Hi Mom. Sorry I haven't taken any pictures in the last week, but I'll make sure to this week.
You asked about where I had to buy a suitcoat for my 6-week meeting. There are stores here called 'paccas.' Basically what happens is the clothes donated to Goodwill get sent here and given to warehouses that sell clothing by the pound in giant bundles, almost like hay bales. Paccas buy them and sell the clothes super, super cheap. There's always nice clothes for the gringos because no one else is big enough to fit in them. I couldn't go to a very big pacca to look for a suitcoat, just a small streetside one with like one room full of clothes, so it wasn't as cheap as most, but it still only cost me like 200Q (30$ I think?) I haven't had an opportunity or need to find an umbrella yet, but there are some members who will pick a good one up for me if they see one.
I don't really feel adjusted at all to this climate. It's super hot, but this is the hottest place in the mission. Yes, its really in the 70s and 80s every day. Most people in other areas of the mission leave with sweaters on in the morning...I'm looking forward to that! I haven't really noticed the humidity, and it has rained a few days in the last couple of weeks, but it's not really the season for that yet.
This area is pretty much all mountain, hiking all day, but usually paved with concrete or something. The stuff you see in the pictures is pretty much our everyday proselyting area. So people here in town build their houses out of concrete and rebar, and when they have kids or whatever, they just build another one on the side or on top. That's pretty much what makes up all of the buildings. Eventually the bottom floor front room gets turned into some sort of store that whoever is home watches, whether they sell tortillas, or work leather, or are tailors, or just like chips and soda or something. The streets are lined with them. Our apartment is like that, on the second floor. Here in Chiantla 3 floors is starting to become not too uncommon.
The soda... There are pretty much all of the same drinks down here, but they're expensive, and there's tons of off-brand alternatives. We're not allowed to drink caffeinated drinks anyway, and I can't find any diet sodas that aren't caffeinated, so I don't really drink soda. Mostly water, sometimes milk. Everybody here has those water dispensers with the giant jugs that go on top for drinking water, and they sell the jugs at most stores for like 15Q. That's how we drink our water.
I feel pretty comfortable teaching now. Sometimes I forget or don't know a word or two, but I can get my messages across and I'm told my grammar's good, I'm just still building vocab. So as far as teaching goes, I have pretty much all of the vocab I need. I haven't had to teach or talk or anything in the ward here. It's pretty big and well established, but my companion does play the piano for sacrament. Before he was here they played cds.
I've been hearing about the celebrations this coming week for awhile now. It's huuuuuuge here. Semana Santa. I'll have to send you pictures. They decorate the entire city, booths set up, all sorts of stuff all week. From what I've heard they eat pan (literally translates to bread, but they don't really have loaf bread here so they are usually referring to pan dulce, sweet bread, which is almost more toward cake.) They also call it torta. We have already been invited to 5 different houses to eat pan in the next week.
So we usually eat lunch with members every day, and take care of ourselves for the rest. And usually a couple of lunches don't happen per week. But one cool thing that has happened this week is every lunch happened, and Elder Van and I got dinner given to us 5 days in a row, not one of them planned. Like Wednesday night was ward council, and they decided to cater it with Pizza. And Thursday night we had a lesson scheduled with an investigator, and we showed up and they had dinner for us. On Friday night, one of the members here told us to come check out their restaurant that they just opened, and they gave us a bunch of food for free. (We did try to pay them.) But my point is, due to a few unforseen events, and poor planning, Elder Van and I are pretty much out of money, and I think someone knows that, and I think we know who that someone is! We definitely witness miracles, we just need to look for them.
Love you guys; hearing from you is also the highlight of my week. Can't wait until the next one.
Elder Lee
Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
March 21, 2016
March 14, 2016
Week 14: Students of the Bible
So my companion and I have pretty much done most of what there is to do around here, so nothing new as far as pday adventures. We just played basketball and soccer with some other Elders, and ate lunch at a small place up the street.
The work is going pretty well, but we're still having a hard time finding people that are serious about listening to us. We have tons and tons of friends who love to hear what we have to say, and talk to us, and sometimes give us food, which is nice, but they don't really seem interested in acting on anything we tell them. So we're going to focus harder on finding other people who are more serious.
We did have a wave of people this week out of nowhere just stopping us on the street because they wanted to hear from us, and had questions. One dude was delivering newspapers on his bike, saw us, stopped and turned around. He asked us if we were "students of the Bible," so we said "Yeah, pretty much." He asked us if there was a God, so we talked to him for a minute and set up a visit for the next time he is available, which is in the next week.
I did have the 6 week meeting for new guys this week. I was kind of nervous for it, because our mission president is what they call around here a 'machetero', which means he likes to hand out chastisements, or 'machetes' for nothing, all the time. My zone leader made me go buy a suit, even though it's not a requirement for Central American Missions, President Smith still wants us to wear them to meetings. We had to get up at 4 in the morning to get to the meeting at 9. A 5 hour chicken bus ride is never fun, super cramped, bumpy, windy roads, crazy, fast drivers, in a hot bus... yeah. I can never escape without bruises on my knees from being smashed in the seat in front of me, but I usually can't feel it while its happening, because your legs are usually asleep for the entire way. But I'm just compaining, haha.
The meeting went well, we just discussed a whole bunch of topics out of Preach My Gospel, and I actuallly did very well. People said they were impressed with me, but I do know I still always have lots of room for improvement. I did make it out of the meeting without a 'machete,' a lot of people don't make it this far into the mission without getting one.
We then had lunch in Xela (local's nickname for Quetzaltenango), cooked by Hermana Suli. It was the usual chicken, rice, beans, the difference was rolls instead of tortillas. People were super excited that she was cooking. I guess she always cooks really great food, which she did.
So I do have a lot of crazy weeks behind me. I expect them to be for the most part a lot more tame from here on out, so any questions are welcome, and they always help me have something to talk about. :)
Always glad to hear from you, looking forward to it next week. Love You!
P.S. Almost 100 days!
The work is going pretty well, but we're still having a hard time finding people that are serious about listening to us. We have tons and tons of friends who love to hear what we have to say, and talk to us, and sometimes give us food, which is nice, but they don't really seem interested in acting on anything we tell them. So we're going to focus harder on finding other people who are more serious.
We did have a wave of people this week out of nowhere just stopping us on the street because they wanted to hear from us, and had questions. One dude was delivering newspapers on his bike, saw us, stopped and turned around. He asked us if we were "students of the Bible," so we said "Yeah, pretty much." He asked us if there was a God, so we talked to him for a minute and set up a visit for the next time he is available, which is in the next week.
I did have the 6 week meeting for new guys this week. I was kind of nervous for it, because our mission president is what they call around here a 'machetero', which means he likes to hand out chastisements, or 'machetes' for nothing, all the time. My zone leader made me go buy a suit, even though it's not a requirement for Central American Missions, President Smith still wants us to wear them to meetings. We had to get up at 4 in the morning to get to the meeting at 9. A 5 hour chicken bus ride is never fun, super cramped, bumpy, windy roads, crazy, fast drivers, in a hot bus... yeah. I can never escape without bruises on my knees from being smashed in the seat in front of me, but I usually can't feel it while its happening, because your legs are usually asleep for the entire way. But I'm just compaining, haha.
The meeting went well, we just discussed a whole bunch of topics out of Preach My Gospel, and I actuallly did very well. People said they were impressed with me, but I do know I still always have lots of room for improvement. I did make it out of the meeting without a 'machete,' a lot of people don't make it this far into the mission without getting one.
We then had lunch in Xela (local's nickname for Quetzaltenango), cooked by Hermana Suli. It was the usual chicken, rice, beans, the difference was rolls instead of tortillas. People were super excited that she was cooking. I guess she always cooks really great food, which she did.
So I do have a lot of crazy weeks behind me. I expect them to be for the most part a lot more tame from here on out, so any questions are welcome, and they always help me have something to talk about. :)
Always glad to hear from you, looking forward to it next week. Love You!
P.S. Almost 100 days!
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| Corte Shopping |
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| In the Corte Shop |
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| Elder Ramos' Selfie |
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| P-day Lunch |
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| Not P-day lunch |
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| Elder Langsmith, Elder Lee, Elder Mailo, reunited at 6 week meeting. |
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| Chicken Bus |
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| Chicken Bus |
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| And more Chicken Bus |
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| Back to Chiantla |
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| Auto Zone? |
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| Packed on the Chicken Bus |
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| Elder Van Selfie |
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| He'll be sporting new corte ties soon! |
February 22, 2016
Week 11: A Kiss and a Prayer
So Elder Van and I were proselyting a little bit later one night this week. A bolo (Guate slang for drunk) was walking by and glanced at us, stopped and walked over to us. He told us that he wanted to stop drinking. We talked for awhile and his story was kind of sad, but my companion ended up telling him he should pray to receive strength to help him quit. He told us he didn't have prayer beads, to which my companion replied, "You don't need those, you only have to kneel." So the guy kneels right there in the street, (he grabbed on to me to support himself on the way down...he was super drunk), and he asked Elder Van what to say. Elder Van coached him through a prayer, which was kind of funny, and he finished. He then reached his hand out to grab my hand, like he wanted to shake my hand, or wanted help up or something, but he stayed on the ground, holding my hand in his hands, and rested his forehead on my hand for a second. He then proceeded to kiss my hand for a good 15 seconds...I didn't know what to do, and Elder Van was dying of laughter, as well as a couple of Guates who were watching the whole thing. Anyway, he finally went on his way after that, and I couldn't help but feel bad for Alejandro (his name). But yeah...that happened.
Another funny thing that tends to happen here: people really like to hear about why us two gringos are here and what we do. So we've told the story of how we're here for two years to invite people to come unto Christ quite a few times. People always have tons of questions, which almost always includes at least one about our wives, and how they feel about us leaving for two years. That's when we have to ask how old they think we are...almost always between 25-30 years old!!! The look on their faces is always hilarious when they find out we're both 18.
So you asked about the members here. I'll tell you about Hermana Emma. She is like our second mom here. There's not really much she can do for us, but she always tries to do things for us, always makes us treats and stuff. She's super cool. She is super loving and we always look forward to seeing her. Eating lunch with members is usually pretty chill; we talk with them and everything and there's always something to talk about so that's not a problem. The food they make is always really good. Sometimes everyone is busy though, so every once in awhile we'll show up and sit and they'll give us food and we'll kind of eat alone, but it's okay, because...food! The ward is pretty much like they are at home. Kids go to school until like 14, I think...? And then it costs money. Usually the father travels to a bigger city to work. A lot of the time the mom runs a small business from the house if they live in town, like a tortillaria, or a store, or library, or tailor or something. They're all up and down the streets.
Elder Van and I cooked ceviche this week, which is pretty much shrimp in like a citrus pico, (tomato juice, veggies like tomato and onion, and lime juice, along with some other stuff) and you eat it like shrimp with tostadas...it was really good!
Elder Van and I also went to the Mirador today. We had to take a bus to the top, which is like at 11k feet, and we could see 4 volcanoes and all of Huehuetenango from the top. It was pretty cool. Here are some pictures.
Another funny thing that tends to happen here: people really like to hear about why us two gringos are here and what we do. So we've told the story of how we're here for two years to invite people to come unto Christ quite a few times. People always have tons of questions, which almost always includes at least one about our wives, and how they feel about us leaving for two years. That's when we have to ask how old they think we are...almost always between 25-30 years old!!! The look on their faces is always hilarious when they find out we're both 18.
So you asked about the members here. I'll tell you about Hermana Emma. She is like our second mom here. There's not really much she can do for us, but she always tries to do things for us, always makes us treats and stuff. She's super cool. She is super loving and we always look forward to seeing her. Eating lunch with members is usually pretty chill; we talk with them and everything and there's always something to talk about so that's not a problem. The food they make is always really good. Sometimes everyone is busy though, so every once in awhile we'll show up and sit and they'll give us food and we'll kind of eat alone, but it's okay, because...food! The ward is pretty much like they are at home. Kids go to school until like 14, I think...? And then it costs money. Usually the father travels to a bigger city to work. A lot of the time the mom runs a small business from the house if they live in town, like a tortillaria, or a store, or library, or tailor or something. They're all up and down the streets.
Elder Van and I cooked ceviche this week, which is pretty much shrimp in like a citrus pico, (tomato juice, veggies like tomato and onion, and lime juice, along with some other stuff) and you eat it like shrimp with tostadas...it was really good!
Elder Van and I also went to the Mirador today. We had to take a bus to the top, which is like at 11k feet, and we could see 4 volcanoes and all of Huehuetenango from the top. It was pretty cool. Here are some pictures.
January 25, 2016
Week 7: Huehuetenango
Hello from Huehuetenango! (pronounced way-way) I am in an area called Chiantla. It's a city about like Kamas. It's mostly alleys with streets made mostly from cobblestone. The buildings on either side are concrete and corrugated sheet metal, usually painted bright colors. It's a lot like what we saw in that documentary but in a city setting. There's like zero city maintanance here, so there's trash all over and dogs everywhere! But I guess the elevation keeps the bugs to a minimum, so that's nice. I came here by chicken bus; everything you hear about them is true...they're pretty sketchy! But now that I'm here, we walk everywhere we go.
My trainer is Elder Van Katwyck. He's 6 foot 6, from California, and yes, before you even ask, he played basketball. Luckily, he's a gringo so he speaks English. :) He's been out for almost six months, and we're opening our area, so we're both kind of learning. But most of the people he talks to assume he's been out for at least a year. He knows what our responsibilities are and why we're here, but he's pretty easy-going, which I think is good.
Our apartment would frankly be considered a disasater in the U.S. but it's nicer and bigger than most homes here. We have one bedroom, a 75 sq. foot kitchen, and an entryway. I do get warm showers when there's power. The water is heated in the shower head, and it's super sketchy because the power to the shower head is through a couple of wires coming from the light socket, and some days the shower shocks us through the water, so we can't use it if there is power. There are some people who come by once a week who we pay to do our laundry, but they aren't members, so we wash our own garments by hand.
We ususally eat lunch with a member every day. The food is always super good. There's always rice and beans (black bean paste, like what we eat in burritos at home) and tortillas with every meal, and I love it! Sometimes I'll eat breakfast if there's time. And we usually make something small and easy for dinner, like eggs or bean burritos.
The ward is a little small. Everyone is really nice and some of them grew up in the church. Everyone has kids. Our zone is made up of 6 elders. I've only met the zone leader, Elder Ramos, and his companion, Elder Diaz. They're both super nice, and we usually see them every day. We don't have hardly any investigators since we're opening a new area, so we spend most of our day contacting/proselyting.
Also, the Spanish is going well. I can understand most of what is said in conversations, but I'm still struggling to speak very well, but it is coming fast.
I feel like it'd be a good to give you an idea of what my days are like, so...
6:30 wake up and exercise
7:00 get ready
8:00 personal study
9:00 companion study
10:00 language study
11:00 proselyte or teach lessons
1:00 lunch with a member
2:30ish proselyte or teach lessons
8:30ish return home and study more
9:30 plan/prepare for tomorrow/journal
10:30 bed
I really miss driving. I do sometimes feel baggy in the mornings, but only some, and by the end of every day I'm glad I'm here. I am absolutely loving it here. This place is amazing, every part of it!
Tell everyone I'm missing them. I'm sure I've thought about every person I know since I've been out. But time is moving fast. Again, tell everyone I miss and love them. Love you all!
My trainer is Elder Van Katwyck. He's 6 foot 6, from California, and yes, before you even ask, he played basketball. Luckily, he's a gringo so he speaks English. :) He's been out for almost six months, and we're opening our area, so we're both kind of learning. But most of the people he talks to assume he's been out for at least a year. He knows what our responsibilities are and why we're here, but he's pretty easy-going, which I think is good.
Our apartment would frankly be considered a disasater in the U.S. but it's nicer and bigger than most homes here. We have one bedroom, a 75 sq. foot kitchen, and an entryway. I do get warm showers when there's power. The water is heated in the shower head, and it's super sketchy because the power to the shower head is through a couple of wires coming from the light socket, and some days the shower shocks us through the water, so we can't use it if there is power. There are some people who come by once a week who we pay to do our laundry, but they aren't members, so we wash our own garments by hand.
We ususally eat lunch with a member every day. The food is always super good. There's always rice and beans (black bean paste, like what we eat in burritos at home) and tortillas with every meal, and I love it! Sometimes I'll eat breakfast if there's time. And we usually make something small and easy for dinner, like eggs or bean burritos.
The ward is a little small. Everyone is really nice and some of them grew up in the church. Everyone has kids. Our zone is made up of 6 elders. I've only met the zone leader, Elder Ramos, and his companion, Elder Diaz. They're both super nice, and we usually see them every day. We don't have hardly any investigators since we're opening a new area, so we spend most of our day contacting/proselyting.
Also, the Spanish is going well. I can understand most of what is said in conversations, but I'm still struggling to speak very well, but it is coming fast.
I feel like it'd be a good to give you an idea of what my days are like, so...
6:30 wake up and exercise
7:00 get ready
8:00 personal study
9:00 companion study
10:00 language study
11:00 proselyte or teach lessons
1:00 lunch with a member
2:30ish proselyte or teach lessons
8:30ish return home and study more
9:30 plan/prepare for tomorrow/journal
10:30 bed
I really miss driving. I do sometimes feel baggy in the mornings, but only some, and by the end of every day I'm glad I'm here. I am absolutely loving it here. This place is amazing, every part of it!
Tell everyone I'm missing them. I'm sure I've thought about every person I know since I've been out. But time is moving fast. Again, tell everyone I miss and love them. Love you all!
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