There ain´t a ton of time today, so I´m gonna try to keep things to the point.
LECCION 1: Through contacting, I have learned that there are three types of people in this world: Those with headphones, those without headphones, and those with invisible headphones. Just ponder that for a second.
LECCION 2: God loves EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. Elder Melena and I were out and about the other day and we came across a old old man with no legs, practically no vision, and no family. He lived in a concrete cube smaller than my bathroom back home. He was wearing scraps and said that he didn´t have time to talk to us because he had to get himself into his wheelchair to go and beg for food all day, or risk not eating.
This man's name is Miguel.
I asked him if we could say a prayer with him right then and there, but he really had to get going. I expressed to him the sentiment that God loves each one of his children, and that, through faith, we can overcome the plights that life brings us. I really felt that. With my whole heart. He seemed taken aback and then asked if we could come back and visit him sometime. That´s the plan. Thursday. 3:00.
LECCION 3: The Spirit has real power to guide. Wow, he does. Elder Melena and I were looking for a contact in a neighborhood (which they call super-manzanas - super-apples...?) and we turned down a street with a dead end. Feeling doubtful, I said, "let´s go, E. Melena, this doesn´t look like the right way." But he kept walking. I followed, thinking it might be a prompting he was receiving. Turns out, it was. At the VERY LAST HOUSE, scrunched up against this cement wall, there was an open door with a man standing inside. We asked him if he knew where this certain contact lived. He didn´t, but as we started speaking with him, we realized that he was super open to the message of the Gospel. Religion had never played a huge part in his life, but he invited us back to teach him the lessons! Yay!
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Lots of other stuff happened this week, guys. For real. Honestly, it´s been one of the craziest weeks of my life. It´s hot, tiring, frustrating, and oh-so-worth-it. I love every second of it, if only looking back at the end of the day.
I want to share a few of the things I love about the mission so far:
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the feeling that both my Heavenly Father and my Savior are proud of me.
- The knowledge that my family (both now and in the future) will be blessed by my service and growth.
- A great companion. It was hard to say goodbye to one of my best dudes, E. Chamberlain, but E. Melena has been so patient and encouraging with me. He has his weaknesses, but he is willing to work on them alongside me.
- Personal Study Time. Oh, how I love you, E.P. It´s a chance to rest my introverted tendencies while still feeling spiritually nurtured.
- Writing!! HELLO EVERYBODY! :D I love doing this because it helps me remember the good things about life. Also, I still haven´t missed a single day writing in my journal, and I gotta say, I´m a little proud of that.
- SLEEPING IN A HAMMOCK, MY GOODNESS. It´s awesome - no two nights are the same because you find different positions to lie in. Like last night, I started diagonally and then somehow ended up with my feet way above my head. It´s fun.
- CONSTANT FEELING OF GROWTH.
- Plain water isn´t a thing here. Everyone makes fresh agua de piña or agua de manga and it´s HEAVEN SENT.
- Trying to cross the street with a giant piece of plastic garbage tied around your legs because it´s alive and wants to kill you.
- Trying to cross the street in general because traffic lights are a myth and everyone thinks their Civic is a Formula 1 racecar.
- Cold showers! Yay!
- I´ve forgotten what it means to have water pressure....
- LA CUCARACHA
- When EVERYONE gives you ten servings of food because they assume that nobody else does. And you´re expected to eat all of it. (Actually, I don´t mind that; it´s all amazing.)
Love all of you.
Elder Carson
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One of the CCM group - these people are unforgettable.
Another of me and the comp. Just look at that smile!
Public transport! You have two options - this is more expensive but we use it to get to the church building. The other one - los cambis - are little vans with no seats that you pile into with a bunch of sweaty people to cross town. Great place to spread the Gospel because no one can escape... That´s a joke...
For all you Americans... This is what an Internet Café looks like!
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