Thoughts From The Week

     So as I pondered what I could possibly write you all this week I came across all of the little quotes I have written in my agenda...

     M and O: "We lived in such a dangerous part of San Pedro that the flies don't even go there!" (She said this grinning ear to ear and then proceeded to tell us how many times they got robbed just going to the corner to buy tortillas.)

     In a talk in Sacrament meeting someone was telling about their great-grandfather.... "He always used to say, 'I swear by my mustache.' He had a really big mustache and loved it. He didn't want to lose it so he paid up."

     Other from Sacrament meeting, "The Bible and Book of Mormon are our spiritual eyes. Together they broaden our vision and give us a clearer picture."

     Me: You know, jokes don't really translate well, but I am going to try. There is one that is the staple that lots of other jokes are based on... Why did the chicken cross the road?.... To get to the other side!

     My companion: ...Was I supposed to laugh there?

     We also have had a couple about birthdays... Talking to a new family we found this week that are super pilas (really smart/progressing) we asked the 15 yr old when his birthday is. He stopped to think a minute and then told us, "This month." "What day?" "I don't know... Only my mom knows what day I was born." Then his dad cut in... "When I went to Guatemala I saw that they celebrate birthdays and stuff. Like a holiday! Here only the rich people celebrate birthdays..."

     Another investigator summed the situation up like this, "We poor people don't celebrate birthdays. There is no reason to worry about doing something special if you don't have anything. It's just another day." That kind of shocked me.

     The next two have pictures...

     My companion: I have an idea. Let's catch a gecko.

     So we did... Don't worry. In the end we let it go. We also found out that they are a little poisonous. Luckly we didn't actually touch it...

     We went to help make tamales this morning. One hermana told me that I was going to have to write down the recipe so I can make them at home. A few minutes later this was my response... Me: I don't think I will be able to recreate this at my house...

     They were also shocked to hear that banana trees don't just grow on the side of the road. Or in people's backyards. The stuff in the pot is what eventually gets wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. It was crazy seeing what all went into that pot. My companion commented that it was a little like a witch's cauldron... Tonight we are going to eat the tamales, so I'll let you know how they turned out. 

     But here is my favorite quote from the entire semana... "¿Seguirá el ejemplo de Jesucristo al ser bautizado por alguien que posea la autoridad del sacerdocio de Dios?" (Will he follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?)

     And three times this week we got a very lovely, "¡Sí!"

     Two from the familia super pilas that we met this week, and another from a joven (youth) that we have been working with for a couple of weeks. He is the most excited--telling everyone, wanting to go and visit other investigators with us, and is excited for the chance to pass the sacrament down the road.

     It's been a pretty masiza semana and it's been amazing the miracles we've seen. But this is really long so I will have to cut it off here.

Love,
Hna. Thacker