Late =/ (Tueday, November 25)

*A little note before we get to the letter this week. Elder Yates has been very diligent in writing home each week. They are not always the most informative letters about what is happening to him in his mission, but we have been able to count on a letter each and every week. However, yesterday we checked our inboxes regularly ALL. DAY. LONG. with nothing! By the end of the day we were a bit worried, so thanks to current social media and a friend request I received just last week from the Ward Mission Leader, I posted the question to the ward mission leader of whether or not Elder Yates was transferred because he didn't write home. I am so grateful to the lovely wife of the ward mission leader that responded (and a husband that can read Spanish!) that there was a problem with the internet and he was NOT transferred and still doing well. I was sad that I wouldn't hear from him this week, and even more sad he wouldn't feel that burst of love from home with being able to read our emails (several had been sent this week and we worried he would spend all his time reading and not have time to write) but we are blessed with technology today to help alleviate my concerns. Then we got this lovely letter this morning. I am a very happy mom! Enjoy!*


¡Van a disculpar! (I apologize!) This letter is a day late, I know, but there wasn't anything I could do. The place we come to to write was closed for cleaning. Why they bother to clean I'm not entirely sure, because it's only the day after cleaning and it doesn't seem too clean. But hey, just another joy of living in a third world country, no?

 

Anyway, I started my second cambio (transfer) here in Bolivia, but nothing changed. I'm still working in  Los Pinos, and my companion is Elder Guzmán, the one I got a week before the transfers. A little sad I'm still in the city, but on the bright side, that also means I'll be in the city for Christmas (which is only a month away...) and able to Skype, instead of just a phone call.

 

Not sure if I've shared this before, but the members here are amazing with helping us; if they're home, they're willing to join us in a lesson. There is only one little problem: certain members LOVE to talk. As such, some times the member talks the entire time and we only get to share a brief message before we have to leave. But hey, at least they help us.

 

Otherwise, not entirely sure what to share. Elder Guzmán is cool, the people are (generally) nice, and we walk a lot. Oh, the ward got to have a trip to the temple this past week, so it was exciting for them, and I'm excited for them. However, I was informed that our mission president doesn't allow us to visit the temple during the mission since it's not in our area, so it's not our priviledge. Little disapointed about that, but the mission president knows best.

 

One last thing I guess: we found a family here that reminds me a lot of my family. It's a family of 6, 3 sons and a daughter, with the oldest being 19 and the youngest being 7. Plus, the family is very important to them, especially the mother. As such, I'm excited to be able to share the Gospel with them and hope they receive it well. On a side note, we're also teaching a family of professional football players :o

 

Sorry for the delay,

Elder Yates