The Chicken Sandwich of Death and Dispare
Week 4 in the field!! Super slow but crazy week this week! Not a ton happened!
So P-day. We were told like less than 24 hours before that we had interviews and would have to buy tickets to Metan, so Sunday we got lucky and got the last seats that were together on the bus. We got up early on P-day to make the bus and to buy facturas for breakfast like the little Big Backs we are. Got to Metan with perfect time and had our interviews. I’m pretty sure our MP, President Janzen, thought he’s had a meeting with me already because he kept saying “maybe I’ve told you this before” and then would talk about something. We talked about testimonies and I talked about what I my spiritual thought was last week which was exactly what he wanted to talk about so I think I might’ve accidentally gotten some brownie points with him. After interviews we went and my comp tried to transfer money to this guy in the mission that does handmade leather book covers for scriptures for the missionaries. They are really cool and I’ll put some examples of what he has. I’m thinking about buying one but just need to figure out the art and style I want. Anyway, my comp couldnt do it cause the place we had to go to for transfering money were bums so then all 6 of us Elders headed to lunch. After some milenasa sandwiches we headed back to the church building and called our families and played some games. Then me and my comps bus was leaving at 5:15 so we had to dip. We said goodbye to all the other missionaries in our Zone/District because we have transfers next week and who knows when we’ll see each other again. After the bus ride we did a tiny bit of grocery shopping for the week and headed back to the pension where we ordered chicken sandwiches from this restaurant and had them delivered to us. WORST MISTAKE EVER
Tuesday/Wednesday
So I woke up on Tuesday feeling fine until personal study. I had to go use the bathroom like 4 times and felt a tiny bit nauseous. I decided to just push through it and go out. We walked to basically the other side of Joaquin and tried looking for this lady, but ended up talking to this guy Nicholas. The entire time talking to him I was getting cold sweats and trying not to throw up. As soon as we got done talking to him, I told my comp I had to sit down, where I proceeded to throw up a ton. We went and got some groceries on our way back to the pension and once we got back I changed clothes and proceeded to die for the rest of the day. Anytime I stood up it was a time bomb of throw up. I didn’t eat anything Tuesday and just died in bed. I couldn’t really do anything either because I didn’t want to take up all of our data so watching paint dry would’ve been a good use of time. Wednesday was the same thing but I ate a tiny bit. I had a CRAZY bed head from laying in bed for 2 days straight so I’ll put that picture in. Good news though was that my comp cleaned a ton of the pension so now we’re like goated, but now I think that raised our chances of not staying here next transfer. My comp has already been here since late June, so we’ll see what happens.
Highlights Thursday-Sunday
My head still hurt a tiny bit Thursday so I just took some Ibuprofen and was fine and didn’t have any problems the rest of the week.
All of the members were super worried about me and the Branch President and his wife think I’m not accustomed to the heat.
A member is in a custody battle with 3 of her kids that live in Salta and supposedly they want to live with her. 2 of them are of baptism age so we are really hoping to stay here next transfer so we can teach them and invite them to be baptized.
We were teaching Mauricio and his family and teaching them about the importance of church on Sunday, and Mauricio casually dropped that he thinks church is good and all but he probably won’t go unless something bad happens so whatever it is can be better.
We went to this investigator’s house and they have a cat with a crazy infected ear that has growths on it that make it look like a poop emoji.
At that same house, we’ve been teaching this lady and her “husband”. The lady’s name is Grizelda and the other Ernesto. They are maybe early 50’s and right now we have a baptismal date with Grizelda but she never remembers a thing from our lessons. We got to talking with Ernesto and he said that she has some mental issues where she can’t remember basically anything. He said she didn’t learn anything in school because of it. Now I think that he pulled 50 First Dates to get to this point.
In one day I saw 5 dogs with broken hind left legs.
We were on our way to get lunch from a member and we decided to stop by this other member to say hi and she had just made empanadas so we ate like probably 6 each and then got lunch which was milenasas and fries from the other members right after.
Finally got the chance to cook, so my comp and I made some BOMB breakfast burritos/tacos.
My comp is wanting to teach that drunk schizophrenic guy. We went to his house yesterday where he was drunk again and told us that he had read the entire BoM. He showed us his book and it was in plastic wrapping so idk.
We finally were able to talk to this guy that we pass by all the time. His name is Fernando and he owns this shop where he smells like baby food, toys, clothes, etc. He’s 39 and supposedly talked to the missionaries one time when he was like 12. He has a wife and a 1 1/2 year old. He says he was born catholic like everyone else here and that he’s never liked church because he thinks they are all corrupt.
Since I am in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are flipped and it is early Spring right now, so its getting super green. There are these super pretty trees everywhere with cool purple flowers that I took some pictures of.
There is a circus in town right now. I didn’t know they actually existed, and I want to go, but my comp said that they really only happen at night because with the siesta during the day everyone is lazy and wouldn’t go.
Spiritual Thought:
My comp is the District Leader, so on Sundays while he is calling all of the companionships and getting ready for our District Meeting, I get a lot of time to study. Yesterday I was reading Thomas S. Monson’s 1985 talk “The Spirit Giveth Life”. At the beginning he talks about a funny little story about missionaries complaining about learning Spanish until they talk to missionaries learning Chinese, to which then the Spanish missionaries carry on with their studies head strong. Monson then goes on to say:
“There is one language, however, that is understood by each missionary: the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and to keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart.”
I think that there are 3 languages that each missionary has to learn: their mission language such as me with Spanish, the Doctrine of the Gospel, and how the Spirit speaks to them. These all are languages that I am trying to be keen on studying, but the Spirit is different. Like Monson says its not a study-able language, but comes to us as we seek to keep the greatest commandment to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30). As I strive to grow closer and closer to Jesus Christ, learn more of His character and Atonement, and strive to have the Spirit with me. I know it will probably take my entire mission to understand how the Spirit speaks to me and the rest of my life to keep that understanding and follow it. I have already had experiences where the words I’m saying in a lesson don’t seem to make sense to me, but the investigator seems to have a perfect understanding of what I am saying. The gift of tongues is definitely real and I continue to pray for it constantly. We must all strive to have, as President Nelson says, “the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” with us at all times.
I love and miss you all! Please send me emails about what is going on in your lives!
– Élder Curtis
