We Wash Our Clothes in a Bucket

Entonces Family . . . 

 

Merry Late Christmas!!! It was weird not waking up to our beautiful home on Christmas day.  Instead we woke up to each other and our weekly planning session.  It went well though.  We had an activity with an investigator with lots of treats and a Christmas Christ movie.  It was in spanish though so i was grateful when there was no talking actually.  hahaa.  After we worked as usual. We got home early and made ourselves a fruit dinner.  We were too full from food from other people and our Christmas Eve dinner wasn´t settling well.  I will get to that.  Then we opened our presents!! Thank you so much for the blanket!! it made me cry a little and i had fun explaining all the pictures.  Evan is lacking in a few of them though ahaha.  We also exchanged presents with each other and she gave me a shirt with cats in it.  Hermana Routsong said I was the only companion worthy enough to recieve that.  I also got a few Bolivian things.  Both of our home packages had presents for our companions so we actually got a lot.  Our Penchenista also gave us presents!!

 

Well Christmas Eve.  We had lunch with Alenjandra, Blanca and Enrique, two investigators and one less active.  Enrique lived in Florida so he knows a bit of English.  He made us Chicken Alfredo!!!!!!!!!! Ph my goodness it was like home.  IOt was so good.  We were there for about three hours.  We invited another investigator who was lonely over to finish our leftovers so we had two lessons there.  That night we had with the Pench and her family.  It was a classic Bolivian dinner, Chicken, Potatoes, Corn and this really gross other potato stuff that i almost barfed.  You have to eat everything! and since the family was there we couldn´t pull our bags out.  I think the pench noticed I was struggling and she said if I can´t finish it is ok.  Honestly biggest tender mercy I have ever recieved.  I couldn´t do it! Bad thing was I ate all the gross stuff first.  haha.  We don´t eat with members that often so it is ok.

 

So Sunday Alejandra and her family came to church! They stayed the entire time too! It was a blessing.  It is hard for people to come to church because a lot of the time they have to work.  It is also hard to get them to read becasue they can´t read.  So that´s a struggle for us.  Also people are flaky and forget so we knock on doors a ton.  We do a lot of contacting.  mom you wouldn´t like it here, we waited an hour and a half for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Anyways, we teach Ester and her daughter Carolina in their tienda, or store.  It is always way hot and humid in there.  Before we could even get the baptismal invitation out she just kept saying yes yes yes when!! So that was cool.  They couldn´t come to church though becasue they had a wedding in Potosi they had to attend.  That´s a bummer, they want it so bad i love it! Carolina is 9 and she is so smart.  WE were looking through my picture book and she was telling me all the stories, she reads everyday, her mom can´t really read though so it´s sad.

 

Pedro, remember i invited him to baptism my first day!? yea well we habven´t had a lesson with him since and he won´t come to church nor will he read.  We can´t get him to do antything.  It´s so sad.  I rememberd one time when we were with him i saw a Jehovah´s Witness pamphlet on his desk.  They got to him.  Freaking Pedro.  I don´t even think i have ever seen a Jehovah´s Witness!!

 

Yesterday we had a lesson with Daniella, she is a really cute investigator.  The spirit was so strong during it and she acreed to be baptized at the end of Janruary, although she thought it was a little soon.  I hope all goes well.  During the first lesson she was crying and seemed so grateful.  We might be making Cheese bread with her tonight if Victor Hugo can´t.  It wouldn´t surprise me if he coultn´t actually.  

 

So as i was looking at the blanket i thought of some fun memories.  Dad remember when we went to Florida together and i made you go on splash mountain 8 times!!  Mom remember new York when I threw up after the play and that concert was going on! Evan remember when you were sleep talking and you said you were going to kill me.  yea fun haha.  Sam remember when you were following me and my friends around town all night long! that was creepy.  Isaac remember when you would sleep over in my bed haha or remember before i left and we had our lord of the rings marathon! My comp loves that movie too and we talk about it alllllll the time.  When i get back we are doing it again!!

 

All is well.  We eat a lot of fresh fruit and it tastes so much better here.  We are going to start to have dinner in our house because it´s cheaper and we aren´t getting enough fruits and vegtables with the pench.  We will now get in at 8 and not have to leave after!! It´s kind of hot here and it´s raining a ton.

 

Ph today for pday we went into the city.  i love it.  i feel like i am in america until someone starts speaking to me haha.  I found more places i have to go shop at during my last month or day here.  For lunch i had thin crust pizza and italian gelato and a coke.  i drink a lot of coke haha.  it´s good.  Oh we also wash our clothes in a bucket.

 

I don´t need any of that now though so don´t worry! thank you so much.  

 

Hermana Parry

This Girl!

Guess who is in Bolivia and eating gross food and being chased my dogs? THIS GIRL!!!!

where do i start? I Just don´t even know.  

My trainer is a Gringa and she is from Colorado.  I really like her! We speak in spanish as much as I can and when i have an important question we just go off into English.  

I got your package mom, and the envelope from the ward.  Nothing else.

So we have been teaching a lot of people! I invited two people to baptism and one didn´t come to church yesterday so we have to push his date back a little more, which is a bummer, his name his Pedro and we just don´t know how much he really wants it. 

We also teach Victor Hugo, he has so many questions about our religion but he is so open to everything! I gave him my book the other day and he seemed hesitante but excited.  He is also really patient with my lack of spanish and it is great.  He is way nice.

So the Elders were taken out of Las Cuadras so out area is double in size.  It was because it was too dangerous! Chiste, it is because the Cancha takes up half that area! It´s this giant marketplace.  We actually went today and i bought crap.  Anyways the Cancha area is up this GIANT and SUPER steep hill, then we have to climb stairs that are too Mordor i swear! We teach a family that is well, classic Bolivian.  It is hard for me to understand them becuase of their accent, but i try and contribute as much as i can.  Which my trainer said is a perfect amount.  

We also teach Ester and Carolina in the cancaha, they own a tiendra there.  Carolina is 9 and so smart.  I was looking through a church picture book and she was telling me all the stories.  Her mom can hardly read though, she is learning.  They have a baptism date for February! it is hard for them to come to church becasue she has to work every other sunday.

We went to the super market today and i bought rootbeer.  Contrary to popular belief i am not in the middle of nowhere, thats potosi.  I am in Cochabamba!! i related my area to bountiful, small suburbuan area next to a big city.  It is great.  We have a shower, toilet, stove, and lights! Can´t get much better than that.  We also eat at a Penchinistas house.  WE aren´t allowed to eat with members.  too many people got sick.  

For christmas we don´t know exactly we are doing, we have some stuff planned but who knows.  We are going to eat API though, it is like a scone.  

To get places we mainly walk.  Which isn´t that bad, i like walking.  Sometimes we have to take TRUFFIS.  It is like a bus, but more taxi sized.  I don´t know, they have taxis, buses, micros and truffis here.  We have lots of stuff.  We mainly just walk but occasionally take a truffi.

Totally forgot! First day we got here President took us all up to the Christ Statue.  The view though is unbelieveable!! This city is gorgeous.  We are also going to the temple on Viernes.  ll

The people here are really humble and so amazing.  It is teaching me a lot.  WE are in an expensive part of town, but you can´t really tell that.  It makes it harder for some people to accept the gospel and we do get shut down a lot.  One guy, Junior, made fun of my spanish and then basically threw us out.  WE aren´t going back.  That was the second day and my spanish has improved somewhat since then!! haha.  The other day we had a devo with all the missionaries in Cochabamba.  WE watched the share the gift video and other little things.  Hermana Hansen made four cookies for each missionary, we are saving our for christmas.  We can open our packages!! i am excited.  Hopefully tonight at our zone activity i will get the other ones!!

love you and i hope your christmas is merry and bright and white!! mine is blue cause it rains so dang much.  

The Clouds are Fluffy

Well, I just feel like I was there at the engagement, not really but thanks for all the pics, they are beautiful.  We made it to Cochabamba and it is beautiful.  The city is way nice and clean and it feels like an American City.  We just had interviews with Presidente Hansen and I love him, he is amazing.  I have heard that all the sisters are staying here, but also that only one of us is, I guess we will find out tomorrow.  After getting two hours of sleep in a tiny room last night we are all exhausted.  Let me tell you, the church takes care of their missionaries!! We are royalty here.  I am so excited to see where I will be and what I will be doing.  Can't believe this is happening!!! Oh the clouds here are so fluffy, like cotton candy!! Also Cochabamba is in a valley like SLC and it is beautiful.  I am already obsessed.  Pday will be every Monday now, unlike the weird CCM. 

 

Ciau Pesco

 

Hermana Parry

A Little Homesick

 

Happy Birthday Sammy!!! One more year until you are officially mission age! I Can't wait until you are out there!!! I hope your birthday was amazing!!

 

I got a letter from the Tuellers, that was so nice of them! Make sure to tell them thank you for me!!!

 

So we eat way too much rice, I have resorted to putting BBQ sauce on it and may almost follow the natives example and put ketchup on it.  I don't know, it just seems wrong. 

 

My 35-year-old companion doesn't like the way I pray.  I was folding my hands and she said that's not how you teach investigators how to pray.  I said President Eyring prays with his eyes open and hands to his face, now she like only prays with her hands folded.  It is actually a little funny.  During tracting the other day she talked over me a ton, I can't think that quickly in Spanish so she would inturrupt me when I was thinking about what to say.  It got really frustrating.  My heart just wasn't in it the other day, I guess we will have days like that.  It was fun, but we had no luck, only five contacts, the previous time we got 15.  Maybe thats because the first time I was with two other North Americans!!

 

So Evan, my friend here has a brother that went to Japan the exact same time you did!! His name is Elder T., he had to come home because he was diagnosed with a problem.  Do you know him?  Also did Elder Bednar come and speak at the MTC about PMG? We watched a devo that was done when I think you should have been there. 

 

We had the opportunity to watch the Christmas Devotional last Sunday.  It was so good, but it made everyone homesick.  I think I was the worst, literally that is home.  I also saw my old sems teacher and a wardie in the choir.  I love Christmas time and I am sad I can't see the lights.  Its ok though! Also when President Eyring spoke it just hit me, my wardie!! I love him so much! I want him to perform my wedding sealing, hahaha, Dad set that up for me.  He is an amazing apostle and I love him!

 

Mom can you still get me the conference Ensigns and the Christmas devo one if they have it? Just put them in my closet haha.  Well anything you take out or move in my room just put it in my closet, I still want my stuff.  And if you can get another Ensign from this last conference that would be great, mine is getting ruined.  

 

Sophie! I love how you talk to Emperor Charles III, everything you say to him I hear haha.  Thanks for taking care of my fishy.  I want to talk to you in Spanish so learn it!!

 

Dad is there anyway you can change my mission plaque to Alma 17:11, i like it soooooooo much more than my other one!!! I will even pay for it.  

 

So I can read really well in panish now!! I don't have to use my English Preach My Gospel anymore.  Scriptures are a struggle and I am trying so hard, but other stuff I can decipher.  My comp writes stuff for me if I can't get it.  

 

Do you want me to wait to Skype when Jake is home on that Sunday? If not, it's cool but I will ask my president when I see him on TUESDAY!!! I don't like the CCM anymore and can't wait to leave. I liked it at first but this is way too much time here!! I don't know how people survived three months.  

 

I love you all so much!! Everything is going well!! If I have time and the time is ok I will call on Tuesday but I am not sure. 

 

Hermana Parry

Two More Weeks

Family!!!

How has life been.  I am glad everything went well with Thanksgiving for everyone.  I wish I could have gone to dinner at that Philly place! Come visit me in Bolivia and I will take you out!! I am glad to know that at home I was a little useful, Christmas was my best thing!!
So my favorite church song is Come Come Ye Saints.  Listen to it and whenever you are worried for me or what not, think All is Well.  I love that song so much.  Maybe it's because I have so much more gratitude for the Pioneers.  Last night we watched 17 Miracles!! Those people had so much faith!! Oh I do get people to scratch my back during meetings and stuff, so all is super well!! We actullly take turns, like we did during sacrament meeting.

We went tracting the other day!! Holy Cow!!! It just made me want to ditch out and never come back to the CCM.  We got 15 references.  This family of three we talked to were so interested.  I wish we could finish talking to them.  I am about 100 percent sure they will be baptized.  A few others were really interested and a couple not so much.  One said when we gave her a pass along card said that she really needs peace and she will go.  It was such a neat experience.

Thanks for the presents!!! I put my new pillowcase on and the other girls are jealous.  So even though I didn't pass the AP Lit test, it was a big blessing to be in that class, I am able to understand the scriptures a lot more.  We went through Jacob 5 as a district and holy cow, I actually understand it.  All because of AP Lit.

All the Latinos hate the Bolivians.  We tell them where we are going and they just say, Sorry, its ugly there.  I think it is funny.  Bolivians also have the worst spanish so Jake and I will speak vastly different Spanish.

There is a teacher here who served with Devin.  His name is Hermano Polo.  I asked where he served and he made the connection and I mentioned Devin and Polo said, Oh yea the one with the butt problems.  hahahahahaha

I love my teacher and today we get new districts and latina companions.  My teacher is so funny and cute! She says funny english stuff.  My new companion is 35!!!! She was baptized a year ago.  So this will be interesting.

At tour we got confused and stuff didn't work out so we didn't get to go up to the pretty church on the hill. We will have to just come back here.  We did go get jerseys!! I got one jersey, a Chelsea jacket, pants and an extra Madrid jersey that says Parry.  Might as well.

All is well here.  Two more weeks!!! Time will surely fly now.

Hermana Parry