Go Chile! Go!

June 21st Email

Happy Father´s Day Dad! Tell Derek I said happy birthday as well. =)

I´ve been trying to keep up on World Cup stuff by asking members. There´s been some weird upsets, but I was so pumped when I heard Chile beat Honduras. I just heard a few minutes ago that Chile beat Switzerland as well. That just leaves Spain. That might hurt a bit, but I´m rooting for Chile all the way. =D

To answer your question about Changes, Changes meetings are always on Mondays every 6 months. I´ll be coming home Tuesday, September 28th. I should be getting my flight plans in August, so we´ll know times and everything then.

This week has kind of followed the pattern of a tough week, but I´ve accepted it´s just going to be this way until the end. A lot of work needs to be done, and I´m trying to play out my strengths to where I can help the branch most. It´s not easy, but I´m keeping my sights on the future: to when this small branch can flourish as a ward in a stake of Zion. It was kind of disheartening when I realized that apart from the branch secretary and the seminary teacher, all other leaders in San Vito are less active. The district president gave me some good advice though: Just work with the youth. If the youth are active, the parents will follow soon enough.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we have interviews with President Gálvez. I´m for sure going to be asking his advice on a lot that´s been going on here. Yesterday (Sunday) was a bit rough though. We had 2 investigators in church, which I was glad for, but we only had 13 PEOPLE IN CHURCH.

This last week has found us working especially hard with a family we found recently. Juan, Isabel, and their daughters Nuria and Alondra. It hasn´t been easy. Alondra, who´s fourteen, loves everything we´ve taught and wants to be baptized. Juan, the father, is 86 years old and dying. We gave him a blessing a few nights back, and miraculously he was on his feet for the first time in weeks the next day. The mother Isabel is the tough one though. Preisthood authority is her brick wall right now, no matter how many times we´ve tried to lay it out for her. She just needs to pray and ask, it´s really that simple. But simplicity in the things of the Lord are not what people usually expect, sadly enough. I don´t think we´re going to make our goal for the month, but that only means we need to work even HARDER in the month to come. We´re also going to see if we should pick up an old investigator as well. The guy is an sadly an alcoholic, and has been for a very, VERY long time. We set the goal with him that he won´t drink AT ALL tomorrow (Tuesday). If he can go just ONE day without taking a drink, then there´s the chance of progress. This guy has some crazy stories though. He´s gone wetback into the states twice just for starters.

Food for the week is something noteworthy. Wednesdau we had cow tongue for lunch. I knew what it was the moment I saw it, but my companion didn´t have a clue. We started eating and Elder Centeno froze for a second saying "This meat is way too soft to be normal." I started laughing as did our cook. Elder Centeno was kind of shocked to learn he was eating cw tongue. After everything I´ve had to eat in this country, cow tongue was nothing in comparison.
Saturday our branch secretary made us Rice & Bean. I don´t know if I´ve told you about this dish before, but it´s a typical dish from Limón. It´s pretty much the same thing as Gallo Pinto (white rice and beans) but the difference is the good everything in coconut milk and mix in some chili panameños. It´s always served with roasted chicken which is also cooked in coco milk. It has to be one of my favorite dishes here, and it´s usually only good when a black man makes it. Ticos try, but this dish was created and perfected but Limonenses. Our secretary did a good job though, I was really surprised.

I´m in Golfito right now. My companion had to go to San José again to receive his residency. Friday night we got stopped by a couple of cops and they asked to see our IDs. My companion didn´t have any papers on him, but THANKFULLY immigration was CLOSED. The cops didn´t want to go through the trouble of taking my comp in, so they just told him he can´t leave our apartment or else they´ll take him in. President Gálvez got the ball rolling, and finalized my companion´s residency ASAP. The funny thing was Saturday night walking home we saw those same two cops, and they just glared at us with eyes that said "I thought I told you to stay home." They didn´t do anything, as I knew they wouldn´t, and if they had tried my comp had on him the equivalent to "diplomatic immunity" for missionaries. =P

Alright, not much else happening around here. I´m kind of stressed out about what I´m going to do with the branch, but I´m trying my best not to let it overwhelm me. Like I said, there´s just so much to do I´m not sure where to start. I´m going to take the district president´s advice though: just work with the youth and the rest will fall into place.

I love you all and I hope you have a great week, Take care, be safe, and enjoy summer vacation (because some of us have gone 2 years without one). =P

Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie

P.S.- No, I haven´t received my new debit card yet. I´m hoping I´ll get it tomorrow at interviews.