hopefully so I can take and send pics of everything. The showers are an adventure for sure. We just have little electric heaters for our shower heads that heat the water right there, and they are super temperamental, so you have to be very gentle and precise and turn on the water as low as possible while still giving enough water to start the heater. Too much water and it can't all be heated, so it is cold. It is a very delicate process to at least have luke warm showers haha. They are not hot, but not cold and I am grateful for what I have!

I feel good! Everything is normal. I have been healthy and had energy. Some days are easier and better than others, but that is to be expected. 

Good things: we have 14 new investigators from this past week, and 5 of them have baptismal dates! And we are going to have return appointments with the rest. My first baptism was last saturday, but I was not the baptist, but it was still awesome to see!  :)  I am teaching english to a menos activo ( I don't remember how that is in english) and she has been coming to church for the past 2 Sundays! And she has an awesome testimony, so hopefully she comes back so she and her family can be sealed. Her husband just returned  a few weeks before I got here. Ummm, we walk a lot, which is good and bad. Good because I think I am finally slimming down a bit haha, but bad when we are tired because the streets here are like roller coasters. Its nuts. We have to go up in order to get to a house that is lower. It makes no sense haha.  Also, my first night here in my sector I gave a blessing in spanish. Holy scary. I was so nervous, but it went well. I have given I think 3-4 blessings in 2 1/2 weeks. 

Hard things: The language is difficult. Always, but it is getting better. Understanding is also very hard sometimes. Especially when they talk fast. But that is coming too.  Also, we are soooo busy here. We never get back to our house before 9. And partly because when we have appointments, we are always fed. And if we turn down food, they get offended. Curfew is 9:30 when we have a cita, which we always do. 

Scary things: not much actually. We just always have to be careful. And it is much safer because we are always together, and there are two of us. But when it gets dark, which is at like 6:30, it can be dangerous in parts. And there are tons of dogs, but we have only had one problem where we almost got attacked, but it was all good! The cars sometimes. Like I have almost been hit a couple times, but its really not that bad. You don't have to worry about anything!

Yeah, the world cup is nuts here. When ecaudor played, we got ZERO done. We could not do anything. Everything was shut down. Even when other teams play it is difficult because everyone is gluedd to the tv. But it is almost over. 

That is awesome about the 4th! Haha we didn't celebrate at all here. And I am so happy for Leland and wish I could have been there! But I am proud of you, Lele, even in the cold water! Was it in a creek? Or where? But that is awesome!! 

Is chris doing soccer camp? 

Quick thought: D&C 24:8  "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endurethem, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days."  
How true is this! Wow. But this is something that is hard for people, to have patience and to endure to the end! But He is with us! Always!

I am out of time for now, but I love you all!!


Elder Parker

Here are a couple pics. Me with my mission president and wife, and with my whole group that came on the same day as me. I am the only gringo in my group haha :P


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