Wow! This week was a rollercoaster! I said goodbye to my CCM familia and traveled across the globe for approx. 33 hours...! In the 3 days of traveling I got about 8 hours of sleep....!! Then when we got to the Mission Home finally, we went to the Cristo which was super cool! And then that night we had a big meeting with the President and got to meet our companions!!! Well... most of us did. My companion got stuck in Sucre because of a storm. So the first night I stayed with the STLs in their house that didn't have water... HAHA! I was really happy.
{the Bolivia Cristo is the largest in the world - larger than Rio}
{see the Cochabamba temple?}
Thursday I finally got to meet my companion after taking a flight out to Sucre where I am now serving! I really like it here! The weather is even more all over the place than Utah, and the streets are like those in San Fransisco... Hilly. But so cool! My companion is Hermana Cardoza from Peru. She is awesome! Super obedient and super patient! WOW.
That first night we got right into working with a visit to an amazing woman named Silveria. She lives in the middle of nowhere and was cooking potato chips on her little gas stove. I can´t even describe the crazy living conditions here. And I don´t have a lot of pictures of them either, but basically super super poor but they don´t realize it! They are content with what they have. Anyway, Silveria is an investigator with a baptism date, and as soon as she started talking I was lost. She spoke way fast and actually spoke real Spanish... like with an accent and everything! Ha! yeah... Then we visited Andrea who is amazing and so open to the gospel.
Friday I was feeling super good about the work and loving being a missionary! Also I looooooooove the food! Yes it is rice and potatoes and chicken, but it is dang good! Also the juice here is AMAZING! if anyone ever has the chance to try del Valle juice... do it! I love it so much! And the Bolivian chocolate brand Para Ti is tan ricooooo!
Saturday. This was the hardest day I have experienced emotionally ever in my life. I couldn't understand anyone, I experienced homesickness for the first time and it was not cool, I was scared of messing up, I couldn't stay awake because I still hadn't caught up from traveling, I wanted to go home, and I completely lost sight of my purpose being out here.
I prayed so hard for something to happen to remind me why I am out here, and then woke up in the same mood Sunday morning and didn't even make it through sacrament meeting without crying. BUT THEN!!!! 180 spin around! Guess what? God answers prayers! Wow! We had three amazing lessons with amazing people who are ready for the gospel. I participated in every lesson and I could see the click in their eyes that I love to see!
Also... earlier in the day I was telling myself that the gift of tongues doesn't work to help you understand everything all of a sudden... turns out I was wrong. I understood everything that every one of my investigators said. WHAT???!!! Yeah.
I don´t have a lot of time but basically I love it here because every single person I have met has a light. I know that so many people here are ready for the gospel. As the title says... This is the land of the Elect that the scriptures talk about. I just gotta get to work and bring the truth to these people. I love teaching the gospel to those who haven´t heard it.
I love Bolivia. Sorry to everyone else, but I really do have the best mission in the world!
Fun facts of the week...
Bolivians greet each other and say goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
There are dogs literally everywhere!!!
The driving here is insane, the drivers often just honk before speeding through an intersection, and everyone takes taxis or trufis (busses).
Don't count the days, make the days count!
Don't count the days, make the days count!
~ Hermana Madsen
No comments:
Post a Comment