Visited by a RAT!

We had a visitor this week.  I was sitting on my bed writing in my journal or reading scriptures or something I can´t exactly remember but I saw movement out of the corner of my eye somewhat large.... So I went to investigate because sometimes we have like cockroaches that are surprising large.... Ew... And I was moving our suitcases and everything and BAM there was the movement again.... I was like nah that´s too fast to be a cockroach so I involved my companion and told him to grab the broom because we have some crazy animal in our house.... It probably looked just how you imagine, two crazy men jumping around with brooms in hand trying to get rid of a mouse but it was lots of fun!  We confirmed that it was either a mouse or a rat.... we never got to see it long enough to be sure but it was somewhat large so I’m guessing a rat and then we lost it... we moved everything and there was no sign of it...

 

We put all of our food and stuff in this corner and barricaded it hoping to keep the rat OUT but I don´t think that does much... We´re not sure if it´s still living with us or not but hey... It´s not bothering us so we´re not worried about it for now hahaha! We have been trying to clean though.... Take out the garbage and everything so we can get rid of any problems we may have in the future...

Housing yes we´re still in the tiny room that has air conditioning.... We are basically living in a closet.... It´s a little difficult but the air conditioning is totally worth it! We will be there until they finish construction in the other room which who knows how long that could be.... Sometimes they work on it sometimes not.. We just try to be patient haha. We do have a small stove and refrigerator. I´m loving the air conditioning though... As soon as you walk outside it´s like the sun knocking on the door and when you open it, it just gives you a big hug... Wow. I haven´t quite gotten accustomed to it and I don´t know if I ever will but I don´t feel like I’m suffocating anymore so that´s good! 

Yay!!! I got to have my very own Domino’s Pizza and it was a special treat for sure. I had divisions with the District Leader and to celebrate a day of good work we ordered pizza! It is a little bit expensive so we don´t get that very often. It was probably the pizza box that attracted the rat though haha nothing like some good pizza!

Elder Vasquez has been a little homesick but not so homesick that he can´t work or concentrate! His brother just returned from a mission recently and gave him lots of tips that he is super anxious to try out so he is really motivated to work which really helps me. I don´t have to drag him out of bed every morning or push him out the door or anything. He´s already anxious to work! That´s super good though because it helps me. That was my biggest worry is that he would want to be disobedient but he´s good!  He is super happy to be here in the mission too. He doesn´t know any English but he has a strong desire to learn so we´re working on that little by little. He misses the food and culture of his country and talks about it a lot and he has a lot of crazy stories but I love that I can understand all of his stories IN SPANISH!! I´m getting lots and lots better. Sometimes I think in Spanish and it freaks me out to be honest.....

We attend a ward called La Reforma and it´s not super big but big enough to be a ward! There are only like 4 or 5 members that help us with missionary work a lot of the time and it´s kind of difficult because we need a member to teach a lot of our investigators because we can´t teach women without an adult male present... A lot of the men work like alllll day here and it´s hard to teach but we´re working with the ward to try and strengthen that.

Before I forget I have to tell you that I had to talk in the Zone meeting this week as well as in the meeting we had with President Crapo and the other Greenies. I was beyond nervous but I think I delivered a somewhat understandable message. I will share my spiritual thought here in just a second that I came across while preparing my little talk. Here´s the other thing--I had plenty of experiences this week where I had to talk and yes I was wow WAY nervous at all of them... Sadly..... I´m starting to get used to that feeling hahaha! Yesterday we spoke at a funeral service. One of the members in our ward lost a grandchild.... We were asked to share our testimony. Me and Elder Vasquez taught Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation) to almost all of Zacapa that was there at the service! We joked with the Zone Leaders about how many lessons that can count as hahaha! It was good though.

Here´s my spiritual thought though. While I was studying for my talk in the Zone meeting I came across this scripture in Jacob 5:75 in the allegory of the olive tree. It talks about how the Savior is always working in his vineyard to take care of his trees so that they can bring forth good fruit right? He also has servants that are helping him in the vineyard and those servants are us. We are literally working WITH the Savior in his vineyard to bring these people unto him or bring forth good fruit. I thought it was really cool to think that we are literally working with the Savior. I truly know that and see it every day. 

All is well here in sunny Zacapa... We continue to sweat and love the work hahaha!!

Love,

Elder Lott