2-14-11

Tuesday: We got up and out on time to head to Cañete for our Distrizona. I tried to take my much needed money out of the ATM, but it hadn+`t arrived as it was supposed to. One more week hoofin` it. During the Distrizona we had interviews with our Zone Leaders. I spoke with Elder Frankson. He`s from Costa Rica, but speaks english like a gringo `cause his Dad`s from canada. I told him of the conclusions my feelings had arrived at, and the process that got them there. He said that was good. Frankson`s already got 2 years and 1/2 a monthy. He got sick early on and stayed in a HOspital away from home, but it didn`t count for his time so he`ll be serving for 2 1/2 years. He told me that sometimes we have to pass through more than one gethsemane. I thought of Ether 12, where it says we don`t receive a testimony until after the trial of our faith. I can`t deny that I learned things from Argueta. I can do this. I still have a lot of time to grow and change and learn. I realized again how short the missiion is, and how much I love it. It`s a safe (knife points aside) and semi-controlled environment left with some freedom. How wonderful it is to progress! I`ll do my best to follow Christ`s example.

Wednesday: Last night, I found more rocks in my bed. Haha. A siren blasted at about 11:30 last night. I thought it was a tsunami, but saw a fire truck zooming off. I about jumped out of my pants when there was a 5-point earthquake 15 min. later. My alarm went off at 3:30. Needless to say, it was a long night. We got up and I got what I think to be my best haircut ever. I got it from a member who just finished beauty school. EPIC!!! We tried to do contacts, but we gave up after a while without success. We went to the chapel, and practiced teaching the Plan of SAlvation in preparation for tonight`s lesson. I found a lot of scriptures that had never found before, all in the Bible. On the way to lunch a BIG dog started chasing me with fangs bared. So I used a trick I learned from Oversby: the stare. It still growled and hissed, but didn`t advance. I knew if I moved away, I would see the sign of weakness. It eventually gave up, and I walked away shaking. We didn`t have time to teach the Plan of Salvation, so we reviewed baptisimal interview questions with Maybelline. She gave responsibility to Hna. Olivares, her aunt. She might still get baptized! We passed by a contact with whom we had an appointment. She wasn`t in, but we got there just as her 17 year-old daughter was leaving. She was really receptive. We have a return appointment for next monday. I think she could get baptized. We came back to find that the girls had removed the boards supporting Elder Montoya`s bed. He was swearing up a storm. I smiled as I realized he wasn`t complaining that they did it, but because it was obvious.

Thursday: We started out today with an activity in the church. We invited all of the youth to come and play ping pong. Maybelline and Jassay didn`t come, but Maybelline`s brother did, and we got to teach Gonzalo about the Plan of Salvation. I got to tell him that I knew where my Grandpa was and that he could know these things were true by way of prayer. We went over to lunch only to find that Jassay and Maybelline had had to make lunch, because Hna. olivares had to go to cañete. It was rice (expertly boiled) and two hot dogs. Simple but scrumptious! Jassay and I were talking, and we got on the topic of my journal (I don`t remember how). She asked if she could read it. She seemed surprised when I said yes. I asked if she would let me read hers. She said no, because it was personal. I was in a philosophical moood and postulized. I figured that people, in general, create bonds by sharing things that are personal. Thoopse are the things that make us different form those around us. Also,k when we judge others, we`re not defining them. We`re defining who WE are. We`re spending the night in Cañete with the Leaders for the interviews tomorrow. Elder Heiser and I will definitely be friends after the mission. Elder Frankson and I have a good friendship and a lot in common. He`s awesome.

Friday: I had a great day today. We all got up on time and went from cCañete to Lebu for the interview meeting. Elder Trevor Vincent is one of the asisstants to the President. I used to hang out with his sister, Cami, a lot for a while. Now there`s a rumor in the mission saying that I dated her. Haha. But Elder Vincent`s a stud. I see how the ways I`ve changed affect my friends. I have lots. People come talk to me and want me to talk to them. I used to have to start all of my conversations! In my interview with the President., I got to talk freely about how I`m doing. I had been waiting all week to talk about Montoya and his behavior, but when the time came, I didn`t do it. I said we HAD struggled, but as I thought about it, Montoya and I get along really well now. During some of the activities, we were laughing and joking like old friends. I told President that during my difficult time in Tirùa, I had learned a lot of good things. He sighed, and leaned on the desk, and assured me that this time was not meant to be something to be endured or to learn a lesson. He said, "Enjoy it!" So I will. We got back at 8 and experienced a 7.4 earthquake followed shortly by a 7.1 aftershock. CRAZY FUN!!! We watched "johnny Lingo" and I taught Maybelline how to tie the chilean knot I had learned. I got a letter from Jess. She`s really awesome, and Kevin`s a stud.

Saturday: I`m tired. It`s 12:58 and I`m jsut barely getting to this entry. We spent the whole afternoon visiting members, getting them excited for tomorrow`s meeting aso I didn`t have time to prepare my two classes and my twenty-minute talk. Ugh! Tomorrow I`ll be monologuing to an audience for 8 hours in Spanish. Hoo boy! But today was exciting. Lately, this mama dog has chased me every time I pass it. Last night I had a dream that Cassie (sister) raised an army of this dog to fight my pokemon army because my orange soda fell on her laptop. It was a fun dream! :) but weird. We made Jassay and Maybelline clean up our room today after all the messes they`ve made. They did good work. For lunch, we had an interesting salad. I thought it to be a chicken salad, but it had this asalty kind of Jello. I asked what it was, and they said it was "ñachi"--coagulated lamb`s blood. ugh! yuck! yuck! yuck! We looked for inactive members and found the wife of one. She wasn`t baptized and didn`t really listen to anything we said. When we left, Elder Montoya thanked me. He said he had forgotten how to be a missionary. If somebody`s baptized and active in another church, he cuts off the conversation there. But I didn`t. I thought it was normal, but guess Montoya had forgotten. I knew I could help him. Heps actually a really good guy. We gave Hna. Pablina a blessing for health. He`s had a pain between her eyes. I`m disappointed by how full my oil container still is. Time to sleep in my clean bed! (seaside summer storms=yum!)

Sunday: I did it. I monologued for 3 hours in Spanish. My tongue got tired. I taught a lesson on the Spirit world, becuase of Grandpa`s death. Gonzalo, Maybelline, and Nikolas all came. Maybelline told me, after the class, that she had understood everything really well...unlike the first time I taught the Plan of Salvation. I taught the YOung men how to strengthen the family. Gonzalo was really interested in this and made really good comments. after church, Hna. Olivares was filling out her tithing. Her daughter asked her whose money it was. She told her it was God`s. The daughter asked who took it to him. the answer was, "the missionaries." Her eyes widened as she asked, "They go to heaven?!" "Every Monday." haha. Montoya asked the kids what they learned in my class. Everyone had comments that I didn`t remember saying. Then I understood that they had learned by the spirit, not me. We visited members all afternoon. ONe lady didn`t answer her door. I got a feeling from the Spirit. It was like a pull...towards the door. I was like, "I`m not gonna do something crazty like that." And the spirit was like, "You`re gonna do something crazy like that." So I broke down the door. It wasn`t bolted, just a wooden board. WE found the sister huddled in the corner with her boyfriend holding a knife. It wasw intense, but we got him to calm down and call the cops. We ended the night teaching Gonzalo. He started talking about the Plan of Salvation. He had read the pamphlet we`d left him. He made comments of twhat he thought and was right as he used all the terms correctly. We asked how he felt. He said every time he was with us, he felt peace. I love it when people say that answer, because it`s always the same. It helps my testimony as the spirit helps them learn. He likes to hang with us, more than his family. Tonight, he will pray for an answer. They`ll leave soon (maybelline and gonzalo). With a miracle, he might get baptized.

Monday: Happy VAlentine`s DAy! I actually didn`t remember until this evening, but when I did, I called Lisonbee and asked him to be my Valentine. When we woke up, Elder Montoya wanted to go out and work on our pday. I told him no, and that I wanted to rest, because my stomach hurt. He was upset, but aquiesced. Lehi and Gonzalo came over for a ping pong tournament. We played and I tied for first with Gonzalo. He won the tie, and we got him a complet. We ha d areally yummy dsoup broth with macoroni noodles for lunch. In the afternoon, we watched "The other side of heaven." It was a really beautiful movie. Elder Montoya wanted to leave to work early. I thought it was totally rude of him to cut my only day off, short. We found an apostate member. He used to (still does?) have the priesthood--something rare down here. Now he goes to another church because he wants to shout and scream "Hallellujah!" with his hands in the air. He studied in Madrid, spain and so montoya took a liking to him. We had a bit of an argument tonight. Usually, whe I type up my weekly reports, it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes on average. Most of my comps. have been accepting of this. But Montoya says he won`t let me tomorrow, and I can`t really say he`s wrong. What do I do? Also I bought a bunch (bushel?) of carrots to live on. Yay!