Hey everybody,
So everything is going well here is San
Juan. Last week I got a new companion named Elder Qu from Peru. He is a super cool guy. He is really short and
very spiritual and social. So in other words he is a super fantastic missionary.
He has 21 months in the mission so he has quite a bit of experience. I think I
might be the one that sends him off to his house, but if that is the case, then
that means I’ll be here for a long time because I would have to teach the new
elder the area before I go, but we will see. This area is a lot different than
my last area. In my last area we lived with four elders in a house, and here we
have an 8-man house. There is another district living with us. It has its ups
and downs, like cleaning goes a lot faster, but we always have to wash dishes.
But yeah, I think I like to have more people in the house. It makes it more
interesting, but at the same time it’s hard to find a quite place to think.
This area also has a lot more crazy
people than my last area. In my last area there was just one lady who would sit
in the street reading a bible and then yell at us as we passed by, saying that
we came from the devil. But here in San Juan there are tons of crazy people. There
is one lady that is like 45 years old and bald. She walks around the bus stop
trying to take peoples luggage and flirt with guys. One time I was at the bus
stop sitting outside the bathroom while my comp was in there, and she started
harassing me a bit trying to take my backpack. The she went into the bathroom
where my comp was and I heard him start yelling at her, telling her to leave
and that he was going to call the police. It was all a very funny experience. She
is a harmless crazy, but kind of annoying. There is another harmless crazy guy.
He goes to this one park everyday and begs for money so that he can buy
cigarettes. When he buys the cigarettes, he smokes them out of his nose and
dances as he does it! It’s really funny to watch. But yeah, there are a few
more crazies, but that’s alright. I just think it’s really funny.
This week has been a little different,
just getting used to literally speaking Spanish the entire day! I can do it
easily enough; I just feel like I don’t have as much to say in Spanish. It’s
kind of weird, but when you speak two different languages you sort of have 2
different personalities. For example, while speaking Spanish, I’m a lot bolder
and more direct with the things I say, but also a bit more quiet. Maybe that’s just
the culture rubbing off on me though. Another interesting thing about the house
I’m living in is that there are 2 greenies. One guy is from Mexico and one from
America. They are both super cool.
As far as the work goes, this week we
have be trying to help out the members a lot because this ward isn’t very strong.
There are a few excommunicated members and a ton of less active. Many of the
members don’t have very strong testimonies so we are working on that. My comp
and I have lots of goals to get this area getting going and get the ward super
strong, but it’s a bit of a battle. This week our main progressing investigator
threw us a curve ball. She decided to take month long class that is on Sunday
during church hours. She wont be able to
come to church for a while, but on the bright side she is really progressing
and asking us questions and expressing doubts. It is always better when people
express doubts about the church to us so that we can explain it, and then they
can understand clearly. In my last area there was a less active member that
struggled for years with doubts she had about the Book of Mormon. In the end,
she fell away because of it. The most important lesson I think we teach as
missionaries is how to receive an answer from God. That way they can gain a
testimony for themselves. We don’t teach- we provide the information and the Spirit
and the investigator’s personal prayers teach the lesson! Anyway, that’s my
week more or less. I love you all and hope you all have a good week!
Elder Stark
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