New Changes

Buen Dia!

Yes, I got changed. I am now in Santa Cruz in the Zone La Libertad, in the Lucero Ward. My companion is called Elder Chacaliaza of Lima, Peru. He is a lot better than my other companion. Santa Cruz is a little bit different. The people talk different. For example instead of saying mas o menos they pronounce it maj o menoj (the j makes an h sound). The buses are also pretty fun.  The ceiling is about where my shoulder are so you have hunch it over and hang on to the bar because the roads are not always smooth and the driver looks to make sudden stops and gos. You have to have good balance or else you will land on some else. To top it off there is usually american music like Rasputin or Are you all ready for this to jingle and slip along to. There is a HiperMaxi (a walmart Food supermarket) here in Santa Cruz which is a big blessing because I am tired my food selection being limited to what ever people sell in their living room. 

The wildlife here is about the same just that there are cows wandering around and horses, lots of frogs, some lizards occasionaly. There are also a lot of horse drawn carraiges here too. Except the horses look like they are about to to die and and cariage is more like a hay trailer. 

The people. We have an investigator named Resendo Parada. He has a cow called Maltilda and we sometimes get to drink some milk from Maltilda. Also there is a member in the ward called Israel and he is a little crazy. He likes to acompany us in visits and he gives his own mini lesson of 10-15 minutes. He kind of reminds me those overzealous or enthusiatic men at BYU Nat. He also gave us a reference for his next door neighbor. And when we went to go contact him, his neighbor about blew up becuase of how many times the missionaries talk to him. I think Israel gives the same reference to all the missionaries. THere are lots of others but those two are the most interesting. At church there was about 210 people. I feel like I am in a battleship becuase we have a stake and in total there are 6 elders in the ward. 

Its cool to look back and see how many lessons were taught during the 6 weeks. This past transfer we had 24 lessons with investigator con un mienbro presente and 45 other lessons 18 lessons to recent converts and 51 lessons to menos activos. 

Sending some pictures. One is of my area in Bermejo  (with trees and no on in it) and pictures of my new companion and a picture of the my zone.

Well that is it for this week and I am glad to hear Scooter health is improving and so on. Hopefully that stuff makes it here. Try making saltinas this week. 

Chao,

Elder Gilbert

Zone in Bermejo

Scooter's Health Care

Hola

Sounds like Scooter has had some health issues. I am relieved to hear that his infermity has been taken care of in orderly and effecient manner. We all know that Scooter demands the best of health care insurance in accordance with The Scooter League AllIance policy manual (page 45)

I usaully email from some internet cafe. Today was a little bit tricky; we went to three different places and all their internets were not working but we finally found one. The computers are high tech too, they are usaully computers that look like they are from the 90s and have wires hanging out for the usb and such. 

As far as the music, I think that Enya and classical is okay. And of course all of the Mormon Tabernacle. Hopefully that package makes it here. Once it gets to the mission office the mission office will send it somehow or when president comes to visit again. 

We went to Santa Cruz for a conference of trainers and newbies. Basically it was a meeting of 3 hours where Hermana Willard went over health stuff and asked us we were doing and then President gave some words and it was over and we went back to Bermejo. So that was a nice little trip. 

Well I have to go now didnt get much time Adios

Jovenes Chicas

No [Natalie], I have not yet found someone that reminds me of you yet. Mainly because we are not allowed to speak to snakes (so my companion calls them, the jovenes chicas).

I still have the same companion Elder Condori. The cambio was only for one day. But the cambios (pernament) is coming up next week

Have we come across investigadores yet. Yes of course. I think we have about  10-15 active investigators. I you want to know the numbers for this week we have 4 people with baptismal date, 5 new investigators, and 24 lessons taught. The hardest thing is to get the investigators to keep commitment. It is also possible to receive packages here. Just send them to the mission office. I would like a USB drive with every church  song and tranquilo song that you have and then I can buy a music player here. 

Culture. When shaking hands you first shakes hands, then tap on the other persons left shoulder with your right hand than shake hands again. A lot of people here sell those crocks shoes (people here sell a lot of cheap stuff from China) so for service I have gotten really good at packaging shoes and sorting them. Remember the time that I fell when I was doing service hauling dirt up the hill for the Lopez Family (the Jeppsen Family). While the lady still thinks it is the funniest thing. And I trip over everything here because all the sidewalks are pieced together. There will be drop offs, piles of rock, etc etc. So my companion taught me the native language of what to say when I fall because Santiago Lopez knows the native language and would think it really cool if I said it; the words are manan ing ting en ten day ictchu kitchu.

Yesterday we do not have church because of the elections and we were not allowed to leave the house either. So we read a lot.The day mainly consisted of people driving down the street on their motos waving their propaganda and honking their horns. It was equivalent to the Peach Day parade. I also got my first haircut here. I said i wanted short regular which ended up being shave off the sides and leave the top long. So now I have a nice haircut.

Well I just received new that we are being beckoned back to Santa Cruz  which means a long car ride and then 2 hours in the plane, what joy!

Elder Gilbert

"Oh Honey, You ain't Seen Big"

Hola Familia

Sounds like you have had a lovely general conference weekend. I too had the privilege to view the conference, and in Enlgish too. The conference was fantastic--including classic Dallin Oaks talk and the thrill of listeing t other languages in voices similar to those on hunger games, they like to keep you on your toes ya know. I had to laugh when mother said you had a big meal. Oh honey, you aint seen big. Yesterday for breakfast I had 4 big pancakes, two things of smoothie juice, and pineapple and the hot milk cup. Lunch I had soup (in a very big bowl) and in soup included  a chicken wing and drumsitck followed by a plate completly filled with a noodle dish (like 5 cups of it) and then for dinner 6 pieces of pizza. Every meal I feel like I am going to barf. And then the worse is when the ask you if you want more and here is is offensive to say no, so you have to say yes and take more. And then becuase your an elder they like to give a little bit more and then at some lessons we have another full on meal.

What do people ask me the most?  First where am I from. This is just a question to confirm the obvious. Next people ask me about the weather. (by the way it is getting hot here, the other day I am pretty sure was close to like a hundred and then the people tell me that it was nothing and in the summer December it gets really hot (one member said 122 degrees Fahrenheit) and sometimes I think they are pulling my leg so be sure to research this for the next email) Then about what I eat in the United States to which I am like have you ever heard of casseroles or cusc cusc. And then sometimes they will ask about family or what I study. I also get the feeling that people here do not use canned foods that much because my Latin companion handed me a can and pizza cutter and asked me how to open it.

There are a lot of toads frog here in the night. I am afraid that I will step on one because they are hard to see. My companion said that he found one under my bed (i do not know alive or dead). We also have a lot of cockroaches and mt companion told me that in the night they were all over and in the food. So that is comforting to know so I always check my shoes before putting them on. My companion also bought raid spray to kill them but he also uses it to kill mosquitoes and so every night he fumigates the room and I am pretty sure it does not do anything. Everyone here also has a moto or moped thing. SO you will see like the whole family drive on one with baby and everything. And yesterday I saw the son driving the moped home from conference with his mother on the back sitting sideways wearing dress as if on a horse from the medieval days.  Kind of funny. I have seen one horse here. Also dogs of all varieties (one member with 5 dogs was showing me how cute her hairless dog was). 

Today we are going to play futbol as a zone activity so that will be interesting.

The mail here I am not sure how it works exactly. I will have to find out and tell you next week. The only thing they do not sell here is floss or deodorant. Most of my stuff has been holding out. One of my pant hems came undone but the RS president and lady that cooks for us fixed that up in a jiffy. Her name is Heremana Anna and she kind of reminds me of Grandma Miller. She has similar kinds dishes (the blue clear) and cooks very tradtiony. Its weird how there are Latino counterparts of people I know here. Like the family I live with, the mother reminds me a lot like Melanie Gilbert and I don't know but it is weird.

Love Elder Gilbert