Querida Familia!
Well, I am in Ecuador!! I have been for almost a week actually since I flew in Tuesday afternoon. It's weird that I haven't written in two weeks since they didn't give me a pday last week. But it was awesome to talk to you guys in the airport. I can't believe it was that expensive!? Like what the cuss? Have Bay have lots of soles in coin for when he calls in the airport cause that will be easier and it should also be a lot cheaper. So lots and lots of soles in coins should be good I think. No se.
Anyways remember how I was stoked for more email time in the field? Well the CCM gave me 1 hour but they're only giving me 45 min here! I'm slightly pissed. Especially since I guess we have to take turns with our companions, and can't write simultaneously...so I'm still gonna be in the cyber for an hour and a half but can only be on the computer for half the time...talk about frustrating and also a time waster.....but maybs Prez Torres will change it now that he's here because it's an old rule from the other president but I guess Prez Torres said he was gonna keep all the same rules, so we shall see. But I like him; he's super nice and warm and father-like. Him and his wife were there at the airport to pick us up. Their first new group! But we didn't get to go to the mission home which I thought was weird. We went to the temple to take a picture for literally 5 min and then we just went to a chapel in Guayaquil to meet our companions and to do interviews and training and what not. And then we actually slept back at the temple where they have rooms for people who have to travel far to get there before heading out to our respective areas in the morning.
My area is called Boyaca and it was a 4 hour bus ride away, south of course. I think it's in the town Machala? I'm pretty sure. Anyways, my comp is Hna Lujan from Argentina. She only has 5 and a half months in the mission. So not only am I the first non spanish speaker she's training, but I'm the first person she's training period. And she doesn't speak a lick of English. nothing. ahhhh. haha. A lot of the other firsts got more experienced trainers who are on their last or second to last transfer and who took English in school so kinda know a bit....so ya, I'm completely stranded with only Spanish. haha But my companion is really nice. Not necessarily the warm cute Latina I was hoping for, but she's really nice and patient with me and cooks me breakfast every morning and I can tell she's a good missionary. So I'm happy with her. Oh and she speaks really clearly so I don't have many problems understanding her. I can understand like 80% of everything going on I would say. I can follow conversations no problem and I always want to participate but rarely can because my speaking sucks. I can't conjugate for crap. Present tense all day every day for me. haha but it's fine. Everyone is really nice about it. The ward members are awesome; I love my ward here.
Oh wait my house! It's pretty small and crappy. But I'm already used to the cement floors, dirty walls, and inadaquate, tiny, gross bathrooms. haha My bed is good though, so that's a plus. The climate is awesome right now. Since it's winter the sun is often behind clouds but the air is still warm. It's soooo nice. I don't even get sweaty really. The summer months will be close to imbearable though. I already know. Anyways, back to my ward. There are actually a lot of members here! The bishop lives right across the street from us, and the ward mission leader lives down the road and is always helping us our. His name is Diego and he is 18 and has a misison call to Brazil. Oh, and then Mishelle, a 19 year old ward missionary, goes out with us a lot. She's super cute and always tries to talk to me in English. I like her. It's werid to see all the members at church when they just seem like normal average members like the people in our ward at home, but then to see them later in their dirty clothes in their one-roomed cement dirty houses with tin roofs...way strange. But it's simply a difference of lifestyles, because these living conditions are all they know. The streeets are just filled with trash and dirty and the houses all just look bombed-out.. but everyone seems genuinely happy still.
We have about 5 investigators who are progressing right now but I feel like I can barely call them mine as my comp basically just teaches since I can't, and I just bear my testimony at the end. It's super frustrating since I understand what's going on and I want to say things but can't come up with the words to say what I wanna say. The worst, but I'm trying to keep up a good attitude. The members encourage me and tell me that I'm good at Spanish but I know they're just saying that to make me feel better and to make things less awkward when they can't understand me. haha But it hasn't been as hard for me as I was expecting it to be yet...maybe because I went through the worst of the homesickness the first week or two of the ccm. idk, it's hard but I'm just trying to take it day by day. It's hard to believe I still got 17 months of this, but I just remind myself that by the time it's over, I'm going to be wishing it wasn't. I just wish I could talk to the people. I keep wishing I would've gone statestide because if I was in the states right now, I would be able to say what I wanna say when teaching the gospel! haha But I love Ecuador so far and I know it's just gonna get better from here! Hopefully....haha.
Well it sounds like things at home are going well! Rye's graduation and getting Bay ready and what not. I love all the letters and always print them if I don't have time to read them! SO make sure everyone knows that if I don't respond this week, I will next weeek! Also Mom I hope you're editing this before sending it out because I'm sure the typos are atrociousl Also make sure they get sent to Petey and Trevor and Romney and Shane every week. k cool. Well i gotta go, but I love you all lots and think about you, every single one of you, literally every single day. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome close family and to have such amazing friends in my life as well. You all rock hard. Until next week...
Love from Ecuador (sorry no alliteration mom),
Hna Abbs Harper
No comments:
Post a Comment