Here in Guatemala, it is preferred that the people wear nicer clothes to show respect, but most people don't have those clothes. Many come in t-shirts and jeans because that is the nicest that they have. I know that God doesn't judge us on what we wear, but on the heart, just like it says in 1 Samuel, "For the Lord looketh not on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart". I have learned to be less judging, more loving, and more acceptable by living here.
Well, this past week´s been interesting. My comp still is sick but we spoke to Hma Baldwin about it and I get to be nurse of the mountains, ha ha. We had a zone conference last week and I received my package. We contacted a lot last week, or at least it felt like it.
From a journal entry:
January 26, 2011
8 months in the mission. I don´t believe I have had a day during which so much bad luck has followed us, most of it not having anything tow do with teaching or contacting. Today we had a zone conference in Patzicia. We left early and on the first bus the man charged Hermana Perez 5 quetzales extra. Then on the 2nd bus for Patzicia they (the bus people) left us at the entrance and would not carry us to where we needed to go so we had to walk 15-20 minutes from the entrance to the chapel, and on the way saw a rainbow and a flattened carcass of a dog. The meeting felt long, our zone sang ´´Armies of Helaman and As sisters in Zion´´ in Spanish and English. During lunch the 2 zones sang Happy Birthday to me and 8 other missionaries. We had more meetings, one of them being within our zone, in which we practiced how to ask help from the bishop. During these practices one of the APs, Elder Montoya, poked his head out from the bench behind us and asked, ´´are you happy?´´ or ´´Está feliz?´´
After the meeting was over we received letters and packages. We returned in bus and the man charged Hma Perez 5 quetzales extra and when I called to stop so we could take another bus to Comalapa, the bus driver wasn´t listening. We passed the intersection and I kept calling to stop... they finally stopped about 10 minutes after our destination and we had to walk back. On the way, again the sight was beautiful... and then we saw another dead dog in the gutter.
Well, finally the last bus didn´t have problems except it was really full, and the bus people were more polite than the others. So in the afternoon we visited Hermano Sitavi, Neri Cali, and Blanca and Jorge and family. When we were teaching Neri we began reviewing about the organization of the church, which may have put him under stress. Neri has epilepsy so when he gets excited or really nervous he has seizures. As we were teaching him his countenance changed in a matter of seconds and he appeared as though he was having a heart attack and about to fall on the ground. Me and Hermana Perez were afraid but instead of freaking out, I found myself saying in a steady, quiet voice, ´´Está bien, Hermano, está bien.´´ After what appeared to be a minute, he sat back up again and was again normal but didn´t talk. I felt terrible that I had put that stress on him but am grateful to the Lord for guiding me to know what to do.
It may appear that today was a day for hardships and experiences, and that maybe there wasn´t anything to learn but to have patience. However, I learned how to grow like a flower that´s surrounded by rocks. I have strong roots in what little soil I do have and although life moves stones nad pebbles on top of me, sometimes blocking out the sun, I keep pushing upward and keep striving. I guess then, that my name in kaqchikel is a good name for me. Literally translated it is k´astab´el, but Marcos and Rosa Cali gave me a name that they say best describes my last name: Kotzij. Kotzij means flower.
I know that notwithstanding the many trials we will have in our lives, God will always give us strength to pull through and continue. Our Heavenly Father loves us, Jesus Christ gave his time and live for us, and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through a prophet of God.
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