Natan

Yesterday there was a vote about whether or not they should change the constitution so that the president can be president longer. It came back as a no. But we had to stay inside all day in our house. And as a fun fact it is illegal here to drive your car on election/voting day. There also wasn't any church.

Our investigators are doing well. We have the Mamani family and the Villarroel Family and the Lijeron Family. They are all doing great.

This week I had my regularly scheduled interview with president. He brought my finishing date as July 15 and told me that this would be the second to last interview with him and that my final interview would be with President Rodriguez. President Willard leaves two weeks before I do.

I also wanted to tell you a little more about Natan. Before leaving on the mission, he graduated in Electrical Engineering or something and was working with a mining company as the guy running the control board or something and was earning about 100,000 dollars every year. While on a airplane trip from Peru to Bolivia he was sitting on the plane when the people who sat next by him were President Willard and Hermana Willard sat right next to time. Natan asked them what they were doing and they told him that they were going to be missionaries for 3 years in Boliva, Santa Cruz and then he told him that he was a member of the Church and that he wanted to go on a mission too (he was a little embarrassed because he had a beard and was 25 years old). So happens that he left behind his career and went on a mission and before he left his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he left all his money for her and her treatment. Three weeks before returning home his mother passed away. When he came home President Willard was in the airport picking up other missionaries and came to his homecoming. He is a super cool guy. He is also one of my favorite people in the ward. I am glad that he was able to make it to the house and that mom was there to receive him. I just want to know what mom first thought when she opened the door.   

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Did everyone see the video on my flash of us moving the house? I just wanted to make sure. 

Also I have a big favor to ask: Could someone put all of the emails that I have sent home (text only) on a word document and send it to me. Thanks.

Have a merry, merry week,

Elder Gilbert

Bolivian Visitor in Brigham City

Good Morning

I am glad to see that eveything got to you. There was an envelope with letters for everyone and a small package that had my flash drive, some drinks typical of Bolivia (chicha de mani. it is my favorite chicha. They usually just make it out of corn) a small pen and I don´t remember what else. Those things Brother Choquevillca took with him and put it in the mail. Then Natan should have given you a bigger package with a horn cup, rock nativity, wooden cup, metal straw, and a little hat. By the way the straw is to drink mate (it is quite popular). What you do is you take some herbs and put it in the wooden cup and pour hot water and sugar in it and with the straw suck out the juice. The holes on the bottom of the straw prevent you from sucking up the herbs I was going to send some mate herbs but it looks like marijuana, so I thought they might have taken it out at the airport.  I hope you got everything I sealed up the second package pretty good so that no one would open it. Let's just say as a missionary you get pretty good at plan A and plan B I will have to tell you more about Natan next week.

For Carnaval, we were shut up for 3 days. The members can leave but they usually don't. If you do people just start throwing water baloons at you (with or without paint). In some places in Santa Cruz everyone gets drunk and starts throwing car oil, fat, and other nasty stuff. That is why we don't leave in those days.

This week we found two families who are super good. I think they will get baptized. One is called the Mamani Family and the other Villarroel. The Mamani family's son is going in the bad path and is super receptive.

No, we are not allowed to eat pig, lettuce, strawberry, or fish. The reason for pig is something they slaughter pigs that are sick and they carry a parasite that doesn't die when you cook it. And this is the gross part, they are like worms that travel to the brain and start eating brain tissue. But it is still pretty rare.

No one batted a wink about Valentine's day. I barely remembered it myself. 

My time ends,

Love Gilbert

Natan and Karen

Rain and Lost Ring

Good Morning 

Well, to explain the wardrobe outfit in the picture. That day was the day that my companion left for Vallegrande and so we were packing him up (that is why I am wearing sandals) and that is grease on my arm because I leaned onto one of the semi-trucks. 

I can´t believe that everybody is getting married. Dad also told me that you got a few inches of snow. Well, I woke up in the morning to find that we had a couple inches of rain in our house. Turns out that it rained so hard that the water came in through the door and got everything wet. We spent the morning bailing the water out and drying the mattress.

Yesterday we had stake conference and Elder Godoy came and talked about a scripture that says we are the holy nation and that therfore we should have some kind of credential. He said that more than anything the thing that shows if we are truly converted are the things we do when nobody else is watching. We were able to take an investigator family with us and on the way back their son grabbed the mom's ring of her finger and threw it out the window. We had to stop the car and look for it but it was a good thing we found it.   

Next week is Carnaval and so I won't be writing next week. 

Anyways until the next,

Elder Gilbert

Missionary Transmission

Good Morning,

Well, let me know if there is anything you want me to do for the wedding preparation. I am sure I can find just a lovely craft idea.

This week we got to watch the worldwide missionary transmission. It was quite interesting. Dallin H. Oaks said that something to the the effect that they are giving this transmission now that the number of missionaries have stablized and now they can focus on the doctrine or something. Also during this conference our mission president felt impressed that my companion should go to Vallegrande (about 4 hours away). So that night he packed up his bags and went to Vallegrande at 7:00 in the morning. I am now with a new companion, Elder De la Fuente from Buenos Aires. 

This week we have a new family attending church. The Lijeron family--the mom is a member but inactive and the dad is investigator but accepted to be baptized the 20th of February. 

I also got an apron today from the ward. I haven´t opened it yet though because who knows what it looks like. 

I also talked with Hermano Choquevillca on the phone the other day and he said they were going to try and pass by this week and if not they would send it in the mail. 

Here are some photos. One with my new companion and one with the old. Also a member that likes to dance.

Have a good week,

Elder Gilbert

Baptism

This week hermano Sergio Salazar got baptized. He went pretty fast we talked to him on the street at the end of November and just now got baptized. We are now working with his family to try and help them get baptized 

I am coming to the end of internet time so I will try to hurry and send some pictures. Next week will have to be a detailed email. 

Hope everything is going great, 

Love, Elder Gilbert

Sick

Dearest Family

I am seeing that your emails are starting to sound a lot like mine. Short n´ sweet. This week I will try to make a more detailed outline of the week.

Last Monday went fine. We played soccer for an hour and a half and then we had some Peruvian food (Bolivian style). We had seviche (I think it is called). In Peru it is super popular, it's raw fish with lots of lemon juice and spices and they claim that that cooks it. So we had that but with chicken, it tasted good but super lemony.  

We had the baptismal interview for our investigator Sergio Salazar and he passed. Looks like we will be having the baptism for this Saturday. I also did some baptismal interviews on Sunday (that´s what the district leader does) for some of the sisters. Two of them had to have another interview with president (there is something known as "question four" which means that they committed a serious crime, abortion, or homosexuality). So they will have to pass another interview with president.

I don´t know if you knew, but there will be a worldwide conference for missionaries on the 20th of January. We have been preparing a lot for the conference by studying 12 weeks again. There was also a change in apostles as far as the one in charge of missionary work. It is now Dallin H. Oaks and he has a new motto it is "In this mission we teach repentance and baptize converts."

Last Sunday I got a little sick. I woke up with a sore throat and by the end of the day I had a small fever. I woke up Monday about the same. Tuesday night the fever stopped (I woke up really cold becuase my garments were all wet from the sweat. Left like a white sweat mark on my sheets...gross) But the weirdest thing was on Wednesday I got these blister burns on my hands and my feet. So strange I called the mission nurse and thankfully it wasn´t anything serious. Now I am just fine, but there are really different sicknesses here.

I have been looking a the Provo Temple photos online. Looks a lot like a classic castle.

Also, BYU registration and ecclesiastical endorsement, and housing has crossed my mind a couple times. I hope Natalie is on task. Maybe you can give me the briefing report next week.

Anyway I hope you guys get my surprise package stuff, it has some cool Bolivian stuff in it that was in my house.

Too afraid to send new pictures today because we are using a new internet and there is possible risk of viruses.

Have a good week,

Elder Gilbert

Rats and a Giant Snail

Buen Día Family

I hope you all had a wonderful new years. It´s quite strange to think that it is already 2016. Looks like the holidays passed by well. It's just weird to think that the holidays already happened. To me I now feel like I'm in a time warp or something; I don´t really feel the passage of time. Things just happen and then the next thing I know it is a new month.

For New Year Bolivians generally drink and set off fireworks at midnight. It didn't wake me up though because I had AdvilPM and I had earplugs so I slept quite soundly. I am sorry Natalie had the dead deer trauma. I too had a run in with nature. When we helped a guy move an oven and when we picked it up 5 huge rats jumped out the oven. Scared me. 

This week we did some service. We filled buckets full of bricks and then lifted them up to the third floor with a rope and pulley. We also cleaned out a guys shed with some friendly rats hidden away in the objects.  

Our progressing investigator is making progress. It seems that he should get baptized this week or the next. 

Today for p-day we are going to eat Peruvian food. 

A little surprise: The owners of our house (The Choquevillca family) went to the United States to drop their son off at BYU and will stay there for month. I sent with them a little surprise for you guys. I don´t know if they will drop it off personally or just drop it the mail. Just don´t be too astounded if two Bolivians show up who speak very little English. 

Love Elder Gilbert

 A really large snail

 A fun man statue

 My trainer's last conference

                                                   The house with Santa Cruz clouds