Buenas from Otavalo!
So maybe I´m finally over the fact that I´m here to stay and not in Quito anymore. I´m super sad, but that´s life in the mission. Plus, Otavalo isn´t nearly as cold as Quito. Thank goodness. I was seriously freezing all day every day.
Otavalo reminds me of a cross between a small farming town in Idaho and Park City. The open markets and all the fun places to shop in the centro plus all the people are artisians or farmers and the all bring their things to sell on Saturdays. The whole plaza is FULL of musicians and venders and food and tourists and beautiful things to buy. It is so AWESOME! Plus it´s absolutely beautiful here. Green and mountains all around and volcanos on both sides of the valley. On one of the volcanos is a big impression of a heart on the mountain. It´s so awesome. The garbage and the gas trucks play music as they pass through the streets like the ice cream man and the streets are almost completely free of trash and dog poo (very different from Quito). I´ll send pictures. I just forgot to take some before I came to write...
Hermana Morris is super cute. She´s from Panama and only has two months left in her mission. She really hopes to be here the whole time and I think that she will be. She loves to talk and I love to listen to her. She likes to help me a lot with my Spanish. I have had two conversations in English since I´ve gotten here, but other than that, it´s all been Spanish. I can tell I´m going to get a lot better with only a Latina companion.
I heard a lot from people that on your mission, you have lots of Déja Vu moments. It´s so true. I´ve had more here in Otavalo than in Quito even, like I´ve been here before and met these people. I feel a strong connection with the people here and it´s so cool.
We have a lot of work to do though. I kind of feel like the investigators lack a faith. There are quite a few new converts that are already inactive. We´ll definitely be working on that...
Being on a mission makes me think about a lot of things: what I want in my life, what really matters, why I believe in God, why I feel like the gospel is important. It´s interesting. Lots of self-reflection.
Last night we were at the bishop´s house for a Family Night. His daughter came in with a couple of non-member friends that had listened to the missionaries before, but hadn´t ever taken up the offer. While Hermana Morris was talking to them, I was thinking a little about what they needed to hear. I finaly dicided to share why I´ve chosen to be a religious person in the first place. I did and when we left, it was still kind of brewing in my mind.
Why is it really that I´m a religious person? Never thought about it before I came out here to tell people all day every day about Jesus Christ. But I think that I´ve started to get a clue. More than anything, it gives me something to live for, Someone to answer to and turn to. Believing in God makes me feel like I¨m a part of something bigger and better than myself. I as a daughter of God am a part of this universe. And not just some dust speck that happens to breathe either. I really matter to Someone that knows how to create planets and oceans and solar systems. I really matter. That´s why I believe. I love to feel like I´m worth something more than just this life and nothing else.
Plus, I like to feel the Spirit. It´s exhilerating when all of the sudden a rush of another language just flies out of my mouth and I hadn´t even taken a minute to think about what I was going to say. Those are the moments when I know that I¨m being an instrument in the hands of God. When I´m doing nothing but opening my mouth and words come out. What a rush!
I love what Alma says in Alma 32:35. Is this not real? Are our lives not shaped by the Maker of all creation? Does the Creator of heaven and earth really care about me? How great that we can say yes to that question.
Just something to think about.
;)
Love. Love. Love.
Hermana Cooper
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