an activity we did...none of the people we played with were members, and we are hoping that a few more activities, and we`ll get them to church.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Week 88 in El Salvador
August 29, 2011
Hey,
This week has been kind of interesting. The fair is going on in Jiquilisco, so there is a whole bunch of noise and activities. There are parades, tents, people selling things, the arcades, the Ferris wheel and roller coasters...this week has been absolutely terrible for work. Nobody is in their house.
We have done various service projects...
We built a yoke for oxen, or at least part of it.
We hauled water from a well for about an hour, until the pila was full (it was a huge pila).
We helped family fix their car tires...
...We have had very few real lessons this week
We did have one interesting experience....
We were invited to dinner by a family that is member, and when we arrived they had just finished arguing...they were going to go to the fair as a family, and the baby girl had an accident, and fell from the hammock, and was bleeding from the mouth, and the wife had accused her husband of trying to kill the baby, and they started arguing.... when we got there the argument had ended...the oldest of the teenage daughters, Judith, had invited two friends, both members of the church to also go with them. We thought it would be a good time to teach them, just some principle of the gospel, to bring it back to order.... so we did...a hymn, a prayer...and then the argument started out in an uproar again, and the wife accused the husband of not listening in priesthood meetings, and the husband accused the wife of not learning in the relief society (now they were bringing the church into it, and raising their voices)---what could we do? ---We were with two other members of the church watching a family fight---soon Judith interrupted her parents, and said she was not going to live in a house with them, but out in the street with her friends (which she had done before)...so it got worse, and obviously we couldn’t teach them, because then they would bring up priesthood class, so we tried to get them to the fair, spend time as a family, and forget it.... but nobody moved, and kept arguing...by this point Judith is crying and yelling at her parents, the parents are yelling, and Wendy-the younger, and shy teenage daughter---has tears rolling down her eyes to the point that her cheeks were black with makeup........so, what we did is we left...it was about
8:45 pm---we had fifteen minutes before we had to be in----but we went to the house, and prayed---we asked and said, “we know we have hardly nothing to do with this, and the members aren’t even under our authority, but as their friends, and thy servants, we feel obligated to help---please send something to help us.”-----so we went to the fair, and bought some coconut candies, and headed back, and in the way back, we saw four men.... they were a mariachi band, walking next to us...both me and my companion had the same impression, but contemplated it for a second, because we weren’t sure if we could do it as missionaries, we weren’t sure, and I’m still not sure, but there was nothing bad in its nature, so we hired them for one song (not with the mission money, but with my personal money--$4)..........and we came back......you should have seen the families face when we burst through the door with the trumpet player, the band and the candy.......everyone started laughing....and the four men played beautifully, and we left, and went back to our house and entered about 9:05......and we felt good about what we did. We didn’t know the full impact of what had happened until Sunday morning, the next day...one of Judith’s friends that was there the night before, a return missionary, said that after we left, the whole atmosphere in the house had changed, and they were able, as the families home teachers, to sit down and talk as a family and about the gospel and the role as a family.
--Well that’s about it for this week, I’ll try to send photos....
chow for now,
Corey
Friday, August 26, 2011
Week 87 in El Salvador
August 22, 2011
Hey,
This week was pretty cool...I’ll tell you about the weekend....
Friday 19-Agosto-11
We had a meeting with the general authorities, a conference.
From the Quorum of the Seventy, there was Elder Falabela, Elder Martino, Elder Amado, and Elder Walker.
From the Quorum of the Twelve, there was Elder D. Todd Christoferson.
From the first presidency, there was Elder Henry B. Eyering.
Both missions were there, and before it all started I got to talk to a couple missionaries from the other mission (Santa Ana/Belize)---Anyway, there are huge rumors about our mission---about how bad the missionaries were, and the president.... they even have jokes about it. “¿ how many missionaries in the other mission does it take to pass an interview?”---I guess there is huge gossip----they even knew about the band of Gadianton (I haven’t told you about that yet), and how it was destroyed---so I guess it’s big news.
I learned a ton in the conference, and am going to have to change a couple of things about how I plan and how I teach...hopefully I’ll master it soon. Seeing President Eyering was like in 3-D----like the time I saw Jeffery R. Holland.... they look so close when they speak. ----I have my notes in the house, so I’ll tell you what they said when I get back.
Saturday 20-Agosto-11
The cultural event for the dedication for the temple. We went to Usulután to see it on the satellite screen. Very cool.... all the youth from the nations stakes performed it.
Sunday 21-agosto-11
The dedication for the temple----
We went to Usulután to see it on the screen, and Salt Lake forgot to send the signal, and forgot to pay for the satellite uplink----someone is in trouble------so we missed the sealing of the corner stone. We sat for two hours in silence...a couple people went home after that.
By the second session, all the other stakes and districts had a signal, except for Usulután.... another two hours in silence, most of us ended up sleeping...another group of people went home after that....
In between the second and third sessions, the leaders said they could do nothing about it, because it wasn’t in their authority to authorize that we go to other buildings, and then we as missionaries talked them out of it, and with the help of Brother Torres from Usulután, organized, and we were able to rent a bus for $80----we all dug our money out of our pockets, and so a bus came, and it took a shortcut on a dirt road, and we were able to arrive at Jucuapa 10 minutes before the third session (it’s pretty much a miracle considering the distance, and how fast we got organized and arrived----between 1:30 pm and 2:50 pm)
So, the third session was amazing---
President Eyering went out of his normal script, and didn’t use the teleprompter----he said that while the last speaker was speaking he felt inspired to say something different, very inspiring
Yup, so that’s about it for the most important historical days this country has ever known, not to mention its a huge contrast where I’m at right now.... the fiestas of Jiquilisco right now----botanists, dancers, clowns on stilts, music, and fireworks.
Well, chow for now,
Corey
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Week 86 in El Salvador
That’s crazy that the preacher had that big of an influence. I would think that people in the states would be educated enough to see the fraud. Yes, they have changed the date down here too.
So, I started reading the bible from front to back this week. I’m finishing up Genesis, and marking my new Spanish set.
This week we had a multi-zone. The new president is really good, and his wife is really sweet.
So just a laugh----we were teaching some members that were preparing to go to the temple dedication, and one of the sisters said, “I wish President Eyering could just tell me what I needed to do with my life”-----anyway, the topic got changed to patriarchal blessings, and she was super confused from something Elder B had taught them about patriarchal blessings----the two sisters said that Elder B explained to them that to get a patriarchal blessing you needed to be endowed, and afterwards the patriarch would read the lines in the palms of their hands to tell the future of the person----ha-ha, anyway, we taught them about how the blessings really worked, and they seemed really relieved.
The temple dedication is this week.
We have not had much success yet, but are seeing small fruits of our work...maybe in three weeks we could baptize a family. I’m hoping for it. My companion is getting frustrated.
One question---Louis’s birthday is coming up----can I bring Machetes in a suitcase on the plane, or will they have me dig them out???
Other news---I stepped on a scale this week 140 lbs---I’ve lost about 35 lbs since Zacatecoluca. Don’t really know what’s up.
Well, that’s it chow for now
Corey
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Week 85 in El Salvador
August 8, 2011
Hey,
This week has gone well. My birthday too. Everything is going good with my companion, and actually a little better. Our success is still slow, and we’ve met crazy people. It’s nuts what some people believe here...I’ll tell you a couple stories, but my companion is a bit fried from meeting crazy people. About half the people you meet in the villages here will glad fully listen, and nod at everything and say “asi es” (or “that’s right”)--and then you ask them what they understood, and it will be some strange doctrine, or they don’t know, or they’ll ask to hear it again.... anyway, my companion has a way of expressing himself--after a couple days of he said “I just wish I could peal the husk that is covering up these people’s brains, so that some little microbe of intelligence could understand something.”---He is a bit frustrated at our success, but I thought it was funny what he said.
I don’t think people in the states really paid attention a while back in May, but supposedly a pastor in California predicted that the world was going to end on the 21st of May 2011. All the protestant churches and evangelical churches went crazy here when it happened, their churches filled, and it came up as a topic of discussion in almost every lesson of April and May, they also held vigils overnight for weeks.... and when it all passed, everyone was accusing him, but the people were still going to the churches where he had influence...anyway, we contacted a woman that still goes to his church, she said that after the 21st of May many people were accusing this pastor and he changed his story “when I said end of the world I meant the end of generations”---so, he used the scripture in Romans that said that the women and men changed their natural use for something unnatural---even though it is absurdly out of context----and he commanded his followers to no longer marry men and women, but that all the men could be gay, and all the women could be lesbians, and doing such would bring an end to generations or “end of the world”---and people are still following, it is absolutely insane to me
We had a couple more people to church, but still nobody that’s going to get baptized.
I think I’ll have to send photos next week, because this computer is absolutely crazy.... I had a small birthday party. The same day I finished Jesus the Christ, and the same day my parasites were destroyed, so I’m on a diet to gain weight. We didn’t have 21 candles to put on the cake, so I decided we should do it in roman numerals--placing the candles in XXI position.
I forgot to ask something...when I get back I will need scriptures in English. I don’t know how hard it is to get them up there.... please...I don’t want a quadruple...I want the triple and the bible separate.... I don’t care what color, I don’t care if its indexed or not.... just as long as they are unmarked.
I picked up your traditional bags.... hope you like brighter colors than grey and white.... they are a little smaller than mine, but they should be better for you.
Well, everything sounds good....
Chow for now
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tacuazin
This is what’s called a Tacuazin.... I told you about them when I was in Zacatecoluca, they are like rats, but huge. The people call them mountain rats, because they get big enough that they attack the chickens, and eat adult chickens.... this one is relatively small, I stuck my keys next to it to show the size...the one I told you about in Zacatecoluca was about three times this size....
Week 84 in El Salvador
August 1, 2011
Hey,
The photos are great. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Glacier Park, but save the photos for me, so I can look at them closer. The kids all look so different. Rachel looks about a foot taller, and looks a lot like you. Katie and Alyssa are looking taller, and look like Kathryn. Jared looks like he’s doing well, still a funny kid. But I’m having trouble with a couple of the pictures telling who they are, is the girl holding the dog Katie?
This week passed well. We’ve got investigators, but not the right kind, if that makes sense. We actually had eleven investigators to church.... but most of them have huge difficulties right now: a family that needs to get divorced from their previous spouses and then married; a 17 year old single with a baby that is living with a member’s son and doesn’t have permission to get baptized; a niece of a member with her anti-Mormon mother-in-law; and a couple of new people...so it’s going good, but we’ll need a miracle. We actually got the divorcement papers in for this one family, so they can get divorced and married to their spouses, but its like a three month process normally.
On Tuesday we went to visit this family, where the uncle-in-law is a member and the niece is an investigator.... it just so happens that her father is a fisherman.... we went to teach a lesson, and he had come back from fishing, so they invited a ton of people, the member, Alex, invited all the single adults, and then we showed up, so they invited us...it was my first seafood dinner in a long time.... Red spiner, crabs, shrimp, sea cockroach (kind of like lobster)....
Funny story---while visiting a member’s house, one of their little girls was drawing, and asked me to draw for her...Mickey mouse.... she pulled out a Valentine’s bag with Mickey and Minnie, and told me to draw Mickey in her notebook, so I did, then we were about to start the lesson, so I handed it back.... I only drew Mickey.... Anyway, the girl, maybe four years old looks at it, and hands it back “draw the girlfriend too.” ....and we were going to teach, so I tried to come up with some excuse not to draw it, so I said “Mickey is a missionary right now and can’t have girlfriends”....anyway, I think I was a bit too sarcastic for the four-year-old, because she started crying, and the lesson was delayed. Terrible experience.
Henry B Eyering will be coming to dedicate the temple, he will also be holding a special conference with the missionaries while he’s here. The dedication is on the 21st. Our meeting with him will be the 19th.
Well that’s it for now, I’ll try to send photos.
Corey
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