It's not much, but it's home

Wow.  First full week in the mission field.  It's been crazy, but it's also been awesome.  

The food here is pretty good. It's basically chicken, rice, and some type of sauce for every meal. It fills me up. Sometimes, it can be a little sketchy. For example, last week we had cow intestine for lunch. It didn't taste awful, but the texture was just so bad hahah. But anytime I don't love the food, the quote from Ratatouille comes to my mind. "Food is fuel, you get picky about what you put in the tank, your engine is gonna die." Those are some wise words from Remmy's dad. If it weren't for him I'd probably be home right now.
 
We have no AC in our apartment so we've been using a fan every night which has been great. But I just found out that we have a rule that we can't use the fans overnight because one time one of them blew up in the middle of the night. Unfortunate, but hey, safety first.

I keep hearing the word encima, and all it makes me think of is Encino Man. Some old movie about two teenagers that find a caveman buried in their backyard. Thanks Dad for showing me the finer things in life.

There is a weird tradition in my mission where every new missionary has to have a pie smashed in their face as part of initiation. So yeah I got a pie smashed in my face as a warm welcome to the Peru Piura Mission. 

I met a guy in my mission that had two siblings serve in Malaga, Spain, and Quito, Ecuador. It was crazy because three members of our family all had the same exact missions. But that's not all. He also had a reassignment in the Texas Dallas Mission where my family used to live. Super random. 

I finally was able to clean my apartment and now it doesn't look as much like a dump. It took me days, it was ridiculously bad. Hopefully we can keep it in good shape. It's also good because it's a good stress reliever hahah. The funny thing is, after I finished cleaning, somebody from the mission told us that we might have to move places in a couple weeks. So you're welcome to whoever is moving into my apartment.

Adjusting to the culture here will take time, but I'm slowly getting used to it. It's definitely hard to learn a new language, and It feels like I'm not making much progress. But I'm trying and I'm sure I'll get it eventually, I just need to be more patient. I also need to remember that I've only been here for 10 days. But I know Heavenly Father blesses us in our efforts, and when we rely on Him, all things are possible.

The gift of tongues is definitely real. I have had a few moments where I was able to share exactly what I wanted to share. It is super cool. For example, we taught a lady named Hermana Mauritsa and I was able to say what was needed to say with the help of the Holy Ghost. The spirit was so strong. It was such a cool experience for me and a reassurance that Heavenly Father watches over me and will help me in my times of need.

There have definitely been some tough moments in this past week of being here. But something that I have stuck to is that Jesus Christ knows exactly what I'm feeling, and even when I feel like I'm alone, I'm not. He is always there for me when I need Him. I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ and His atonement, and I can't imagine what life would be like without it. 

I hope you are all doing well. Love you guys!

Elder Spangler












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