Okay... now for this week! Haha it's been an amazing week. It started out with me eating soap.. haha that's hard to explain. Hopefully I can get my pictures to work so I can send that video. The elders told me I was too soft. Well, I'm not. Don't worry, I didn't swallow, but my tongue hurt for a bit from not being able to rinse my mouth out, thanks to Hermano Castillo haha. Also, I've realized I was the "tie trading king!" I traded all my least favorite ties for some nice ties. Don't worry, I kept all my ones from the family, mostly because I like them.
We had a hard time saying goodbye to Hermano Castillo on Friday. He told us that we were here for a reason. We may not know why, but we are here for a reason and the Lord knows why. We all told him thanks and bore our testimonies with him and Hermana Mujica. It was really special for us. It was hard saying goodbye to them. They're the best people in the world! Also on that night I was reading my English scriptures and looked up for some reason, then when I looked back down, I started reading in Spanish and didn't even realize I was until about 2 verses later, so that was pretty cool haha. Then on Saturday it was pretty boring. We had this orientation but it was the same thing over and over again, and it was all in Spanish. Soooo I had a bunch of really good naps that day.. hahaha. On Sunday we had our final interviews with the branch president, Elder Asay. He told me that I have a bunch of potential, that I am a natural leader and people naturally look up to me. He said he doesn't tell everyone that and so I needed to take it seriously. He told me to use my leadership for good. It was actually really special to me because it reminded me of something that Dad would say to me. So I felt like I was just talking to Dad. It was really good. Later we got to teach the Latinos English and that was a ton of fun! I think they realize our pain now with learning Spanish. They said how hard English is and how easy Spanish is. That's funny, I wonder who else says that! They all kept calling me Captain America too haha. That's what people keep calling me here. It's too funny. I don't know why they say that though.
Finally Tuesday came and we finally got to leave!! At.. 3 a.m. Me and Elder Greer got some quality McDonald's before we went through security. I passed out the whole flight. We got to Trujillo and there was a big welcoming committee for us! Oh by the way Mom, you need to try to find the mission blog. It should just be like Trujillo South... maybe Sur...mission.blogspot... Anyway, so they were there and then we saw president as we passed them! He and his wife are super nice people!! He's really short, haha, but they're awesome. He doesn't speak any English and she basically doesn't either. We went to the temple and ate breakfast there... pancakes and stuff.. so that was amazing! Then we went to wait for our trainers to get here. They start assigning people.. They assigned a few guys and I'm freaking out because they're running out of Gringos (American elders) haha, then Elder Rhoton, who is before me, gets called up to the second to last Gringo. They hug, have their cool moment and stuff.. then the president gets up and starts talking to his assistant and then pulls Elder Rhoton and Elder Harper back up. He says.. elder so and so and Elder Rokovitz, please come up here.. then explains how everyone makes mistakes.. Well Elder Rhoton's companion isn't Elder Harper.. he's mine!!!! Haha so yeah, Elder Harper, he's 21 and from St. Louis, Missouri! He lived in Meridian, Idaho for a little while actually.. Dad isn't that where you are from? Yeah, super nice and outgoing! He's a great guy. I really like him. He's actually the District Leader too and I'm his second trainee. My first area is Chao.. which means "goodbye" in Spanish, so everyone says 'bienvenidos a chao' which means "welcome to goodbye" haha.
So we bussed out to Chao from Trujillo, which is about an hour and a half, and an hour and 20 minutes into our ride, Elder Harper puts his head between his legs... we didn't have a window on the bus.. and pukes.. so that was my first image of my companion haha. Apparently he ate a bad empenada that morning and was just paying for it.. poor guy. So after we get off the bus, I see my first women breastfeeding... yeah, apparently they're pretty open about not covering while breastfeeding here.. yep that happened. We got to our apartment around 7:30 or 8 p.m. and didn't have much time to do anything so we just met some members, etc. Holy. Cow. I have taken my whole life for granted. I'm even crying right now thinking about it. They live in tiny, tiny, tiny houses. Half the size of my bedroom at home, with their 4 children and have enough room. Some have beds.. some don't have beds.. they have enough room for their bed, 2 if they're lucky and were able to save up all their money, and maybe a stove or a sink. It's incredible. It's crazy to see how blessed I have been and how much I have taken my life for granted.. I just can't believe it.
We finally got to our pencione's house (kind of like a boarding house) and she was so excited to see me, she was so happy. It was awesome! Our district is us and another set of elders, Elder Portillo and Elder Ortiz. Elder Portillo is from Texas but his parents aren't American. Elder Ortiz barely speaks English. They're both really cool guys! Anyway, later that night after having dinner at Flor's house (the pencione's house) we went back to our room and I started unpacking, and Elder Harper finished puking haha. He fell asleep early because he didn't feel good. which was kind of hard but I was okay. I just needed to unpack anyway haha.
On Wednesday we went to work! We went with a less active Christian. He actually served a mission and is maybe 26 years old, he's a bacan! (Cool guy) Apparently he was pretty lazy on his mission though.. he admitted to bagando, which basically means he was super lazy. But he came with us and taught with us, and he has been coming to church lately, but didn't for a year or so before that. We taught a few people and visited some members. We taught a man named Carlos. He and his wife were about to get married and baptized.. until one day she just up and left with the 3 kids. No one knows why because they were actually doing really good and were happy. It was just out of no where.. it's sad.. but he still really wants to be baptized. On Saturday we committed him to baptism for the first week in October! He's a great guy.
The next day we taught with our pencion, Flor. All our citas (appointments) fell through and so she gave us 2 nuevos (new names). The first was a women, younger, and was really nice and willing to hear our message.. and she breastfed in the middle of our lesson. Yep. That happened again. Then we taught another women. She lives on a dirt floor in a really small room with her 4 children. We taught her about prayer and they learned very slowly, so we only taught them prayer. Her son, Jesus, offered the last prayer and did a great job! But it took about 10 minutes to get him to pray because he kept forgetting how to or how to end. Then he called me his "homie" when we left haha. He's really cool. He's 13.
The next day all of our citas (appointments) fell through so we went to Chao 3, which is just a part that's basically farm people. We talked to a family that are members about the temple and they're getting sealed soon. Then we went to go teach Florencio, an old man. We first checked his new house he's building at the bottom of the hill. No one answered, so we went up to his house and no one answered there either. We were about to leave when we both felt a super super strong impression to stay. So we kept looking. Nothing. Kept looking. Nothing. Said a prayer. Nothing. We eventually left and were really worried about him. Then checked his house again.. there he was! We were both so relieved!
The next day we got to give a woman, Lidia a blessing. She has a tumor. She is barely able to walk and still said she was coming to church the next day. She said she would just put it all in the Lord's hands. she's amazing! Her and her family all have such great faith and want to be baptized but they need to get married first, but it's hard for that to happen now. We taught them lesson 2 and about the atonement of Jesus Christ. I cried telling them about that.. thanks to dad. (Dad has a sensitive side that his boys have inherrited) haha but it was really good. And her husband told us we are welcome anytime we want to come, and to never think we aren't welcome. It was awesome.
That sunday I had a hard time focusing in church. It was hard in Spanish and I couldn't understand anything, plus I was super tired, but I got through it. Yesterday we taught a new woman and her name is Cicilia. We taught lesson 1 and she was really intereested and cooperative but her screaming children kept interupting right as we were about to feel the spirit! It was really annoying.
Well I have 2 minutes before my computer shuts off. I'm sorry.. but you aren't getting any pictures this week. I'm really really sorry! Have to go! Love you!!
Even though Cory didn't have time to send any pictures today, we found a lot on the mission blog.
Getting off the plane in Trujillo
Meeting Presidente and Hermana Rios
Trying to speak Spanish to Hermana Rios
The height difference between the elders and their new mission president.
Breakfast on the temple grounds.
New elders and sisters with their mission president. Cory is in the center back behind his mission president's wife.
New Trujillo South elders. Cory is the 2nd one in from the right.
Elder Rokovitz and Elder Rottweiler (from his CCM group) in front of the Trujillo temple.
Elder Rokovitz pointing to the country he comes from.
All of the new elders and sisters with their mission president and his wife at the mission home or office (not sure which.)
Having a meal at the mission home/office.
Elder Rokovitz and his new companion/trainer, Elder Harper
Spending some time getting to know Elder Harper better.
