I have one request---don’t send a box for Christmas. I don’t have room (cause I tend to collect stuff on the way), and I am doing good. If you send anything at all, send it in padded envelopes or those little 5x9 boxes that you sent my memory card in. don’t worry about sending food, because a lot of it usually rots inside the bag from the humidity (even if it’s sealed).
This week has gone well. I’ve learned a lot.
We have changes on Wednesday, and I’m hoping that my companion doesn’t go.
Hey,
I’m glad you got the letter, and that you seem to understand it. I wrote it at night after working a day, so I’m surprised it’s legible.
If I’m gonna have to wear a suit coat here, I’m probably going to buy a new one. I haven’t heard anything though, and I don’t know if the president would do it anyway. I’m pretty sure they moved me to the capital, because the orient was affecting my body too much, and I was always sick. ---Here is a lot different from Guatemala, but I’ll keep that stuff in mind.
---As for my companion, he is from Guatemala, so I think he’ll use the scarf there. Some of the days, people here actually wear sweaters and beanie-hats, but that’s only when its colder than 75 degrees.
That’s good about the scholarship, so I guess everything is set up. That’s weird that you are taking the same classes as Kendra.
Elder Johnson is in my district. The other day we did divisions, and I went with him. I’ve heard from a lot of return missionaries, and could see it.... the last weeks are exhausting. It’s weird to see him go now, since he was in my zone when I entered the mission. I guess his parents are coming to pick him up.
Me and my companion have been learning a lot together. He’s one of my first companions that take studying seriously. And we’ve busted out the huge institute manuals to study the scriptures.
The other day we learned something important. We had 11 people who said they would come to the church with us. We had planned divisions with the members to go and pick them up in the morning. I went with a member boy, and my companion stayed in the church with someone that was doing office work, so he could wait for the other member. I passed by all the planned houses, and all of them had fallen through---they were all already out of the house. The member for my companion never came, so he couldn’t go to the other end of our area, and we had nobody to church on Sunday. I had experienced this before in bosques, but my companion was really upset. He decided that we should go to a member’s house, and he started talking to my companion. He told the story of the scripture in D&C 18, that says “.... how great shall be your joy if yea shall bring one soul unto me...”----then he asked my companion, “who will you bring unto the father? “---And my companion was still upset, and began to think through his converts, and the member (Hno. Orsegueda), stopped him, and told him “No, you have the wrong idea”----then he pointed at my companion, and said, “first, you’re going to bring yourself. “---The spirit came in with his words. -----I know I can’t explain to you through writing how much I have changed, but I have realized that the successful missionaries are those that have become God’s progressing investigators, and all other things are secondary.
That’s about it for now, I’ll try to respond back to the other letters, and maybe send pictures.
Corey
September 13, 2010
Hey,
That’s crazy that its already fall again, how fast the year goes. The people say we are in the middle of winter right now, but just because it is the rainy season. The only difference between winter and summer is that in the winter, you need to hang your clothes up in the house, to let them dry...so in result the house smells terrible. We come in some days completely soaked.... doesn’t matter if we have umbrellas or raincoats.
I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON IN SPANISH. I suppose that is supposed to mean I’m fluent now. We got a little bit of extra time in the house this week, so I finished Alma, and then read Helaman to the end in three days. There is tons of stuff that they can’t translate into Spanish directly, so you learn concepts differently. It’s sweet.
You’ll probably hear from other missionary moms, so guess I’ll tell you. There was a national crisis for three days. Tuesday to Thursday. The gangs threatened the police and there was a three-day lockdown. Almost nobody worked, and there was no transport.... and then the government decided to go through with the anti-gang laws (which they have been disputing FOREVER), and I guess the gangs didn’t like that either, so we were stuck in the house. It was sooo boring.---to the point that my companion knitted a scarf. Everything is back to normal now, and we have been working.
Also--last week several people told me that college has already started. That seems kind of early----can you make sure my scholarship starts for after October. I don’t remember us double-checking. If not, bump it back to the spring, cause I don’t want my mission to be cut short for having to come back for school.
------ummm no the picture of soccer was after we played. Synthetic field are like plastic grass and wood. My camera isn’t very good, but yes there were rug burns. We play soccer every Monday, but it’s usually just on cement turfs. It’s like indoor soccer, but we play it outside. The other day the protective plastic broke in my soccer shoes, so I had to take it out.
----That’s about it. Not much this week.
Chow for now
Corey
On Wednesday, me and my companion did a service project. There was a mudslide near the house of a member, and she wanted us to clear out all the mud. It started raining super hard, so the mud was heavy, and sometimes the wheelbarrow didn’t move. We cleared about half of it, but it started raining more, and we got exhausted. We had to take the mud over to the edge of a 300-foot cliff to drop it off. In the picture, you don’t see it very well, but its got a nice view.
This Friday, the president gave us a prize in our zone, and in the zone of Los Naranwos. Apparently our two zones were the only ones where every companionship baptized, so he gave us a prize, and we got to play soccer, and with him also. It was raining the whole time, so there was a lot of sliding around. Elder Dennis is in the other zone, and we were playing against him. Usually the fields are made of cement, but we played on a synthetic field, and I decided to play goalie again. First time in a long time playing on something close to grass. While I was in the net, they didn’t score. There are three missionaries from Costa Rica, who before the mission, had all played on a semi-professional team for their country. They’re amazing, and I’m learning a lot from them. I’m putting the picture of our two zones.
September 6, 2010
Hey,
I’m glad the photo of the chicken got to you guys--I forgot to send you the title----make it into one of those Mormon-ads (the posters with the inspirational thoughts)---and put “Plan of Salvation---What happens after death???.”----I hope that one is on my blog.
Hey, mom---I’m sending you a cool little activity for the kids in primary that I just learned. I’ll get it in the mail today.
This Friday, the president gave us a prize in our zone, and in the zone of Los Naranwos. Apparently our two zones were the only ones where every companionship baptized, so he gave us a prize, and we got to play soccer, and with him also. It was raining the whole time, so there was a lot of sliding around. Elder Dennis is in the other zone, and we were playing against him. Usually the fields are made of cement, but we played on a synthetic field, and I decided to play goalie again. First time in a long time playing on something close to grass. While I was in the net, they didn’t score. There are three missionaries from Costa Rica, who before the mission, had all played on a semi-professional team for their country. They’re amazing, and I’m learning a lot from them. I’m putting the picture of our two zones.
On Saturday, we did an activity with Elder Zuñiga and Elder Coy. We did what’s called Invasions. It’s where missionaries from the whole zone invade a single area for a couple hours to look for new people. We went to a poorer part of the colony, and were knocking doors and fences. It was funny, because even if the people don’t let us in, we always offer service. At the time, I was with two Latinos, so I’d get a bunch of weird comments. Its mostly normal, but it was funny how consistent it happened here----Door#2 “your eyes are so beautiful”----door #3 we offered help, and she looked at me “its just that I need to buy a new stove and oven, but if you could give me the money”---Door#5 “yah, help would be nice, because there aren’t any men in the house like you to help us out, and we need a man to live in the house.”-----and it went on like that forever. Usually comments like that only happen about once in every twenty houses, but it happened so often I this area, that by the end of invasions, my companions were making fun of me. ----I guess this is what Elder Noesi was talking about, when I got my call.
On Wednesday, me and my companion did a service project. There was a mudslide near the house of a member, and she wanted us to clear out all the mud. It started raining super hard, so the mud was heavy, and sometimes the wheelbarrow didn’t move. We cleared about half of it, but it started raining more, and we got exhausted. We had to take the mud over to the edge of a 300-foot cliff to drop it off. In the picture, you don’t see it very well, but its got a nice view.
As for your comment----I don’t think its such a good idea to pick me up from El Salvador. Ever since the bus burnings happened, it’s been crazy down here. It’s not as safe as it was. I don’t know how safe it is, but maybe it will calm down in a year. The military has seemed to have cleaned out my area pretty well, and there are soldiers with machine guns every ten feet or so in the Campanera. The other parts of my area are a little more chill. So it’s been safer than it used to be. In my three areas (Zactaté, Bosques, and the Campa), the military pressure has always increased while I was there, but more things have been happening in the country.
That’s about it for now.
Chow for now.... Corey
