A Day in The Life of Elder Paul

October 12, 2009

So Last week I had some requests to detail a full day in my life as a missionary, so I will graciously respond as best as I can, adding my own little expereinces that I have had this week.

So my day...
I wake up at 7:30. Yes, 7:30. Everything here is an hour later. Which is awesome for me and something I feel was divinely inspired for not morning people. So I get up out of bed and start the half hour of workout that we are supposed to do. My companion usually takes this opportunity to sleep longer or eat breakfast. I usually roll out of bed and lazily do my 200 situps and 100 pushups. I am NOT going to get fat on my mission. So far i think I have lost 5 pounds of MTC fat, and I am pretty good shapr from walking and constistancy in doing the early morning workout.
Afterwards, I usually sit and think about what I have dreamed about for a few minutes. Usually they are very strange and involve someone talking to me in Spanish that I dont understand. Last night I was a spider. Weird, but not really too random becasue since I have been in my new pension with 4 other missionaries, my companion and I have been sleeping on cheap mattresses on the ground which harbors more than half the population of earwigs. I find at least 10 every night and constantly have to check my covers for stowaways. But why I dream of spiders is because the only danger here in Chile is the brown Recluse spider, and giant leggy spider that is more deadly than a black widow. I wouldnt be as afraid if my comp didnt kill one the other night that crawled out from under my mattress. Hopefully I will be okay... hopefully.
So at 8, we have breakfast which consists of a bowl of Zucosos, or cheap Frosted Flakes. I really have gotten used to em by now, so its all good. We usually get to talk with everyone else and mess around, such as the case with 2 days ago, when one of the guys in our pension started throwing matches, in which you hold a match to the lighting strip and then flick the match. The match lights and flies somewhere around the room. Some vestigal part of my pyrotechnic scouting days resurfaced and Elder Stephenson, Elder Whiting, and I spent the morning throwing 2 boxes of matches at each other. Eventually I went in the kitchen to make myself a tortilla with butter, my favorite concocion of the mission. Five minutes later, I heard yelling from upstairs; "Im on fire!!" Apparantly Elder Stephenson had thrown a match onto an unsuspecting Elder Georgianna, another elder in our pension, who at that moment was sleeping. Elder Stephenson checked to make sure that it was out, but I guess he didnt check well enough. The fire ignited the sleeping elder´s blankets and when he woke up to the smell of smoke and a strange smell, he felt something warm on his butt. When He touched it, he realized that indeed, he was on fire. It all spiraled out of control and he ended up with only a couple burnt fingers and some holes in his mattress.
At 9, we start companion study and at 10 we have companion study. Then at 11 we have language study until 12, at which hour we pray for success and leave for the day. Then Elder Stephenson and I begin the long trek to our sector, which is a half hour away from our pension. We have to cut through a big field just to get to our area, which is usually covered with mud, and has substantially worn my shoes down. (see pictures) We then begin our work until 1:30, when we have lunch with the members. We have lunch, the biggest meal of the day, with the members usually, and eat pretty normal food. They like empanadas, eggs, and rice and chicken. We sometimes get insteresting meals, like yesterday, when we got mashed potatoes and steak. Excited for gringo food, I dug in. It was on the first bite that I realized that this wasnt steak. It wasnt very chewy, and had an almost fishy taste. Needless to say, I did not like it. But in Chile, I have learned to down whatever is given to me. When we would ask what it was, the couple would just laugh, and keep eating. Finally, after it was all through and we were eating an awesome dessert which is uaually just fruit, They informed us that in Chile they really like to eat heart... of cows... So yeah, I´ve eaten cow heart now. One of those mission foods that you have to have once, I guess. I just hope its not more.
After lunch we run from house house, trying to get people to let us in. Mostly we run by references, but we do about 2 hours of tracting as well, which is pretty funny becasue people here lie so much and so horribly that its almost funny. We have resorted to singing songs on doorstops just so that we can get in. Fortunatly, most of Chile is tone deaf, so they dont mind our broken voices.
Occasionally we get some people who stop us in the streets, most of which are wither the Jehovas Witness or the wine bibbers. The J dubs are our arch enemies and they hate us. Its kind of funny. The drunks are our best friends and it is also kind of funny. They do the funniest things and always seem very sincere. They always shake our hands about 5 or 6 times and love to kiss us on the heads. I dont know why... But they do. The other day i convinced one of the barachos that I could read minds, so he held his palm out for me to read. I told him that he was good with women and he needed to hear a message a bout Jesus Christ. It might not have been the most orthodox method, but whatever works. We occasionally get other weird people come talk to us, and occasionally it turns out really cool, like the lady who stopped us and asked us to give her grandmother a blessing. My companion asked me if I would like to give it, and I stared at him as if he had just gone insane. But I did it anyways, of course. The woman was catholic, but I felt so much love that Heavenly Father had for her when I placed my hands on her head. I dont remember much of the prayer, but after, my companion jut looked at me with his head cocked. "I´ve never heard so speak Spanish so well. That was a better accent than I have." Im just glad that I have help :)
We usually get to teach 3 or 4 people, on a normal day, and we get to drink a LOT of Coco Cola. I think I have downed more Coke here than in my entire life... Sorry Tracy, Im hooked now. We always have 4 gallons of it stocked in our fridge.
At 9:30, we begin to make the trek back through the field, this time in pitch black. There are always obstacles to overcome. Some days its a marshy part of the field, other days its the dogs that we have to throw rocks at. Its always different, and always exciting.
We hopefully get back by 10 and plan until 10:30. Then I shower, get ready, and we go to bed by 11:30.

So thats my day. Its awesome and I love it. I am loving this work and I will hopefully be abl to live up to the name that is going around now. Thank you for all of your love and support. I can feel your prayers with me every day.
I love you guys!
Elder Westover