Raise your hand if you like walking....Week13
Hola Todos!
I have returned to the keyboard! Week 13 has come and gone and we prepare to enter February! It's strange to think ive been a missionary for 3 months already. Pretty soon it'll be 6 months and I'll be fluent in Spanish!
The grind continued and we took some hits... we stopped teaching several people and it looks like the few baptismal dates we have are gonna fall through. Addiction and lack of motivation are to be blamed at the moment. RIP.
The week was quite slow as well. We spent a lot of time walking to canceled appointments, we had lots of meetings, and some adjustments after transfers.
The more and more we walk, the more and more I find that the mission is just a two year meditation and reset button for life. Walking for hours on end gives me hours to think about my past, the present, and what I want in my future. It's also a great time to come to appreciate the things you dont have! Important things like american candy and Walmart!
I was reminded of this when I received a wonderful package from LDS express, courtesy of my wonderful mother! It had two nalgene bottles, american candy, and a variety of other wonderful things like good socks! It made me a very happy Elder. It felt like Christmas (I dont remember if I wrote about the extent of my christmas gifts this year being a used chapstick... but this "christmas" was much better)! I will be rationing the candy because I dont know when I might be receiving another batch. I expect it won't be for a long time. The nalgene bottles and good socks are also impossible to find here. In the experience of the mission I've had many moments where the one thing that would make life a lot easier would be any Walmart.
But I guess life wasn't made to be easy. RIP.
Anyway, that was probably the highlight of the week! Thank you mother, I love you! ❤
One fun thing this week was an emergency baptism that we had the opportunity to help out with. It was about 5 in the afternoon and we were about to finish the day out with several appointments, then we got a call from the Hermanas of our district. They had a two person baptism at 6 and had no one with the priesthood to do their baptism.
Well, we dropped our plans and travelled 45 minutes to Sajonia to do an emergency baptism! It ended up being really great. The couple had been together for 50 years but never married, that day they had been married right before so they could be baptized. It was easy to see the love the pair had for each other.
The fun part was digging around our closet trying to find clothes suitable for a baptism when none of us had white pants. I dont think Elder Alcivar was expecting to do baptisms in an oversized and yellowed baptismal jumpsuit that day. I also wasn't expecting to eat as many brownies as I did... I can say, me and Elder Alcivar both walked home very happy with the day!
I'm coming to appreciate everything a little bit more. The countless days walking are opportunities to relive old memories; come to terms with regret. The hours spent planning are opportunities to think of others; to build a true sense of empathy. The many times where I've messed up my part in a lesson is just another opportunity to do something a little bit better. When we´re in the moment it usually doesnt feel like that. To us it's just another boring or uncomfortable task.
The wonderful thing about a mission is you can more clearly see the purpose in all of the uncomfortable things. RIP.
The grind continued and we took some hits... we stopped teaching several people and it looks like the few baptismal dates we have are gonna fall through. Addiction and lack of motivation are to be blamed at the moment. RIP.
The week was quite slow as well. We spent a lot of time walking to canceled appointments, we had lots of meetings, and some adjustments after transfers.
The more and more we walk, the more and more I find that the mission is just a two year meditation and reset button for life. Walking for hours on end gives me hours to think about my past, the present, and what I want in my future. It's also a great time to come to appreciate the things you dont have! Important things like american candy and Walmart!
I was reminded of this when I received a wonderful package from LDS express, courtesy of my wonderful mother! It had two nalgene bottles, american candy, and a variety of other wonderful things like good socks! It made me a very happy Elder. It felt like Christmas (I dont remember if I wrote about the extent of my christmas gifts this year being a used chapstick... but this "christmas" was much better)! I will be rationing the candy because I dont know when I might be receiving another batch. I expect it won't be for a long time. The nalgene bottles and good socks are also impossible to find here. In the experience of the mission I've had many moments where the one thing that would make life a lot easier would be any Walmart.
But I guess life wasn't made to be easy. RIP.
Anyway, that was probably the highlight of the week! Thank you mother, I love you! ❤
One fun thing this week was an emergency baptism that we had the opportunity to help out with. It was about 5 in the afternoon and we were about to finish the day out with several appointments, then we got a call from the Hermanas of our district. They had a two person baptism at 6 and had no one with the priesthood to do their baptism.
Well, we dropped our plans and travelled 45 minutes to Sajonia to do an emergency baptism! It ended up being really great. The couple had been together for 50 years but never married, that day they had been married right before so they could be baptized. It was easy to see the love the pair had for each other.
The fun part was digging around our closet trying to find clothes suitable for a baptism when none of us had white pants. I dont think Elder Alcivar was expecting to do baptisms in an oversized and yellowed baptismal jumpsuit that day. I also wasn't expecting to eat as many brownies as I did... I can say, me and Elder Alcivar both walked home very happy with the day!
I'm coming to appreciate everything a little bit more. The countless days walking are opportunities to relive old memories; come to terms with regret. The hours spent planning are opportunities to think of others; to build a true sense of empathy. The many times where I've messed up my part in a lesson is just another opportunity to do something a little bit better. When we´re in the moment it usually doesnt feel like that. To us it's just another boring or uncomfortable task.
The wonderful thing about a mission is you can more clearly see the purpose in all of the uncomfortable things. RIP.
I'll leave this email with the invitation to see what you can take from challenges, it's just the inverse of the JFK quote!
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country"
But instead!
"Ask not what the challenge can take from you - ask what you take from the challenge."
Have a great rest of your week everyone! May the force be with you and may the grind never stop!
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country"
But instead!
"Ask not what the challenge can take from you - ask what you take from the challenge."
Have a great rest of your week everyone! May the force be with you and may the grind never stop!
The most like JFK missionary you´ve met so far (and most egotistical too!),
-Elder James Tanner
Emotional Fortitude O'Meter
Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream - 7/10 Boats of Row
🚣🚣🚣🚣🚣🚣🚣
1. I do enjoy reading on the porch when its not 39°c
2. This ice cream cone with two scoops was $0.40, literally the best ice cream i've had in my life
3. More shenanigans
4. Perrito está durmiendo
5. Flag of Ecuador
6. "For mush, ya say?"
7. Would someone like to teach me?
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