Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Elder Saunooke 1/11/15

To start off.. Happy Birthday Ansley!!! I love you tons and I wish that you could read my emails too, and that I could see you! I cant believe you are turning the age of the number of years I will be gone... it blows my mind. What also blows my mind is that this day marks 4 weeks in the field. Marrrrreee... 
I have learned to really love personal study time. My favorite story of all time I think is one I found while reading Our Search for happiness. It is an account of Elder Melvin J Ballard and a dream that he had. He was able to meet the savior in his dream, and he describes the feeling he had in the dream as so great that if he could have it again, he would sacrifice everything to feel that way. If you are not familiar with it, look it up cuz it rocks. Also thanks to seminary with Bro Smith, my all time favorite quote is the Standard of Truth by Joseph Smith. The standard of truth has been errected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage. Mobs may combine, armies may assemble, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent. Til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear. Til the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehova shall say the work is done. I love to think of what Joseph Smith looked like while giving this quote. I would feel so cool if I was him at that moment. Totally random but I always picture the speech by bane about the government when reading that quote, and it is my goal this week to memorize it in spanish. Which by the way my spanish is improving a lot! I have also developed a love for the Book of Mormon and I think it is so cool that I am serving literally where Christ visted in the Book of Mormon, and when you tell people here that they are filled with such joy and pride. They dont have much but that is so cool to them, and to me as well. I have come to learn that the church exists in a poor chapel with concrete floors and 25 people in attendance with no air conditioning, and is JUST AS TRUE. Also I read a story entitled A summer with Great Aunt Rose and it reminded me of Nana Nancy. It is about this girl who goes to spend the summer with her great aunt who lives all alone, but loves nature and is always smiling. 
This week it has rained almost every day, and the Yucatecos think it is freezing because it is only like 75 degrees...you mean perfect? I have literally had hot chocolate twice this week... and hamburgers!! How awesome is that?I have also discovered that the best thing ever is the Panaderia where there is fresh bread every day for basicallly nothing. There is a huge more expensive one en el centro, but the best one is this little tiny wouldnt even know it exists one in this house that is right next to where many of our investigators live, so it is safe to say we take a few detours. 

We visited Don Pich and told him about these people that hide behind bushes and throw rocks at us at night sometimes, also sometimes firecrackers, and he grabbed this stick from his trizy taxi and started swinging it around imitating what he would do to them! Picture Rafiki from the lion king and you have basically got it. Also when we were at his house he was stroking one of his many cats and while it was sleeping on him, he was taking its hind leg and saying how good it was gonna taste... thats right he eats his cats. I couldnt help but think of Gollum in the Hobbit when he was asking himself if Frodo was tasty...pobre gato.

I also ate cow liver this week. My companion cooked it up and we seasoned it with oranges... mexicans dont believe in letting fruits reach their full potential colors so it was more like greens.We have been talking to a less active who was baptized a year ago Leo Naál and sometimes he just speaks straight mayan but I can actually understand when he speaks spanish! He has a very strong testimony of the BOM and loves loves loves Joseph Smith and the restoration, but has struggles with the word of wisom. He said he wants us to visit him every day so he can feel the spirit and closer to God, and he told us that the people here dont know anything, but we know so much as the lord´s teachers and can help so many here. He also is the only person here who has a handshake like iron. It like breaks your hand haha.

Also after one of the times it rained, we saw this dog marking his territory, and my companion was like do you see this rain? That is God marking his territory hahahaa l love him, he is hilarious. I am not going to lie, I hate mosquitoes so much and would love to be able to sleep the night through just once...it is very difficult to sleep the night through in a hammock and I average maybe 6 hours a night of sleep...but it is a small price to pay.

I hope you all have a great week, and I love you tons!
Elder Jordan Saunooke

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