October 12, 2015

¡Hola Familia!

First of all, huge news this week - we got a shower!!! It is so beautiful! Our zone leaders installed it for us and now we have even streams of water everyday! We said like five prayers of thanks that day, and I couldn't help but play with it. It is so luxurious, I feel like a princess every time I use it. Water is still cold, but it is like jumping in the deep end everyday and then you're good. #blessings

We also had a baptism this week! Little Paolita was baptized and it was really special. We even did a little musical number for her! I don't know her too well but I was really happy for her.

-Paolita's baptism! I promise I'm not hunching more I was just really cramped in this photo. 

I hope your back stretches work. You will have to send them to me.

-Everyone taking photos at the baptism lol I think this took longer than the actual program

This week in food: we had some interesting meats this week. There were these little balls of meat and I asked if I could eat everything because usually there are bones and they said yes. So I popped it in my mouth and it had a huge pop! They were unaffected and casually mentioned that it was just a little bit of cartilage. No biggie. Popped and crunched my way through that meal. We also had some meat that I thought were just beef strips but then I wanted to vomit when I chewed it. Turns out it was chicken giblets and the heart. Yummy. But there was a holiday on Thursday so my pensionista had a pollada, a little pop up restaurant thing where they bbq chicken. We got some of the chicken and it was so good!! Holiday was crazy though because everyone was drunk. Such is the life.

Crazy things that happened this week:

- it rained SO HARD yesterday out of the blue. We were walking and then bam! Gushing water. Luckily a lady took pity on us and we went inside and taught her a lesson.

- we see a lot of children peeing in the streets. We saw one kid who was walking in the rain with one side of his shorts pulled up haciendo el pipi as he was walking! I saw the stream shooting out! Insanity

- a man almost kissed me yesterday! We do one kiss on the cheek for the ladies, but just handshakes for the men. He was a little drunk and he had my hand and then was like "Just a little besito" and started moving in! My hand was trapped and I was just trying to dodge and then he went to kiss my hand and my companion just shot her hand in and said "No Hermano". It was a close call to say the least

It was a good week. It was a hard week. I felt a little homesick, but I am getting the hang of things around here. I am even starting to contribute in lessons and do contacts. They still laugh at me and my Spanish, but it is all ok. I am ok with it. I know I will get it eventually. I know the Lord is aware of me. I feel it every time I see my name on the street and think of how conscious of me and the people here He is. I feel it when I get frustrated and hymns pop into my mind with the words I need to hear. I feel it when I am sick and He strengthens me. I feel it when I finish off another fish! I feel it when I see people keep commitments and reap the blessings.

It is a new mission rule that we have to bear our testimonies every Fast Sunday so I did it! I made it through and I actually think I did a pretty good job. I was so nervous

I feel so different here. It's not just the country, it's not just the plaque, it's me. I'm different. I feel good with change here. I'm changing, the people we teach are changing. Sometimes that change comes slowly and sometimes it comes fast, but if we are diligent in following the Lord it always comes.

Here are some little sayings. I don't know if they are Peruvian, but they are what we say here:

-ok - listo

-very - bien, bastante

-cool - chevere, bacan

-what? - ¿como ya?

-pisses me off - ¡Me saca la piedra!

And my personal favorite...

-What the heck! - ¡Que pumas!

I love you all and think of you frequently. Happy birthday to Greg! Ancianito! I hope you have a great b-day and take a break to enjoy it.

Much love,

Hna. Fitzpatrick

ps. send me photos! I want to see what's going on

pps. Michael write me! I better see an email from you next week or I will pray that you grow so tall that none of your suits fit

-P Day at the stadium. Really fun day and we got to meet the missionaries from the four zones in Iquitos. It felt like the factions in Divergent uniting. Nice to finally speak English too!

-Hna. Colquehuanca's first time trying M&Ms. They were a hit. We found them in this random store because they don't have american candies or really anything here. It's weird. 

I want her to try the peanut ones but we'll have to look for them