February 4, 2013

There was some trouble with the pictures he sent. I'll keep working on it.

I'm going soft...

Hey all!

So, first things first. Yeah, there was definitely a transition period. I think I got here, and I just realized that two years does seem like a long time, but it's been a really good week as far as perspective goes. I mean, talk about learning something new every day!

WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF:

-Either I'm mellowing out in my old age, or I'm just not that intense. So far this week, I've had two investigators tell me that I'm always smiling, and another one was talking about my companion and I, and said that he was a stronger personality, but that I was more "doux". I mean, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was surprised all the same.

-I understand a tahitian french accent better than I do an antillian french accent. And I can understand everything my white companion says.

-I'm delicious. Now, I know that may sound self-serving, but I didn't say it; the mosquitos did. Every. Single. One of them.

No joke, I have five mosquito bites on my right hand; like above the wrist.

But yeah! This week was significantly slower than last week numbers-wise, but I'm doing really well despite that. In the past three days, for example (not counting today), we are hitting a 1/9 on people actually showing up to the lessons we scheduled 24 hours earlier. But, we just figure something else out and adapt. And really, some of the really cool teaching experiences have come when we've just been scraping for something after a cancelled rendezvous.

As far as day-to-day life questions though:

My appartment is nice, albeit different than I had expected. If I did everything right, than the first photo should be a picture of my bed. And if you can't tell from the picture, I am indeed sleeping outside on the balcony. I have yet to be cold at night, and I have yet to sleep with more than my sheet. Second picture is my view; welcome to Fort-de-France, Martinique. Incidentally, I wake up a lot easier when I'm in sunlight. Third picture is our church building. Well, our half-church building. We meet above a car shop, and the room holds about seventy if every seat is filled. Right now we see about sixty on a weekly basis. All the rest of the rooms for auxilarys and stuff are tiny-tiny, but it's big enough for now. The members here would love to have a chapel on Martinique, but we don't have the numbers quite yet. One thing about the membership here-we do get baptisms (I speak in the genearal "we", since I personally haven't gotten one), and they do stick around, our retention rate is high, it's just that it's a slow process. The requirements to form a stake in the french antilles are posted on my wall above my desk, and so far we have about two-thirds of the required members and about 85% of the required tithe-paying priesthood holders. So it's really strong membership here, but we progress slowly.

As far as what standard of living is like here-I mean, there is a good amount of diversity, but in general it is much higher than it would be on the english side of the mission. Lots of people with smartphones, and I've even seen a couple of Ipads down here. So yeah, although there are poor people here, it's not as bad as you think it is.

Also, on the suitcases thing-I will be able to buy a carry-on down here, which I will have to do before I get transferred. For now, I sorted through my stuff again and decided on a lot of it that I wouldn't need. That all went in suitcase #2, and I will be taking that with me to zone conference next week. From there, the assistants will take it back to Trinidad, where it will be stored in their apt. Hopefully it will stay there safely for the next two years.

Mail: I don't know how long it will take things to get here, but I wouldn't suggest sending anything too important in the first half of a transfer, just in case. Send things directly to the Martinique address-especially packages, because those I would have to pay duties on if they went english-side. My companion has been getting all his stuff safe and sound, without any problem. Again, I can buy just about everything I need down here though. Letters pack just as much love!

I am running out of time way too fast.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: This week, on change. We've already heard the old saying that leopards don't change their spots. Fortunately for us though, we're not leopards. Change is not only possible, it is an essential part of the human condition (Mosiah 27:26). Already, I've heard people say "that's just the way I am". The sad implication underlying this statement is that you are out of your own control, that nothing that you can do will change who you are. I promise you, that is not a thought that originates with God, and in fact I would contend that it falls squarely in line with the teaching of the adversary, who, having failed to rob us of our agency, now tries to convince us that it is no worth. Don't listen. Don't settle. Because, believe me, we all need to change, but first we all need to know that we can. Start the process now!

That's all for now. I'm sure I forgot something, but hey.

But yes, as a closing statement, I may not be quite as happy as Pono (reference number of exlamation points), but I am over the shock of first getting here and happy to be right where the Lord wants me to be. I mean, how often do you have an assurance of that? I dunno, it's cool for me anyway.

I love you all!

-Elder Santos