Monday, January 25, 2010

Hot Days and Grape Fanta

heeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllooooooo family,How is everyone doing? How was the week? How is my clean cute puppy, who doesn’t have fleas or huge nasty ticks? What is new that I would like to hear? I know lots of questions, but I have got lots to find out.
Today, we had a zone activity which consisted of all the gringos speaking English and the Latinos well I don’t know what they were doing but we were having fun.... We had burritos and just basically chilled. The zone leaders didn’t feel like planning something so this was like the easy way to say we had an activity without having to do anything. It was chill. I was trying to take a nap but I am just so popular, not. But I am happy some Elders went to Jumbo and I gave them money to get me grape Fanta because it is the only place they sell it because the Chileans hate it....I love it and now I have 3 liters to enjoy, It will last me like 2 weeks though.I
t has been super hot here these past couple weeks and well you all know how much I love heat about as much as I love to go to San Francisco. I am dying. I use sunscreen but the sun is so strong. It is crazy and the worst part of the day is between 2-6 pm in the afternoon. Killer! I think my right eye is having problems with the strength of the sun. This week it has been super red so I have been using my glasses but then it got worst and when I got home yesterday it had like a little blister on it. It is a little better today. We were inside I am pretty sure that is it I don’t think it is an infection because I asked a different elder and he said he had an eye infection once and it doesn’t look like one. I am keeping an eye on it I will try and buy medicated eye drops or something.
It is hard to sleep at night with the heat and my companion talking. He talked for almost an hour in his sleep last night and wouldn’t shut-up. He kept us all up so we are all dead tired so much for resting...oh well. I told him last night that I needed to sleep in today. I told my comp that him waking me up in the morning is taking away my agency.
My goal this week was to work my hardest and do the best that Elder Kuykendall can do. and That is what the Lord wants me to do. This cambio has been a challenge and but I am just focusing on the work and not going to let my pride get in the way of the work.
I wish I could trade you weather because I am drying right now writing y’all it is like 90 degrees in this cyber.
Well our goal for baptisms this week is fading fast. Our investigators either didn’t come to church and others don’t have permission form their parents so we are starting to work for Feb now. It is disappointing, we will just have to work harder.I hope you all are doing well and school and work and the weather isn´t killing you. I love you all so much and hope you have a good week. I think about you all the time but time flies right....and I cannot leave until I speak Spanish.
Some members were talking about places to go on vacation to this week and it got me thinking about snow, so naturally I have snowboarding dreams now Love you all so much, take care. Love, Eric

Monday, January 18, 2010

Trouble Sleeping

Hey everyone, how is it going?
I hope you all had great week and got some time to rest this weekend. Sounds like things in the states are centered around Phyllis, I was wondering if I should inform the Chileans and we can make it a world know affair...lol jk Em. No I was looking forward to hearing something about the plans and all, strange enough it has been on my mind lately.
I am okay super tired though that is kind of how I will sum up my week., I just don’t sleep well and with the noise at night outside the house plus my comp talks in his sleep plus squeaky beds I hardly sleep. idk but oh well just life I guess hay que vencer lo mal.
It has been an up and down week with my companion We had interviews with President Chavez and it went well. Hermana Chavez did a class and she was cracking me up as usual. She is super funny cause she treats the Elders like 5 yr olds. Funny but we remind her frequently that we are adults but I think she doesn’t believe us. Everytime she sees me she says "everytime I see you, you are skinnier" in Spanish though.
I asked President Chavez what I should do about some of the difficulties I was having with Elder Gallo and he gave me the answer I didn’t want to hear but I knew was coming.... talk to your comp about it.....so I still haven’t talked about it yet.
Saturday night it was super hot and I slept about 4 hours because my companion was talking in his sleep practically the whole night. Yesterday I was dead tired, I know I was out of it and I was trying my hardest to use all my energy but I was still like the walking dead plus it was super hot too. At 8 pm Elder Gallo said we should go in so I could sleep but, I insisted that we should work until 10 pm. He was upset with me but we went back out.
He woke me up again this morning at 7 by shaking me awake, so I am kind-of grumpy today. Don’t worry about me I am a big boy and can deal with this.
It has been super hot here and also has rained a bit. Weird weather! I love you all so much. I was so happy to get a letter from Donny this week it was the highlight of my week I have read it like 6 times to boost my mood.
I love you all so much.I know the Church is true and I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure of that. Sometimes we have to be torn down and tested so we can reach our potential. I love you all so much have a great week. Love Eric

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Lord Know Us and Our Needs

hola,
How is my family doing? How is all the exciting stuff in the states? Well sounds like this week was full of news centered around our Phyllis and Clay-boy. I hope all is well and congrats mom and dad....I guess the new Corvette will have to wait till I get home haha. No I was happy to hear about that too bad I will not be here but that is why some Mormon guy invented Photoshop so yal can just paste my head in all the pictures. It will be a party of a life time haha, no sorry without me there it will just be an ordinary wedding party sorry, but I got to finish what I started.
Well my health is fine nobody needs to worry I am sorry if you did. All is well salud wise with me. Just a freak thing. Spicy food here doesn’t exist I wish it did though. The food here is so bland no flavor, but the Bishop’s wife always cooks American food for us. I am good.
Yesterday I had a cool experience, I met two guys from Toronto, Canada and they are here visiting family. I talked to them in pure English it was a little difficult. I found out that they were less active members and so I got to share with them the importance of the Church and stuff. It was my first time teaching in English. It was cool. I encouraged them to get back to church and serve missions. I hope I helped them in some way.
Well my companion is on my nerves as he woke me up today at 7am. I told him straight up last night that I was going to sleep in and that I would not be happy if he woke me up. But he did it anyway. I am going to talk to President Chavez about it. I have heard from his other companions that when they talked to President Chavez he said this, "I was a missionary once get up at 7 say a prayer and go back to bed" I am just going to ask him for some advice on what to do, there will always be something with every companion I guess. Last night he made us late getting home and then he wanted to run home. I said no, I was tired. It was about 90 degrees all day and we had been out contacting for 6 hours in the sun. When we got home in the prayer to start planning he asked for forgiveness for like 10 min. I don’t know maybe I am the problem but Monday is the only day I can sleep in, what to do!
I am doing good there is an Hermana in the other barro that said she could take in my pants for me so I think this week or next I will have her do that. My suit makes me look like I was 700 lbs but is because I bought it a little bigger just in case I gained weight. The members in this ward are so awesome. They don’t talk to me very much but I think my name might scare them no sé. Overall I am doing good, at least I have a gringo to talk to at night.
I am going to wrap this up, I love you all so much. I haven’t had time to write letters to people at home but thank them for all the letters and stuff. I am going to use my time today to try and catch up on sleep....we will see how it goes, I really need to write some letters to people especially Heidi.
I love you all so much. I am having fun working. I am happy I know this is where I need to be at this time in my life. If I hadn’t t of been for that mini mission with Sean Ronan I don’t think I would have been here, the Lord knows us and our needs He is always there we just need to seek Him and have faith.
I love you all so much send my love to everyone. I love you all have a great week.
cuidate Love Eric

Monday, January 4, 2010

Back in the Big City

hola familia ,Cómo estamos?
I am doing well this week started off good with the news that I was getting moved and it also started off a little bad with some sickness and problems but I will get into that later. I guess for starters I will give you the new info on my new area.
I am in Chillan in the Chillan Ñuble Zone in the mission. My sector is called Cordillera, it means mountain range I think. Chillan is a big city and it makes me feel a little more at home. I am away from the campo of Cauquenes and have made the big adventure into the big city. I love big cities it is so nice and refreshing. It is nice to visit campo but I am a city boy. I serve here in a ward but the asistencia is less then the branch I was in but they are a ward at least. There are two stakes here in Chillan pretty cool. The bishop of the ward has a son who is serving his mission in California, I think he said Santa Clara mission but I wasn’t sure if there was one. He said he is in San Fernando right now I couldn’t remember where it was in the state. I have lost all my knowledge of my home state it is sad, but anyway he is super cool and helps us out a bunch in our work.
The members are super nice and lunches are great. My sector is like residential kind of area. We are about a 10 min walk for centro, so on p-day we have to come to centro to do internet and all that stuff but I like it.
My new companion is Elder Gallo, here is from Columbia, cannot remember what part though......anyway I knew him form my last zone he is a great guy. He has 6 months in the mission same as me, but since he speaks and understands Spanish he is senior companion, and that is cool with me. I thought I was obedient but he makes me look like a horrible missionary. I think he and I were the only two missionaries in the whole world that studied this morning while the others were sleeping in....oh well, anyway he is a great guy. Columbians speak very slow and clear so it is really easy to understand him but it gets to me how slow he talks sometimes. I speak faster Spanish than he does kind of funny huh. He is super cool and I am happy to be here with him. He used to be in the Columbian army so he is one who is straight as a arrow when it comes to rules. He is about 5´3" so I tower over him but he could kill me if he really wanted. I know my Spanish will get better with him because I have to speak 100% in Spanish because he doesn’t understand alot of English.
The other two elders we live with are Elder Bastow, he came to Chile with me, and Elder Arellano, from Ecuador. It is a funny house and we all get along good. I was jealous when they slept in and I had to get up with my companion.....oh well.
All the members are surprised how good my Spanish is but I know it sucks I have a lot to work on. My majn problem is that is so hard for me to memorize new words and what new words to learn. I basically have to learn all my vocabulary from 19 yrs all over again. But anyway everyone says I speak super good and that I have a great accent, not gringo haha.
This week I had some scary stuff happen to my health wise. Monday night I woke up with pain in my chest and all the muscles in my body were tense. I couldn’t breathe and man did it hurt. After about 20 min of horrible pain it relaxed and I was able to sleep. It happened again about an hour later and was even worst. I thought I was having a heart attack or something but I was so pre-occupied with trying to breath that nothing else mattered to me. I took a hot shower to relax the muscles and it helped a bit enough to help me sleep. If it happens again I will go to the hospital but so far I have been okay it was so weird and scary. But I am okay. Our huçosue is down the street from a hospital so I am in good hands. I don’t know what caused it but I don’t want it again. I also had a bit of stomach flu.
It is supper hot here and I can see snow and it makes me think of home a lot but oh well. I have got to wrap this up but I love you all so much. My clothes are huge!
I know the church is true and Jesus Christ is our Savior. I love you all so much sorry this is short but my companion is done and wants to go so I got to go too. I love you all. I know you all have a bunch of questions so just write me next week with them and I will answer them, love you all so much.
Love Eric