1 November 2010

Dear Home:

You asked "Can you have music on your mission? What kinds?"

We can have music but only Monday and only of the church. So basically I am fine. I do miss some good motab [Mormon Tabernacle Choir] and our classics we would listen to at night in the CCM.

Speaking of ipods, they are going to be awesome when I return.

Right, business. I got letters from Oksana, Kimmie, and Cassie on the 28th of October. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The week before, I got a really old letter that was addressed to the Provo, MTC from home, and a letter from Gramps J on the 19th. Thank you for your answers to my questions and the stories from Texas and home! They were great!

I think letters are transported by a llama express because they are soooooo slooowww and it kinda kills me a little. It is all right though haha. Bueno. I wrote a big letter btw which I'll send off.

What was so great about this week. A lot. We fasted yesterday for Melisa, an investigator whose parents aren't too keen on letting her get baptized. She fasted too which was cool. It is always cool to fast, placing spiritual things above physical, and learning a lot.

I have been trying to be really, really obedient, and I have been richly blessed as a reward. My Spanish is growing so fast, comprehension is way good. I still have a lot to learn though. It is kinda like jumping off a cliff into cold water. Or apparently cold. You jump into the air, not really knowing what to expect, but doing so on faith, and instead of plunging into the water, you realize you are standing on higher ground than you were before.

There are bastante [many] examples.

Some cultural I think.

Halloween was yesterday, and here it is a little different. It is associated a little as the day of the devil, so church members are a little careful. Kids still go around in costumes asking for dulces [candy]. But lots of people go to cemeteries to celebrate the lives of their relatives and friends, which I'm pretty sure no one does in the States.

Everyone here cooks on propane stoves. They look normal [compared] to ours but burn propane from tanks. There is a whole infrastructure to support it too.

Our shower and all those I have seen have electric heaters at the spigot. There is no heated water here as far as I can tell. I am making a semi-educated guess that is is around 400 watts, but I really have no idea what the change in temperature or the rate of water is.

Every one remembers Johnson shampoo when they hear my name. Some of the ward's children call me Johnson lotion, Johnson shampoo, Johnson baby. My second apellido [last name].

AH and ONE investigator story. Hermana Luisa runs a tienda. She is very knowledgeable of the Bible, and loves to talk to us about doctrine, and learn of the gospel of Christ. She is very enthusiastic and in church last Sunday she could not stop smiling. All she needs is to pray for her self... something that isn't super easy to bring about.

Love,

Me

29 September 2010, Part 3

So since we have been here for so long now, we have gotten to know the

CCM leadership more. Hermana Whetten has eaten with us a couple times!

She is the wife of the CCM President. Hermana Slingerland, wife of

area doctor, teaches a class on how to lead music every three weeks.

We went to both just cuz they are so cool! She is really the most

excited person about leading music I have ever seen. We were loving it

so much, and have adopted her favorite hymn as our own, number 9 in

the spanish hymn book... i dunno about the english one...

In class we were taking turns leading with a little blue plastic

pointer. It has a little hand on the end with index finger pointing

straight, which makes it just about the coolest things around. Our

excitement caught on to all the rest of the class of 50 or so, as the

new and unsure people gradually started singing during practicing, and

having almost as good a time as us. At the end when we went to thank

her she said we set the mood! Hermana Whetten was there, and took note

of the blue pointer.

Two days later we had a Large Group Meeting. Elder Bardzinski, who is

the best and the only Australian here (who was in my first district)

got to to lead the music at the LGM. He used the blue pointer to the

delight of EVERYONE. Hermana Whetten was struggling at not laughing so

bad, Hermano Whetten even smiled, and I could hardly control myself.

Elder Bardzinski is such a character. We are lucky to be his favorite,

he comes into our room every night and shares the most mind blowing

sections of his daily reading in Jesus the Christ in such a thick

accent that we often don't understand his English in the most excited

parts of the summary.

Soccer has been a blast! The new Latinos are very different from the

group of Latinos that we had in our first three weeks. They pass the

ball! I have no idea why it is so different. I would think that with

this many people, it would be more similar than different. They are

all stunned when Elder Stewart dribbles past them all. Oh by the way

Elder Stewart is from Saint George Utah, and is going to Arequipa like

me.

We didn't get to go proselyting last Saturday, and won´t be able to

next. Next Saturday we can´t because of elections and general

conference. Every year on I think the day before elections no one is

allowed to go out on the streets. I believe it is to prevent riots,

chaos, civil unrest... something. We are all super excited to hear it

in English. I´ve never been this excited for conference before!

Oh guess what. All the water fountains here have sheets of instruction

that tell how to use them. I thought that was pretty cool. Also they

have a button for cold water, and another for un-chilled water. It is

pretty odd. Another shocker, I fully averted my first sneeze at 3:30

pm on 9/27/10. I have done so again once since, but never before in my

life. I am learning so much! haha

ummm... the juices the other day were phenomenal. Passionfruit juice

and Watermelon Juice. The latter tastes just like the juice left in

your bowl after eating diced watermelon. It is my favorite here I

think.

I got some Dear Elders!

One from Aunt Carmen, all the news sounds awesome! I think it is one

of my life time goals to cut something with those giant scissors. We

don't seem to have any scissors down here.. it's odd. Were they heavy?

Jared, best of luck haha. I have never heard of such an event. Ryan is

a freshman? That's so cool. It was fun to be in with Paul for two

years. Also I love soccer too. The shoes I brought are ripped up so

bad from playing soccer every day. Hahahaha Andrew's hair!

Did y'all know I volunteered at that Pow Wow the last fall? It was a

lot of fun and I got a sweet shirt out of it for free. Also I learned

about crime prevention! Always good.

Mom sounds like mornings are super chill now. I have changed my

sleeping failitude! We have lights off as per rules at 10:30 every

night, but I am usually in bed at around 9:45. I try to write in my

journal, for fifteen minutes, read the libro de mormon for fifteen of

30, and if I have time, read Jesus the Christ for 15 minutes. Then I

wake up at 6:00 every morning, to be ready before 6:30, to allow for

about 30 minutes of extra study in the morning. We are asked to rise

between 6 and 630...but I am about the only one who gets up at 6. So

there! Elder Stewart and I work in about another hour of extra study

by doing things quickly than we would have if we relaxed and went by

the schedule. It is great.

Mark