So you're probably
wondering what those things have in common. Well, they're some of the
cool and important things that have been going on in my week. We'll start
with temples...
So this last week
we got to go to the temple! Finally! It feels like an eternity in
between our temple trips where we actually can enter the temple. For us
missionaries, that is our spiritual recharge. I remember that before the
mission going to church felt like a huge spiritual recharge every week.
The sacrament is still a huge important part of every week, but being immersed
in the gospel 24/7 the gospel learning in Gospel Principles class and Elders
Quorum feels so... Normal. Going to the temple is where we missionaries
can feel that obviously more powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. And
getting to enter the temple is a stark contrast to working in whatever area of
the mission. The temple is an island of peace in the middle of the crazy
chaotic hurricane that is this country. Sometimes I wish I could just
stay there. But the whole reason we are here is to help other people get
there. So it's back to work.
Attached are
photos of me with my two "sons" in the temple. First off Elder
McDaniel and I.
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| Elder West & Elder McDaniel San Salvador Temple |
and one of Elder
Socop and I. He got sent to San Miguel.
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| Elder Socop & Elder West San Salvador Temple |
On our way home
from the temple we made a stop for lunch in a very famous (at least in El
Salvador) place called Olocuilta. Everyone here knows it as the
birthplace of the Pupusa, and the site of the most delicious pupusas in the
country. I can confirm that the hype is true. Those pupusas are the
bomb!
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| Olocuilta |
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| The pupusas are the bomb! |
In other news,
that family of four that we are teaching are still progressing. That's
where the birth certificates come in. Here in El Salvador one of the
required documents for a wedding is the birth certificate. The
interesting thing is that down here anyone can request a birth certificate for
anyone. We just go down to the city office (birth records are kept by the
city, not by the state down here) and give them the full name and birthday of
the person, and they print out the certificate. The whole process takes
about fifteen minutes and costs $2.10. We already got one from the city
office of Usulutan, and we have to go get the other from another town in our
area this week. Hopefully this time we don't get stuck in the city office
for an hour waiting on a huge awesome tropical rainstorm to pass. As fun
as that is, it takes up valuable work time.
And yeah, the
weather this week has been crazy. Tons of rain! We were on our way
to dinner last night when it started to rain. We have plastic ponchos
that we bought, but they only protect you so much. We were totally soaked
from the knees down. I was wearing boots, but my feet still got wet.
Boots don't really keep water out when the water is pouring in from above.
So I only have a
month left in the mission.... I really don't know how to feel about
it. On the one hand, I am super excited to go home and see my friends and
family again. On the other hand, I feel like things are passing by too
fast. Very conflicting feelings... I'll just have to enjoy the time
I have left.
Well, that's all
for this week. Talk to you all next week! Have an awesome week!
Love,
Elder Colton West
El Salvador, San Salvador East Mission
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That is called a
lycha.
They are delicious, and to top it off it looks like a
crazy alien
fruit from a sci-fi movie.
|
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| Zona Usulutan, minus Elder Quintana. |
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