Saturday, December 26, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #45 - Day #313 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

Today was Saturday...was a pretty good day. Had some more training stuff in the morning, then went over to our lunch appointment. Problem is that the lady lives like 20 mins away in bus, and she wasn't there. But she runs a pulperia, so the guy that was helping out there gave us some chips and Coke as our lunch for the time being. We started talking to him, and he's a pretty nice guy. We'll try to find him again next Saturday when we hopefully actually have lunch.

Our "lunch" of chips and soda!

And what pulperias can look like. It's like a store in a house.

Hna Mora

So after that we waited about 20 mins for a bus or rapidito to come by and take us back to El Dorado, and we found a place to eat lunch at, so that was good.

We went and actually got a lunch of chicken fingers!

By then it was like 3:30 pm, so we started walking all the way over to the church for the coordinacion misional we have with Wilmer, our Branch Mission Leader, and we got there on time. But, nobody had keys, so we waited another hour until someone finally went up to someone's house that had keys, and brought them to the church. So we all went in (because the youth were also waiting for mutual), and had our meeting with Wilmer. We worked a lot of stuff out, and have some good ideas ad starting places to help this branch and the mission work here.

And then we went and visited a little girl that was recently baptized and her family (who is also all baptized, but completely inactive), and we had a good lesson with them. And then we went home.

Friday, December 25, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #45 - Day #312 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

Merry Christmas! It's a happy day!

This morning we went and had more tamales for lunch, then came back and I opened my Christmas box from my family.

Christmas box!!  Christmas presents from home! I loved all my special gifts!

Some little elfkins...hard at work!

Making a list...and checking it twice!

Crazy Christmas Socks!

I made Hna Mora a little gift so she could open something as well since she didn't receive a box specifically for Christmas. So that was awesome! I got some really cool CDs and socks and jam and chocolate and books and a pedometer! Now I will finally know how much I'm walking a day. So I really enjoyed that. Thanks family!

Hna Mora

Gift of jam

Then we got ourselves ready to Skype, and we were so excited! Problem was, we went by the internet place we had arranged to go to, and it was closed. So we waited about half an hour, and then called some leaders in our branch to find out where the keys were and if they could open the church building so we could Skype there. So then we had to wait another half hour for that to work out. Once we finally got in, we figured out the internet wasn't working, so we fought with that another half hour, and I finally decided to unplug and re-plug the Ethernet cable from the computer housing, and that did the trick. So we were very happy about that! So we finally were able to call out families! Whoo!

Hey wonderful family!!

Then we headed for home and planned for the next day and spent some time watching the Bible Videos DVD I got in my box, and we were looking up some of the references from them as well. I like being able to see sort of what things were like and the context-expressions used with the text of the Bible, so it helped it make more sense.

And we got ourselves ready for bed and went to sleep! That was a stressful and awesome and tiring day!

And some grapes from Peru that cost me 160 lemps. Pricey grapes!

Thursday, December 24, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #45 - Day #311 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

It's Christmas Eve! Yay!

Today was good, had Weekly Planning in the morning, then went out to eat lunch at a Chinese place with our district, and I had sweet and sour chicken for the first time in 10 months, and I loved it.

Chinese food! 

We then went over with the elderes to church and started making cookies, E Purcell wanted to mix the dough with his hands, so we humored him and let him play with the dough. He was really happy. And we found the TV so we put on Christmas music and all sang along as the cookies were baking, so that was really fun. I haven't really heard Christmas music around here, so I was happy to have that familiar Christmas tradition at least for those few hours.

Cookie making! 
Hna Mora, E Purcell, E Granja

We made peanut butter coconut oatmeal cookies...don't know if you can put more flavors in those! But they turned out really well, and the elderes were quite happy to eat the leftover ones (we made 9 cookie plates to give to the 3 families for each companionship) and we had eggnog and sprite (that was a first for me...I think I like it better with milk) and just had a few fun hours over there.

So we got everything cleaned up and started walking all over creation to the elderes families, which for some reason they decided to pick the ones that lived the FARTHEST and on the STEEPEST and most DANGEROUS rocky inclines...yeah. We finally got up to this really special family's door and we could barely sing because we're all out of breath. But by the end of the Christmas song our pulse had gone down sufficiently that we could wish them a Merry Christmas and give them the cookies and offer a prayer. And so it continued, we did our families last so we would end up close to home, as we're supposed to be home a little earlier on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve due to the firecrackers and the drunk people. So everything turned out well, and we got home safely.

There's a Christmas Tree in the Parque, 
and we all took pics for Christmas

We were also gifted some tamales (every single family makes like 50 tamales, so they're all gifting them to everybody...you eat a lot of tamales for Christmas, but if you eat more than 2 or 3 at a time/per day you'll get sick, so be careful on that. You gotta ask them if you can take them home with you, to then eat later.) so we had our Christmas tamales. It was Hna Mora's first time having tamales here in Honduras and I was actually thinking we would go the entire day without tamales, but at the end of the day we were passing by this sweet little old lady that we know and she gave us some. So there you go. Can't have Christmas without tamales.

Christmas tamales!

And we talked and stuff, and went to bed. Although there were a lot of fireworks going off, so it was actually a little hard to sleep. But we were glad that everyone was enjoying themselves.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #45 - Day #310 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

Had like 4 odd dreams last night. And Hna Mora said I talked in Spanish in my sleep. Don't think I slept very well, as I am super tired and my neck hurts.

This morning we went out to find skyping options (I think we found one! Keeping fingers crossed!) and buy stuff for the cookies we're gonna make tomorrow as a district to then go caroling and give them to some of the members. So we got to wait for about half an hour in line at the store...forgot that things get a little crazy around holidays, ooops. But we finally got through that whole fun mess, went to another store to pick up some other little things we needed, and got back home for lunch. I had finally bought myself a water bottle that held a liter (it actually says 1000 ml, which is 1 liter. I don't know why they didn't just put 1 liter on there, saves space!) so I can keep better track of how much water I'm drinking in a day. I've been thinking I need to increase it to help my body adjust faster to all the hills, as I'm still getting really tired. So that was kinda exciting.

And my 1 liter water bottle. I love it!

After that we went over and helped Gloria make tortillas for baleadas for la noche de hermanamiento we'll have later tonight, so I learned how to make them "en un nylon", or on a circle of plastic, so that was pretty neat. I know how to make them slapping them between your hands, but I think mine turn out better on the plastic. So I really enjoyed that. And she used a spoon to lift the edge and flip them! I knew that that had to be a possibility. Results in less-burned fingers. I really like Gloria.

So we finished up the tortillas, and then headed over to the church for the activity. We started kinda late because of a mix up of who had the building keys, so we waited for awhile, but we finally got in and got everything done, and ate our baleadas. So it turned out being a good night.

And a view from our mountains... we seriously are hiking up legit
mountains in our area. So I'm always really tired from that!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #45 - Day #309 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

22-12-154

We're in the future!!! No, I actually was trying to type just the 15, but I hit the 4 key as well, and it made me laugh to think of ourselves 139 years in the future, so I decided to keep it. It's the little things!

Today was good, went over to District Meeting (15 mins walking) and received a Christmas-themed capacitacion, aka, we were given candy canes and we watched Mr. Kruger's Christmas. Sweet video, almost made me cry, but it was nice to see something like that from home. It's interesting, because in our district (of ourselves, the DL and his companion, and the ZL's...kinda reminds me of Santa Cruz, but there's only us 2 missionaries in the branch, not all 6) everyone is gringo-speaks English except for E Granja, one of the ZL's, so it was kinda like over in Santa Cruz with Hna Escobar...I actually just made that connection.

E Purcell (ZL) is from New Zealand, is really big, and is going pretty gray already, it appears. Speaks English with actually a very small accent, I was surprised, all the over NZers I know have very strong accents and I almost can't understand their English. I get them better in Spanish.

E Granja (ZL) is from Ecuador, looks like a typical latino but is really, really big. He speaks and understands English perfectly, like E Lorenzana. Nice guy.

E Hadley (DL training newbie) is from Utah, blondie, blue-eyed, reminds me a little of E Oldham serving over in El Salvador. Problem is, I struggle to understand him on the phone. Mumbles and talks really fast. Nice enough guy, though.

E Poulson (newbie in training) came with Hna Mora, is from Utah as well. Dark hair, blue eyes, except his irises look small. I can't figure out why. Already knows a ton of Spanish so he came out with 2 weeks in the CCM. Is a motorcycle geek.

Hna Mora (my newbie in training) already has 2 months in the mission, so she's almost there! She's a cutie, from McAllen, TX, parents are from the DR and Mexico, she's fluent in English and Spanish, although is still learning las palabras catrachas. Dark hair, brown eyes, lighter skin but is still a little tanner than me.

So after District Meeting we went out to eat again to a new place we had found as we were working the other day. It sells a whole bunch of stuff, so Hna Mora and I got fried fish and the elderes got various types of grilled meat. It was on the pricey side, but very good. So that was a fun lunch.

The fish place we found!

And my delicious fried fish!

And then we did a lot of visits, so that was good. Went over and got to know some recent converts and members that live over in la colonia Miraflores, which has flat parts for the fields, and a lot of hilly mountain things for where the houses are. So you've got to cross all the fields to get to the mountains, and then climb up the mountains, and go find this blessed little house. But that was fun, we brought out our flashlights again when it got dark and we still had to get back down.

Some scenery around our area

And for my dinner I made some twisty noodles with a seafood sauce packet, and some green beans with a little bit of lime juice. And drank a ton of water. I liked that dinner.

Monday, December 21, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #44 - Day #308 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

Happy Birthday, Momma! You are awesome and I love you!!!

Today was Pday, finally! I guess with Christmas coming up I was looking forward to Pday even more than usual. I miss my family, but I'm so happy that I get to Skype with them on Christmas Day! I hope everything goes well, it's been 8 months since I've seen them.

Today was good, went out to eat as a district, then went over to write our families and friends and loved ones and acquaintances etc, and bought some food, and did some work. Didn't really do anything really exciting. Still looking for Skype options, actually, so that's a little bit stressful.

I did find my Expo marker, though, so now the next task is to find a place that sells fabric so I can add a little band to the bottom of a really cute skirt I found and also with the perfect, matching shirt. Problem is, the shirt only looks good if I wear the skirt on my waist, not my hips, and when I do that, the hem come right to my knees. Probably could have gotten away with it at home, but I need it to be longer in the mission. And since I'm hopping all over these blessed mountains and hills all day long, not just sitting in church for a few hours. Mhm. So wish me luck on that.

Sunday, December 20, 2015 -- Month #10 - Week #44 - Day #307 - El Dorado, La Entrada, Copan

Sunday! And guess who got asked to play piano? Me! That always seems to happen. I really wished I had actually learned all the hymns before I came on the mission. That's an important skill. Especially if you're going somewhere that's a 3rd world country. Anyways. My piano was a really dusty little keyboard (not a digital piano, it's a little Yamaha keyboard) on top of a little wobbly table, and I had to stack 2 chairs so I could sit and play comfortably. And there wasn't a sustain pedal. So that felt really weird to play without that, I like my pedal! But it all worked out pretty well, apparently that was the 1st time someone had played in church within the remembrance of the youth, so that was a special occasion. And everything was Christmas hymns, except the closing hymn, which was "We are Sowing" in English, and I do not like singing or playing that one. But they love that one here. So other than that it was all fine.

And then we had our Gospel Doctrine class about the book of Revelation in the Bible, which was interesting, and even more so because it was in Spanish...I had a little bit of a hard time trying to understand what was being discussed. And then Relief Society was good, though we had to go out and find a marker for the white board. I think I'll actually buy one tomorrow and just keep it with me, as we're always needing markers for the white board.

And we went back to the house for lunch, and then came back to the church for Consejo de Rama, and then went and found Pres Orellano to deliver some stuff from Pres Dester, and then came back to the church for a song practice with the Relief Society for next Sunday, and then went and explored some more of our area. And we came back home exhausted, so I made some strawberry cake in our mugs, and we ate that and sat down for a little bit and talked. So yeah, good, busy, tiring day. But tomorrow's Pday! Whoohoo! I like Pday.

Cake time!

You just put some of the cake mix powder in a bowl,
add an egg and a little bit of water, and stir it up.

Pour some into mugs, and microwave for 3-4 minutes.
That's cuz no one has an oven. I miss baking!