Oh man, this week... twas interesting to say the least. But, question answering primero (first)! Yeah, things are going super great with Elder Barney... más o menos. Jaja I'll explain later. But he is still super awesome, and now that we know each other a lot more, we're more comfortable. So now it's even more fun, because we're joking a lot more together and what not, but also because we are teaching better. We know each other's strong points (for Elder Barney, all of it) and all of our weak points (for me, all of it)! And it's way better transitioning, which while teaching as missionaries, is vital! So I'm definitely enjoying my time with him. Yes, we are the only two in our area, which is all of Pozo Almonte and Pica. So what that means is that we travel... a ton. Which is bad. Because we are so pobres (poor)!!! So we have to go to Alto Hospicio almost every day, and that costs 2000 pesos each. And there's so much time that we're not even in Pozo. It's tough, but oh well jaja, así es (it is what it is)! He says he's recovered from the cat burglar, but I don't know! ;) There are times when we can hear the cats running on our roof, and Elder Barney's face is one of terror. But oh well, PTSD is hard!
So this week was kind of slow, mainly because the whole week Elder Barney was super sick. The sickness started out last week, and he just got super exhausted. Like, more than usual, because we are always exhausted jaja! But it just slowly escalated to his head hurting a ton, and then moved to his stomach. Tuesday, we didn't go out to work at all. He slept for a while, and I just read the bible. I finished Acts and started Romans. It was actually pretty awesome, because I had never read those all the way through, but it turns out that the apostles are pretty awesome! ;) There are a ton of crazy stories that I never knew existed! Like, when Paul got stoned, and a bit later just got up all fine and continued preaching. Or the fact that Paul got shipwrecked on his way to Rome! What? But he was chill about it, and basically told all the people on the ship 'We're good! Y'all are with me, so we'll be fine! Just chill.' Crazy stufff...
But anyways, Elder Barney eventually got bad enough that we had to go to the mutual in Iquique, which is basically like a clinic. We were there for soooooooo long! It was crazy! We go there, and wait an hour or so before he goes in. The whole time we just sat there, at first trying to avoid the tv, but eventually just watching the news and a tv show called Amanda. Then he goes in, and comes out a bit later, and says that we have to come back at 4 pm. Which is 2 and a half hours later! Ugh! So we just go out, and chill on a bench, because Elder Barney is dying. When we get back, we watch Amanda a bit more, and he goes in and gets checked out. Then the lady and him come out and say that an ambulance needs to take him to another place so someone better can look at him! The thing was, they could only bring him in the ambulance. So I just sat there and chilled for another solid chunk of time while my compañero was out riding the town in an ambulance. .... I watched a lot of Amanda... but he came back with his diagnosis. He was diagnosed with 'Hypothetical Colitis'..... we have no idea what the heck that means! But he has it! or at least, hypothetically. So they gave him a buch of pills to take, with another appointment on Tuesday this week to finish the tests. He has to first stick something up his ? and take a sample... and there is also a cup for another sample. We were reading the instructions, and they call the sample the 'nut' jejejeje. Long story short, life wasn't very fun for Elder Barney for a while. But we also had to go to another clinic on Friday, but this one more public. We took a number, and waited a solid 4 hours before we were called. .... guess what show we were watching!
Other than all that garbage, the week turned out pretty good! We are getting very good with our work, so our numbers didn't suffer too much, even though we only worked a few hours. But we had a few baptismal interviews, one for Geraldin a girl we met last Sunday whose grandma is a member and wants to get baptized. And Marisol! And finally, FINALLY, Marisol came to church!!! I've forgotten how much time we have taught this lady, but she finally came to church!!! WUT WUT! I was so excited. Geraldin also came, and the investigador I was telling you about last week. Lets call him Diego. We also visited a menos activa (less active) this week named Gabriela, and her two adopted daughters were there. They were a little hard at first, but after we taught for a bit about Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial (God is our loving Heavenly Father), they showed a lot of interest in being baptized! And they came to church!!! For the first time in my mission, everyone we invited to church came! It was definitely a good feeling. And what's more, Presidente Ferreira's counselor was there. He just kind of showed up, but it was great, because he came when we had the most assistance that I've ever seen in this branch, with 5 investigators there. It was great.
So before church, we were helping get everything ready, and Presidente Martinez, the branch president, walks up to me, and says 'Elder, puede hacerme un favor?' (Elder, can you do me a favor). I, of course, thought it was something to do with getting ready, but nope. He says 'yo necesito que hagas un discurso.' (I need you to give a talk). I could do nothing but say yes. So basically, my first talk on my mission, and I had less than 30 minutes to prepare it. It was fun. I ended up just giving it on lesson 3, El Evangelio de Jesucristo (The Gospel of Jesus Christ). It went well, I think. I kind of cheated because it is one of the missionary lessons that I've given multiple times, but oh well! I don't think I said any embarrasing things in Spanish, so that's a win for me! And, I ended up counting that as a lesson with members, because there were investigators, and there were members! ;) jejejeje
Two more things.
Whoever told me that I would not need a jacket, that I wasn't going to be cold ever, is a LIAR!!! I'm freezing. It wouldn't be too bad, because the temperature isn't bad. But the thing is, there is wind!!! The wind chill is so bad!!! I'm lucky, Elder Crabtree left me a jacket. But oh man, I was a fool for leaving the other one. You were right, mother. Iqual que siempre. (As always) 😏
Another interesting story. I was walking the other day, and it was just a day of lots of walking. And then, I feel my feet begin to hurt. I thought it was nothing, so kept going. Then they began to hurt a lot more, but we were in a rush, so I couldn't check them! It wasn't like a muscle pain, or a bone pain, but more like a cut, or a pinch, or a tear. So then after a few hours of this, all the while complaining a ton (jejeje) I feel like there is some sort of liquid on my toes! So the time comes to go home, and the first thing I do is take my shoes off. And yup. They were bleeding. I had literally walked my feet raw, walked until my feet bled. Welcome to the mission... take a look at the picture of my shoe. It's destroyed.
So that's my week. very slow, muy tranquilo (quiet). But that's ok! We done good! Pero más importante, Elder Barney me está ayudando mucho con muchas cosas, especialmente en mi testimonio y mi ánimo aquí. Él es un buen hombre, y un gran misionero. Estoy muy agradecido para su ayuda y su paciencia conmigo. Estoy disfrutando mi misión más ahora. Estoy menos tronki (homesick), y más enfocado en la obra misional. He obtenido la vision para bautizar, y estoy trabajando mucho más con este visión. Pero mas importante, él me está ayudando con mi poder como misionero. Trabajamos tanto con el Espíritu en todos las lecciones. Me siento mucho más amor por mis investigadores, y estoy creciendo mucho aquí en Chile! Gracias por todo lo que hacen para mi! Les quiero! (But more importantly, Elder Barney is helping me a lot with many things, especially in my testimony and my spirit here. He is a good man, and a great missionary. I am very grateful for your help and your patience with me. I'm enjoying my mission more now. I am less tronki (homesick), and more focused on the missionary work. I have obtained the vision to baptize, and I am working much more with this vision. But more importantly, he is helping me with my power as a missionary. We work so much with the Spirit in all the lessons. I feel much more love for my researchers, and I am growing a lot here in Chile! Thank you for everything you do for me! I love you all!)
Les amo a todos!
Elder Schmid
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