Friday, September 17, 2010

September 15, 2010 Part 3


Dear All,


These have been my thoughts slash experiences that I wrote down to share.

I have a hypothesis about the plumbers who worked on the bathrooms in the MTC and also in the CCM. I think the MTC bathrooms were plumbed by Peruvians, and the CCM bathrooms were plumbed by Norte Americanos. I would always hit my face on the shower heads in Provo at the MTC, yet here, they are high enough!! It is great.

I never understood the phrase "lumpy pillow," which occurs frequently in fiction, until my first night here.

My physics is slowly leaking out, but it isn't all the way gone yet! In the line at the comedria there are several windows. These windows have blinds which can be turned to close or open at the pull of a metal chain. The chain is the ball-rod-ball-rod-ball type that people often use for necklaces. Anyway, it is thicker than those by a milimeter or so, and 2.5 meters long. The tension in the chain increases quickly as you move up the chain because of its weight. As a consequence, when
you tap the bottom of the chain and start a wave, it moves up with increasing speed, decreasing amplitude, and increasing wavelength. The effect is that it looks like the wave disappears soon after you tap the chain. The wave bounces off the top unnoticed, and suddenly and without warning, it shakes the last few centimeters violently. It is really entertaining, and a bunch of other elders started doing it for a few days after I figured it out.

Along with the "spiritually minded is life eternal" scripture, is Acts 10:36 :)

So a question for Grandpa Johnson. Here, the fluorescent tube lights flicker for almost 4 seconds before they turn on, tho the length of the flickering period varies. Sometimes it is 1 second before it is on. Anyway, somehow they turn on, but then turn off. I would think that the On state is stable... doesn't it need increased power to turn on, and then reduced power once enough gas is ionized? Somehow they turn on and off several times before deciding to stay on for good. Also, if you turn them off, and then back on before waiting long, they illuminate with barely any or no flickering.

AAAHHH so the best experience ever. We got on buses on Saturday to go to the world and visit less active members of the church. My group went to the Garden stake center about 45 minutes from the CCM I think. We were to be paired up with members who would accompany us and help us get to the houses and help us teach. There were not enough members tho, so about half of the missionaries had to go knocking doors!!! Me and Elder Silva got to go knock doors! It was mejor [the best]. My first door was so scary, but no one opened, nor the second. But the third, a 15 year old girl bounced out and talked with us for a little bit. I say us, but I mean Elder Silva. I literally understood nothing she said except that she believed in God. Everyone was super willing to talk to us, and we talked to 5 people who wanted missionaries to come back!!! it was sooo sooo cool.

I will never forget one place. These 3 and 4 year old kids answered the gate, and started climbing on the other side (never opened it), smiling at us and offering us their bread. We didnt take any. The 15 year old brother and oldest person home talked to us for about 10 minutes through the gate. He was shy, but happy to see us. behind the gate, were the dirtiest stairs I have ever seen leading up to where they lived. The stairs and the walls looked mas o menos como un [more or less like a]
chimney. So sad, heart-wrenching.

We get translators (the missionaries who have been here for a few weeks longer) for some of the meetings. the Norte Americanos wear the headsets connected to the radio. The translator was translating for us, as the temple president spoke and said he wanted us to have success. The spanish word is Exito I think. He translated to all the Norte Americanos "He wants us all to have sex." Im not sure a funnier slash more out of place freuidian slip has ever occured.

Question: What is difference between the three levels in the Celestial kingdom? We can only find info on the top one.

Eric is taller than almost all women here.

Me and Elder Silva advanced to the second round of the fooseball
tourney yesterday. It was sweet. Fooseball or taca taca as it called
here, it the ccm pasttime....which takes place when we finish a meal
early.

no more time!

Love Elder Mark Johnson

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