February 23, 2015

First Week in El Salvador

Wow! that was a lot of reading. It's all good. It was a lot because I had no time last week to read we had like 5 minutes to write a letter but it's all good. I miss the CCM it was so nice and air conditioned.  It's way hot here!  There are not many mosquitoes but we will see. I haven't been sun burned until today. 

Today we hiked up the mountain by the city. It was super beautiful but really dry. It hasn't rained here in like 6 months. People here are always burning their trash in the street or the sides of mountains or something who knows? It was super awesome but took a lot of the P day. Hopefully you got my pics and hopefully I can write a little more next week but we shall see. you guys were pretty accurate on guesstimating what I was feeling but if you have been their before it's easy to empathize. Man missionaries in the states have it way easy! It's hardly a mission. This is way harder than I thought it could be. As I said with empathize. Each experience is different but the same so we shall see. So the end of the CCM was good. Monday night our district went to President's apartment in the CCM and watched "Meet the Mormons" with president with popcorn and soda. It was way sweet! Sunday night president came to us after a devotional and said a man who works at the temple had a stroke and they need guys to give platelets. (Landon will understand) anyways we went at like 10:30 and didn't get back until 2:30. It's the latest I'll ever stay up in my mission.  Anyway we went and I almost passed out during the sample so i couldn't do it haha. 4 guys from our district came with us and 2 had too small of veins so they just had other people give platelets and we gave blood. I didn't give cause I didn't want to pass out. Another guy passed out haha it was all super good though. I found out I have B positive blood. Hopefully the man that had the stroke ended up okay. The whole time I was thinking about how I want to help this man I don't know and do all I can so I was bummed, I could give blood but I was thinking of Mosiah 2:17... only in the service of your God. We said in our district we came to spiritually save lives but hopefully tonight we can physically save a life. Anyway the bus ride went super well and was only like 3.5 hours. We got Santa Ana and street contacted a little then met the office Elders, had some lunch, and then we ate dinner at president's a papusa (of course) haha and some other stuff. My trainer is super good! He's only been a member like 3 years. But he works super hard. He's been an assistant for like 8 months--zone leader you name it haha. everyone at changes said they were super jealous cause he's like the best in the mission. I'm pretty lucky and want to learn all I can. The Spanish is coming along pretty well. I'm kinda useless right now though and feel pretty bad cause I can't do much and never know what's going on. It will get better though. Our ward is super good and they want to work which makes it way easy. I've had papusas twice and they are super good. ones with garlic and cheese are way good also! anyways hopefully i can say more next we. but we shall see. 

Adios 

Elder Hendricks