Letter 18 - 7/4/10

Happy 4th..... 5th of July!!

IN all seriousness, I was really missing home yesterday. I really wanted to smell BBQ and blow something up. But we at least bought a cake on saturday and they wrote "America" and "234" for us. 234 because that's how many years ago it was since the Declaration of Indendence for all those who slept through US history. The only thing it lacked was vanilla ice cream, but beggars can't be chosers.

So first awkward experience of the week. We've been doing door contacts all week trying to find people. One of the houses we sent to the guy sounded a little off while we were talking to him. The stuf he was saying almost sounded recited. He realized who we were and started rattling off all these things about the church. Stuff like the prophet, how 'powerful he thought the Ensign is, asked about conference. What really threw me was he said he has "Jesus the Christ" memorized. But I believed him because he told us how Talmage talks about a discrepency between two of the gospels and even cited the page. We ended the contact because he said he liked his church, but I had to take some time and digest what had happened, and then realized that he was autistic. Normally they have an obsession with numbers, but for him it was religious facts. It was so insane. We walked by his house another day and sure enough he was there reading some religious magazine. I was seriously trippin' out about how much he knew.

Then this Saturday while we were walking around we heard something buzzing. We looked up and saw it was something on the power lines. There was this arc that was just raging and it got super hot. So much so that the coating caught on fire. Which actually was really awesome because you had this really bright arc surrounded in flames. We thought (hoped) it was going to blow up. But it didn't. It was still a great precursor to the 4th of July. Just goes to show how ghetto it is in Ecuador.

Health advisory. When you haven't eaten for 24 hours it's not a good idea to load up on hot stuff. I had just ended my fast when we went over to a member's house to have lunch with them. I brought over this hot sauce another member made for me from a local pepper called ají. It also had these things called rosilla which are decently spicy. I normally eat the sauce with anything so I wasn't worried about adding a lot. Only thing is before I went to eat my rice I added more, and had forgotten how much was already there. Then Elder Robinson added a lot more with four rosilla bulbs. It started eating the bulbs and my rice, and it was pretty spicy, even for me. But when I finished my rice I felt really dizzy and my eyes couldn't focus. It started to feel almost drowsy too. When we went back home afterwards I realized, "wow I ate a crazy unhealthy ammount of ají on an empty stomach and I'm probably hi right now." I don´t know what it was, but it was a bad ride and I just wanted off. in conclusion. Kids don't eat too much ají, it's a train that just doesn't end. haha.

I met the president this week (again). He called a huge meeting to meet a lot of the missionaries and kind of talk to us about what he's going to change. He's already made alot of changes. It's really different from how it was before. A lot of missionaries are having a hard time, but it'll just take time to understand what he wants to do with the program. He's much more business than President Johns, so it'll be interesting to see how that translates to the mission program.

As far as the work goes we're still looking for people. We found some good people, but they haven't progressed or don't want to anymore. We still have those two awesome kids though Kevin and Yulexey (Do-lex-e). The whole family is just great and really open and accepting of the message. The parents just need to fix their marriage situation, but for now the two kids have the baptismal dates. We're going to start to have to work in the more dangerous third of our sector because we've kind of run out of room otherwise. So it'll be interesting to see how the week turns out. I'm guessing two robberies one with a knife the other without. hahaha jk.

So "suggested reading" for the week is a talk by Elder Holland. It's called "The Best Is Yet To Be" and it referrences Luke 17:32 where the Savior cautions, "Remember Lot's Wife". It's really really powerful. It talks about living in the past and how by not letting the past be the past (but still learning from it) we inhibit ourselves from learning the great things God has placed in front of us. It's really helped me and my comp during this time of change and also for when I get a wave of homesickness. Love you all, and hope you have a great week.

Letter 17 - 7/1/10

End of my first change!! I can´t believe how fast it´s going already, and this is supposed to be the slowest one. I´m still with Elder Robinson for the next change. It´ll be his last, though, because he's been here for three changes already. We're excited to be starting the program fresh for this change too.

We rearranged the house to innagurate the change. The only person that left was Elder Tobar, which was really sad because he wanted to stay the most. He loved his sector so much, but because there were clashes with the Bishop there had to be a change. What's more is that he really didn't want to leave the city and he ended up in the sector farthest away from the city.

This week went really well. We had to completely start our program over. People weren't progressing so we had to drop them. We've been going street by street knocking every door. It's been really interesting, and I've liked it a lot actually. There's more of a game to it. We've met some really god people that have serious potential. We just need to help them progress by understanding the importance of what's going on. What was really great was on day we were walking down the street and I looked around and thought, ¨Wow. I really do love this place.¨ I really do enjoy my sector. It's really just doing the work makes you love it. This sector has been closed seven or eight times in the last tem years because things don't really progress here, or hadn't progressed, and it's not the prettiest, to say it nicely. But it's still great.

Once again we had an encounter with a drunk. He was urinating on the wall and was yelling out to us as we were walking behind him and said, ¨Hey you gotta say hi to me. You gotta say hi to me.¨ He quickly finished and came over to us to shake elder Robinson's hand. All I thought was, ¨Please just keep talking to Elder Robinson.¨ Sure enough he walked up to me too. Luckily I had germ-x. BAM! It was still gross making myself shake his hand, but hey it's all part of the experience right? (See comment from Steve)

President Johns leaves this week. I feel pretty sad about it. He is such an amazing man. I really felt close to him even in the first two weeks. He'll be called as a Seventy for sure. There's for sure more things for him to do in the work. This Friday I get to meet our new mission president. AGAIN! President John's told me that he still remembered me and has asked about me. Needless to say , I was really excited to hear that.

Well, that's it for now.

I love you all so much!

Have a great week :)

Elder Vuinovic

Letter 16 - 6/22/10

...so here's the general update.

Here's how cool the robbers are here. At least the ones that aren't in gangs. On Saturday, while Elder Robinson and I are getting ready for the baptism, This guy jumps off a bus and comes up behind us and says,"Remember me? I robbed you." (way to make an entrance) so this guy is nagging us for a dollar while we're trying to go drop off our stuff at the church building. We both had our cameras on us, but we just told him we didn't have anything. I told him again that we were broke and he just yelled, three inches away from my face, "AMERICANO!!!" All I thought was, "You have a very flawed argument ,sir." so I just sarcastically told him I'm Ecuadorian. He kinda looked at me confused for a second or two and called me a liar. To show that we really didn't have any money he pulled out his pocket. The guy nearly jumped out of his skin and told us not to do that because he didn't want it to look like he was robbing us. So I thought, "Oh, so you don't like that do you? Well take this." And I just pulled out all my pockets and was like, "See? We don't have anything." He got all miffed/scared and then left. It was pretty funny.

*Side note. Along with my "Costly Apparel" franchise (all rights reserved). I´m going to open up an "Exceedingly Fine Footwear" sister company. I know, I know totally brill.

So this week I donated blood..... in a third world country. The grandpa of a recent convert in the other ward is dying and he needs a blood transfusion. The family can't pay for it so they have to donate enough blood to match the amount he'll receive. The other missionaries donated and we were asked to help. So what the heck. The mission president already said it was ok, but I don't think I can ever give blood in the US or ever donate an organ. Which really stinks because seven pounds really inspired me to do so. Sorry everyone, but believe me you may not want my kidney. When I was going through the questions with the guy in charge and I was laughing while he was asking me if I had any "relationships", diseases, drank or smoked. He kinda did a double take on the alcohol one. So I finish the questions and he said I'm not supposed to give blood, but he's going to let me because of my religion.

(strike one)
If they're willing to let a foreigner break the rules like that who knows who else's blood is there.

The place looked and felt like a WWII army hospital. When she went to put the needle in my arm she just took the bloodstained gloves she had for someone else and turned them inside-out

(strike two).
Then she took scissors and cut the tubes into an an open bin filled with other bloody tubes

(strike three).
I probably have a jungle disease, but I'll just find out when I cough up my liver. Fun stuff.

(Mom's note: Please pray for Adam that there will be no lasting effects from this!)

So to end the week was really cool. We baptized Ana Bermeo. She's so awesome. I think I already talked about her, but she has an ability to understand the scriptures that blows me away, and she's 15. It was such a privilege to teach/be taught by her. She also was asked to give her testimony after the baptism, and she was really nervous, but I told her to just say what she knows and how she felt after being baptized. She bore a powerful testimony. You'd never ever think she'd had only been introduced to the Book of Mormon only two weeks ago. She really knows it's true to her core.

There's something I've really learned from the sector. I've looked at these people for six weeks and wondered how can you allow yourself to be stuck in a life like this? Then I realized that all people are stuck like this who chose to not follow the commandments of God. Until this society chooses what is right they will forever be stuck in non-progression. It's so sad to see, but they have no value for marriage, the Sabbath Day is a joke to them, and they live under the influence of instant gratification.

(Steve's note: Sounds like a lot of Americans ...sadly.)

It's really sad, but I value obedience to God's laws even more now, and want to be able to help them understand the importance of it.

So the scripture is Jacob 4:6 I don´t know if I already shared this one. If I did than will you delete it mom? but it´s about how studying the words of the prophets increases your faith.

Wherefore, we search the prophets,
and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

So everyone search the words of the prophets
(the scriptures and the Ensign.)

I love you all, have a great week!

Letter 15 - FIRST BAPTISM

MY FIRST BAPTISM!!

It was so awesome. Gosh. It was really uplifting. The Spirit was very strong at the baptism of the two girls, Genesis Cruz and Simonne Gomez. And we have another one this Saturday. It's possible for us to get one more before transfers, but the kid has to get permission. The kids are the only hope for this place. It's incredible the difference between the children and their parents. The only things is that often the kids don't get permission.

Anyway so Saturday morning we had a cool experience while preparing the baptismal font. The water just stopped filling up, and since there are only maybe two water pipes in the whole building, we couldn't figure out what was wrong. So Elder Robinson thought it might be a circuit problem. So he starting flipping the circuits. Then I heard water running, so he stopped and we waited. We listened to the water running for at least twenty minutes maybe thirty, and we could not figure out why the water wasn't coming to fill the font. After staring at it for while of sitting in silence we starting saying our own prayer. When I finished Elder Robinson called me over to help him look into the roof to see if the water was leaking somewhere else. We couldn't find anything just the two water tubs, so we supposed that it was filling up, but it should've been giving off water a while ago. So we went back to the font and Elder Robinson opened the door and said, "Hey! It's filling up now......... I guess sometimes you just gotta ask." It's so true. It was just another fun small reminder from Heavenly Father of, "Hey, how's it going? You got to this point because of me, and you still need my help. Remember that." Such an awesome experience. I really can't fully describe it but I was so happy to be able to help out in a small part of such a huge step in their progress and acceptance of our Savior's Atonement.

I finally found something hot in this country!!! It was so awesome. It all started on monday when I found jalapenos in the store. I almost broke out into my party dance, but for the sake of the missionary work here I refrained. Then the next day a missionary in my Zone gave me this habanero sauce that totally rocks. and THEN these members made me this sauce from a local pepper called aji. oh man, it's de-lish! I thought I was going to go my whole mission with out spice. I'm going to go make an offering to the spice god tomorrow. He really pulled some strings for me.

Random thought. If I live out in Utah I"m going to open a clothing store called "Costly Apparel". It's a gillion dollar idea for sure. Btw... by me saying i'm going to do it I (Adam Michael Vuinovic) hereby claim all rights and privileges pertaining to the idea, the name, and all corresponding logos. I (Adam Michel Vuinovic) hereby claim the rights to all products created, sold, or advertised by any "costly apparel" corporation, franchise, or any other group or industry that bears this ingenious name. All rights reserved.

So everything has been focused on the baptism this week so not much has happened besides that. Although I did have an awesome interchange on Wednesday. I was in my sector and had to plan and carry out the day pretty much. I had some solid help from the other Elder, but I was super stoked that I didn't feel lost anymore and I can take care of myself in my own sector. We got five new investigators that day. It was really awesome.

A side from that I forgot to tell you all that I saw a dog eating out of a dirty diaper that was in the street. And let me tell you what, that diaper was ripe. I wish I could take more pictures so you all could see what I"m trying to describe, but if I use my camera outside I'll get robbed for sure. If not that day someone will see me and I'll get mugged the next. It's so ghetto. Compton eat your heart out haha.

I don't know why milk suddenly started to hate me, but once again my milk turned into cheese curds. This time my comp said it'd be ok so I added more of a fresh milk and tried it, thinking that my trainer is all knowing in the ways of Ecuador (I'm so dumb). So I took a bite and my mouth stung from the rancid milk. Oh man, it was gross. What stunk was I couldn't get rid of it. It's like when you accidentally bite into the orange peel and the bitter taste just sits in your mouth no matter what. Oh yeah that was fun.

Ok so I almost forgot. The girl that's getting baptized this Saturday is Ana Bermeo. I think I talked about her. She's so awesomely awesome. She's accepted everything we taught her and she knows it's true. On the interchange Elder Poma and I taught her the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom and about how our body's are temples. She had a lip piercing so we told her that prophet has said that women should only have one set of earrings. She said it would be hard, but she said it'd be ok and that she wants to. The next day I saw her as we were walking in the street and the first thing I looked at was her piercing, but it wasn't there. I was so stoked!! She's so awesome. She really is someone who was born ready for the Gospel.

So the scripture is 2Nephi 27:19,20

Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.

Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.

Even if you think you can't understand the scriptures we've been commanded by our Father to read it. There's is so much advice and guidance in the Book of Mormon from a Father who understands all things in the universe, especially the things that you're going through right now. Read it, and find the answers to your questions.

Love,

Elder Vuinovic

Letter 14 - 6/6/10

Wow. So I didn´t say anything last week so there´s been a BUNCH of stuff going on. We´ll start with the good stuff.

So we had a "interchange" (I don´t know what it´s called in English because it´s intercambio in Spanish) and we (Elder Salcedo and I) had to go back to La Isla Trinitaria so I could pick up Elder Robinson and go home. Elder Robinson and his comp for the day, Elder Freeman, were super late. They got back at nine thirty, the latest you´re allowed to be in the house. And that´s really not a good idea especially on the Island, It´s the most dangerous place in the country. There´s a place on the island called Nigeria. If they see a white person they will kill them. Back in that area it´s all drugs and guns. So Imagine the most dangerous area in the US next to a jungle river and sugar cane houses. Ta-dah!

Well me and Elder Robinson start to head out. But, uh-oh. There´s no buses. Why? because it´s too dangerous to ride buses at that time of night. So we´re like crap we have to walk back, and we have to go over a bridge. The people that live under this bridge wouldn´t approach us because they would like to hear a message about Christ. So we´re walking and walking then we see a bus. We jump for excitement. We hurry up and get on the bus. We´re riding aloing thinking all is well, but then maybe 200 yards from the bridge it turns around. We then scamper off the bus and watch the one bus that was behind us go over the bridge. So now we´re freaked out. We have no money to give to anyone that would try and rob us let a lone get a ride over the bridge, and we are two white guys in white shirts and ties carrying a huge backpack and another bag. We´re walking targets. WE just kept walking at a very very quick pace while singing, "Just Keep Swimming" laced with my Chris Farley style color commentary. I don´t know how (I think it was the song) but we made it back ok. But as everyone knows luck can only go so far. Wednesday we got robbed. Since it was my first one I didn´t know until Elder Robinson told me and pointed out the kife. I kept telling him I had nothing even before that. He kept saying, "give me a dollar I´m broke" I just kept saying, "Cool. So am I welcome to the club." Finally Elder Robinson gave him a dollar and I found a penny that I could give him. It was redonk. I thought I´d get by without gettting robbed, but no. Then not to forget Sunday on our way to church we almost got robbed again. This guy started yelling at us to go over to him. At first I thought he was talking to this guy on a bike, but then the guy told us with a serious face to not go and walk towards the market. I looked back and my stomached turned when I saw how close he was to us, but we just kept walking. I him we were going to church and that he should come with us. I mean seriously, breaking two of the Ten Commandments. Working and robbing on the Sabbath. He´s not even trying. So we made to the market before he got to us/pulled out his knife. The thieves here are pretty cowardly if you get to a main street or a market you´re ok.

Also we found the rat that cem to the house in Elder Estrada´s luggage. Elder Tobar started yelling that he saw tah rat run under the fridge. He took a brrom handle and started pounding it under the fridge. The guy´s a boxer so needless to say it was a pretty fierce shot he was throwing under there. after not seeing anything run out he kinda scrapped under the fridge and swiped out the rat. We thought he´d killed it but when we wer taking pictures it took a gasp for air. After Tobar finished the job we realized that previously ahd only been knocked unconcious because Elder Tobar punched it´s testicles out. The poor thing died because he junk got destroyed. I´m sorry if this is crass. Then I started freaking out beacuse it was on our kitchen floor. I kinda have a problem with the thought of rodent genetalia in the same room as where we prepare food. So I took deodorant spray and lit the tile to try and cleanse it because I couldn´t find cleaning products. It was for sure a highlight of the week.

As far as spiritual stuff goes (kinda the point of the whole two years) we met a girl named Anna, because one of our really good friends in the ward brought her to church. After met we gave her the Book of Mormon she told us she´d read it and pray about it. When we returned we taught the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" and asked if she had erad and prayed. She told us that when she had she prayed with all her faith, and that afterwards she felt so much love, and that she felt so much love for her friends and for everyone around and her and she knew that it was true. I was so excited!! It was incredible to see her really study the Book of Mormon. She highlighted things added her own book mark and really showed that she wanted and answer. She took it seriously. If all our investigators did that they´d all know it is true. So she´s getting baptized next week! I know that people who would accept this message would normally accept it with our without me, but I´m so greateful to have the oppotunity to be able to watch someone come to a knowledge of the truth like that.

As far as the adjustment goes I´m still workin on it. The food is just fine, I enjoy it. Even the chicken feet and rice. you just don´t think about what you´re eating and it´s all good. I still don´t get this culture though. They believe in Christ because it´s fashionable, and they would seriously believe almost anything you say about Christ. "oh I don´t need to pray about you´re book. I believe what you say because I believe in Christ." We´ll talk about the one true church of Christ maybe fifty times in a lesson. Then we ask, "If our this is the only true church of Christ are the other churches in Guayaquil true?" and they just nod their head lightly. We have to totally re-teach about God too, adn be really patient as people try to work out of their mental rut of what they thought God was. There´s come crazy stuff here. I never thought I would have to re-teach what God was, and it´s for sure harder than I thought.

And I´m really tired of getting creeppy looks from every gay and crossdressser here. You have no idea how many there are here. It almost ruined my day yesterday.

But on the upside I learned how to make hot chocolate from scratch and it´s the best stuff ever.

So the scripture is in 2 Nephi 30:3-5 Nephi´s like, "Hold up, Imma drop a prophecy right here" (unofficial modern-day translation). I thought it was cool because I´m totally a part of this prophecy. The gentiles bringing the record to the remnant of the seed.

Love you all, bye!

Letter 13 - 5/24/10

Woah.....

This week has been crazy. We had five almost seven baptismal dates this week, but we went to visit one of the families and their kids told us they don't want to be baptized. So we had to drop their date. What didn't help was that the Mom, right in from of the kids, told us that the daughter is super rebellious, lies to her all the time, and that she thinks Satan is talking in her daughter. So we're going to sit down with just the kids and talk to them about how they feel about it and their concerns, worries, doubts and such without the parents present. I feel bad because the parents know it is true and want to be baptized so badly (they're working on being legally married), and they have a huge desire to progress while their kids don't want to be baptized. We had to explain the whole thing about agency and that the kids have to want to be baptized. So we'll see what happens.

Side note. There's this kid in the cyber that's by me and he's playing a video game and keeps taking out loud to himself, with a lot of random sounds and an occasional English phrase (cuss words, I think).

Back on track.

Interesting things I saw this week were two bus robberies almost right outside our window, and a dead dog that had had it´s stomach ripped open so all of it´s vitals were just hanging out. There´s always dead animals in the street, but this one was really special. For sure a gold medal winner. It was like something out of a horror movie.

I´m starting to adjust to place and like it. I’ll never adjust to the smells, but I've just accepted it now. They have these stores that have all these religious names, probably so they feel like they can justify themselves. My favorites are "the Heart of Christ" and "The Will of God" (because of course the will of God is for them to work on Sunday and sell alcohol). Also, they really really want to pretend they´re American. For the most part it really hasn't helped them. They just have uncontrollable trash problems because they´re semi-developed. All the houses are made of cinder block, even the nicer ones, and have aluminum siding roofs, with a bunch of exposed re-bar and wires. I love it though. I´m in a third world area and on p-days I can go to the rich area and by all the American-ish products.

I think my favorite are the buses. They´re absolutely insane. They go the same speed on the freeway as they do on regular roads. They drive and stop within a foot of everything at any speed. On Thursday I had to take a bus to a busy area, and there were so many buses and it was like they were racing around each other trying to pick up people and still not be slowed down by the other buses. Imagine the video game "crazy taxi", but buses mixed in with bus-style roller derby. That´s the Ecuadorian bus system.

On a more spiritual note, there are these two little kids that we met and have been teaching, Andrea, who is 13, and Renny, who is 9. They are so awesome. The first lesson was just with Andrea and she was completely absorbed in what we were teaching. The next time we came for a check on her reading she hadn't read, but Renny, her cousin (i think) sat in. We shared a quick message and they both said they would read. I was gone on a exchange when Elder Robinson went back. When he asked if they read they both had, and Renny was able to say exactly what went on. When Elder Robinson asked if they prayed and received an answer they had and Renny said he heard a voice telling him it was true. I was so excited to hear that. When I went back to teach them the Plan of Salvation, Renny made some pretty deep comments. These are really special kids. It´s easy to tell that Andrea is so receptive to these things by nature, and Renny has an incredible understanding for not knowing anything before. It shows how much more in tune children are with the Spirit. Man, it was just so cool to be able to teach these kids. They´re two of our baptismal dates. We have five right now! It´ll be a lot of work to maintain that, but I’m stoked for it.

So I don't have a scripture again, which stinks because I've read some good stuff this week. I'll be sure to have one next week.

I love you all. bye!

Letter 12 - 5/17/10

Hi everyone!

Wow. So here I am. This is the real deal. It's absolutely crazy here. As far as the language goes I can speak fine, but I´m having a more difficult time understanding what they´re saying to me. I just kinda stare blankly and nod every now and then, hoping they only ask my companion questions. There´s normally at least one person a day who I can understand though, which is really nice. I know I have it a lot better than the other Americans that came in with me. Hooray for Mexican friends who helped teach me Spanish!

So as far as the city goes, I have a whole lot of adjusting to do. The heat is pretty bad (Saturday was the worst for sure. I can´t even describe the amount of sweat). Sanitation is.... different. You can't flush your toilet paper, and all trash goes to the middle of the big streets which gets picked up once a week, I think. So that and the heat gives us some really interesting smells during the day. Things that I hope are only unique to Ecuador. The people are nice for the most part. Nobody will say no to you, so they say they’re busy and to come back at some indefinite time (at which they will be sure not to be home). In the mornings it´s hard to contact people because they’re "making lunch". One guy was just standing on the sidewalk just staring at the ground, holding a knife. So the elder I was on an exchange with and I tried to contact him, but of course he said he was to buy to listen, so we just talked about his family. Then he saw a friend down the street and told us he had to go so he could talk to his friend. Must have been a crazy cool friend to make him forget how busy he was.

So all week people are too busy and then all weekend they party or are drunk. It´s a little frustrating. Especially when two or three appointments fall through in a row and you´re trying to find someone to teach. Because the whole city is poor (except for two houses) people don´t have much, but they almost all have these little shops/stands that they have in their house behind an iron gate. On the other side of the freeway in our sector is pretty bad. The pictures of bamboo and aluminum siding huts that you may see of the poor areas of Guayaquil is my area most likely. It´s really sad.

On Saturday I had a transfer on La Isla Trinitaria, so I went over there on Friday. My area and the island are the poorest areas, but the island is way more dangerous. Friday night as we were going back to the missionaries’ apartment Elder Solares, my exchange comp, notice this motorcycle with a cart of people turned around right after they passed us. He started walking over to this random house and I starting thinking, "Another appointment? We should've been back a while ago." He started to do a intro lesson and then whispered that there were thieves that where about to rob us and begged her to let us in. Once I realized that I started to plead too, because I only had a dollar (which for sure wouldn't be enough for them) and I didn't want to find out what happened next. Finally she let us in until they left, but I was for sure paranoid after that. Then the next night we heard gun shots. Luckily we went back early because everyone was partying/didn't want to listen, but we would've been over on that side probably if we hadn't.

On the lighter side, Friday night I went to take a shower. When I closed my eyes it looked like there was light flashing up and down over my eyes and my head was vibrating. I thought, "This doesn't make any sense. The water isn't running that hard." So I stuck my hand up and finger went numb. Then I realized my head was touching the electric heater shower head and the vibration feeling was an electric current running through my head. Yay! As far as the success of the transfer, we had two new investigators down by the ports ( super crazy poor) and I saw this family of pigs just cruising around the streets. Once lunch came no one else wanted to listen to us except one group,but I don´t know how much they were being taught.

As a whole this city wears me out, and I generally don´t like it. But that´s only until we get into the homes and start teaching. I absolutely love the teaching and it´s worth it. Especially Sundays. Being at church where everyone there wants to learn more and be edified was my sanity for the week. It´s for sure what I look forward to. Today was nice going around to another part of the city and relaxing, but church was the best. We also taught a family who´s kids are going to be baptized and the parents REALLY want to also. But they´re trying to get a divorce from their other marriages and then get married so they´re living the law of chastity. It´s redonk, a marriage is 6 dollars and it takes maybe a week, but a divorce is about 600 and takes months. They´re really struggling with this financially, but it´ll awesome to see them once they make it through. Well that´s it for now. I´ll try to send home some pictures soon. I got really good ones today with iguanas at this park.

Love you all!