Funny story:This week I went to La Sirena to do shopping with Elder H*****. I was looking through card readers, and all of them were around 800 pesos and up. I saw one that was 420, and appeared to have the right slot. I bought it, got home and opened it, and as it turns out it was for SP or something (an older type of card that is incompatible with SD but has almost the exact same pins at the insertion point). It could read micro SD, but not normal SD. GAAH. La Sirena´s return policy is crummy, too. If it´s not in its original packaging in mostly one piece, it can´t be returned, and I had to destroy the hard vacuum-sealed plastic case to get it out. Thus, 420 pesos wasted. Another funny story (but less funny): I went to pull money off my personal card to pay for it, and.... I forgot my personal PIN. After the third try (entering it wrong), for security measures (since there´s apparently a lot of credit card fraud here) it locked my card. I´m not sure how we´re going to fix that, or if I can change my PIN without calling in and unlocking my card or what. A little help on that one, please?
Anyway, this week has been, well, interesting. I am trying to be more exactly obedient this transfer, and one of the things I slacked off with last transfer was the opposite sex rule (no lessons with members of the opposite sex, regardless of age, without an adult male to accompany us). That made this week really frustrating. Because almost all the men work all day, and because we had so many investigators who were progressing who don´t have spouses or live with sisters, daughters, mothers, etc. only, it meant most of the appointments set for this week fell through and we spent 3 days straight contacting, 9 hours a day (3 in the morning, six in the afternoon). With next to no lessons with the people we contacted, and only a sprinkling of new investigators to show for it, I felt like we were just walking around aimlessly for 3 days, and that many of the return appointments we sent didn´t show promise. Sunday I hit an emotional low, and I hit it hard. I was fasting for knowledge on how I could better help the members with the missionary work here, and for success in our next upcoming Noche Blanca January 30th, but unlike any other fast in years, I felt energy-less and didn´t have the will or desire to do anything. We got to church late because I got up late from the discouragement and utter exhaustion, and even after eating I didn´t feel much better. However, I decided to forget my woes for the rest of the evening and press on to the appointments we had for the evening before Ward Council. I discovered that the Spirit had been sustaining me all week, I saw the good things that had come from my time with Elder H*****, and the sinking feelings left me, for the most part. The mission is still hard right now--we don´t have very much set in stone--but I know that in my weakness and my lows I am learning much more than I would if everything were alwats just fine and dandy.
Also, being with Elder H***** has been, well, different. He´s a dual-citizen from Guatemala (Born and visited) and Mexico (raised and lived), is slightly bipolar (he said so himself-I´m not criticizing him), and can be a little crazy and disorganized. There are a lot of things about him that bug me, or that I feel like he could do better. HOWEVER, I am not focusing on the bad day to day, nor am I focusing on what bugs me. He´s not the kind of guy I´d typically befriend, but I am trying anyway. He has difficulty with being too negaitve with himself, and I am trying to help him with that. He is struggling with his relationship with the girlfriend he left at home (he has 11 months in the mission), and I am trying to help him with that. He wants to learn English and learn to cook, and I am helping him with that. I have really found that helping others and turning outward really helps you forget about the stuff that troubles you or bugs you about another person. While I miss Elder M***** a lot, I am doing my best to befriend Elder H***** within myself. I have a goal for the whole mission to get along with every companion, whether or not I disagree or have a hard time with them internally. I don´t want it to sound like I´m really having a hard time with Elder H*****, because I don´t think I am. I just already see some things that will be trials for me this transfer.
I hope everything continues well back home with school starting up again (and Elijah, earn that money and buy that iPod!) I miss you all, I miss the cold, but I´m almost (not really) used to the heat and the distance from home.
Best of luck and best wishes,
Élder Rowe
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