Family,
I have so many mixed feelings right now!
looking back to the day i went into the mtc, it feels like it was such a short time ago, but when i go back and think about the individual experiences, i can't believe so many things happened and that i've learned so many things in just two years. It has been amazing. Honestly, i don't feel like it's ever going to end.. but people keep reminding me that it's almost over.. it's basically all anyone talks about to me anymore.
This sunday i gave a talk in church. Finally when i've got giving talks in spanish down and it's totally normal for me to talk in spanish, i have to start working back into english mode.. I feel like talking in English is going to be a struggle. On sunday i talked about the scripture in Luke when Christ tells Peter that he had prayed for him, that his faith wouldn't falter, and that when he was converted he could strengthen his brothers (it's something like that.. i'm trying to translate it into english) and i compared it to how the members have to have faith to participate in missionary work. a lot of times when we try to get references from them they tell us that nobody wants to hear the gospel and that they've already tried with everyone.. i spoke to them very directly about that. Then, i talked about the second part, about how we need to be converted to help others. I took a little part from Elder Bednar's talk from the october conference, which is amazing. It went great, and i felt so good. Sometimes when i give talks i feel weird after, like i didn't get my message across, but this time it got there. After sacrament meeting a lady came up to me crying and thanked me for helping her realized she's not converted and that she needs to make some serious changes (she was one of the people who had told us that nobody in her whole neighborhood wanted to listen to us... Victor and María are from her neighborhood.) I was surprised and kind of felt bad, but it was cool that she was humble enough to let the spirit help her change. It's so much easier to just not listen, or think that the things don't apply to us.
This weekend was nuts. We didn't really go out to work at all.
Saturday was the offiicial start of carnavales. That day we went on a trip with the ward to a cool farm like an hour away. That day here in cajamarca people go out in crazy gangs and get drunk and paint people and houses and cars, throw rocks, etc. it's nuts. When we got back from our little trip it looked like a post-war zone. And today was the sweetest parade ever known to man. It started at ten in the morning and went until 7 at night! It's so cool. I can't even explain it. Imagine thousands and thousands of semi-drunk people throwing water balloons (seriously, everyone throwing water balloons) and an 8 hour long parade!! The water fights are so nuts that they shut off the power in the whole city so that the power lines don't fall and kill people! That's why i'm writing late today. We watched the action from the third floor of a house and were throwing tons of water balloons at drunk ladies sitting in the street.. And when the parade was almost over they came up to where we were and soaked us with pots full of water! I was so, so cold.
But now it's back to work! One more week of the glory, then i get to move on to other things. I'm so excited to see mom and dad and go see Perú, it's going to be awesome.
Thanks everyone for always supporting me, i love you so much!
Elder Hatch
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