So I thought I would start out by first saying... yes I have
officially completed a year. SWEET! It went by super super quick and I
am a little worried that the second will go by even quicker. No offense I
want to see all you, but I still have a lot to learn. There was
definitely a LOT of extremely hard parts in the first year, but there
were parts so much better that compensate for the bad.
This week though was a lot of fun and I feel like we did a ton! I
am really starting to enjoy the mission a lot. This month of September
is the month of the independence of El Salvador. So we every day there
are marching bands from the various schools playing. Here if you play in
the school band it is like someone playing on the football team in the
U.S. I love it though cause we will always be walking and just see some
marching band walking down the street playing some sweet song. My comp
is always super confused, but I absolutely enjoy it.
This past Wednesday was this day called El Día de los Farolitos.
That just mean day of the Little Lanterns. So everyone puts these
little lanterns everywhere and a lot of people will make like towers and
stuff out of the lanterns and some will make sculptures. This day
originally was started by the Catholics, but has just turned into the
most popular festival here in Ahuachapan. There were tourists everywhere
and the streets were filled. We had to avoid all of the partying going
on, but we got to see a couple of the sculptures that the had put up. I
took a picture of one, but it is a terrible picture cause I tried to
hide my camera as I took it. It is the police station and they put up a
lot of lights and they had a little stage with some guy singing on it.
It was weird cause all the houses had these lights up and in the end I
realized that it looked a lot like Christmas. haha.
Thursday of course was a crazy day too. We went to one of my
converts houses (Iris) and we ate some tomales with her and her family.
(Her mom is actually a really postive investigator and knows everything
and this week finally went to church.). It was fun and they told me they
would make me them cause I was completing one year in the mission. So
we had a fun time over there and took some pictures with them also.
After we had finished working we had decided we were going to keep going
with me tradition. I don't if I have told you all that everyone month
that I complete in the mission I buy that many pupusas. So when I
completed 3 months I ate 3 pupusas. When I completed 9, I ate 9 pupusas.
Thursday I ate 12 pupusas. It was glorious. I loved it. We then ended
the night by doing what every missionary does when they complete a year.
I burnt a shirt, but don't worry dad it was one of the shirts that had a
hole int the bottom part and was super dirty and missing 2 buttons. So I
thought it was alright. That night reminded me of when we got the
letter from Kristin when she completed a year. I still for some reason
have that picture burnt in my head of her with the shirt she was going
to burn, but something happened where she couldn't burn it. It was a lot
of fun though.
On Saturday we had a stake mission activity. I am not going to
lie the activities that the Salvadoreans put on aren't very good...
unless you tell everyone that there is going to be a piñata involved,
but unfortunately there wasn´t a piñata involved so not many people
came. We had a contest to see who could make the coolest temple out of a
bunch of random stuff. It actually turned out to be pretty fun. I
atleast brought one of my recent converts (Rosa) to the activity and her
son Victor and they both loved it. They actually ended up winning.
haha.
Other than Those thing just keeping up with work as usual. I
have finally started working out in the mornings again and that has
actually helped me to feel a little better. I finally weighed myself
again this week. I have gained 5 pounds since I last checked about 6
months ago. At least I am not going down anymore!
As far as our investigators go, we are going with the same
people and this week we had to start really getting on them, cause a
couple were startin to really slack off and the commitments. One of our
investigators that I spoke about last week (Roberto) is doing amazing.
Like I said last week that the 3 months or so that I have known him he
has been a drunk, but he went this whole past week without drinking. It
was a miracle. Our lessons right now are so much better and he really is
progressing and reading. He is a great guy and we are hoping to do a
family home evening with him and his whole family and bringing the
bishop too.
Also like I said "Mama" Iris (the mom of the recent convert, we
just call her "mama" to not get her confused) she also went to church
which was such a big step. It was awesome to see that after all this
time of going over there to see her finally take this step and go to
church. She loved it and everyone after went up and talked to her. She
said she wants to go back next week also.
Well I love you all so much. Now it is less than a year til I
will see you all again. i am going to send a different email with all
the pictures that I have from this week cause there are a lot. Love you
all and talk to you soon.
Elder Gillette
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