And now the moment you´ve all been waiting for all week long - highlights from the life of Merrit the Missionary!
1. This week we taught an old lady in a mountain-y area of our sector. We contacted her the week before and passed by this week to teach her about the restoration. She was just leaving the house when we met up with her, and for some reason instead of going back to teach her inside the house we sat on the curb and taught. This is one of the things I love about the mission. We teach in the randomest of circumstances. Anyway. We were sitting there teaching and all of a sudden this dog comes out of nowhere and starts nuzzling me and licking me! I was super grossed out and kept trying to run away but it wouldn´t leave me alone! Everyone was dying of laughter. It sort of
drove the spirit away, but it was hilarious. Also disgusting. There are so many dogs in this city! I won´t ever own a dog. Or any pet.
2. Funny story #2. A few days ago we were walking around in the centro (downtown cuenca) and this drunk man came up to me and started speaking to me in gibberish/english. We ran away. I thought that was the end of that strange situation..but no. On Saturday we were wandering around trying to find a reference near the centro and
whaddyaknow...our dear drunk friend popped up out of nowhere! He got right up in my face (with his nasty alcohol breath) and said he was mormon too. I kept zigzagging around Hna. Castillo trying to escape, but he always managed to catch me! Sort of freaky. Not to worry...we were in a very public place so nothing bad would have happened though.
Somehow we managed to escape. We continued on our merry way and walked a good distance away from where we encountered our dear friend. Then we started laughing about how funny it would be if he popped up out of
nowhere again. We stepped inside of a store for a second to ask a question, and as we were leaving we looked out and there he was! Right across the street! It was super bizarre. He was walking right where we needed to be for our appointment, but we had to sneak around to avoid him. We hid in the store for a while, walked around the block, and darted into stores when we looked in our direction. FINALLY he disappeared and we went on our merry way...taking special care to watch our backs and peak around corners before we crossed the street. I felt like a fugitive dodging around the streets of Cuenca.
3. One of the things I love about Cuenca is the graffiti. People don´t write horrible or vulgar things. They profess their love. My favorite? "Jenny te amo. Pueden borrar tu nombre de esta pared, pero nunca de mi corazon." ("Jenny, I love you. They can erase your name from this wall, but never from my heart.") Now THAT is true love. So classy. I hope I find my name on a wall of Cuenca someday. Ha.
4. On Saturday we met up with our zone of 18 in the centro to sing some lovely Christmas carols and invite people to stake conference this coming week. We sang at a park right in front of a massive Catholic cathedral. Ha. It was a blast. Who would have ever imagined that I would stand in front of a giant group of strangers in the middle of Ecuador and sing Christmas songs? I´m learning that you do lots of out-of-your-comfort-zone sort of things on missions. But anyway. I loved it. Seriously. I would do it weekly if I could. Christmas songs are the best things ever invented. Tourists took pictures of us and people stopped and watched. We got tons of awesome contacts. Namely a familia completa that lives in our sector! We´re going to visit them this week. They are super rad and I am way stoked to teach them.
5. They´re filming a new movie in my bed. It´s called Bug´s Life 2: Ecuadorian Invasion. My legs and arms and stomach and back are covered in bites, no matter how much bug spray I put on.
6. I still wake up every morning with the surreal realization that I´m a missionary. I live in Ecuador. I spend a lot of time riding buses around Cuenca. I knock on doors by banging a coin against the metal fences that surround houses. I talk to people and tell them that I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and
that I have a special message to share with them about how families can be together forever and how the gospel is restored to the earth. I teach people in their houses and on sidewalk curbs and at the chapel. I represent Christ and do his work here on the earth. It´s one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Anyone who tells you a mission is easy is a liar. But it´s worth it.
Well lovelies. This week will be filled with more teaching, more contacting, and more loving. It´s the last week of the transfer, so we shall see what news Sunday brings. I really really really hope I don´t have to leave this beautiful place. But whatever happens I will find happiness.
Enjoy your winter-y week. Do fun things and give yourself a big fat hug from me. I miss you all. And I absolutely love you and thank you for your support. Be safe.
1. This week we taught an old lady in a mountain-y area of our sector. We contacted her the week before and passed by this week to teach her about the restoration. She was just leaving the house when we met up with her, and for some reason instead of going back to teach her inside the house we sat on the curb and taught. This is one of the things I love about the mission. We teach in the randomest of circumstances. Anyway. We were sitting there teaching and all of a sudden this dog comes out of nowhere and starts nuzzling me and licking me! I was super grossed out and kept trying to run away but it wouldn´t leave me alone! Everyone was dying of laughter. It sort of
drove the spirit away, but it was hilarious. Also disgusting. There are so many dogs in this city! I won´t ever own a dog. Or any pet.
2. Funny story #2. A few days ago we were walking around in the centro (downtown cuenca) and this drunk man came up to me and started speaking to me in gibberish/english. We ran away. I thought that was the end of that strange situation..but no. On Saturday we were wandering around trying to find a reference near the centro and
whaddyaknow...our dear drunk friend popped up out of nowhere! He got right up in my face (with his nasty alcohol breath) and said he was mormon too. I kept zigzagging around Hna. Castillo trying to escape, but he always managed to catch me! Sort of freaky. Not to worry...we were in a very public place so nothing bad would have happened though.
Somehow we managed to escape. We continued on our merry way and walked a good distance away from where we encountered our dear friend. Then we started laughing about how funny it would be if he popped up out of
nowhere again. We stepped inside of a store for a second to ask a question, and as we were leaving we looked out and there he was! Right across the street! It was super bizarre. He was walking right where we needed to be for our appointment, but we had to sneak around to avoid him. We hid in the store for a while, walked around the block, and darted into stores when we looked in our direction. FINALLY he disappeared and we went on our merry way...taking special care to watch our backs and peak around corners before we crossed the street. I felt like a fugitive dodging around the streets of Cuenca.
3. One of the things I love about Cuenca is the graffiti. People don´t write horrible or vulgar things. They profess their love. My favorite? "Jenny te amo. Pueden borrar tu nombre de esta pared, pero nunca de mi corazon." ("Jenny, I love you. They can erase your name from this wall, but never from my heart.") Now THAT is true love. So classy. I hope I find my name on a wall of Cuenca someday. Ha.
4. On Saturday we met up with our zone of 18 in the centro to sing some lovely Christmas carols and invite people to stake conference this coming week. We sang at a park right in front of a massive Catholic cathedral. Ha. It was a blast. Who would have ever imagined that I would stand in front of a giant group of strangers in the middle of Ecuador and sing Christmas songs? I´m learning that you do lots of out-of-your-comfort-zone sort of things on missions. But anyway. I loved it. Seriously. I would do it weekly if I could. Christmas songs are the best things ever invented. Tourists took pictures of us and people stopped and watched. We got tons of awesome contacts. Namely a familia completa that lives in our sector! We´re going to visit them this week. They are super rad and I am way stoked to teach them.
5. They´re filming a new movie in my bed. It´s called Bug´s Life 2: Ecuadorian Invasion. My legs and arms and stomach and back are covered in bites, no matter how much bug spray I put on.
6. I still wake up every morning with the surreal realization that I´m a missionary. I live in Ecuador. I spend a lot of time riding buses around Cuenca. I knock on doors by banging a coin against the metal fences that surround houses. I talk to people and tell them that I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and
that I have a special message to share with them about how families can be together forever and how the gospel is restored to the earth. I teach people in their houses and on sidewalk curbs and at the chapel. I represent Christ and do his work here on the earth. It´s one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. Anyone who tells you a mission is easy is a liar. But it´s worth it.
Well lovelies. This week will be filled with more teaching, more contacting, and more loving. It´s the last week of the transfer, so we shall see what news Sunday brings. I really really really hope I don´t have to leave this beautiful place. But whatever happens I will find happiness.
Enjoy your winter-y week. Do fun things and give yourself a big fat hug from me. I miss you all. And I absolutely love you and thank you for your support. Be safe.
NOTE: PICTURES ARE COMING! I (Mallory) have a lot, but it's finals week and I am stressed so hold your horses!
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