The Field is White: Week 60 -- The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up....a/k/a Singing in the Rain

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, theyy don't celebrate it here... so I hope you all enjoy it for me.

About asking the elders to get baleadas for us last week.... The elders can stay out until 9 (or 9:30 if they are in a cita (an appointment)... but we have to be in at 8 (or 8:30 if we are in a cita).

The person who made the black skirt did a good job. I like how it turned out. (See the pictures)

1. Are the repairs on your house finally finished?

NO! UGH! So he mostly finished the floor but still has to put down like 20 more tiles and has to grout and he has to fix the roof again and the shower again. So at least four more days right there in the house until 4 pm.

2. Did the package with the umbrella get to you yet???

YES! Thanks! It'sso cute! I also got one of the packages for Familia M-C and they already opened it. CHEATERS. LOL!!!!! They couldn't wait and it's easier for me to just send them off than to bring them back in the bus.. so I sent it on to them and they loved it. I did tell them that another package is coming.

3. How are D and her family doing? Did they go to church yesterday?

They are doing really well. They all came to church. They are just so cute and D said in reference to the church ´´our church´´ -- heehee -- they are going to get baptiz, but it's just about when they get married. They already pay tithing.

4. How is O doing? Were you able to visit with him again?

Yeah... this week we went to visit him. Hna P (one of the sister training leaders) and I went to see him (we went on divisions). He still hasn't come to church so we might have to be really direct with him... and see what happens... .

5. How is P doing?

She's doing really well. She keeps coming to the English classes and she came to church again and went to the classes without us having to tell her anything or accompany her. She's so cute!

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

We had a really chill P-Day. We cleaned and studied... that's the new thing we have to do now. President Dester is enforcing the P-Day study rule. And then we went to visit an hermana who makes and sells jewelry and I bought a necklace and we kind of got lost but a tender mercy is that we followed the elders' directions to a colonia (neighborhood) that we have never been to before... well, it turns out that the bus dropped us off at the wrong spot. And we had no idea... but an hermano passed by on his bike and helped us out... we were like eight blocks away.

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

Like I just said, the hermano found us in the street and helped us out a LOT.

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

I don't know.

9. How have you served someone else this week?

We helped an hermana move this week. Last P-Day we got a call at like 6 pm and so we just went over and helped her move but the sad thing is that she moved into the area of the elders... so now we can't go visit her. :(

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

It went alright. I played an easy version of The Ffirst Noel, and I don't remember the others.... Count Your Blessings and two others. It's going well. I'm learning to

11. How is Hna Archila doing? Did she get transferred?

We don't know if either of us has transfers this week. We are going to find out tonight. But we are no longer going to have our changes meetings. :( Before we always went to meet at a stake center and have a meeting together and then President Dester announced the changes. Well, this time we are going to get calls tonight that will tell us where we are going to go and with who and where we have to be at whatever hour... Sad! But, yeah, she feels a bit better. I don't think we will have changes.

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

It rained a lot but we had a good attitude about it. The street flooded and we got some cute pictures, lol, but it wasn't too bad and we actually had citas so we weren't just walking around aimlessly, lol.

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

I don't know that, either. It was a pretty chill week with not much going on and we didn't really do anything too fun....

14. What was the spiritual highlight of your week?

Going on divisions. I just felt a huge relief. Being comp mayor (senior companion) I kind of have to do a lot. It was really nice to be with Hna P because she takes initiative and so we talked to a ton of new people and it just felt really really good. I'm happier when I talk to more people. Also the ward this week divided up in groups and we went contacting in a street (like testigos, lol) and in an hour or so we were able to talk to a lot of new people which just made me see that really it's important to help out and do our part so that other people don't get stuck carrying the load. Really, talking to people is awesome. Everyone has a story and there are things that we can learn from them.

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

I am reading Jesus the Christ and I am always finding new things that are really interesting and I am reading in the New Testament but in Spanish. It's really really interesting. I'm in Romans and Paul just kind of machetes them. I have read it before, but I am reading slower to understand and it actually makes sooo much more sense and I'm just learning lots of cool things but there is nothing like amazing that I would share with you all, lol.

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

Always

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

I didn't really try anything new this week...

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

The flooding in the street, LOL! It was pretty funny but I hope that it doesn't happen again.

19. So changes are this week, right? Do you think either you or Hna A will have changes? (I think they need to Elder S to your area so he can keep following you around the mission, LOL!)

I think that Elder S will be coming to Puerto, hahaha, but I don't think that we will have changes... but we never know so anything is possible. I hope that we don't. This change has gone by SOOOOO fast. I can't even believe it!

20. How are the English classes going that you teach? Are you following a lesson plan/outline or doing more "free form" classes?

It's going well. There is an hermana that is certified to teach English and so she teaches from a little booklet that she has. If she doesn't come we just wing it and play games or review or teach something basic. But, yeah, it's very free form here... even the schol system here isn't too organized... it's really sad.

I'm going to send a package in two weeks with the nativity set. I hope it gets there alright... I wrapped it up in shirts so be careful when you unwrap it!

I'm a little short on money for sending so many packages, but I think I will be okay.

I hope that you all have a very good Thanksgiving and that you can take the time to the Lord for all of the blessings that you have., Truly we are blessed to live in the States and all the privileges we have. We have running water everyday, and not just water but hot water. We don't have to go to the river to wash our clothes on a rock. Please really take the time to be grateful for the little things. People here truly work because if they don't work they die. They live day to day. Be grateful for what you have.

Hermana Gisseman

From D's son's baptism last week