Flag of Santa Cruz

S

Jan 19, 2015

Well it happened I was split from Elder Woolf.  He got sent down to Bermejo, the southern tip of our mission, on the border of Argentina.  My new comp is Elder Evenson. He is from Idaho. He is 20 years old and is going home this year in November.

This is also the flag of Santa Cruz. They are called Departmentos here.  Each department is like a state. Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Tarija, all the big cities. Each has a Gobierno or Governor.

Elder Woolf did not want to go to Bermejo. The one place he didn’t want to go he told me. I kept saying, yeah if I go to Bermejo I’d be good cause I have friends there, and he would respond with no way.  Haha Karma.  It is the hottest area in our entire mission.  The Branch president in Bermejo is the guy we met in Utah before I left.   Yes he took a plane to Tarija and then a three hour trufi ride. Basically a trufi is a taxi but with a set route like a bus. The road that he took to Bermejo was like riding a roller coaster with a full stomach.   I just don’t like walking around in the humidity.   Yes we are still walk everywhere in our area. We only take the bus to get to our zone meetings and internet. And Hipermaxi which is the super market.   Cafe is the internet.  I still eat shakes in the morning and lunch at the pension.  I have heard from Peruvians that the missionaries in Peru get a pension for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!!!  Wow I am down here starving and sweating off everything. I am so hungry.  Makes me appreciate my food back home and how easy it is to get a lot of food.  We are eating In-n-Out my first day back.   We have money to buy food but there really is not enough time in the day.   Maybe I am supposed to learn something from this but I will work through it. 

Yes please Come and pick me up. I have already told the members here that I am going to bring you guys to visit them. They would love that. Then after we can go to La Paz and see the old temple that dad wants to see. Then the new temple in Cochabamba to do a day of temple work. I will guide you guys through it ok?

I was sick for three days in a row about 5 weeks ago. I think that it was all the mangos I ate in two days. We don’t have mango's in the States like this so my body was just adjusting.  After every lesson that week we ran back home to poop.  lesson, bathroom, lesson, bathroom.  It was so funny. Both me and Elder Woolf had it. But since then I have been good.

I don’t have to do my own wash either there is a sister here that washes for us. We just never have time in the day to do it. She is awesome though.

This is a forro, or case for my scriptures I will be getting my own soon.

4 am saying good bye

new comp

Jan 12, 2015

First thing my package got to me today so yay!!!!

When they make an area bigger all we have to do is walk a lot further. It takes 45 minutes walking, to cross my entire area. Huge, I know.

It has been really great here. How is everyone?  tell Kelly, my soccer skills are really good right now. I can stall forever and I can juggle for a good while too. We have a ball in our house so I am practicing everyday little by little. I hear that everyone is playing sports.   How’s your Book of Mormon reading coming along too? I read the BoM in 4 weeks in the MTC with only one hour a day. I am challenging you guys to read it in 3 weeks. 6 weeks for the girls. Kelly when you have down time, sit with the girls and read with them. Maybe they won’t understand and you can begin teaching. It is good preparation for a mission. I wish I had known more about the BoM because sometimes I wish I could share more and more with these people. These are real children of God. Their lives are not very good here. There is 5x the amount of temptations here. There are no rules on censorship. Kids are drinking beer at 14 and working at 13. Kids grow up here so much faster. It is a country that doesn’t focus on the family and it makes me very sad to see this every day. I miss you guys, my family, so much everyday and I miss all of the good times we always have. We were always together. Here it is live and work. There is nothing else. Very, very sad.  Strengthen your testimonies now because the USA is not a safe haven either. Satan wants everybody to be miserable like he is. I know that God lives and loves us more that we can even comprehend. I have studied the BoM from cover to cover and have absolutely no doubts that it is a book from God. Every time that I open it I get a big smile because I know of the promises and blessings that it brings. I am very grateful for my mission call. I have been given this opportunity to bless the lives of my brothers and sisters here. I will receive blessing if I work hard every day. I know that you guys are receiving blessings for my service too. I love you guys so much. I hope that God continues to bless you and I leave my testimony with you guys in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Never Lose your faith in Christ. He will never lose faith in You.

This is our new district after transfers

Jan 5 2015

       Dear mom, the package has not arrived yet but all is well. Sounds like you had a very busy Holiday Season. I never really liked running around at Christmas. I enjoy peace. I have had so much peace in my life these past 4 months. It´s the greatest thing in the world.  We have cambios (transfers) next week on Wednesday. I am a little nervous for it because I might be leaving or Elder Woolf will be leaving me. My 12 weeks in the mission field, or my training, ends next Sunday. Then I will be an old guy. We are losing about 50+ missionaries in these next 2 cambios and almost nobody new coming in. Probably only 10 or so new guys. They are closing a lot of areas like mine was because we don´t have enough missionaries and every area is getting bigger.

       Yeah we had our baptism yesterday and it was beautiful. The mom and her daughter got baptized. Her husband took time off from work to come watch. That is not an easy thing to do here. Practically impossible!  But he did it. He has a few problems with the Word of Wisdom but loved the baptism and has accepted a baptismal date for the 31 of January. He is a great guy.

       To tell you a little bit about the cars here, they stink. hahaha  Every car here is a Toyota from 1990´s and every single one is a manual transmission.  They have holes through the metal and basically I describe them like this, metal fridges on 4 wheels.

       How is my Spanish? Could you hear me on Christmas?  I am learning some Portuguese too. I love it here. I just had an epiphany last night. When I have 3 months left in the mission, Kalin Johnson will come home. He has 1 year and 5 months left and I have 1 year and 8 months left. When I look at it like that it doesn´t seem that long. I actually had a heart attack last night when I thought of that. Oh my gosh I don´t have much time. I actually wanted to start my mission over. Wow how time flies. 

        Well I am really tan now. Everyday in the sun and my arms are getting kinda dark. I don´t know if they are darker than Tracee or Kelly but they are dark for my skin. I love you so much mom. 

Always, Elder Kalen Indiana Jones

 Elder Bennett and Smith from CCM at 2nd Zone Conference 

These are Salteñas and they are the best thing in the world. They are filled with shredded chicken, juice and the bread is amazing. Elder Woolf is going to open a Salteñaria when he gets home cause we don´t have these in the States.

This was a hot dog and cake meeting with the bishop. It was so good. I think the hot dogs were chicken or something. They weren´t normal like at home

This was lunch with a member on Christmas Eve day. Rice, pollo picante and chuño. I hate chuño. Tastes like toilet paper just like Darrel said. The chicken was great tho

Jeni and Natalia

This is us lounging in a brand new hamaka from Christmas at a member´s house during a visit. So comfy.  When you guys come pick me up we are buying 2 or 3. 100 bolivianos each. That´s 14 bucks in American money. Plus they are huge

Dec 29, 14

How was your last 4 days? I am doing great and with this Sunday that just passed, we will be having a baptism this coming Saturday and I am super excited. How is everyone? Tell me what happened on Christmas and don´t forget to email me about your New Years.   I know you can't send packages but your letters can get here fast through email please send me some....

Dec 25, 2014 Christmas Day!!!

We had a wonderful visit with Kalen via Skype today.  He spoke about his companion and the area and the people he was teaching.  He even had a baptismal interview later in the evening, always doing good work.  He is happy doing the Lord's work and loves serving a mission.  We enjoyed our short time with talking and hearing his stories.  His Spanish is coming along very well and he was able to share with his uncle and dad a door approach all in his newly acquired language.  We are grateful for the blessings of the gospel and that Kalen has an opportunity to share it with the wonderful people in Bolivia.

Dec 22, 2014

No my package is not in my hands yet but it's alright. Ok so some more info on the transfer. Two sister missionaries were taken out of the area called La Pampa because it became dangerous there for the sisters. They then put the two Elders from my district there. Oh well. The sister are alright. The work is going great and we are going to be baptizing for the next three weekends. I am very excited. We have a family named La familia Sucasaire. The mom Yhanet (Janet) and the daughter Natalia. Yhanet's brother Gerson is also progressing too.  We are having a meeting tomorrow as a Zone. Zone Conference, where everybody from Santa Cruz comes and we have a giant meeting for three hours or so. Then we have a District meeting on Thursday, Christmas. The family from Caroline's house we met before I left lives in Bermejo. That is a plane filght and a car ride away. The most southern tip of our mission. Very far away from me right now. But I could get sent there who knows.   Have a Merry Christmas and I will call on Skype.  Love you all