There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today

Hola familia!  Wow, week two down! and I'm happy to report: I am loving the mission!  The first week was hard... really hard; but this week I was just raking in the joys and the disappointments were, less. or I just don't really remember them now? not sure :)

But wow, what a week! 

First off, I GOT DEAR ELDERS THIS WEEK!  Some sister walked in to zone conference on Thursday and gave me some! I guess she had been by the office and I had some letters there! So what does this mean for you?  Send me dear elders, and emails. :) mostly emails though.  But dear elders make my day a little brighter too :) Ha sorry I'm so demanding!  Also, tucked inside my dear elder, (which was from mommy.  Thanks mom I loved it), was a note from Hermana Pister!  Oh my gosh I love that woman!  I don't know how she got it in there, but she made my day!  I miss my old comps! BUT  I absolutely adore my companion right now!  I know I said this last week but I'll say it again, that Hermana is an angel!  She is so supportive and just incredible!  Couldn't have asked for a better trainer! 

soaking wet Hermanas

So this week, I learned what Guatemalans mean by rain.  You see, it's the rainy season here... which means everyday at 3, right when we go out, it starts raining buckets. and buckets and buckets and buckets!  Like, I can't even explain it.  I have an umbrella, a raincoat, boots and the works... and  I'm still drenched every time.  I took a pic in the road outside the bishops house... the streets turn in to RIVERS!  When I stepped into the street to take the picture, the current was so strong it nearly knocked me over!  Goodness.  Oh and funny story, right after we took that picture we were walking to the capilla and just chatting when a car drove by and DRENCHED US.  I'm not kidding, it was like from a movie.  A wave of water just attacked us.  We were already soaked but now it was with dirty street water! yum! ha!  We laughed so hard, literally we both screamed at the same time and threw our hands up and then after we just looked at each other and busted up laughing! hahahaha  I'm laughing just thinking about it.  Oh and the face of the man on the sidewalk across from us... I'd say he enjoyed it too! hahahahahahahahaha.

sideways but you get the point!

So we went to the birthday party of a sweet hermanita in our ward this week, right after the torrential downpour, she turned 88!  It was really fun and long... speeches. these people are... long winded. but I love em! when they sing happy birthday here and there are Nortes around, they sing in English first, then in Spanish! So I sang my heart out in English, I take what English I can get. :) and then they fed us cake and tostadas. and wow, I love that people force food down our throats. I NEVER say no :) so I had... you know, 6 tostadas. and 3 slices of cake.  I'm in food heaven.

Speaking of food, this week we started eating with a family for lunch everyday! this is the equivalent of a cook!  We are eating with the familia G-, 5 kids and all of them are just happy and active in the church!  I adore them and Hermana G- spoils us with her meals!  They serve us so much and every meal there are tortillas up the yin yang.  I love tortillas!  I seriously eat 5 or more with every meal!  Ha the dad looked at me yesterday while I was eating and was like, uh do you want more tortillas? hahahahaha.  I'm a pig and in terms of how the food is treating me... I think my body is adjusting. ha! what an adventure this place is.  I don't drink the water, don't worry... but yeah.... adjusting, slowly but surely. ;) 

Everyone drinks water this way and I also filter it to be extra sure!

So monday night, a week ago, we helped out with an activity and my comp and I were in charge of cooking popcorn... ha after like 7 different attempts we finally got it working sorta.... ha we tried!  But then after, we were riding home in the back of a truck of a member with some other hermanas and I was just like wow. how blessed am I!  I am serving the Lord in Guatemala!  I love life!  This week has been full of moments like that :)  I'm just noticing the little things a lot more.  Like we will be singing a hymn to someone that honestly doesn't want to talk to us and I'll be like dang, this sucks.  But then I think, no way. there is sunshine in my soul today!  I'm gonna smile and smack them with my sunshine! So I do!  And they still don't listen.  Ha!  I'm learning to love these people.  They will usually let us in, but keeping commitments.... rare.  We keep trying though.  Never lose hope.  Sometimes that is hard when it is Sunday morning and you have been chasing people down and waking them up for 2 hours... but then we go to church; where people hug us and kiss us on the cheek and bear their testimonies about how hard the hermana missioneras work, and I just think, this is worth it. :)

We work a lot with the members here!  We usually go out with one a day and try to involve them in teaching.  It's a new thing for this ward, but we are trying everything we can to meet more people, tracting and contacting at doors doesn't really work for us, ever.  Ha the other day I made my first successful contact on a bus!  Or so I thought!  I was so pumped and I got the girl's number and she was going to go to church with us!  And then we called, fake number.  You could say I was bummed.  But then you just pick up and keep going! 

So we are teaching this adorable family, we met them my first day contacting!  They have a little son and he is 18 mos.  I love him!  The family is just adorable.  We are working with them and everytime we visit they make us food!  We will be like trying to leave and they are like oh but wait, we just baked a chocolate cake for you!  Oh but we just made ajote for you!  Yeah so ajote is good :) its like cooked green pumpkin. tastes a lot like yams with lots of brown sugar.  I loved it!  I've been trying lots of Guatemalan food lately.  Like candied figs, holy goodness!  Oh and fried platanos. :) fave!  So we are really hoping this family gets baptized this month.  They are so ready and were so prepared for the gospel.  But as always there are things setting them back!  I just pray everyday that we can help them in anyway we can! :) 

Editors note: Didn't she say she was eating Guatemalan food????

Oh so can I please tell you about the hilar transportation that exists in Guatemala! hahahahahahaha. So there are cars, lots of them; but there usually double the amount of people in them.  Buses, we ride them a lot, are like passenger vans with 30 people in them and 10 hanging off the back and sides.  We don't hang off, not allowed to.. but its hilar!  And 4 wheelers!  I'm not kidding there are 4 wheelers everywhere!  And countless motorcycles.  It's like the family suburban here.  I'm not kidding when I say that daily I see a family of 5 riding on one motorcycle.  Just mom, dad and the 3 kids wherever they can hang on! 

So hilarious story, yesterday we taught someone in English!  We received a referral for an inactive man that is an English professor.  So we found him and sure enough, homeboy speaks English! hahahahaha. It was kinda awkward teaching in English!  I'm so used to Spanish!  But that was really funny.

Oh I also bought Oreos.  They are expensive here but I don't care.  I eat one a day and just feel happy. :) that and peanut butter!  It's like 50 quetz here! goodness. 

dipping oreos in milk just like at home

Well, I love you all more than you'll ever know!  I think about you all the time, but lately less and less, which is good, because its hard to miss your family and have your heart in this work! :)  But every night I pray for you all. :) 

Love you so much :)

Don't forget to find joy everyday.  Don't waste a single second of your time on earth!  And find a way to serve someone today! :)