Finally I took a bunch of pictures this week that I was super stoked to post...and turns out I don`t have the chord to upload them to the computer. Lame.
Anyway. A few lessons I learned this week...
1. Training is a huge lesson in faith. The fact that I have no option but to rely more on the Lord proves to me that I know pretty much nothing. It requires a lots of humility, but it allows me to see so many miracles that I might have ignored otherwise.
2. Ecuadorian mashed potatoes are NOT delicious. Have you ever eaten a spoonful of pure butter? Or a whole plateful? That was essentially my experience with these supposed pureed potatoes. Not pleasant.
3. In 6 (almost 7!) months as a missionary I have learned several tactics for choking down food that is not exactly my favorite. I like most of the food here, but there are occasions where it is a fight to get it all down. Combining disgusting foods with not so disgusting foods masques the flavor slightly. Also a good idea is talking your companion into swapping plates. Also having a bag on hand to hide food when the members aren`t looking. And lots of other things. My companion is still learning the ins and outs of eating like a missionary (and is a super picky eater), so it`s funny to watch her uncomfortably choke down a heaping plate of rice.
4. Patience. People here LOVE talking. They love telling us about that one time their child almost died, or how a friend of a friend knows everything about medical remedies, or how a rich man in Machala nearly single-handedly destroyed this city`s economy through a money scandal. They love telling us their life stories and problems and everything. They all have such interesting things to say and sometimes I have to wonder if all the crazy things they tell us really happen. But I really do like hearing all their adventures. However, it gets a little tiring and stressful when we have to run to another appointment and the investigator is still jabbering away without giving us room to excuse ourselves. And it is also a little frustrating when we have a way stellar lesson to teach and can`t evenget a word in.
5. Forming words in English about the message of the Restoration and the hope the gospel brings is really awkward. My tongue and brain forget how to function together. I made a big fool of myself trying to talk to an American guy who claims to be an Atheist-Jew. Also. Does "Atheist-Jew" seem like an oxymoron to anyone else?
6. I am forgetting what it is like to be a real person who goes to soccer games and actually makes an effort to get ready in the morning and does spontaneous things without having to ask a 19 year old zone leader for permission. We live by the soccer stadium here and every weekend we hear the fans chanting and I wonder what it will be like to be one of them again.
7. Fasting in Machala is both good and bad. Good for obvious reasons because fasting is always a good idea, and also because it means I don`t have to eat a heaping plate of rice, but bad because it leads to an extreme level of thirst when walking under the fiery sun.
Other notable things of the week...
1. I took kankle to a new level this week. Some weird mosquito bit me and the next morning I woke up with a club foot. It was swollen and nasty and a thousand shades of red and purple. It is still borderline kankle, but the swelling has gone down a ton. Yes, mother, I promise I am taking care of my body. I wonder if my body will ever go back to normal.
2. Speaking of health, on Friday we went on an adventure to the hospital to have my eyes looked at. They have been bothering me since February so I decided to finally go to the doctor. Now I have to wear glasses for 2 weeks while I am using these eyedrops. Not my favorite because it makes me all sweaty and squinty under the Machala sun.
3. We contacted this sweet old man ith bug eyes on Thursday. He was really friendly and invited us to return the next day. But it turned out that he thought we were members of his church (Jehovah`s Witness) and didn`t want anything to do with us when he discovered we were Mormons.
4. All week long I`ve been having the most bizarre dreams. I drift between consciousness and unconsciousness, making mental commentary on my dreams. "What is she doing in my dream?" "How is it possible for my brain to invent such strange ideas?" and "I have to remember this to tell my sister on Monday!" I end up waking up way more exhausted than I was when I layed down to sleep the night before.
5. We are teaching a way rad family and preparing them to be baptized this month. Familia Roblero. I adore them. They are 6 kids between the ages of 3 and 13. The mom is a single parent with a LOT on her plate. They live very humbly, but are always willing to share what they have with us. The highlight of my week was teaching the kids about the Sabbath Day and drawing pictures about what we learned. It invovled lots of crowd control and trying to figure out how to get them to share crayons without killing each other. But apparently the message got through because when we went to pick them up on Sunday for church they were all waiting outside for us to arrive.
6. We had an FHE with a fmaily in our ward this week. We made cheesecake with them and I was reminded of how much I love the kitchen. They are all foodies, so needless to say we had a great time chatting about cookbooks and kitchen appliances.
7. We are also teaching a young couple - Jorge y Alexandra - who just got married a month ago. They are crazy in love and I hope they will get baptized and prepare to get sealed in the temple next year.
Also. Sunday is Mother`s Day. That means I get to talk to my family!!!!!!!!!! For some reason I get really nervous when I think about it. But also unbelievably excited.
I wish you all a very happy first week of May. Can you believe we`re already in May? So weird.
Love you all more than mosquitoes love to suck my blood.
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