Sept. 30, 2019 -- Living in the Days of Noah (Off the Ark)

Hello hello everyone,

This week it rained a LOT. It almost always rains in the night, but there was one day especially when it was raining during the day. We are talking rain like you begin to doubt the need for your umbrella because you are already soaked and the roads are literally rivers of muddy water and buses are getting stuck and all sorts of craziness. I attached a picture of it. The water behind me is the street. 

Also, we have been with the zone leaders a little. We were walking around town and sometimes there are these cars with giant speakers on top and they blast out advertisements and things as they drive around. One of them passed us and said "Here we have four North Americans contracted by the church!" Kind of funny. I have made it to my first transfer! I am staying here with my same comp., which I am happy about.

The zone leaders had to stay the night with us. We do not have enough beds. The mission handbook also says to sleep in the same room but NOT the same bed. We decided four guys sharing three beds was probably still okay, so that's what we did. Haha, I also say "beds" but really just mean mattresses we put on the floor. 

Everyone here asks me if my hair is actually this color or if I dye it. I have seen two albinos, though, so I can relate to them!

I was offered alcohol the other night for the first time by a drunk. Needless to say, I turned it down. Another drunk introduced himself to us as "Chupacabra" and said he would come to church, but my confidence is not high, haha. 

The Ward Mission Leader's son showed me the new Mario Kart app. A little jealous. Never will beat the Wii version, though.

Also, this week I bought some powdered milk and cereal, so I am living the breakfast high life. 

Our mission president talked to us about how if obedience is a burden, we are going to get tired. However, if we can learn to not mind it or even enjoy it, we will be fine. Kind of like how for most of us, not smoking isn't a burden. We are glad we don't smoke. It changed my perspective a little to think about how that can be the same for small things. If we can learn to enjoy following all the rules, we will have a much easier time. Take the rocks out of the backpack.

See you all later!

Elder Harris

Sept. 23, 2019 -- They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard

Hello hello,

Some of you may remember the scene at the beginning of The Return of the King in The Lord of the Rings where Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn are running down the orc pack with Pippin and Merry. Anyways, we do a lot of walking and there's loads of hills, so I sometimes feel like Gimli when they're running forever and he says, "We dwarves are really quite great over short distances! Very dangerous!" Hence the subject line.

I ran out of Aunt Kathy's great shoe-shine wipes so I gave my shoes a real shoe-shining the other day. Very satisfying to look down and think "those shoes look really good!"

Let me say, one thing that is very different here is the names. For example, at home, there is Brother Jones of the Jones family. However, here everyone goes by their first name, so everyone in the same family is different instead of the same. To make matters worse, everyone has two last names, one from each parent, and then the wife also can go by her husband's last name as in so-and-so "de Hernandez." Anyways. Everyone has like 5 names and a nickname, so I have a hard time keeping track of it all.

We are working hard to teach people. We are trying to get some of our investigators to church but haven't had too much luck yet. One guy came to Stake Conference with us, so that was good. Very good people, though, and they are feeling the Spirit, I think. There is one inactive man and one family that I would like to think we had some small part to play in reactivating. Anyways, we are going to keep at it.

I got a nice compliment the other day when some guy on the street we were talking to took a break from smoking to tell me in broken english, "you very happy, he is very happy." That felt nice, and I enjoy just smiling and saying hello to everyone.

Hermano Morales showed us President Nelson's birthday celebration and the first of the new BOM videos! That was way fun.

Hey crazy story that is not even mine, but I read it in a Liahone magazine and thought it was both hilarious and awesome. A seventy gave this talk in 1953 and had the following story. He was in New Zealand and they came upon a viewing before a funeral for a member of the church who had died. Some relief society sisters were preparing the body. Then, the brother of the dead man runs out and yells "administer to him!" Everyone else says, "you can't do that, he's dead!" Anyway, this old old New Zealand native agrees to give the blessing to the dead man. He blesses him and commands him to rise. The story then says "You should have seen the relief society sisters scatter. The man sat up and yelled 'Send for the Elders! I don't feel well.'" They told him he had been dead and he said, "Oh, so that's it." Miracles are real.

Pictured is a letter from a little girl named Michelle. "The Mormons in Paradise." Also some other random ones from out and about.

See you all later,

Elder Harris

Sept. 16, 2019 -- Preaching Till the Ground Shakes

Hola hola todos,

Where to start? It has been almost a month here and my tan lines are coming along just swimmingly. It is crazy that I passed the two month mark. I still feel like it is July and I just got here. But I am almost 10% done, which is strange.

Whenever we need to go somewhere outside of walking distance we either hop on a bus or in the back of a pickup truck (peeekup en español). The buses are always blasting music and crazy colors and crammed with people, so we stand a lot, but the headspace is not ideal for someone of my height, haha. Lots of stooping over for a long time. You can just wave over a bus or pickup from anywhere and they come barreling towards you. Hop on and then hop off wherever too. 

When people try and figure out my name, it often goes like this:

What's your name?

Elder Harris

Ah, Hah-rris, like Hah-rry Potter.

Yep.

I love the life on the streets. People are always outside and there are little pupusa stands everywhere and practically every corner has a little store where you can buy a soda or some sweet bread or something through the door. Women walk around balancing giant baskets of bread on their heads with incredible ease. There are crazy markets like in the movies that are just big mazes of stands and people selling stuff with canopies over it all.

Here is something kind of cool, the other day we were studying in the house when everything starts rumbling. We were in an earthquake! Nothing fell over or anything, but we just vibrated for 10 seconds or so before it was over. Very fun and exciting. Apparently that is pretty common here.

As far as daily life goes, we actually never knock doors here. We are either visiting members or inactives and most of our investigators come from referrals from them. We still talk to people in the street going to or from appointments, but never actually knock doors. I love the ward here. People are really the same everywhere. I could see the Elders Quorum presidency being back in Utah, except their names are Hermano Juan Yanes and Hermano Eduardo and they speak Spanish. They are some good guys. Everyone here is so happy and generous even though they live in humble circumstances. The members are always giving us some sort of food or snacks and are very nice. The ward here has about 80 members.

I have obtained a huge testimony on praying for comfort. Maybe before my mission I just never really needed it, but I know for certain that when I am a little lonely or tired or frustrated or whatever, I have been able to pray and receive comfort. It is not an immediate, overwhelming thing, but it is real. After I pray, it doesn't take too long before I am feeling good again. Heavenly Father knows how we are feeling and doesn't always take away our hard times, but he is so willing to help us through them. Prayer is real.

Pictured are my growing number of presidents on dollar coins because everyone uses coins here. Very few bills. Kind of fun. Also me with the tools of trade. Sort of.

Haha, see you all around,

Elder Harris

Sept. 9, 2019 -- Griiiiingoooooo

Kids 300 feet up the street: "Griiiiiiingoooooo!"

Me: (turn around)

Kids: (shy wave)

Me: (return wave)

Haha, thus is my life here in El Salvador. People also enjoy shouting things like, "Don't drink coffee! It´s bad for you!" and "Want some coffee?" Kind of funny.

Every P-Day we have to do about 3 hours of traveling to get to and from the stake center to write emails, which is too bad. However, when we head into the big cities, that means restaurants I recognize! I do love the El Salvador food a lot, but it is also fun to have something familiar. Included is a picture of some Wendy's with a Nutella frosty. Very good. We also made rootbeer floats last P-Day, which was amazing! Nobody here really knows what rootbeer is, and it was surprising that we found some.

Speaking of food in El Salvador, I am loving pupusas. The current count is 32. Also, you know I am a true "Oriente" El Salvadoranian (smaller outskirts, not the capital and big city area) because I am a fan of salsa negra. Sort of a sweet black sauce that apparently only people in Oriente like. The salsa natural is very good as well.

The cars and buses are always fun here. The cars usually have their windows tinted completely black so you can't see in. Also, everyone here believes in God, which is nice. The cars and buses and buildings are all covered in religious slogans, scripture verses, and stickers of all sorts. The only thing that even comes slightly close is the batman symbol.

Lots of fun things down here like a giant motorcycle gang cruising by honking their horns with the guy in front doing a wheelie standing on his seat. Very impressive.

I didn't really believe that those "Rock and Roll" churches existed, but we pass them all the time on Sundays. People inside are jamming out and standing and clapping to incredibly loud music. Kind of funny. I do like that our church is always the same. That is very comforting to feel something familiar. During my first couple days when I was feeling a little lonely it was also overwhelmingly comforting when my companion played some Mormon Tabernacle Choir on his speaker in the morning. Hearing a familiar sound like that was great. And the ever familiar voice of "This is the 182nd semi-annual general conference guy.

I love walking home every night in the dark and seeing the lightning. It always lights up the clouds and is everywhere but usually very far away and quiet, so it is way cool. The other day we were walking home and the cities power went out for a few minutes, so it was very dark. Very fun.

Spanish is good. I can understand most of conversations now. Although the other day I was trying to ask my companion for a napkin and asked for a watermelon. I actually gave a full on talk in Spanish in our ward yesterday. I have also helped give several blessings in Spanish, which is interesting because I haven't done that in English. I have been getting very good at what I call the "thoughtful nod" for when I don't understand what people are saying. Sort of a slow and careful nod that implies understanding but not necessarily agreement in case they are saying something crazy.

It is super pretty here. There is a lot of trash just around in the streets, though. It was kind of funny the other day in a lesson, my companion asked this older lady if she had a place he could throw away his soda can. She said yes and took it and then gave it a great heave into the bushes. I had to try really hard not to laugh.

We do a LOT of walking. I would guess at least 6 miles a day. I always come home super tired, but I guess that means we are working hard, so that is good!

One final thought is from my favorite Spanish hymn. It is called Si La Vía es Penosa. Roughly translated, the chorus says this:

Don't take a break from fighting. Stay firm in the fight. God will send rest to those that fight in the battle.

I like that thought that we have to work and fight to really receive rest and peace.

Keep fighting.

Elder Harris

Included are pictures of my Wendy's, some pan dulce (I ate like 30 of those because we bought way too much for a family night), me mixing it up with the glasses and calculator watch, and some random others.

(A sweet lady in our ward would often give Abe a candy bar when he brought the sacrament to her home. Before he left for his mission she sent him a card with money to buy a candy bar from her on his mission. The picture above is Abe with those candy bars.)