"Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith." Wow! Remember last week, how pumped I was that everything was so good and that we were just a'teaching away?? Well, this week the Lord saw fit to try our patience and our faith haha.
It started on Monday, when I got sick from something, who knows what. I was just feelin´ a little blue. But we had interviews with President on Monday, so I took some pills and all was well. In the interviews, we were supposed to take our Area Book. So, we did! Or at least we thought we did...until I showed up at the chapel and realized that it wasn´t in my hands. A very deep and dark fear came over me and I was sure that I had left the area book in the taxi!! My word, it was the feeling of forgetting your homework, but worse because people´s salvation and all the work of missionaries the past four years are at stake, not just a grade! Haha turns out I just left it in the apartment....whew!
But that was the start of things. There has been a big party this weekend, starting on Thursday, for one of the Catholic saints. Marching bands, and fireworks, and food, and partying, and drinking, and vendors, and lots of crosses and statues of saints everywhere. It´s been crazy! But it´s really affected the work; no one´s home! Not even members! They don´t celebrate Catholicness, but they do get together with family and eat and everything.
In all the craziness, I was almost backed up on by a car on Wednesday! We were just walking behind it, minding our own business, and all of the sudden he barrels out of his parking spot (let´s see if anyone in my immediate family get´s that reference;)) backing up! I tried to somehow stiff arm his car with my skinny right arm, which almost worked...but not quite. I just pushed off and kind of ran out of the way. Then he started yelling something in Spanish which I didn´t understand, probably because it wasn´t in my very gospel-based vocabulary haha.
We met with two ladies this week named Auria and Elvia. Auria is 97 years old!! And Elvia is her slave, almost! THe parents of Elvia were slaves of the parents of Auria, and the tradition continues. Man I felt so bad with the way this 97 year old lady was bossing around her helper! But we coudn´t really do anything about it! They fed us bread and jam and Inka Cola...and then more bread...and then more bread. Man we were so full. I started stuffing all the bread in my backpack when they weren´t looking to at least give it to another family! I´m scared to eat in Perú anyway. With the lack of 1) paper plates and 2) dishwashers, it makes it hard to trust any utinsel. So anyway, that was one to remember!
There´s a recent convert here who´s got family names and is super pumped to go to Trujillo and get baptized for them. He wants us to go with him, which would be super sweet! Here´s to hoping that that can happen!
Anyway, that´s the long week it´s been! I´m so grateful to be a part of the ups and downs of the Lord´s work, and to have the honor to suffer a tiny tiny tiny bit in his name as a full time missionary. Love you all and hope you have great weeks!!
Love, Elder Hart
PS Just got news that KD is off to Golden State. WHAT?????
Also, Happy 4th of July:)
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