Hahahaha ok alright. I know. This subject line is
ridiculous. Just, bear with me for one moment.
Sister W fell grievously ill this week and I have been
in our house...doing next to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for 5 days. I am a social
person....I am not doing well under these conditions.
But as promised, during my 500 hours of free time, I
produced the top ten of El Salvador. I love El Salvador more every day. So I
proudly present,
THE TOP TEN
10. I'm in a city, and there are two modes of
transportation...your legs and the bus. The drivers earn their cut based on how
many people ride their ship. So...get on and get off fast. it’s not uncommon to
see people hanging out the doors. They PACK THOSE BABIES TIGHT. Like sardines.
The concept of personal space doesn’t exist on these shores.
9. There are vigilantes in front of every residential street
along with a huuuge gate. You either have to live in the community to get in,
or you have to be an American girl. Sweet talkin to save souls 200%. The houses
in all the communities look freakishly similar, and I can’t help but remember
that one episode in SpongeBob when Squidward moves to his Squidward land and
everything is the same. Great episode.
8. The streets are extremely picturesque. They are made of
cobblestone and on every corner. There are flowering trees with bright orange,
purple, and red blooms. Add to that the volcanoes and the misty clouds in the
background and you’ve got yourself a national geographic cover.
7. It’s probably a tiny bit less safe than my good ol
hometown of Snohomish Wa and maybe a little less dangerous than Brovo, Utah.
(not a spelling error mom:))) If you realllly wanna know, MS is my side of the
street and 18 is on the other. I actually have no idea if I’ve ever even talked
to a gang member, but we talk with everyone, so I probably have. But let’s just
say...hay lugares donde no nos metemos durante la noche. (There are
places we don’t go at night)
6. The Latin culture is really into romance. It’s....super
cheezy. The cheesier the better. Their culture is also really into
Christianity. Every bus sports 800 decals ´DIOS ES AMOR´dicen.
5. El Sal is waaaay ahead of Belize developmentally. The
kids all dress like Americans and everyone has a smart phone. Pizza Hut and
Wendy’s are like the coolest places in town. This area is a lot more affluent
than my first in ES. I’ve seen some seriously cool cats strut down these
streets.
4. It is a city of couples. I’m not even joking! It
blows BYU spring time right out of the Great Salt Lake. There are couples
EVERYWHERE. So much love in this congested air.
3. A surprisingly large amount of people speak English.
Especially in the church. It’s nice to be able to speak in my native tongue
from time to time.
2. There is a vigilante right next to our apt, guarding
´elsy´s cakes´ with a loaded shot gun on him at all times. To be honest, I’m
not sure what this is doing for elsy´s marketing approach. But I’m not too
stupid either, and I’ve become fast friends with the guy. So...if anything ever
goes down, I’ve got Jose and his shot gun to help me out.
1. Of course. You knew this one the whole time. PUPUSAS. Live happy, die fat.
Everywhere....every ten feet there is a pupuseria. Also a barber shop...which
continues to baffle me. How do they all stay in business???
Well folks. There it is. You can probably really understand
why I love it here so much. In addition, I found out last night I’m going to be
a trainer this change!!! woohoooo. I’m scared...I’m going to corrupt some poor
little missionary. Can’t wait.
Also. I gotta tell you guys about M
. She is a
ROCKSTAR. So much faith. So much trust in the Lord, so willing to do what she
needs to, to find the truth. The work is really picking up. I want to introduce
all of you to all these people but that would be weird because the majority of
my readers don’t speak Spanish....it would result in a fairly awkward
meeting.
But. Yeah. I hope all of you...EACH AND EVERYONE...are
preparing for general conference!! THE PROPHET WILL SPEAK TO US! And we will be
edified.
I just want to testify. God is our Father. Faith in Him
means that we will act. If we want to know if something is true...we have to
put forth the faith first to try it out. God knows us. He knows our struggles,
each of which is a blessing because we need it to achieve our divine
potential.
I know Christ lives. I just know it. His sacrifice was real
and is eternal in every aspect. In depth and breadth. We can turn to Him, we
can have faith and be healed! I just know that these things are true! I am so,
so filled with joy and happiness to know these truths for myself! I love this gospel.
And, I love everyone who still remembers my name.
Be good. Follow the Savior. Just do it! He has done so much
for you...much more than we can pay back. So just choose to be happy! Follow
Him.
And watch general conference. The Lords church is on the
earth today. There is no doubt in my mind of its truthfulness. ç
Love always,
Hermana Hirschi
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