This week we had some pretty good experiences. Here in Jaramijo we are having lots and lots of adventures. Being in little poor towns is always more fun than being in the city. There is more fun to be had. And the people are always more willing to listen as well. So we are loving Jaramijo.
Here in this ward we eat with the members and they are sooooo poor it just breaks my heart. They give us a plate full of rice and some of them can´t even pay for a piece of chicken or meat to go with the rice so we have eaten rice and a fried egg a couple of times this week. But at least it is something that is safe to eat. We have been served a couple of crazy things the last two weeks. But I am getting so I can eat just about anything and it doesn't bother me anymore....
.....Almost. Last week we went to a members house and we walked up the three rickety wooden steps into her bamboo house on stilts and we sat at her little plastic table waiting to be served. Well she usually leaves the room when we eat. She served us soup and rice with a fried egg. But as I dug into the soup thinking this was going to be a normal meal I realized... Uhhh this isn´t what I thought it was... She had served us some kind of gelatin soup.... All I could figure out was it was a bone that had cartilage and fat in some kind of broth. I don´t know what animal it was from but as I was wondering to myself, "how am I going to eat this?" when I realized, "Hey.... she isn´t here!!!!" So I happily dished out the cartilage and put it into a plastic bag and shoved it into my backpack.... You know... to "eat" it later.... But I actually just threw it to some dog in the road. So that is always nice when I have a way out of eating scary things.
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This is me taking care of the scary food! |
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A close up of the gelatin soup. |
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We found SIXTY BUCKS!!!! |
A wonderful thing happened this week as my companion and I were walking on the road, I was busy talking and my companion said... LOOK LOOK!!! And she bent down and grabbed a twenty dollar bill that was just lying in the dirt road! I then told her that is a fake that is a fake bill Hermana. But lo and behold it was REAL!!! And what was even crazier was we found TWO MORE TWENTY DOLLAR BILLS!!!! So we are saving the sixty bucks that we found to give to someone who really needs the help.
Then, this Sunday, was totally awesome!!! We were sitting in sacrament meeting and I started counting all of our investigators that were there, I finished counting and we had NINE investigators at church!!! NINE!!! I don´t remember the last time that we had nine in a sacrament meeting. But what was even cooler was we were just counting the adults... Because two families came and if we counted their kids our numbers would have been 18 for Investigators that attended Sacrament Meeting! It was a great Sunday... and then we entered Relief Society....
Our relief society president is a little interesting... She is familiar with the seven sisters that come to relief society, (yes only seven sisters are present in the third hour) But this Sunday we had three investigators there... and our Relief Society president only gave a warm welcome to the mother in law of one of the sisters in our ward.... I raised my hand to say... "Hey we have got three visitors here!!!" But she didn´t call on me... So I just kept to myself... But what I should have done was just shouted out that we had more visitors present.
In smaller branches the teachers have a tendency to just read from the manual... Well this is a problem because in our little town there are a lot of people who can´t read. Sometimes the lessons are a little bit of a challenge... Especially since the manual we are studying is complicated for someone with little or no education....
Well the teacher stood and just started her lesson by saying, "Hey sister so and so can you read the next three paragraphs?" I was a little bit frustrated. Then the teacher called on one of our investigators to read she asked, "Uhhh tell me your name? Okay... Daisey, do you know how to read?" ........ As the words left the teachers mouth I was infuriated!!! What kind of question is that???? It was not just the question... it was the tone of this teachers voice that set me off... She was so degrading as she asked the question.... can you read?...
And what was worse was when the teacher asked the question our relief society president started laughing! It was so obnoxious and RUDE!!! She had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter... Our little investigator said, "Yes... I like to read!" And gladly read the paragraph. Then our next investigator had to read and she stumbled on a couple of words and every time she stumbled or stuttered over what she was reading our relief society president once again had a giggling fit. I was so upset and mad.... How could someone possible be SO RUDE as to laugh at someone who is 27 years old struggling to read!!!!!!????!!!!!! Well I just had to grin and bear it... I just hope that these investigators that were present come back....
All I can say is the church is true and it´s members are imperfect... I should be more patient with others and just let things slide but it is quite a challenge... So I am working on it.
Well my time is up but i hope you enjoy the photos....
Love Hermana Welch (Jess)
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Maybe we could stand to lose a little weight!! In our defense, the ropes to our 'new' hammock in our beautiful seaside apartment are really old! |
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The new trainers!! With so many new missionaries in the field, anyone with 6 weeks is a trainer!! |
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