I say that because
tonight´s our Christmas devotional and dinner with everyone in Santa
Cruz. It should be fun and we´re really excited. And every zone has to
have their choir and all to present some Christmas song at the
devotional. It was the assistants´ idea, and then they´ve never
practiced with our zone and who knows if they´ll even sing with us. They
don´t know the song either. Awesome. But it´ll be good anyway. Our
zone, Paraíso, is singing ¨Campanas de Navidad¨ (I heard the Bells on
Christmas Day). Hardly anyone knew it. But we´re singing it because I
had a vision the other week about this song and how it could be some
huge dramatic experience haha, so when Elder B** (yes, my trainer,
who´s also my zone leader now) asked me if I had anything in mind, I
told him I had a vision and we just went with it haha. Yup, we´ll see
how it goes. I´ve found that I can still hear lots of songs in my head
and change them up and everything, but it´s gotten a bit hard to make my
hands play what I´m hearing......... Ya, that was a little depressing
and funny to see. But it´s all good now and should be awesome because
every other zone is going to sing Joy to the World or Come All Ye
Faithful. So we´ll be singing a song that nobody even knows.... so
they´ll be forced to listen to us haha.
Well, that´s what´s going to happen today. And this week, once again, has been insane. It just never stops! Monday
and Tuesday we were getting ready for Elder and Sister Bramwell who
were coming in from Lima. Elder Bramwell is the area doctor for the 5
countries in our area of South America, and funny enough he was also my
branch president in the CCM. So they came on Tuesday and were here on
Wednesday as well. Tuesday they were with the south mission for half of
the day and they were with us all day on Wednesday. It was fun to see
them again and we got to show them around Santa Cruz. It was their first
time here in Santa Cruz. We visited several clinics in the morning with
them and then went shopping for a bit in the center plaza so they could
get some souvenirs. I was with one of the assistants all day who´s
also from the States and we went with Pdte y Hermana Zambrano. We were
the translators because they don´t speak any Spanish. And then after an
awesome lunch we went back to the offices so he could meet with some of
the missionaries here who have had lots of medical problems. I was the
translator ALL DAY LONG. Which was good and now I´m not afraid to go
back to the states because my English comes back after a few hours and
all was good. Then we finished up at about 8:45 with all of that and I
thought that my companion and I were going to have to go back to the
house because we usually have to be home at 9 or 9:30, but then
Presidente asked us if we wanted to go to dinner with them too! Um....
no.... I think I´d like to go home instead...... Haha not. So we went to
an awesome dinner and got home at 10:50!!! Rebel.
But it was fun and I wouldn´t mind doing that again.
Then
Thursday was somewhat normal.... except for the fact that we had to go
to the hospital 50 million times because we have some sicklings in the
house that needed help.
Then on Friday we had an exchange with the Zone Leaders! Elder
B** and Elder S**! Elder S** was in my district back in
Guayaramerín and Elder B** was my first companion so it´s been fun
to see them every week. And so because I´ve had so many exchanges with
Elder S** that I don´t even know how many we´ve had, Elder B**
came to Paraíso and Elder C** went with Elder S** to Los Angeles.
Yup, you´ve gotta love the names here. So we planned everything so well
on Thursday so that we wouldn´t have to go to the offices on Friday.
And Pdte and the Assistants went to Cobija on Friday so we really wanted
to use our time to teach. But in the morning we had to take the
sicklings to the hospital again. There were 6 of us. 3 sicklings and 3
normal Elders that weren´t sick. (And one of the 3 was only normal
because he had already recovered from his surgery haha). And so the 3
healthy Elders accompanied the 3 sicklings and all was good..... until
they told each one of us that we had to go back in the afternoon.....
all at the same time...... awesome. So then we went back at 3 and were
there until 6. Then everything was good for the day and everyone had
their medicines and todo bien. Elder B** and I then left for our
first lesson at 6ish and we were almost there when the Assistants called
me......... then we had to go to the offices. Awesome. We didn´t even
teach on the exchange! But is was fun to talk to Elder B** again.
Also..... Elder C** got his Visa! So it´s kinda sad because
he´ll be leaving really soon. It´s been really weird lately because the
last secretary never had anyone that left for Venezuela in the 5 months
that he was here, and now with the next 8 Elders that just received
their Visas the other day, this is my 3rd group that´ll be leaving to
Venezuela. Venezuela is just handing out Visas right now I guess. I
don´t think my next companion will be one of those that are waiting
Visas because the Visas are coming so fast right now and usually the
Secretaries are here for awhile. Elder C** has only been here for 1
transfer. I´m pretty sure they´re calling my next companion today so
that´ll be good to see who it is.
And this week is transfers. It´ll be another insane week. And Elder
C** will be training the new secretary so I think I´ll take one of
the sicklings and he´ll be my companion for the week. Should be good.
And yes! I got the last package and my companion was so happy when I
gave him half of the mountain of gifts that was by my stuff. He says
thanks. But really he was really really excited when I showed him the
stocking and then took everything and put it in his arms and then he
just stood there smiling not knowing what to say haha! We´re on day 3
right now. Thank you. It takes the stress out of my day to just rip
something open and throw the paper on the floor haha. Ah! But Elder
C** was opening the paper so slowly, so carefully trying not to rip
it or take the color off of it with the tape. I asked him what he was
doing and he looked at me weird when I took mine and ripped it open in 2
seconds. He asked me if it was some sort of tradition to open presents
that way haha! And I just laughed and told him that that´s just what
normal people do! Yes, the way he was opening them wasn´t normal, and I
don´t even know why I´m taking so much time to talk about the way he
opened presents, but it was killing me to see
him take so much time... JUST OPEN IT ALREADY!!! [Mech just likes to open presents; he doesn't care what's in them, he just loves to open them!]
Bueno, moving on.
So I should probably talk about some
spiritual stuff. We found a new investigator that was just awesome! He
was telling us about how he was a die-hard Catholic before, but then he
kinda drifted away due to some stuff that happened, but now he really
wants to live righteously again and he was really interested in our
little discussion about prayers and baptism. He immediately said that he
wanted to get baptized and that he´d do whatever we asked him to do so
that he could be ready for it. Um, what?! You just said what? I think
you took my part haha. And then he accepted a baptismal date and said
that he was going to come to church the following day. So we called him
yesterday morning to go to church and his brother answered, who we also
tried to teach before but he´s not as cool.... until yesterday when we
got talking for awhile. But his brother had left and wasn´t there. Then
he didn´t come to church. So we went to his house in the afternoon
because that was already planned. His brother came to the door after we
called him because no one answered. ¨Um, I don´t think it´d be a good
idea to let you in right now. They´re partying because it´s my cousin´s
birthday.¨ Awesome. We have more work than we thought.
Also, another story that´s probably better in terms of spiritual
experiences. So we were in the store on Saturday (because our P-Day is
actually Saturday instead of Monday because Monday is always super busy
in the offices) and we were buying fruit when I met eyes with someone
somewhat close by in a wheelchair. He waved me over and explained that
he needed help. So I helped him with all of the fruit stuff that he
needed and we got talking for awhile. He told me a story about someone
who passed by a store everyday feeling bad and beating himself up
because he couldn´t afford the boots that he so wanted that were in the
store´s window. Then after several days of that (making the story short)
he passed by the store once again feeling bad, then turning the corner
ran into someone in a wheelchair without legs. After his story, we got
talking a little bit and he thanked me for my help, but as we we were
talking, he told me that he lived alone and was really alone in the
world without anyone. It was actually really sad and I tried to offer
him help and started talking a bit about the church and the restored
gospel. He didn´t want it at all, which is his own choice. But what
really made me think was something else that he said. He said that
people in wheelchairs and people with disabilities are always there, but
everyone always gives one look before turning away really fast because
they don´t want to make them feel uncomfortable or don´t know what they
can do to help, or for whatever reason it is, they basically ignore the
people that need help. So it got me thinking because I was the same. He
had to call me over because I didn´t go up to him to ask him what he
needed. And how many more people are there out in the world that need
our help and we´ve blinded ourselves and refuse to look for them? Go and
find someone this week. Christmas is here and everyone needs to feel
Christ´s love. And something that cousin Ryan told me in the papers that
I got for my birthday the other month has been stuck in my head ever
since I read it. He said that people will always be more interested in
the gospel if they see and feel Christ working through us as we act
instead of just talking about what Christ would do. (Something like
that... sorry if I butchered it, but ya, something like that).
Well, hope everything´s good. Muchísimas gracias [Thank you so much] for the gifts, and
thanks to Grandpa and Grandma too and Grandma Mecham y Aunt Linda too
for everything! I really appreciate it.
Tenga una buena semana! [Have a good week!]
Elder Groneman
The End.
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