November 23, 2015

Man it just seems like yesterday that you were trying to get me to do chores too. I can´t believe it´s almost been three months here. Time goes so fast.

This week is a little scrambled in my brain. I faltered on my journal writing this week so I can´t really remember what happened. But...

We had zone conference on Tuesday. It happens every other cambio and, where I am, Zona Punchana and Zona Iquitos come together for a mega meeting! They told us the night before that it was happening and it felt like a big secret or something. We were in the meeting from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. Whoo it was long one! We had training from the assistants, our zone leaders, counselors in the mission presidency, Hermana Gomez, and finally President Gomez. Then we had lunch and then every missionary had to bear their testimony. I was cooked by the end of it. It was all good stuff and it will help us be better missionaries. Lunch was at a super luxurious restaurant too so that was fun and funky. The meat was really yummy and they actually had a spicy sauce. Incredible!

We also had stake conference yesterday. I swear we are having conferences every other week. They are awesome but it really messes with attendance because every gets confused when the location and time changes. We had hardly anyone show up so that was sad. Every week is basically a build up to who will attend Sunday and then Sunday is basically a huge let down because even if you have a lot of people that attend you never have everyone, and then you are sad, and then you remember P day! The weekly grind

This week in food:

Nothing too crazy but we have been eating a lot more fruit. There are so many fruits that are regional and don´t exist elsewhere, even in other parts of Peru. We have been eating more aguaje and I´m into it. It is bitter but with some salt I like it. They all LOVE aguaje here. If I could pick a mascot for Iquitos it would be aguaje. We also had the regional grape here which is called uvilla. It is like a purple grape but enormous and you peel the skin off because it is scratchy and there is one mega seed in the middle. It is delicious and we are loving it. I am now also in love with Ecco, it´s that fake barley coffee stuff and our pensionista makes it so yummy. She pours in evaporated milk and sugar and it is so good. Oh, and we had cachanga this week. It was really good and I was thinking whoa I think I have had this before. Turns out it is sopapilla! Brought me back to the New Mexico days. They make it all over South America but each country and region has a little different way of making it. Here they make it thin and crispy and eat it with onion and lemon juice. I liked it a lot.

One of our investigators that has been receiving the discussions since May finally accepted a date this week! It was a really cool experience. We had prayed a lot about what we should do because she refused to accept a date. We decided to visit her one more time and invite her one more time and if she declined again we would stop visiting so frequently. We were scared but we went in and before we could say anything she said, I want to be baptized, I'm worried for my soul. We just cried we were so happy. Then, the NEXT DAY, she said that her mom called and wanted to be at the baptism and we would have to postpone it. How quickly the adversary works. We were really sad and told her she shouldn't postpone her baptism. We visited her again last night and she confessed to us that it wasn't her mom that was holding her back, it was her fear and she accepted the date again! So she will be baptized this week. If all goes well and she doesn't get anymore calls haha.

We ran into Brando again without his clothes on when we went to teach him and his sister a lesson. I don´t think I have ever had to ask someone to get dressed so that was pretty funny. The men here never wear shirts. Ever. At first it kind of shocked me but now it is just the everyday. Some people get embarrassed if we see them without their shirts on too, which is odd to me because they are completely comfortable walking around in public without it. I guess they recognize us as representatives of Christ. One investigator opened the door without a shirt on, saw us, yelled Hermanas!, and shut the door. We just laughed as he went to get his shirt. Living free down here.

The women are even worse. They just wear a tube top and spandex underwear basically. I have never seen so much cleavage. We were in the middle of a lesson this week with a less active and she was talking about her skin or something and wanted to show us something and just straight up flashed us! My comp and I were just in shock. The things that go on around these parts are too strange for words.

It was so hot this week! And then it was really rainy. I have to bring my umbrella with me every day even when it´s sunny in the morning because it rains every afternoon. I love it. I love it at night when we are home and it feels cozy and I almost feel cold but then I don´t and I turn the fan back on. During the hot times you just melt. The pamphlets make great fans. More like fan-phlets am I right?

This week breezed by, I am still happy. I am still healthy which is really nice. I miss Thanksgiving and I am thankful for all of you. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Tell the fam I love them!

Hermana Fitzpatrick

I will be on the lookout for my package! I´m super excited!! Love you!

No photos this week. Insanely slow internet. Sorry. Took me twenty minutes to open my first email just so you know what I´m working with