The Field is White: Week 58 -- Sunshine, Floor Repairs, and I Scored a Goal!

Hola!!!

So this week was interesting. Our house needed some repairs... the floor tiles were cracking and lifting up and it turns out that they have to replace the whole floor... so we were in the house two days until 4:00 while they were fixing it and it looks like two more days this week. Fun stuff. But such is life.

1. You said Pres Dester came to your district meeting last week...what did he have to say?

He came to talk to us about love and kind words. There have been lots of problems with companionships and not speaking kind words to other missionaries. So he talked about how we have to love as the Savior loved and how we really need to watch what we say.

2. How has the weather been this week? is it still raining? Did you get any flooding in your area?

It has been a lot nicer this week. And really sunny. :) So that made me really happy. At night it is a little bit cooler which is really nice to sleep in. But I'm sure that rain will come inevitably.

3. How is D doing? And her son D?

They are doing well. They gave us pizza the other day which was really sweet. All of them came to church on Sunday which was awesoem and all the talks were great and so was the class. So it was just perfect. Her son D really wants to get baptized and he has his fecha (baptismal date) for this Saturday so if all goes well we will have a baptism!!! WOOHOO! And we will keep working with the family so that they can get married... that's the only thing thats holding D back.

4. Tell me about some of the people you contacted/taught/worked with this week.

Well, this week we didn't work with a lot of people because we were in the house for two days... but we did visit an investigator, O, in the hospital... oh my goodness.... I am so grateful that I live in the States and that we have good healthcare. This hospital was like an old school building with broken windows and it was dirty and wet and they were all crowded in old beds and it was sooo sad. But we went to visit him and he's doing better now. But that was so sad. We have visited a lot of menos activos (less active members) this week because it's been hard to find people and the citas (appointments) we had fell through. But some of them actually came to church which was good!

5. Have you done more exploring and contacting in the mountains?

This week no... but we will this week because we have a new investigator, P, up there.

6. What did you do for P-Day this week?

We went to the beach again but a different one, one in my area, and played soccer in the sand. :) It was way fun and I even scored a goal!!! It was so nice to just hear the waves and watch the water and put my feet in, lol, and it was hot with a nice breeze and it was just perfect. We ate at Burger King and now we are writing. Very exciting stuff.

7. What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week? Answers to your prayers?

They sent someone to fix the house very quickly, and I paid 530 lmps (about $25) to put in a new hot shower so now we have hot showers. :) It's pretty great!!!

8. How has someone else blessed your life this week?

My companion is a blessing. She is my friend. People don't really pay attention to us missionaries here which sucks.

9. How have you served someone else this week?

We made a box for D and her family with scriptures in it so that even if they can't read a chapter, they can study the scriptures. So we will see if that helps them read. But we made it all pretty while we were in the house. We made a birthday card for an hermana in the ward. We wrote to Santa Rosa. We did help an hermana wash clothes this week form Familia C..even though they told us that they aren't going to go to church. :( I don't like washing other people's clothes and they all make fun of me because I'm a gringa... whatever... it was service and it was fun.

10. How did it go playing the piano for church yesterday?

It went alright. I made it thourgh all the hymns... the first two were hard for me but the other two were alright. But it still makes me nervous to play... and I play with the soft pedal because I don't want people to hear me mess up. LOL

11. What was the best thing that happened this week?

I'm not going to lie.. I enjoyed our time in the house. Hna A has been having a hard time this week and struggling with a lot of this same things that I have gone through in the mission and so it was good for us to just have some chill time. Time in the house doesn't happen often so you have to enjoy it. I'm not lazy -- I swear -- but it was nice.

12. What was the funniest/funnest thing that happened this week?

I don't know... lots of funny things happen but I don't remember them, lol. I think it's funny that here I have a ton of people that flirt with me... it's quite ridiculous. I have never had so many people hit on me in my life.

13. What was the spiritual highlight of your week?

Church was so good yesterday. Like all the talks and the class and Relief Society was all really, really good. They talked about missionary work in Relief Society and how to support the missionaries and I was almost crying just thinking about really how much we sacrifice and do during this time and I guess I didn't really think about that before but it just hit me while they were all talking about us.

14. What did you learn from your personal study this week?

We only have 3 days that we have personal study due to the amount of time we have to travel so my personal studies have decreased... but I have started reading Jesus the Christ again and I'm reading slow and not just to finish and I have been noticing a lot more details. That book is just so good!

15. Do you know that I love you and I miss you?

Always.

16. What was the best thing and the worst thing you ate this week?

I tried a frita de maiz which is essentially a pancake made out of corn and it was really, really good! I didn't try anything this week that I didn't like, thank goodness!

17. What was the most beautiful thing you saw this week?

The beach!!!! I love it but it makes me want to swim, hahaha.

18. How was church yesterday?

Like I said it was really good and Familia M (D and her son D) came and realyl the talks were things that they needed to hear and it was really good and we had the highest attendence that I have seen. 126 so that was exciting!

19. What is the main employer in the area you are in now? What do most people do for a living? Are there more "regular" stores and shops there?

I don't really know... a lot of people go to Choloma to work in the machilas like they did in Fesitranh, a lot of people work on ships and so they leave for 6 or 8 months at a time to work. Some even travel to San Pedro to work. And there are lots of little shops to work in, too. There is a Marine base here so that brings jobs but everyone talks about how hard it is to find a job in this country...

20. Have you been able to be in touch with any people from your previous areas? Like Jorge? Or Amanda? How are they doing?

Not really... Older people don't have email... but I have kept in touch with B.M. He practices his English and writes to me, lol, but we wrote notes to people in Santa Rosa this week while we were in the house. As far as maintaining contct... not really. It's hard here.

Can you please buy me some of the nice Ann Taylor leggings while they are in the store... like 2 pairs of the black ones, please.

Can you send me an easy Christmas song for the piano...like really easy...

I gave away all of my Crocs... I only have the cream and black ones left. I never wore them in the heat, but now.... Hna A actually has a pair of mine that I left in Santa Rosa that she's been using her whole mission and they just now got a tiny hole in them. If it rains a lot the next month or two I would like the athletic Crocs that are the Mary Jane style because they don't have holes in them for mud or water but yeah... I should be fine...maybe. I think we will sing Christmas carols in the park again this year. :) Woohooo!

This week was pretty boring, lol. We still have no investigators... I think that my companion might have changes coming up. She's having a hard time, but I really love her. We are like the same person. I'm just enjoying the time that we have together.

I heard from Hna N this week and she said everybody misses me. :)

Mom, make sure that you do something nice for the missionaries for Christmas. Buy them a little stocking or something and invite them over to eat. Even if it's during the day that they can come over for lunch or something. I was remembering my last Christmas here and how we just walked around and no one was home and we just went to Hna V's house and I was so happy that someone let us in. So if they don't have plans invite them over! I think it's going to be hard for me for the holidays this year because this area is hard and I'm getting closer to going home.

I love you. I didn't get anything in the ruta this week, though. I hope I get something tomorrow!

Hermana Gisseman

Our house