ELDER COLTON WEST: Week 19: Echar la Vida!

Well, it has finally happened. Elder Hood has finally left Ilobasco. He had five full changes here, which is a very long time for a missionary to be in one area. We actually got the call about changes on Monday night instead of the customary Tuesday night, five minutes before we were supposed to be in bed. President Vásquez is apparently trying it this way for a little while to see how it goes. We spent the day before changes with our recent converts, encouraging them, and... puchica, I can't think in English right now... animandoles about the gospel. Everyone here absolutely loved Elder Hood, because he had been here for long enough to get to know all of them. And he really loved all of them too. That's the thing I learned from Elder Hood, loving the people is the key to success.

My new companion is Elder Chamorro. He came to the mission from Nicaragua, but was born and raised in Costa Rica. His spanish is way different than what I'm used to, but at least costarricense is easier to understand than the Salvadorean callejero (street language) that everyone uses here.

"Echar la vida" is a Costa Rican/Nicaraguan saying that I've picked up from Elder Chamorro. It's pretty much their way of saying "dangit". The way we say that here in El Salvador is puchica. Which is totally fine here, you hear parents use it around their kids sometimes. But in Mexico it's super bad. Spanish is weird like that.

I titled this email "Echar la vida" because I forgot to bring my USB cord for my camera, so no pictures again this week. Lo siento! Next week there will be pictures, I promise!

Be good! And if you can't be good, arrepientese!

Elder Colton West

El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission

Editor's Note: Thanks to Melissa Vasquez (mission president's daughter) official ESSSE photographer for these GREAT pictures from Wednesday's transfers. Down there they call it "changes". Our missionary looks SO happy!!!