Elder Curt Gilbert: Fear of Bugs and Bolivian Favorites

I just got a package today, it had Starbursts and letters and photos in it. I do not know how many packages you are guys are sending, but it sounds like the first of many and now you know that it works.

First, yes we had a baptism and it was quite lovely apart from the spiders and the cockroaches. When we went to clean the baptismal font there was a spider slightly smaller than the palm and it was fast and kind of a blue color and it could jump. So that was slightly unsettling but the worst part were the cockroaches. In order to plug the drain you have to go outside and turn the handle which is kind of in something similar to a sprinkler box. When we opened it there were about 50 cockroaches the size of dads thumb and they went crazy. One almost went up my companion's leg. So of course I enlisted the help of the elder from Guatemala (the one who took care of the frog) to put his hand in there and turn the handle. He informed me that we don't need to have fear of the cholupes because they can't bite. We only need to worry about the scorpions, tarantulas (which are easily found in the bushes and as big as your palm), and snakes. So that was good news and even more comforting to know was that my companion once upon a time found a tarantula in his bed. For this, I also check the bed and under the bed and in the bed and on the ceiling for such things. But I do take comfort that the Latinos do not have such fear of bugs. In fact my companion was telling me about the time that he had a gringo companion that found a rat in the bathroom and came out screaming and my companion just steps on it and kills it (even all the guts came out). This story reminded my of the video Stephanie showed me of that lady killing the rat. But on with the baptism, it was great. It started an hour late waiting for everyone to show up. That is just how things roll here. Meeting always start at least 30 minutes late.

One problem for Bolivians is the rain because when it rains there is a bunch of mud

because the roads area all dirt sand. SO sometimes it makes it hard to walk anywhere. So hashtag thirdworldproblems.

My favorite things about Bolivia.

1. The liberty. If you want to build a house go ahead and do it. If you want to not obey the traffic laws , go ahead and do it (they are really only suggestions). If you want to burn your garbage or dig a ditch in the middle of the road and are free to do so.

2. Everything is super cheap. Last week I bought 7 liters of Tampico for 1.50 dollars. Garments are 1.50 and everything is soo cheap!

3.Bolivians are funny. Yesterday we had a 4 hour ward leader training meeting with the all leaders (bishopric RS, all of them) about how we need to do this and that but then right after the meeting they go and buy 20 chicken meals (kinda like Maddox) and 6 2 liters of coke for refreshments. The refreshments so that important they break the Sabbath for it.

If you think that Utah is kid capital think again look at the photo of the baptism with the family. IN every meeting there are kids running around wild.

Thing you can do. All the Latinos want english hymnals, If you can, send the small english hymnal for my companion. I would also like the music of Paul Cardell the music piano hymns and that come on Pandora. You can also complete the My Family booklet of family history in spanish by putting in the photos,and translate the histories of the ancestors into spanish and fill out the booklet and send it to me.

Chao Chao

Elder Gilbert