In five days it will be Destinee's HUMP DAY--she is half way there!

 This week is changes for Destinee's mission.  I told her that I predict that she will be changed to the coast,  This was her reply:

Yikes. I hope I don´t go to the coast. From cold to hot will not be fun. But I guess I should be used to it from living in Utah, but still I hope no. I am only worried about the changes because I feel that there is much more in Comalapa that I still have to do, but who knows but that I might return later on in my mission. I know that wherever I go is where I am needed. 

Well, last night I had a bad dream, one that bothered me, and you are going to laugh. In my dreams I was in the last 2 days of my mission and had to begin packing and preparing everything to return home. I didn´t want to return home and didn´t feel ready, but there I was about to return. I am glad there are only changes and not the end yet. I reach my hump in 5 days. (yep, on the 26th, Destinee is half way through with her mission.  It is all downhill from here for those of us at home who miss her)

 

For my hurts, they weren´t too bad. My ankle stopped hurting when Ï began to walk on it again, and beside that only my knees were scraped, but I cleaned them. (in reference to her fall last week)

At first all the people were shocked because there was a north american in Comalapa, but now I have met a good portion of the people, have friends in many places, and get to hear my name called out from tuks ``sister park!``` There is only one of the tuk drivers that calls me by my name as he passes, and another honks twice as he passes. We´ve contacted many of the drivers. Also, again this morning we took the bus for 9 am and the guy I had contacted who helps guide the bus gave us passage for less again. My companion has begun to realize that there are people in comalapa that want to hear us. 

Destinee's District

And from a journal entry:

February 15, 2011

We went to Guate for an activity of the hermanas with hermana Baldwin. We made scarves and ate taco salads. We returned(Hermana Perez and I) at 6. I experienced another adventure of buses because at Trebol we waited fro a bus to Comalapa. A bus arrived that had written Zaragoza and Comalapa but I had a feeling that we shouldn´t get on. ´´Well, that´s silly. That´s just a weird thought I have,´´ I thought. We asked the bus people if the bus goes to Comalapa and they told us yes, so we climbed on. Well, we rode for a long time and I paid the full ride to Comalapa, and then finally arrived in Chimal. Then the bus helper told us, ´´There´s a bus right there that will carry you to Comalapa.´´ After we got off I asked the man, ´´Porque nos mintió?´´ ´´Why did you lie to us?´´ Laughing but a little frustrated we entered the other bus and rode to Comalapa. This experience was made up for because while contacting and buying a light bulb, the lady selling gave us an extra light bulb for free.

view from Destinee's house

And some history of Destinee's current area, as told by her:

And now for the story of Comalapa (what I know of it) Part 1

Between 1950 and 1970 the first missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived in the high, chilly mountains of a little town called San Juan Comalapa. Not many churches existed in this little town, but missionaries of other religions had introduced two main religions: Catholicism and Evangelicalism.

Notwithstanding the blooming providence of these religions, the Mormon missionaries, Elders as they were called, set to work to teach and serve the native kaqchikel-speaking people of Guatemala. With much work and a little time the elders began to find success and baptize families, or sometimes only individuals, into the church. Two fo these individuals, that to this day still reside in Comalapa, were two brothers, raised in the Catholic church, by the names of Victor and Macedonio Simon Cana. 

(This is all I have today. Stay in tune for the next part.)