Sept 29th. Hospital Again

This week was I had to go to the hospital again, but not because I was sick. Wednesday, I was on an intercambio with Elder Tudela. We were walking to go meet with a less active member. While we were walking, there was this car parked on the sidewalk. So I had to walk really close to this gate while I was trying to get around the car. While I was doing that a dog bit me through the fence. Luckily it was a pretty small bite. We talked to the owners to see if the dogs were vaccinated. He said that only 1 of his 3 dogs were, so just to be safe, Im getting the rabies vaccine. The vaccine isn´t here in montero so we had to go to Santa Cruz the next day. They told me that I had to get 4 more shots throughout the next month. I hate going to Santa Cruz because it pretty much just takes up all your time for that day and you get no work done. The first month of the field has been rough, getting salmonella, then losing my wallet, then getting bit by a dog. But I still love it out here.

This week was also really good though, I had my first baptism. My comp and I went to the church really early in the morning to fill up the baptismal font and when we got their it was super dirty and full of water. When we opened the drain, it didn't work. So we spent the next 3 hours draining it with buckets and mops and cleaning it. Then when we turned on the water to fill it up, we realized why it was so dirty, because the water filling it up was super dirty. All of our hard work went to waste. But everything else went really well. A good amount of people showed up for Henry Prado baptism.

Right now we have 3 investigator who are really interested. We should be meeting more with them this week, Ill let you know how they go. 

I saw my first monkey yesterday when I went to Santa Cruz for my vaccine. I didn't get that good of a picture, when I tried to take another it was gone. But it jumped down from a tree and stole somebodies banana and jumped back into the tree, it was really funny.

The picture of the dirt road is how about 75% of our area is. Just dirt roads with little houses on the side of the road.

Sept 22nd. First Baptism This Week

This week has been super good. I should be having my first baptism this week. His name is Henry Prado. Hes from a part member family and is a super good kid. Im really excited for it. 

The weather here has been super bad. It was raining for about 3 days straight. When its raining nobody wants to meet with us.  All the streets have been flooded and its made working really hard. About half the roads in our area are dirt roads so we couldnt really work in that area. 

There is a less active guy here that we are trying to help, I love him so much but hes super crazy. He is the brother of the bishop. We were visiting with him and he was telling us a lot of crazy stuff. He told me that he wanted to leave his wife and asked me what he should do. The MTC did not prepare me at all for this. I just said, Im not sure but I think my comp could help you. After the visit my comp told me some other things about him. He told me that he pulled a knife on his wife a few weeks ago. Hes super crazy but a really funny guy. 

Last night we met with a new convert. While we were visisting with him his brother came to visit him and we were able to teach him too. He was really inrested in the gospel and wanted to know more. We are teaching his cousin also and he told us that he wanted  to get baptized. His whole family is really interested.

This week wasnt super exciting, just a lot of teaching, an average week.

Love

Elder Britt

The last photo was after we went to a funeral. It was a pretty sad time.

Sept 15. Sick This Week

This past week was pretty rough for me. I couldn't work Sunday through Tuesday. I got salmonella and it was super rough. I just had to take some antibiotics and some other pills. Im all better now though but those 3 days were super long and boring. When you cant work, time just goes by so slowley. When you're working hard, time flies. Then I lost my wallet Thursday morning. So tomorrow we are going to go to Santa Cruz and the President said he can give me all the money I lost so that is really good. 

This week was pretty exciting after I was feeling better. I went on my first intercambios. Im not sure what it is in english but I went out with Elder Cardonas Wednesday and then with Elder Dorado Thursday. Both days went pretty well. Elder Dorado was getting pretty sad in the afternoon though cause we were having a really hard time trying to meet with members and we couldnt find anybody to contact. But at night it was a lot better cause we found a ton of people to teach. 

The work in Bolivia is going really well. We have about 3 baptisms coming up if everything goes right. We should have one on the 27th, and then some in october. We invited an investigator to pray about Joseph Smith and the next day he told us he wanted to be baptized cause he had recieved his answer. 

Oh last night we were walking to family home evening and we had to walk through this huge party to get there. It was crazy. My comp told me that all the people from cochabamba were here and so they had a big party. All I could smell was beer for about 20 minutes and there were sooooo many drunk people. It was kinda funny just watching them try and walk and not be able to. 

Anyways this week is going to be a lot better since I'm not sick.

Love Elder Britt 

The first one we were at a members house for lunch and the second one is me, my comp, Elder Dorado and Elder nehues. We were on the back of the truck trying to get back to Montero after our activity.

Sept 8th. This Place is Crazy

The people here are nuts. A few days ago we were teaching a guy, turns out hes a pimp and is pimping out his own niece. Then when we were teaching another person, her kid starts crying, so while im teaching the importance of the sacrament she just starts breast feeding her child, it was a super tough lesson after that. 

Last night was pretty rough for me, my stomach is having a hard time adjusting here. We stayed home yesterday because I was feeling super sick but at about 6 I started feeling better so we went out. About 5 minutes into walking to a house, I started throwing up, so we went to a members house that was close by and my comp and him gave me a blessing. Then I just went out and started teaching more. We taught the family Choque that night. They are a super good family interested in the gospel. We taught about the Joseph Smith and they understood everything. I thought I was going to die during that lesson because I felt super sick but its fine.

On Wednesday we decided to go and do some service in the morning for a member. On the way back we were stopped by police asking us for our passports. Of course the first time they ask for it I didnt have it. Because we were out doing service I decided not to bring my bag which has the copy of my passport, luckily my comp had his. So they were wanting to take us to santa cruz for some reason. Then my comp said that we were going to call our lawyer and right when he said that they left us alone. Everybody here tries to take advantage of us. It gets pretty annoying. Whenever I take a mototaxi some where, they always try and overcharge me. I have to pretty much yell at them that I know the price and Im not paying them more and then they leave me alone.

Love Elder Britt

Also, thats the showerhead here, if I touch it while Im taking a shower or any metal, I get shocked... But at least I have hot water.

Sept 1st. BOLIVIA

I love it here. every day is so great. Its so much better than the MTC. It is super super hot here, and its supposed to get even hotter, so im looking forward to that. Nothing crazy has happened. I have seen some pretty cool animals though. I saw a perisoso, i think thats what it is in spanish, its a sloth. I took some pictures of it but my camera isnt working so hopefully next week itll work. 

This is area is pretty crazy. For our transportation we get to ride on mototaxis. so my comp and i just hop on seperate motos and just drive to where we need. its only like 50 cents too, its super cheap. 

The members here are different. Theres one person who has 8 kids from 5 different fathers. Chastity is a big problem here. We also are teaching this guy who all he does it take care of his wife. She cant move or talk and so we told him that she will recieve a perfect body. He got super excited. Teaching people is super fun. This area is mainly just reactivating people though. Right now we are only teaching less active families. When we teach though, its pretty much only my companion, i can kind of understand what theyre are saying but im always about 30 seconds behind and by then ¨they have already moved on. my comp is teaching me a ton of spanish. whenever we are walking to a house he is always teaching me spanish, ill know the whole language in no time. 

I dont have that much time to write because our time to write today was 10:00 to 11:15 and we couldnt find a place with any open computers so my time was limited. right now we are going to go play soccer and basket ball as a district. Ill be able to see 2 of my friends from the MTC, Elder wertz and elder teahan, my old companion. 

oh one last thing, there are a loooot of girls called snakes here, pretty much they just come up and  flirt with you and stuff, its kinda weird. I love everything else here.

Love Elder Britt