Leaving the CCM was almost as hard as leaving the United
States.
It didn't help that I had absolutely no idea what to expect
after the moment I crossed out of the gates and into the mission field. I know
enough Spanish and have a testimony of the restored gospel...so what else
matters?
It was a rainy Tuesday morning when I met my first
companion, Elder Hernandez, got into a taxi and drove off into the great
unknown. I gripped my scriptures with white knuckles as we weaved in and out of
the city traffic, each mile we put behind us was one mile closer to where I
needed to be. Only, I had no idea where I needed to be...
The name of my area? San Juan, Guatemala. It's outside of
the Capital, as far away from the mission home as you can get (words like,
"banishment" come to mind) The city is built at the top of a mountain
where the air is thin and there's nothing but tin roofs and green hilltops as
far as the eye can see. It's a city where the days are burning hot and the nights
are a thick, humid kind of cold, every hour is filled with music, it's pouring
from all of the shops and buses....and I mean this in a very literal sense, the
other day an entire Maraichi band got on our bus and gave us a performance as
we jetted down the road at break-neck speeds.
One thing is for sure: I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.
My companion, Elder Hernandez has been out in the field for
9 months and doesn't know any English....whatsoever. He's a really nice guy and
a hard worker, but as far as conversations go....they're about as limited as my
skills are in the language. He's been waiting for a VERY long time to have his
visa be cleared to go to Lima, Peru...but for the time being, he's in San Juan
training Elder Monson on how to be a missionary.
 |
| Elder Monson and Elder Hernandez |
Speaking of Visas, mine came in two weeks ago and my
district at the CCM got to go and pick them up! ...so that was fun.
The members here are great and people on the streets are
always willing to talk to you for a few minutes as they make their way back to
their houses, balancing big baskets of whatnot on their heads. Most of the time
it's bread or dough for tortillas.
Which brings me to the FOOD! Haha, I though I'd have
problems with my picky eater nature but...pretty much all the stuff I've eaten
so far has been stuff I would eat anyways at home! ...namely Rice, Potatoes and
Chicken.
Now that I've had a week out here in the field, the world
doesn't feel so confining anymore and the culture isn't as much of a shock
(because it was). We've taught quite a few lessons and contacted a TON of
people! The work moves forward!
Stay Classy America!
-Elder Monson
 |
| "Culture Shock!!" |
 |
| inside my first apartment |
 |
| looking out my apartment window |
 |
| scripture case I had made, my drawings |
No comments:
Post a Comment