News from Bolivia

So last week, lots of pictures, but then my computer shut off right as I was in the middle of actually writing a super good email for once that answered every single question! Oh well, we´ll see what I can remember..

But first...WHAT?! They´re dividing the mission?! NO! That takes the Beni away from us! But I'm determined to make it to Trinidad and Corumbá, but that´s not going to be possible... Dumb! Anyway, yeah no one even knows what´s going on with our mission. We hear different things every day having to do with new elders coming in and the new mission president and when transfers are going to happen because that´s all changing, so yeah we stopped believing anything and basically have to assume that everything is a rumor haha! But what?! New mission?! No! That´ll be interesting to see what happens with that and who gets put where..

So I haven't gotten any packages yet, but the zone leaders haven´t given me my 5 letters that I got last week yet, so I´m pretty excited about that.. We´re also going to the mail place today to mail some stuff (we think), so expect some stuff from Perú in the next 5 months haha.. (And yes, don´t remember if I said this already but we have to go into the center of the city to mail anything, and we don´t get to do that very often, but thanks to those who sent letters cause I´m really excited to read them later..)

Pension. Yes I have a family that cooks for us everyday. Just lunch though. I found some oatmeal at a store so I´ve been eating that in the mornings and we don´t ever have dinner unless someone gives us something. But lunch is always a ton of food and I always want to throw up after, not because it´s bad or anything, but because it´s just so much! We always have hot soup (even though it´s burning hot outside, so yes be grateful that you have snow) and then some type of super fatty meat. I´m going to be really fat come 20 1/2 months..

Parker- YES! Do it. even if you lose like I did, it´s still really fun and worth it. And you can always run for senior class like I did after.. But you´ll have a much better chance if you run for SBO first.

Eliza- you´re list is awesome haha and the lyrics for the song that you sent last week, the one not from Saturday´s Warrior, I actually accompanied an Elder that sang it in Perú for one of our last sacrament meetings there, so I think I still have the music.. Really good song It´s really powerful with the message.

Jacob- what I would give to hear your song on the drums right now! Oh well, 2 years haha..

Mom & Dad- ok so yes, I am much better than I was a month ago haha. It was really hard starting out, but it´s been much better. I´m sending another letter today that I wrote 2 weeks ago, so it's probably outdated too haha! But I´m doing really good and I love it here in Bolivia. There was just one day about a month ago or whoknowswhen, but I realized that I wasn't talking to anyone and they didn't even know who I am! And then I shocked myself when I realized that I was actually being shy haha! So I decided that day that I would just say what came to mind even if they had no idea what I was saying.. things have been much better since.. But, I still have to say, learning Spanish this fast has been the hardest thing of my life. It really gets frustrating when you don´t understand what they´re saying and you´re expected to say something back.. But things are really good now, and I still have moments everyday when I don´t know what´s going on, but I´m actually laughing and joking with these people now instead of being the blob in the corner haha. I´m gonna make them remember me even if it was only as the choco (white guy) who couldn't speak the language to save his life (which is actually probably true haha!)

But, ya, our baptism did happen on Saturday and I got to baptize 20yr old Y. She´s now in the process of reactivating the rest of her husband´s family, and they´re hoping to go to the Cochabamba Temple in a year!
Basically I love this place and I don´t have to tell myself that to believe it anymore.

Love you all,
Elder Groneman

oh and tell Becki that I´m praying for her.. That´s really sad to hear.. Hope things get better..

Ah! Mission calls! Tell my friends that I´m so stinkin excited for them I can´t even stand it!

And Dad, I really like hearing about your mission stories haha because yeah, there´s so many different things to which I can relate.. but if you couldn't read the language, how the heck did you share scriptures with them? I hardly even even use my English scriptures anymore because they freak out at us when we do haha!

And oh yeah, with the baptism, when she came up out of the water, she took a breath, partly because the water was cold and we had to do our well system for the 3rd time to fill it up. But she came up and was so happy! She looked at me and was just so happy! I asked her how she felt, and she just simply said, good and couldn't stop smiling the rest of the night. Love this place. And with D´s family, we had an awesome lesson last night with them and 3 other member families. I think they´re getting married in April.. We´ll see what happens! But one thing's for certain, his mom wants to get baptized really bad. She told us so. Things will be well with them in the end. Their family is awesome.

Ok, now I´m really done.
Salud a Becki.