Week 8 (Google Chat)

Kolbe:  Estoy aqui!!!

Mom:  Hey!  How's it going?

Kolbe:  It's going good.  I am reading your letter right now.

Mom:  How was your week?  Better?

Kolbe:  Yes for sure!!!  This week was easier in some ways and a lot harder in others!  Do you want me to send an email to the family?

Mom:  No you don't have to type a separate email to the family.  They can read this chat. 

Dad:  Junior!  Got some questions for you!  How was Sunday in Bolivia compared with a typical Utah Sunday?

Kolbe:  Sunday in Bolivia is whack.  I don't understand anything that goes on in Church and it is so laid back but I am with Elder Stringfellow (Mom talked with his mom I guess.  He is one of my best friends here.)  And Elder Grossen so it is pretty great.  Other than that it is mission as usual.  

Dad:  Whack like you can't understand or whack like there is a bass guitar up on stage?  Oh and mom talks to everybody that has a connection to your mission.  No surprise there.  One of her best friends is someone who's son didn't even make it down there.

Kolbe:  Whack like I can't understand a thing and everyone thinks I speak Spanish and gets really confused when I don't.  Speaking of guitars, I am going to buy one next week!  I found out about 2 days into my mission we could have them.  Honestly there is such a strong community in the mission.  I love it!  Today I met a kid from Spanish Fork who I instantly became best friends with.  He only has 1 cambio more than me so we will have lots of time together.  Elder Johnson is his name.

Mom:  So tell us more about Andrea.  How is that going?  And do you have any other investigators right now?

Kolbe:  Yes!  Andrea has a fecha for next Saturday so that is exciting!!!  She has progressed so much in the little time I have known her.  We are super excited for her.  We are going by after internet time to see her.  And yes we have quite a few investigators!!!  They are all so awesome and make this a lot easier even though I can't understand them.  We had a niche de hogar (Family home evening) with Andrea and a few of our other investigators and after they all bore their testimonies to us and told us how much they appreciate us.  I shared my testimony of the Plan of Salvation and how it changed my life and it was really hard in Spanish but they were crying and told me how much they appreciate me and it made me feel so good.  

Dad:  Andrea sounds like and American name.  Are their names typically like that?

Kolbe:  Umm yeah there are a lot of American names.  They are just way Bolivianised.  

Mom:  Kolbe that's awesome!  I'm so happy you have investigators. That does make it all worth it.  What is a fecha?  An appointment or what?

Kolbe:  A fecha is a date for baptism!

Mom:  Oh wow!  How awesome!  I can't wait to hear all about that and see pictures.

Kolbe:  Yes we have two on track for the 26th!

Mom:  Awesome!  Who is the other one?  Tell us all about them!

Kolbe:  The other is Andreas sister Sharlit.  She is 11 and is super awesome.  She is a little scared but she seems ready.

Mom:  How cool!  So tell us about Andrea.  Is she living at home still or older?  Is she the first to be baptized etc?

Kolbe:  Andrea is 20 and is living at home going to college.  Her older sister is a convert and that's how we found her.

Mom:  She sounds solid which is good.  What about her parents?  Any interest there?  Or are they even there when you go by?

Kolbe:  Yes she is pretty solid.  Her parents are a little rough but they absolutely love me so we are hoping that we can get them to turn stuff around.

Mom:  Well never give up on people.  That's the beauty of the Gospel  It's never too late to change.

Kolbe:  Yes for sure.  We are trying to be good with them.  Be their friends and gain their trust and then introduce the gospel.

Mom:  That's the only way to really convert people.  Too many people fall in love with their missionaries and convert because of them but when the missionaries leave they fall away because they weren't truly converted.  You want them to get baptized because they love the Lord and not their missionary.  Even though you will always hold a special place in their heart, the Lord needs the bigger place in their heart!

So you said your week was harder in some ways and easier in others.  Why's that?  Or maybe you are going to explain that in your group email?

Kolbe:  Yes for sure.  We don't want people to be converted to us but to the Lord.  And yes I am going to explain a lot more in my weekly email!

Mom:  Sounds good.  Did you have a good pday?  What did you guys do?

Kolbe:  It was THE BEST!  I live for pdays.  We played basketball with a ton of gringos and then we went and played beach volleyball with basically all the missionaries that are here in Cochabamba.  It was super fun.  After we went to the mall and it was just like America.  It was great!

Mom:  How fun.  Yes I bet pdays help break the week up.  

Kolbe:  Yes Pdays are the greatest!

Mom:  Okay so one question, the hotel you stayed at the first night you arrived.  Was it attached to the temple or what?  I was so confused about that?

Kolbe:  No it isn't attached but it is on the temple grounds.

Mom:  So who stays there?  Just missionaries and church leaders visiting and stuff or is it a full functioning hotel?

Kolbe:  No it is for visitors.  It is really nice!

Mom:  Wow!  That's cool!  We will have to go visit sometime after your mission for sure!  How is the Spanish coming?  Do you feel more confident with it this week?

Kolbe:  Yes for sure!!!  Also the Spanish is freaking hard!  It's coming along though.  My comp isn't patient with me and it's making it hard but it is coming!  I got sick a TON this week though.  It was awful.

Mom:  That's hard when people aren't patient with you.  You would think he would realize that the better you speak it the easier it will be on him.  They say it takes a good six months to start feeling comfortable with it.  Hang in there!  What have you been sick with?  Stomach issues?

Kolbe:  Yes for sure but oh well!  I am trying to be positive.  I have had diarrhea a ton.

Mom:  I'm glad you are being positive.  Honestly its the only thing that will get you through it.  Sounds like your stomach is trying to adjust.  Hang in there on that issue as well.  Don't forget you have stuff to help!

Kolbe:  Yes that is so true!  And yes the stomach is struggling but getting better.  Look up a food called Planchita.  I ate it Saturday and it was the best thing ever!  Seriously I love the food here!  It is all super, super yummy!

Mom:  Did you get to go to the temple this week?  It looks like it from your photos.

Kolbe:  We go permission to go with some of our investigators and the ward.  We didn't go inside just the outside.  But we get to go this cambio as a zone!!!  

Kolbe:  Dad I have a few questions for you about how to deal with companions.  I am struggling with mine really bad.  He is just really lazy and told me that the rules don't matter.  He always spends a lot of time with one of our investigators and it doesn't seem right to me and when I talk about it he tells me to chill.  We will be at their house for hours and very late too.  I told him we need to be earlier and he told me it was fine and won't listen to me.  He also gets super frustrated when I don't understand Spanish which is making it hard for me to learn.

Dad:  Tough problem.  I dealt with this specific issue with my second companion.  There were several things I did to help.  Unfortunately with the language limitations you have you won't be able to take control completely.  First thing I did was talk to him about my concerns.  When that didn't completely work I got my district leader involved.  We ended up doing a lot of splits so I could have time away from my comp.  Then when that didn't work completely we got the zone leader involved.  If you are staying late at an investigators house and she is a single female you want to be very careful, maybe even consider involving the mission President if there is any reason for concern there.  I don't understand his culture so to him these actions might be completely fine, and keep in mind he is a recent convert as well, so guidance and encouragement from you might be the best course of action.  Is he openly fighting you on these issues or is he just quiet and non talkative when problems arise?

I also took over the organization of the work and dug in when he wanted to "camp" at members houses.  I'd tell them instead of him that we had to go and explained the rules to them.  It didn't help our friendship but at least then he couldn't contradict me.

Kolbe:  Yes the district leader is very aware of the problems and is trying to change stuff too.  So far nothing but we are hoping.  I am trying hard to make changes but he doesn't want to listen to me.  Whenever I raise concerns he tells me its fine and to relax.  It is super hard.  I have told the investigators our rules too and nothing has changed.  

Dad:  Keep working at it.  I had two months with Elder Crook and it never really worked between the two of us.  Next letter I write I'm going to share more of what I wrote to my parents for you.  Lean real hard on the other elders around you.  I'm telling you it will help with that guitar too.  It literally saved my sanity some nights.  Be careful with the rules but understand some fights aren't worth having.  If it's something like a single lady or there are activities that could jeopardize your standing as a missionary then fight like mad.  If it's somewhat harmless keep pushing and try to win some of the battles.  

Kolbe:  Yes the problem is the ward isn't trusting the missionaries because of rumors going around about my companion so we aren't getting any help there.  It is hard but I am trying super hard to change stuff.  And no I don't really have other questions.  Just wanted to see what you had to say to that.  Thanks dad!  I love you so much!

Dad:  The ward trust is very important.  Do you have a ward missionary?  I wonder if you scheduled the ward missionary to come one or more nights a week to potentially help keep him in line.

Kolbe:  Yeah we could try that out!  Thanks!

Dad:  Involve the ward as much as you can.  I know you are super new, so it will be hard.

Kolbe:  Yes I can't talk to any of them, but I have a long time here so I plan on involving them a lot.

Dad:  I had bad comps and when they left I explained the situation and why it was going to be different.  It only takes a little while for the ward to see the change then they jump back on board.  When you say you have a while there, will it be with this same companion or how do you know how long you will stay in an area?

Kolbe:  I have 2 cambios for training and then I stay an extra cambio or two with a new comp.

Dad:  Will Grammatico be your trainer for both of those cambios?

Kolbe:  Yes he will.  I gotta get through it  There's something to learn from him

Dad:  That's true.  You might not know for 20 years what the lesson was supposed to be.  Enjoy what you can and bear the rest.  Send me a pic of your guitar when you buy it!

Kolbe:  Sounds good.  Just to answer a few of your questions from your letter this week.  Yes I have sheets they just weren't on yet.  Yes I sleep with a mosquito net every night because they are so bad.  The fridge is amazing.  It holds a whole 3 liter of coke and nothing more.  We are addicted to coke.  Every missionary here is, and yes the floors are weird.  I will get the pictures you want this week. Teaching the locals is hard.  No matter what they are feeling they just stare at you and nod their heads.  You have to ask a ton of questions to gauge where they are.  My comp has a younger brother and a younger sister and is the only member n his house.  There is no AC in the house and it gets super hot but we are actually moving houses soon!  Well I've got to go.  I love you guys so much!  I think about you everyday!

Dad:  Love you!

Mom:  Love you too Kolbe!  You are the best!  We pray, talk and think about you all the time!  I'm so glad it was a better week!  We will continue to pray for you and all the missionaries and investigators there!

Kolbe:  I'll talk to you all next week!  Love you!

Mom:  Until next week!