...Cool to turn a fight into a baptism...

Dear Family:
Sooo, you guys want to go on a mission too huh? Getting a little jealous are we? lol. Sounds cool though. Do you guys get to choose where you want to serve or do they call you like mine? If you do get to choose I'd go for England, the European area, or Italy! That's going to be a really cool experience.

1. So how are you doing?

Doing good, the zone leaders received another box from you guys for me. But, since I didn't shave this morning they said I need to shave first, soooooo, yeah, lol. I hate shaving, such a waste of time and I end up using sooooooo much shaving cream. I think I just might end up buying an electric razor here if I can find one, lol....

....I do like the look of wearing a suit. I think when I get back I'm definately going to be doing some type of business work where I get to wear a suit and maybe speak some other languages....I really want to learn more of them now that I have spanish more or less down, lol.

2. When the next transfers be?? Do you think you will transfer or stay there?

The next one is going to be this coming week on the 28th. And I don't know if I'll go or not. In reality I would really love to go to a new area..I have been in this one for 2 transfers now.

3. How is the work going? I know new converts are probably hard...anyone interested right now? How is it coming with the inactives?

Well we do have this one guy that is looking pretty positive, Celestino, he's about 32-33, and doesn't go to any church. He's reading and praying and doing everything that he's supposed to do, so I've got high hopes for him! The rest of our investigators more or less are all coming from the teenagers. We´re going to go out today and try and put some baptism dates for this weekend so wish me luck, lol.

4. What was your most interesting contact of the week?

The most interesting one, was when we were coming back to Amparo from Contacting in El Tumbador. I like to read the pamplets when I ride the bus just to make sure I got everything. And I was reading about the plan of salvation and out of the corner of my eye I could see the guy sitting next to me more or less reading the pamphlet too. So after "we" had gotten through a few pages I turned to him and started talking with him. His name was Angel, and he had just been deported from the states but his wife and kids are still living up there. So we started talking and got on the the subject about how gringos won't let them live and work up there and really he just wanted to fight. (They must be deporting a ton of people from up there and especially from Arizona?) Anyways, I didn't want to fight so I started asking him questions about his family and if he missed them and how big a part did they play in his life. And with this I led into the plan of salvation and gave him a run down of where we came from, why were here, the importance of families, and where were going when we die. Right before he got off the bus he started asking me about what all you need to do to become a member and be baptized and I made an appointment to visit with him later on. Just cool to be able to turn a fight into a baptism, lol. But we´ll see how that one turns out, lol.



5. Have you seen any interesting "animals?"

Well there are those humungeous spiders that waant to eat your face...and there are these really cool looking birds down here called the quetzal. They have these really long, colorful tail feathers which are really cool. And yeah, all the normal bugs just a little bit bigger, lol!!

6. Have you eaten any weird foods?

Over my whole mission I've eaten cow brain, cow tongue, some animals... (edited..), some of the grossest tamales that you could ever imagine, and lots and lots of beans and rice. And about 20 tortillas at every meal. lol.

7. The language...have you had a time where you made mistakes with the words and it came out weird, and they thought you were funny?

lol, Yeah just about every time I talk, lol. But the other night I was suuuper tired and we were talking with the branch president about some stuff and when I get tired I start talking like dad...kinda studdering and mixing up my words. So I'm already just about to drop from exhaustion and he asked me a question and I wasn't really paying attention so I just want to say...I don't know...which is, yo no se or no se, and how it came out was I don't no se, lol, and everyone just loved that, lol!!! So yeah I mess up my spanish quite often, lol.

8. Cultural observations to share...we love these :)

Well, no matter what you eat you will always have tortillas to eat them with, corn tortillas, always, lol.
And the other day I was having a little conversation with this little girl and right in the middle of it she just squatted down and started peeing and I couldn't help but bust up laughing, lol. Good times, good times, lol!

9. Spiritual experience for the week? (We love these too, no matter how large or small)

On the way home last night, we were walking down the road to our house, and always, there is a guy that is always sitting on the side of the road. He always looks like he's perma-fried, so we don't usually pay him any attention. But I was walking by and I felt something jerk at me and tell me that I needed to go back and talk with him. So I did, cause those inspirations don't come around every day, and we started talking and he couldn't get taught in that minute, but we are going to visit him tomorrow morning. Just cool when you listen to the whisperings of the spirit and it actually leads into something good, lol.

10. Did the kids like the little dinosaurs and punch balls? Should I send some fun little things like that for them for Christmas? How about CTR rings?
Do you think we should send some Elders or Sisters a Christmas box, that wouldn't get one? How many if we do?

Yeah, the kids freaked out over that stuff. Glow in the dark stuff and balloons barely exist down here. And like I said before almost every missionary down here is from Central America so almost all of them are poor. I don't know how much that would cost but I'm guessing a lot. But if you still want me to check I will.

11. Do you know you are wonderful and we love you to pieces??

mhmmmm.

...about the changing of the seasons...That sounds pretty sweet. I really miss the changing of the seasons and even the cold, lol. And one of my new goals...to learn Italian, German, French, Portugese, Chinese, I really would like to learn them all if I can...who knows maybe one day.

Love ya much,
E.Marquis