Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Sick sick sick‏

Heavenly Father really doesn´t want you all to worry, because I JUST got all better from my sickness. It´s good when crazy things happen and pass within the email days, because then no one will be worried or anything in the meantime :) Just always assume that I´m happy and safe and healthy!

But this week was a rough one! From Monday until Sunday morning, I was SICK. With lots of good stuff. Mainly, sore throat and BU. The sore throat really didn´t affect my throat too much (so who knows if it was really sore throat), but my whole body was not feeling great. It was so sore constantly, and was playing ping-pong between fevers and chills, complete with headaches and other tiny details. A few nights, I wore two pairs of pajama pants, fleece socks, and a sweatshirt (in LA GOMERA!). I´m pretty sure that I took more drugs during this one week than I have in my whole mission put together, and I don´t think my body was used to it at all, so that was weird. I didn´t receive a Priesthood blessing until Friday night (not the smartest move, I know, but the Priesthood holders here aren´t very accessible, especially when it´s raining haha). Saturday night, we went home two hours early just so I could sleep and Hna Angel says that I was crazy (half asleep), she made me take more drugs and covered me up with her blanket. The next morning I felt so, so much better. I can´t even describe how crazy and funny and painful this week was. The BU still continues, but I feel great! Hna Angel is so sweet and patient. She took real good care of me.

Anyhow, for all of that, we really missed out on a lot of opportunities, but still had some great ones. We went on divisions with the hermanas from La Mariposa. Hna Winder (one of my comps from the CCM) came here with me! It was awesome. It was so good to see how much we both have improved in our Spanish, teaching, etc, and how we have changed personally. She´s an incredible missionary. It felt so natural and good to teach with her. She is so incredibly obedient and truly loves the people. Plus, she is pretty much fearless.

We, as missionaries, always hear LOTS of excuses. Hna Angel says she hardly believes any of them anymore. Yesterday, we were with a less active member and they were telling us why they haven´t been coming to church. I just started to think about standing in front of our Savior and giving excuses. It changed my perspective on lots of things. Excuses won´t fly. Not with Him.

Anny goes to the MTC on Wednesday!!! Holy cow. Tell her I love her to pieces and that she is going to be INCREDIBLE!

Thank you for all of your emails, love, prayers, support, and everything!!

All my love,
Hermana Marin

Booo... or BU?‏

There´s not even much time, but life is GREAT.

I´ve had BU and gripe for a couple of days, but we are happy and having a good time. Life is too funny on the mission. Last week, we got ATTACKED by mosquitos. Holy cow. It was unreal. You won´t even believe me, but they come in swarms in Sipacate and we were seriously screaming and jumping up and down when we were in the area late one day last week (we usually go back to La Gomera at 5 pm, but had an activity at 7). I´m getting real good at killing zancudos!

It hasn´t been raining much at all in La Gomera. We are able to see all the ugly, threatening rain clouds from La Gomera, but they are all in towns more inland. It´s pretty cool.

We are working with an older couple right now and they are doing great. It has been interesting to be with and teach them. The wife is very quiet and most of the time when we ask her a question, her husband always answers for her. He says that she is a bit of a rebel and not too intelligent. So we have had some fun talks about how each child of God has value and the ability to understand and learn :) Hna Angel is hilarious and awesome when she does not agree with something. We´re a fun duo. But, really, this couple is great. They truly both want to learn and we always have good lessons with them.

I wish I could share so much more with you all!!!! There isn´t any time to think and write about these amazing experiences how I would like :(

Hope everyone is happy and good!

Love,
Hermana Marin

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Dry, scraped, red knees‏



Hola...

Okay. All is well. I´m still in La Gomera and my wonderful Angelita is still with me! One crazy change: one of my comps from the CCM, Hermana Winder, is in La Mariposa now! She´s going to rock that place. Plus, I´ll be able to see her lots more now.

We met President and Sister Brough and their daughter, Gansy (spelling?) on Thursday! They are incredible. He is going to be a great president. 3 of the 9 zones (us - "the coast") of missionaries met, and the rest were going to meet the following two days. They each took the time to meet each and every one of us. They´re very young (in their 40s), they hunt, he owns his own company, and it was great...

Happy Independence Day!

I need hair tips, please. My hair is all sorts of out of control. It is constantly up, because it´s basically impossible to have it down in this heat, so easy up-do ideas would be great :)

We met the most amazing woman on Saturday. We were looking for a house reference that we received, but the addresses are pretty hard to find here (if they even exist), so we knocked on a random door to ask them if they knew the person we were trying to find, but no one was home. We went back to where we thought the house was, knocked, and a lady walking down the street "ch-ch"ed us (basic Guatemalan way of getting someone´s attention - I love) and waved her finger (meaning: "no one lives there"). We asked her about the person, she said the house was abandoned, we asked if we could visit her, and right then and there she took us to her house... the house where we had knocked at! It was awesome. Her sister is a member of the Church that lives in Los Angeles and had told her that if she ever saw the missionaries, to "Invite them in and take care of them." We talked for a bit and she fed us lunch. Her name is Coni (Cone-y). Thought of Connie Soptich real quick. When we left, Hna Angel said that she had seen Coni and said "buenas tardes" to her before, as we were on our way to contact the reference. "Coincidence? I don´t think so" - Hna Angel.

Okay folks... half-way. Ya. That´s not okay. I can´t be half-way. I go slightly crazy when I think about it. There is still so much to do and change and improve!! But it´s okay... it´s okay.

That´s all for now :)

Love,
Hermana Marin