Austin: 3/10/2014 - Iraq is crazy

Hola!

 

So I really love Iraq. I think I´m going to sign up for the military when I get back. I want to spend more time here. It´s fantastic. 

 

This week was a lot better than my first week here. I still don´t know the names of all the areas in my area, but I know how to get to any place that I want. My area literally has no end. Like yesterday, we saw a new piece that Elder Jara had never seen in 6 weeks here. We didn´t go there because it would literally take 3 hours to get there, and then we´d just have to knock doors. That´s how huge my area is. Really. I could travel for 3 hours and not hit the end of it. 

 

We got some people who are listening to us consistantly now. One is named Guillermo Soto. He´s...a little crazy. Really. He lives with the "Locitos" as elder Jara says. His brain is almost all there, mostly his body is just funky. I think he said he had an accident when he was little. He´s great. He´s always waiting for us to come, has always completed his commitments, and knows the church is true. The only struggle with him is that we have to call his person who takes care of him to get him permission to go to church. We got it this week, but he didn´t come. I think something must have come up, so we´re gonna go talk to his boss guy this week. Guillermo is great. He´s always so happy to see us. 

 

We have a couple other people we´re teaching, Alex and Carlota. They had a baptismal date for the 22 of march. But....that went the way of the world. They came to church yesterday and had their interview, and let´s just say they failed question 4. (If you don´t know what question 4 is, ask john and jordan, or just look it up in PMG) They´re gonna need interviews with the president. And we´re gonna have to teach them REALLY well. 

 

Elder Jara and I are teaching a lot better now than before. We´re still working to get better, but we´ve improved. I´m just searching to find a way to invite him to work harder instead of forcing him to. Everyday, he´s a bit more willing to work at the level that I want to work. So that makes me happy.

 

Mom - I always hated those kids with F´s. Because you have to work harder to get an F than to get an A. You have to no do anything. I hope they get better. And I´m glad the Viewmont Play was good. I really miss good music. As anyone that´s been in South America can understand. oh. And I´ll look at the address that I´ve gotten letters from and let you know

 

Dad – (I have to preface this. Austin always said that people that drive hybrid cars were gay so thus his comments)  I won´t call you gay....but......wow. Didn´t see that coming (that being we bought a hybrid car) . But I´m glad I was thorough (how in the world do you spell that word? I can´t believe I remember it) enough that you remembered that that´s just a gay car. 

 

Johnny boy - I really like physical therapy stuff. With Elder Martinez, I had to move his finger every night, I felt terrible because he cried sometimes, but I kind of liked it. I would love to shadow there like that.

 

Jordan - wow. Your mission is different. I don´t know any gringo in this mission that has ever been with another gringo that didn´t at least already know spanish. Wow. I´m glad I´m here. Three Latino comanions is a lot? Wow. I´m already on my third...

 

Tashita - Human giraffe. haha. In other words you hate sitting behind John?

 

Shaylee - I´m sorry you´re sick. I´ll be praying for you so that you can do your play. Just have faith.

 

I love that I have this opportunity to share the gospel. I know it is true. I love the power that the Lord gives me. The power to teach with his spirit, the power to learn spanish, the power to work harder than my body can, and the power to be happy in the process. I know all those blessings come from him. I love him, and just want every person to feel that love.

 

Love,

Elder Schouten