Hola todos!! I have a lot a lot to say. Sorry for not emailing for a bit the ccm was just kind of the same thing every Day.
One week ago today I got up at 2 am to get on my bus to the airport. There was one other person from my district on there with me but once we got to the airport I was on my own. Went through security and checked bags and was in Merida by 9 am or so. The mission president and his wife and the APs we're there waiting for us to come through. We got in a van and drove to the mission home. After a little of being there we met with all the trainers and people who work in the mission home and we had pizza and Hung out for a bit. Then we all sat around in a circle and we we're assigned companions. Luckily, I got a guy who Speaks english. There was a big possibility that wouldnt be the case so PHEW.
After that I got my hammock (its all Hot pink) and called my fam and then me and my comp left to get to my first area.
Took an uber to the bus station and bussed 2.5 hours to my area. When we got there we had a dinner appointment that we went right to.
This was such an immediate culture shock. Everyone here lives in concrete and mud huts. I go to this house and sit Down in a dirty stained plastic chair and this 3 foot by 3 foot little table and I look up and there hundreds of bugs crawling out of the ceiling and geckos and spiders all over the wall. There we're bugs falling in my food from the ceiling. Everything is old and ratty and dirty and I was actually thinking how was I going to live like this for 2 years. For these of you who know me you know I'm too big of a germaphobe. Especially when it comes to other peoples germs. Now I'm eating off slighty washed off utensils eating foot made in these conditions.
Then after to make me even more uncomfortable we get to my house at like 930 at night and the place is a STY. Socks, clothes, dust, dirty bugs, spiders everything you can think of was just lurking. And the house was so Hot and humid I was so disappointed HAHA. That was my first day.
Next morning we went to another town for district council and I got my sombrero. We got some food then did some mission work at the end of the Day.
Lot of walking haha we walk everywhere except to get to other pueblos.
We algo ate Lunch at a members house that Day. I had prayed to just feel confortable and to be humble and I havent had a problem with anything since. Whats beautiful is that these people have so little and theyre so happy. Everyone lives with next to nothing, doesnt affect them just because thats how it is here, I love it.
I also killed a scorpion that night in the house. I promptly took to cleaning and sweeping out the whole house. I broke down so many ecosystems and animal families haha. Now I can be somewhat comfortable here.
Next day was our first day in a new Pueblo, like a 30 minute bus ride from our house. The highlight of that day was a specific lesson. This family let us in and my comp gave such a good introduction to our beliefs and the book of Mormon. What is hard for me right now is not knowing enough of the language to contribute much. I just sit there trying to figure out what my comp is teaching and talking about waiting for a question he will ask me. That lesson, he asked me what the book of Mormon means to me. And my mouth was FILLED and without an extra breath I bore my testimony of the book of Mormon and why it's so important in almost perfect spanish. My comp recited to her the first vision and I couldn't help but tear up. They asked so many questions and were genuinely so interested and said they had been waiting for something like this because they said they've found so many other religions are corrupt. And these principles of the gospel to them were just ground breaking knowledge you could see their excitement.
We had a few other good lessons that day, ate a lot of food with some members there, I realized I hate HATE flan.
Next Day was another Pueblo all the way on the edge of the gulf. Had a few good lessons that day too and I felt more confident in being asked more questions by my comp. It just gets frustrating sometimes because there's so much I want to say and bear testimony of and my lips are tied and I just have to sit there. It's okay for now I'm just supposed to be learning.
We gave a lesson that day to the cousin of this member who drove us around that day. She had only heard of us through her cousin. We gave a message on the book of Mormon and she also seemed really receptive too. I actually kind of led that discussion.
Next day was stuff around here in my home town. Cansahcab. The natives here call it Kansas city. I don't even know why.
Highlight of that day was probably teaching this one boy, he's about like 14, his family is inactive but he still takes lessons from us. I challenged him to read the book of Mormon everyday for the next week until we see him again and to pray about it everyday with true intent. I told him if he doesn't feel a thing, we never have to see him again, but I promised him if he wanted to know it's true then to take me up on what I told him, and I said he had nothing to lose. I know he's reading, I'm excited to see him again, my comp is going to invite him to get baptized next visit if all goes well.
Nowwww Saturday was a regular day, we taught an english class to some members and did normal work. That night we were having trouble talking to anyone none of our contacts had time or were home or wanted to hear. We prayed to find somebody and the next house we knocked opened the door long enough to hear a lesson and we gave her a book of Mormon. We're following up this week.
Sunday is a DOOZY. I woke up with a stomach infection. Probably the sickest I had ever been in my life. I couldn't stop throwing up. They asked me to give my testimony in church and I had thrown up 2 minutes before I got on the pulpit haha. So after I got the day off and I didn't leave my hammock from Maybe 2-3 yesterday until now. I think I'm all better. The testimony went good! For one week down the members and I were impressed at my ability to talk and say what I wanted to, I think they like me.
Miscellaneous stuff:
My favorite thing in the world here is cheap bread. I could eat it forever.
Dogs- oh my goodness the poor dogs. I don't even know where to start. They are all skin and bone and all of them are beaten by their owners. Every dog I see won't let me come within 10 feet of touching it or if it does and realizes I'm not going to hit it with a machete, won't leave me alone haha! Because I don't beat them. I see them tied up to trees everywhere just alone and starving. Some with their paws half cut off from being hit with a machete or worse. The other night while my comp was sharing a message to a guy, his kids were playing with the dog. They would rub their hands in the dirt and then rub all over the dog to get it dirty then they'd grab it by its hind legs and drag it across the asphalt. I went up to the dog and started loving on it and I swear this dog started just crying in my arms. It just tucked its head in between my neck and shoulder and refused to leave.
All animals here are beat haha but I have the most sympathy for the dogs.
I don't mind sleeping in a hammock at all, I am getting better at it everyday its actually a skill to know how to configure yourself and distrubute your weight. For those of you who don't know, it's too hot here to have beds so everyone sleeps in hammocks.
And, the heat. I average like 36-41 degrees centigrade here which is like 96-105 degrees fareinheit. The humidity will be as low as 30 and as high as 80. I don't mind it really I just have come to expect nothing less than to sweat my guts out haha.
Oh and the house. We lose power and water pretty frequently so it'll get hotter in here sometimes than outside haha. There was one day when we were trying to do comp study in the house without any fans or anything and we we're just pouring sweat. I couldn't look down at my book without soaking the page haha! But just all part of the fun here.
I'm sure there are things I've forgotten but at this point I'd be surprised if most of you read this far so I'll end it here.
I'm so happy to he here and I already love it. I love my Lord and I can't wait to see you all again.
