A River Runs Through It.

I still cannot grasp the fact that Alex is going through the winter right now. I just have to compensate with thinking he is just having terrible weather but that he is in the US somewhere. It is strange that life just goes on and on and the people in our direct sphere changes. I am pretty sure Alex's world has shrunk pretty small. He has an audio recording that he tries to speak English but he has forgotten a lot of words. Some of them are kind of funny! I will keep trying to figure out how to download his audio's.



That´s hot.

Seriously, that´s hot. It´s now getting pretty cold here. They said this week it will get down to -4. That´s Celsius, but still - enough to freeze water. We could probably skate at that point, for my street has become a river. Filthy water runs down the hill (I explain this in one of the audios) and because all the water on the whole hill has to come down my street, there´s more than a little. It left us with a very gross pool in the back where our cement dips.

Besides a really annoying infection on my neck (this time), I´m pretty well. I inherited a good umbrella from the pension "box of dutey," so I´m okay there. I´ve actually managed to put on every thing I have - shirt, sweater, suit, inside of coat, scarf, outside of coat, gloves, umbrella. Sometimes we have to walk 30 minutes to get somewhere after a bus, so one must go with everything.

I think I´ve started to use everything there was in the packages. I have the pocketknife with me, and the camera, I´ve used a few of the handwarmers (They do not exist here. They freak people out.), I wear the gloves, etc. There´s only two things I need now : a few coins to give people (like 20), and more pictures. With that I wouldn´t know what to request. Well done with the CDs. I expected like 2. I now have some 15.

I´m kind of figuring out how to run this sector. I see what the Lord was saying in D&C 121 when he said that most men get all prideful when they think they have some power, because the last two meetings we´ve had with the Branch President he said that the missionary work is functioning impeccably. Our Mission Leader is a pretty heavy hitter, which doesn´t hurt. He´s the kind of guy that you tell about a need or service or problem and a solution he can help with and he just does it. A lady in the ward needed a new door. He said, "Okay - tomorrow we go to the store and call Bro. Diaz (a construction guy in our ward) to see when he can help us put it in." It silences me when people work like that. We got it all finished in four days.

So you could see how now I go, "I´m such a sick missionary. Look how good my Branch is doing because of me." Eh - careful. The Lord is pretty clear about that stuff. CS Lewis wrote that when you have the same joy from your success and from the success of others, that´s a good balance.

Anyway, it goes on pretty well here for now. Elder Aguilar and I are good, if a little foreign still. What I mean by that is we have almost nothing in common, and we´re just really different. I said that twice to emphasize it. It´s really strange because I get along with the members, and he gets along with the members. But we´re just not friends yet. He´s a rock musician and electrician. I don´t relate to that at all. He had a band and a huge family. I sang in a choir. Just wierd still. I don´t know what to do, but it´s going away with time.

It´s rainy, but I borrowed boots. Note the photo quality change. Pay attention to the Spirit.

Elder A Conrad Crist