Monday, February 24, 2014

Pato, pato, pato, GANSO!

Emily Pickett
2:01 PM (1 hour ago)

to me, Rodger, Annie, becca, Casey, Mary, Kathleen, Rochelle, Teri, Megan, Cara, Kristine, Ethan
Wow! February goes pretty quick, doesn't it? Copan is proving to be one of those areas where I feel like I just got here and yet I feel like I've been here forevere at the same time. Especially when we are climbing up a mountain. Then I feel like I've been here for an eternity, or at least climbing that mountain for an eternity. But no, it's only been three weeks, so we're chill.

Hra. Cumatz and I are doing our best to stay busy. We had our first real baking adventure last week and made bread. That was pretty cool. It was just funny when it was done baking after 25 minutes and Hra Cumatz said, "I think we can cook it and eat it in less time that it took to prepare." But we made that loaf of bread last for a whole week! It was pretty incredible. The other loaves we gave away to two families in the branch and we took one to our district meeting. This week's project is banana bread. They actually sell browner bananas here (all of the bananas in Campana were fresh off of the tree) so that should help out.

We're seeing the steady flow of investigators this week. We keep finding new ones, but we keep losing people, too. Hra Cumatz explained to me this week that the Evangelicals here have a system wherein as soon as we start visiting someone, first a neighbor, then a couple of friends, and then a minister from the local church will come to visit our latest "vicitim" and begin to explain to them to web of lies and trickery that is the visits of those sweet little Mormon missionaries. Dang. They have us all figured out. But you know what, it's chill. Because we don't convince people. We just bring them opportunities to feel the Spirit and then let them decide for themselves. So it's cool.

Sorry, that last paragraph savored strongly of bitterness. Not bitter. Loving life. Mostly this week we've been doing lots of walking, lots of gospel sharing, and lots of mission enjoying. I've been falling down a lot, though. There is one particular hill that always gets me. But I didn't fall all the way over the cliff and other than some scraped up knees and elbows I'm fine. It's like I'm a little girl all over again: I bleed for a minute and then I keep going! But that wonderful phenomenon of healing worked its way into my talk this last Sunday (Hra Cumatz and I found out we were the speakers for this week at 10pm on Saturday night, and I decided what I was going to speak about/prepared my talk after preparing my primary lesson on Sunday morning. Branches are great!), so all is well. Primary is getting a lot more manageable. This week we played Duck, Duck, Goose (or pato, pato, ganso) after we finished the lesson. Unfortunately, the three little boys who came to class this week didn't grasp the concept of lightly tapping each person's head, so my I-actually-put-in-effort-because-it-is-Sunday hairstyle died pretty quickly. But we had fun, so it was worth it.

I had a pretty good revelation yesterday as we climbed up a mountain (that really is not an overstatement). I was quite a ways ahead of Hra Cumatz, because she was kind of dying in the sun (her hometown is not very sunny, surprisingly) and I was singing A Child's prayer to give myself a rhythm to keep putting one foot in front of the other. We had walked quite a ways to get to where we were going, and I realized how many lessons I could have had in Campana with all this time we had just used to walk (and sunburn lightly). But As I was struggling up this mountain, it hit me. It doesn't really matter. The number does not matter. Copan is not Campana, and maybe I can't do missionary work the same way I did it there now that I am here. But it isn't my work, and my way of doing it isn't what is important. It is the Lord's work, and the Lord's way. If we are being obedient and putting in our might, we are doing what He asks. He will do the rest. He will prepared the hearts of His children here. He doesn't not leave us alone to labor in the vineyard. He labors at our side. So as I was singng Father, in prayer I'm coming now to Thee (in a slightly breathless manner, as I was just about at the top of the mountain) I decided to stop stressing and come to the Lord, and trust in Him that His work will move forward in Copán Ruinas. One mountain at a time.

So yeah, life is great. They have Chinese food here in Copan and we ate some today. It's no Panda Express, but it was okay. Hra Cumatz and I are working on her English, and she randomly says very cute and slightly incorrect phrases like You is my best friend! Oh, I just love that Chapina.

I hope that everyone is loving life and enjoying your own opportunities to labor in the marvelous work and a wonder. The Lord has blessings waiting for every one of His missionaries, including those without a plaque. I love Him, and I love His work, and I love his Copaneca children.

Have a wonderful week! And go eat some real Chinese food and enjoy it for me in proxy!

Love,
Hra Pickett

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