2659 Miles, 20 people in a truck at 50 MPH

Que lo que familia!

This week was a good one! Another frustrating several days with spanish. Elder Espinola got on a couple of them members because they were talking super fast and super gangsta and he knew that I couldnt understand so he told them to talk more slowly and with more inteligence. I thought it was funny. He definently has my back. I feel bad for the kid. He has to be so tired of working with me haha but I am so grateful for him!

This week Joselito was baptized. He wasnt quite ready to cut his hair (as you can see in the pictures) but he is alreadying leaving with us and helping us to share the gospel. It is really good because everyone knows him and can see the change in his heart and they really want to see that change too. Miguelina was supposed to be baptized this week but she didnt pass her interview and was acting funny all week before the interview. Yesterday when we went to visit her she completely broke down and told us why she couldnt get baptized. She has cancer in her vigina and it cost 25000 pesos to do the surgery. She lives in a house that isnt even finished. They dont have doors and the house isnt even enclosed. There is no way she can get that money and she says that if a man comes aroudn with more money she is going to have to be forced to live with him so she cant complete with the commandments right now. It was so hard to hear. I didnt understand everything she was saying but seeing her so upset made me so sad. I let a few tears go. Yikes. She has such a strong testimony but just doesnt have hope. I can totally understand her but so hard. We are going to keep working with her.

Good news! We finally receieve the papers we needed to marry the family that i told you about before (Cabral) They are in the picture with the tin house. She had to go and pick up 2 more of her kids this week so now 5 people live in that house. It is smaller than my room back home. They are scheduled to have their baptism this sat.

Funning story of the week... we were visiting a member and I said a sentence and everyone just starting cracking up and my comp had soda coming out of his nose. Apparently I said that people were having sex instead of what I wanted to say and with the context of the convo it was apparently really funny!

I had an interview with the pres this week. We asked me how things were going and all. He told me that I am going to be a great leader in this mission and that I can help a lot of people. He said that I just need to do my part and that for now that is to learn Spanish. He told me that if I continue working forward that I will be a great help to the mission. I hope that I can do that. It is what I want to do!

Thanks to the GPS Dad sent, i know that i am exactly 2659 miles from home! Incase anyone was wondering and the trucks that I ride go 50 miles per hour and today there were 20 of us in the back, breaking the old record.

It is the end of the month and we dont have much money so we have been eating a lot of rice with nothing. It is pretty funny to try and survive with nothing. I think I have lots about 10 pounds already this week!

Stories of the week... Bishop Bishop told me I couldnt tell mom if I got robbed or hurt but....since it didnt happen to me I think it is fine. Saturday ngiht after the baptism the people in SY went crazy! We were walking down the street and a husband was sitting on his wife beating her and we didnt realize what was happening until he got up close and Edler E said "lets bounce" his English phrase and we started running and then the guy got off and she started running and he threw a huge rock at her really hard. It really bothered me. There isnt really a police here so he like isnt going to be punished for doing this. Then later that night we barely missed a machete fight between two Haitains and apparently one of them got stabbed pretty bad. Everyone keeps telling us to be careful out in San Fran but I love it out there. Never a dull moment.

Right now the investigators/recent converts are our best tool. They are all sharing the gospel with their friends. We have 7 baptisms planned for this week we will see what happens. Two families. I am soo excited.

Well not much else is new!


-Did you see if the stores have lard instead of shortening. If they do it will make your cooking much easier and a lot more options!
i still havent checked...we are poor right now so were living cheap!


I love you all soooo much! I miss you all so much too! Thanks for your love and support!!!

Love
Elder Wilson



Seth says no mail for several weeks.

Tim



P.S. A couple of notes of interest that he sent to us separate from the blog letter. The neighborhood he is working in San Fran is a very poor and somewhat "outcast" neighborhood in Sebana Yegua. Seth said none of the houses have water. They haul all of their water from the canal or anywhere else in the town they can find some. The women carry the water on top of their heads. They also don't have electricity in their home per se, but in Seth's words they "steal" electricity from others to use. Most of the people are uneducated and don't read. The majority of people don't have jobs and the few that do work in the field for less than the equivalent of $10.00/day. He absolutely loves the people and the area.

The other note of interest is that he was sure to point out that 20 people in the truck was NOT from "hitch-hiking"(see last weeks letter)but was rather a "paid"ride. It costs about 50 cents to ride into Azua which is about 30 miles from Sebana Yegua.

Jill