Week ? Yeah, yo no se....

Hola todos!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Bolivia does not have Thanksgiving but we eat potatoes, rice and meat every day so it will feel like Thanksgiving. Hahaha!
Meat, rice, potatoes and their famous onion and tomato salad that makes everyone want to listen to us. :)

We are MELTING here though. Haha, Bolivia is in the middle of summer and there is NO AC to be found so there is no escape from the heat. This week I caved and bought 60 SPF sunscreen because I don't want to come back with skin cancer.

    But everything is great here in Bolivia! I love it!! Oh, this week one of our investigators told me my eyes are blue like the heavens, hahaha. We also gave him dating advice in one of our lessons because he wanted to know what to do if he liked a girl at his school. I told him about asking girls on date. My companion told him to forget the girl, hahahah! 

     So some #onlyinBolivia's for this week:

1. A guy on the back of a motorcycle yelling to me in English "Welcome to Cochabamba!! I hope you have a great time!!" Haha, people shout random English things at me a lot. 

2. We walked by a house and I looked over to see a guy standing in his yard in his underwear using his hose to shower off. Haha, at least Bolivians are clean. 

3. My companion was sick so she had to go get her blood drawn at the clinic (she is good now). But they just stuck the needle in her hand and held a test tube underneath the needle to collect the blood. I was just watching her blood drip into the tube and thinking, "Is this sanitary at all?"

     I went on Intercambios to America in Chochabamba this week. The pensionista there is so funny. We walked past her shower room and she was standing in the shower in all her clothes. She comes out soaking wet-her hair, shirt, skirt. We were trying so hard not to laugh because she acted as if that was completely normal...

     This week my companion used the maps in the back of the Doctrine and Covenants to show me where in Canada she lived. #missionarylife #nointernet  It was pretty cool though.

Helping someone move.

 
   We rode down the highway in Bolivia in the back of this truck.
We had a great lesson the other day with two young adults. Both were having some problems in their lives and they were a little angry at God. The young man kept asking questions como, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" And stuff like that. When they came in the lesson they acted as if they didn't think that what we had to say could help them. But as we taught them about how people have agency and that through the Expiacion (Atonement) of Jesus Christ they could overcome all the bad stuff that has happened in their lives. They were crying and when they left the lesson their countenances had changed. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ helped those young adults. I know that the gospel can help all who hear it, old, young and in between. I know that the teachings of Jesus Christ bring hope to shattered lives. I know that the Book of Mormon brings peace to all who read it. I know these things because I have felt them and I have seen them happen in the lives of the people I have taught. I am here to bring light to those who are struggling in the darkness and I am so happy to be a missionary. Love you all!!

Hermana Eaves

What's up everyone??‏

Hola,

So this was my first week in Cochabamba and all I can say is HOT HOT HOT. The sun is muy fuerte here. I just bought some 60 SPF sunscreen because I don't want to come back fried up.

In the back of a trufi with my companera Hermana Padron
 Okay, some people have asked me questions and I want to answer them first:

1. Have you eaten chuno? Yes, I ate it twice in Sucre and it wasn't bad. It was fine. The only thing that makes me gag sometimes is Bolivian cheese (I think it is because it tastes a little like goat...mom). 

2. Have you gotten sick? Nope, both my companeras have been sick but I have been really blessed with my health.

3. Como es Espanol? I love espanol!! I love to speak it and I have actually picked it up really well. I can understand what people are saying...it's great.

     Anyway, our new area is way different but the main thing is that trufis are way smaller...and the weather is way hotter...and the cholitas dress a little differently...plus my companera speaks Ingles. And it is so flat...it isn't all hills like Sucre. But yeah, it's chevre.

     First of all, FAMILIA...so we went into someone's house to teach them a lesson and guess what movie they were watching??? (Dad, be excited) They were watching Journey to the Center of the Earth 2!!!! WHAT?? Don't worry, I averted my eyes even though I was sorely tempted to watch (hahaha).

      Second, fun times in Bolivia. We had a Reunion de Zona on Viernes (FRI) and in the middle of it, a random Bolivian man walks into the chapel and sits in the back. We sort of looked at each other like, uhhh...what is this? But we continued on with the lesson. After a little while, he got up and walked to the front. He then started yelling stuff at us and I realized he was totally drunk. He then walked to the back row where us Hermanas were sitting and stared into my eyes as he held out his hand. I was so scared and the Elders were just watching!! Finally, the zone leader escorted him out of the chapel. Later, my companion and I saw him sleeping on the street. 

     Haha, great times. The only other experience I had with a drunk guy this week was when my companera y yo went to cross the street because the light was green. All of a sudden, a drunk guy starts hitting my companera with a little cardboard thing and saying "VERDE. VERDE" Que en el mundo?? Los borrachos here are crazy. 

     We have a dog in our area that sometimes comes into the chapel when we are having church and all of us have to try and get it out. Haha.

I am now the proud owner of some feo (ugly) Cholito sandals. I found them in the apt and now I wear them around.

   Anyway, I am getting used to my new area. It is good and the coolest thing happened. We were knocking doors one day and a 12 year old answered and she is so nice!! We met with her again one day (her mom works all day) and we gave her a Book of Mormon. She is so nice and so willing to hear the gospel. I love the youth here. They are so important to this church and for the people of Bolivia because they are so receptive to the gospel. There is one girl in our ward that referred all of her friends to us and they are all so cool and open to listening. It was so cool! I love it! I love the obra misional. I love that I am slowly forgetting English. I love reading the Ensigns and Liahonas here. I love the Book of Mormon and I always find answers in it. Until next time!! Have a great week!!

-- 

Hermana Eaves

Wow!.....So Much!......

Hola!

     So much has happened this week!!! First of all, my companion was not being the best example of obedience so the President of the mision, President Hansen, had to efect an emergency intercambio. Today I flew on a plane to Cochabamba. I am in Zone Quillacollo with a new companera from Canada, Hermana Padron. She only has 2 WEEKS more than I do in the mission. But she is fluent in Spanish (it was her first language) so she only had to go to the CCM for 2 weeks. But it's cool. We are the youngest companerismo in the mision. 

     So all of the stuff I have to write about is stuff from Sucre and next week I will talk about Cochabamba. Yeah, first of all I have some "Only in Bolivia" experiences. 1. One of our investigators wanted to make a hula hoop for her daughter. So she bought a PBC pipe, lit her gas stove and turned the flame way up. Then she used the flame to melt the plastic and stick the ends of the pipe together to make a hula hoop. Haha #onlyinBolivia   2. One of our investigators had a knife stuck to her front door, inside her house (hopefully to scare away robbers and not misionarios) haha

     OH and GUESS WHAT?? Micheal Jackson isn't dead!!! I SAW HIM IN BOLIVIA!! Haha, just kidding. I actually don't really know what Micheal Jackson looks like but I have seen some people in Bolivia that could be him...haha.

     The last night me and Hermana Fuenzalida were in our apartment the water stopped working. The manager of the apartments didn't know why. Hermana Fuenzalida was in the shower when the water stopped haha. Luckily we had 50 liters of drinking water that we used to rinse the shampoo out of her hair.

It turns out that nobody in the building had water and it had something to do with the pipes. We cleaned our apartment this morning using our drinking water and using toilet paper as rags. Haha! 

     Anyway, in our last lesson with one of our investigators, Miguel, he agreed to baptism! He is going to be baptized by the Elders on Nov 21!! It was so cool and the Spirit was so strong!! I know that this is the first step to great happiness in his life! I am so excited for him!

  Hna Fuenzalida y yo con Rosa y Miguel Alachi-oh yeah, Bolivians don't smile in their pics.

      Yeah, it has been a week full of changes but I know all the stuff I am learning on my mission will help me in my life. I am so happy to be here. I want to share some advice that my mom gave me. She sent me an email one day that said if you are ever having hard times, count your blessings. I hope you all are doing great!! I love you all! 

Love,
Hermana Eaves

Some misionarios from my zone.

Hola!

Lo siento everyone but I have like no time today! It was a crazy day!! Okay, I dressed up as an abuela for Halloween (not all day of course) and antes in the semana I had told the girls that live in our apartment to dress up and come to our door in the morning and say, "Dulce o truco" (trick-or-treat in Spanish). They thought this was great. In the morning they came dressed up like princesses and got some good sugar filled American candy. Haha! I have pics that I will send next week one because I have no time and two I do not trust this computer enough to put my flashdrive into it. Haha. Okay, one funny experience of the week and one spiritual then I have to go.

Funny:
My companion and I were walking up a hill and we passed this old man who was walking really SLOW. He was walking so slow that I thought he might have to sit and rest in order to make it to the top. We passed him and kept walking. Literally 45 seconds later he runs past us up the hill. Me and mi companera just looked at each other and laughed SO hard. He was probably on drugs or something because he ran up the whole hill. Haha!

Spiritual:
Okay, two spiritual experiences. One is that we have had an investigator for a long time and he still has some doubts but he always goes to church (which is RARE here in Bolivia) and this Sunday he bore his testimony and after sacrament meeting all the members came up and greeted him, which was great!

The second is that during an intercambio with the STL Hermana Molina, our focus was finding new people. We were walking down the street and Hna Molina stops in front of a door and says, "Want to knock on esta porta?" We knocked and a 16 year old answers the door and let us in. It turns out, his uncle is a member and he has a Book of Mormon. SO COOL!

Anyway, I love the mission and I am learning a ton!! I have learned that even when we do not feel like we have anyone to talk to, Heavenly Father always is willing to listen. He loves us and will always have time for us because we are His children. I encourage you all to pray this week and really talk to Heavenly Father. He loves you and I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Eaves

What is this? Week three?

 HAPPY ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!!! There is no Halloween in Bolivia. My companion thought I was crazy when I made cardboard bats out of an empty cereal box and hung them around the apartment. I also made a ghost out of a tissue and some toilet paper. Haha! For Halloween this year I think I will dress up like a missionary and instead of passing out candy, pass out pass-along cards. Classic, huh? Anway, today is my two month mark on the mission and I woke up to find a lovely note from Hermana Fuenzalida on my dresser.

I forgot my list of things to write about in my email but I will try to remember. First of all, public restrooms and drinking fountains...they do not exist. If you do find a public restroom then 1. It will probably cost you some money 2. You will be very lucky if it has toilet paper 3. You will be super lucky if it has a trash can for you to put you toilet paper into (I do not know if I said this before but you can't flush toilet paper here). Also, public drinking fountains...none. And if there were some here I would NOT trust the water coming out of them.


I thought of a great way to describe trufis!!! Think of the bus at the end of Nacho Libre: decorations, bobbleheads and tassels at the front, stick shift and crammed full of people. It costs 1.5 Bolivianos (1 American dollar is 7 B's) to ride wherever it takes you. The only things lacking are ice cream cones for everyone and a man named Nacho in a powder blue suit with his girlfriend the Nun.

It has rained pretty much everday this week. It started raining today during our zone activity-we played sand volleyball and then Futbol!!! Believe it or not, this is the first real time I have played Futbol (soccer) on my mission! I loved it so much! Anyway, the only bad thing about the rain is that all my clothes that I washed today are on the roof of our apartment getting soaked right now. Haha! Esta bien, I don't need dry pajamas tonight, ha!

It has been great here in Bolivia! I am actually starting to use the past tense now in Spanish whereas before I did not. The only problem with learning Spanish is that I am forgetting English. So now I don't know enough of either language to talk, haha! We, as a district, bought soccer jerseys and shorts.

Anyway, we have been teaching a lot and trying to find people. The hardest part about this mission is that the people rarely keep their commitments. We do not have many invesitgators at church and they do not read or pray. It is so sad because I know that they can have feliz if they read the scriptures and pray to their Heavenly Father every day but they just do not. As missionaries, our job is to INVITE others to come unto Christ. If they do not ACT then we cannot help them. But, nevertheless, we try everyday to be better. To improve our teaching skills and for me, my Spanish, and to become truly good missionaries.

 

   I love this gospel and I love being a missionary! Have a great week everyone!!
--
Hermana Eaves

Hola Everyone!

First of all, I am doing great!!! I got to wash all my clothes by hand today and did some service with my companion where we helped someone wash their clothes. It is actually really fun!! I love it! We will see if I still love it in 18 months though, haha!

Also, none of the latinos can pronounce my name so they made up a bunch of nicknames for me. Ebes, Sepes, Papitz, Wawitz....it goes on and on.

 

  Their stoplights count down here!! I wish we had that in America!!!! Red light has 22 seconds, Yellow has 3 and Green has 25 secs. It is so cool!!!

Plus we had a HUGE meal the other day!!!! Two eggs, a huge slab of meat, a ton of rice and french fries (by the way, we are not having french fries for at least 3 months after I get home ) Haha! Just when I choked down the last bite and thought I was done, our pensionista brought out a big cup of jello and a yogurt. Ha! I was so full! I could barely make it up the hills! After that we had a sita with someone and she gave us lemonade but we were so full so when she left the room we poured it back in the pitcher and when she came back pretended to drink from our empty cups while trying not to laugh.

    The climate here is everchanging! The other day it was so cold that I needed leggings and a scarf! Then it is so hot that I need sunscreen! We had a service project the other day and I put on sunscreen twice AND was wearing a hat but I still got sunburned!!

I had intercambios, which I think are exchanges in English and I went to a super windy are
a for a day...my falda (skirt) was having issues with the wind. I think I flashed at least three people. Haha! At one point I was trying to introduce myself to someone in Spanish while frantically trying to hold down my skirt. It was pretty funny.

   Anyway, I think it is so great to teach people! My spanish is coming along and I cannot wait for the day in which I can communicate efficiently enough to help the people come unto Christ. I know that the Lord helps His missionionaries! I have come to love personal study in the mornings, especially the church magazines. I found a few in English in our appt and have been reading them. I have also been studying the Book of Mormon. A great chapter for you all is Ether 12. It is so amazing and I know that everyone, whether they are LDS or not, can benefit from it. I know that this church is true and I am so happy and honored to have the opportunity to wear the name of the Savior over my heart. I love wearing my nametag so much that I put it on when I am in pjs and I accidentally fell asleep with it on once. Ha! Anyway, I love you all! Stay strong, Satan wants you to fail! He is working so hard to get you to fail! Don't let him win!! I know it is hard but with the Lord on our side we cannot fail!!

Love,
Hermana Eaves

First Week In Bolivia

Goodbye El CCM......

HOLA EVERYONE!!!!  

Journal Entry:

Okay, let me tell you about Cochabamba. First of all, you are not supposed to flush your toilet paper or drink any tap water. This means that you have to use water from a water bottle to brush your teeth. If you don’t like brushing your teeth, try doing it without any water pressure. Es muy dificil. Also, you have to make sure you don’t drink any of the water. We have to wear shower sandals tambien. It’s weird to wear shoes in the shower but if you saw the floor you would wear shoes tambien. 

Today we took buses up to the Cristus statue. It is huge and it sits on top of a mountain overlooking Cochabamba. I love it because Christ is stretching out His hands as if He is beckoning to the whole city to come unto Him. We are His missionaries! We took a lot of pictures and President Hansen gave a short spiritual thought. 

Okay, about my mission President. He and his wife are so awesome! I fear their first impression of me was not the greatest because I had not slept for 30 hours then I took a two-hour nap on their floor (President Hansen had an appointment and we had to wait for him to get back so Hermana Hansen told us to sleep). Anyway, I was soo out of it when she woke me up for my interview with President Hansen. I vaguely remember asking her, “What do I have to do again?” Then after the interview, I remember walking around with only one sock. I don’t know, but I must have made a good impression because they haven’t sent me home yet, haha! I was totally out of it. That night I went to bed at eight so I got ten hours of sleep. It was awesome!   Next, I want to tell you about the transportation here. You can get around three ways:       

Walking, which we did to the stake center. People openly stare at us because we are white-gringos.
Buses, and we only used these to get to the Cristus statue. It was uphill the whole way in a stick-shift bus so that was iffy.
Taxis, we have taken so many of those. Basically, you stick your arm out into the road, a car with a “taxi” sign on it pulls over, you decide on a price and tell them your destination. Then, you get in and they drive you where you want to go. Yesterday, a taxi driver asked me if I was married, told me I had pretty eyes and told me I didn’t understand Spanish (Which was true because the secretary, who was in the taxi with us, told me all this after and I didn’t catch any of it).
Anyway, transportation is very fun. But the food is even better. Actually, one thing about transportation is that we are so crowded, we don’t wear seatbelts and all the cars here are stick.   
 Okay, Comida. The other day for dinner we had pizza. But it wasn’t normal, it was chicken, cheese and corn pizza. Also, we had Chinese takeout for lunch today(Wednesday) and no dinner because no tengo tiempo. Para esta bien porque yo tengo snacks.Yeah, it has been a great day. I love it here- Spanish, the people,  mi companera.  

Email Home-     

I feel like it has been so long since I last wrote you but really it is just that so many exciting things have happened this week! I will try and write a bunch! 

Okay, first of all, my compañera is Latina!!!! Her name is Hermana Fuenzalida and she speaks a little bit of English but we speak Spanish all day long and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! I love the language so much and people say I am pretty good at it but I know it is totally the gift of tongues and not me. Also I have a gringa accent so sometimes the missionaries will laugh when I speak Spanish but I love it! My compañera is so nice and we have the same sense of humor. All the missionaries think I am hilarious but I don't know if it is because I have good jokes or because I say the words wrong. I learned an idiom in Español, it essentially means "Get that corn out of my face!" It is "A otro perro con esa hueso!!" which can be literally translated to mean, "Give that bone to a different dog." All the latinos laugh when I say it because I am a gringa. 

Next, I think I am the only white person in my area. Literally whenever I walk down the street with my companion people will do one of three things:

1. Do a double take.

2. Stare at me until I make eye contact and say Hola! after which they look away while still trying to sneak glances at me.

3. Openly stare at the gringa with crazy hair as if they have never seen a white person before in their life. These people keep staring at me even if I make eye contact. Haha! We were walking down one street and there was literally 15 (yes, I am sure) people just staring as I walked by. I felt like a walking circus. But I actually find it pretty entertaining, haha. People usually don't talk to me though. One drunk guy was trying to talk to me a couple days ago but I didn't really want to stick around and chat. 

 Anyway, guess what?! We get to wash our clothes by HAND!! So that is what I did today!!! I washed my clothes by hand with freezing water and they are hanging on the clotheslines on the roof to dry right now. IT was so much fun! Me and my compañera also did some service where we helped one of our investigadores wash her family's clothes. By the way, sorry for any typos, I am sort of forgetting Ingles. 

One Cholita was sitting at a bus station and when I walked by she goes, "Oh, usted es BLANCA!"

Me: "Si, si..."

Cholita: "Y sus piernas(legs) son MUY BLANCA!!"

Yeah, I laughed pretty hard at that. 

The FOOD here!!! Me y mi compañera make our own breakfast every morning and go to a pensionistas for lunch and dinner! I love the food but sometimes it is so much!!! We eat lunch around 1 and cena around 8pm so I am usually hungry by then. We usually have meat, rice and potatoes for every meal. I will attach a pic of my first "Bolivian" meal (it will either be in this email or on my blog). 

People greet each other here with kisses on the cheek. Of course we are not supposed to greet men that way but one non-member did not know that so I got a kiss on the cheek from a Bolivian man. How exciting! 

Anyway, I am in Sucre, area San Juanillo 2. Our area has a bunch of hills so sometimes I feel like I am hiking. People here live in poverty but for Bolivia most of them are middle class. It is not hot but the sun is pretty intense. It is really cold in the mornings and nights. Like cold enough to wear my scarf and tights. But we are going into Summer so it should get warmer. 

I love it here so much!!! It is the best time ever! I love talking to people and teaching them. We had one investigator that was never home when we would go to her door. We finally got a hold of her on Sunday and were able to teach her a lesson. Her circumstances were so humble. We sat on little chairs in the blazing sun while we taught her and her four children (who were actually really crazy, they grabbed my folleto, my Libro de Mormon and my hand sanitizer). She was so receptive to the gospel and I know she could feel the Spirit. It was awesome!!! I love the people here and I am so excited to teach them more about the gospel. The hardest part about this mission is that people do not keep their commitments. They do not read el Libro de Mormon or attend church. But I love to teach them. I got to talk to a Cholita the other day (the women with bright shawls, braids and straw hats) and she was so happy to hear the message, even if it was in broken Spanish. 

I love my mission! I know I am doing a great work for the Lord and I am so excited to continue inviting people to come unto Christ!!! I love the work! I love the gospel and I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!! (Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece!!) 

Adios until next Monday!!! 

Love, 

Hermana Eaves