Año - my year mark

Although I remembered to put that I finished an año  this week, doesn't mean it's been on my mind. Actually, I nearly forgot. I was reminded 3 times this week. But, it made me think about how I'm spending my time, and more about how I've spent my time in the mission in the past. It really is shorter than it seems.

With respect to how the area is doing, we've got a couple fechas and we've got a couple progresando. One thing I've really learned is that an area is only as pailas as the missionaries in the area. Just like Centennial was pailas [Pailas would mean something like maybe hopeless or a lost cause] until Elder Mazankowski got there, I've seen the same thing here. Envigado was pailas until my last cambio and when I left there was baptism almost every month. Here in Álamos we haven't had a convert baptism since November, but before the end of the year we are hoping for 2-5. The prejuicios [prejudices] of people really messes stuff up.

Yesterday was the elections in Colombia. Not for the President, but for governor and consejos [councils] and all that. But, we couldn't be in the streets starting after lunch and so you could say we didn't have a very productive afternoon.

Hey so update on my toe, it's the same as last week. Last Monday, the APs came to give (another) capacitación [training] about Como Apresurar la Obra de Salvación [Hastening the Work of Salvation] and found that Zona Armenia is already pro at Como Apresurar la Obe de Salvación because Elder Velazquez and I are the best, basically. But, Elder Opheikins mentioned that he had had something similar with his foot and suggested that with the next Consejo in Medellín I hightail it to Doctor Scholl's to get it checked out.

My chancleados feet
Flip-Flops!

Hey, funny thing with the elections yesterday. So in our house the roof in the bedroom leaks so we have the beds in the salon [living room]. So, being bored, we were people watching for a bit and there were a group of people who got really worked up when the elections ended because they weren't able to vote and were left outside. It just made me laugh because there wasn't anything anyone could do about it, but they just wanted everyone to know they were upset. Also there was un man y una gamín (Gamín is like a hobo, but it's used more to say someone who doesn't do anything, but more often just to say like some guy, or whatever like that. I think I'm going to put more and more stuff we say in the mission because I'm getting used to it. Also 'man' is something they say here. Este man, esa man, dos manes...) on a moped pitando [whistling] and blowing some plastic trumpet for like an hour riding around the streets when elections ended and Elder Velazquez thought it was a bunch of people, but it was only two.

Hey so I lost my USB this week and it's kinda sad knowing the stuff that was on there, with the pictures and music and stuff. The spiritual side is that the week before losing it, I had the idea that I should send all the best fotos home and videos just to be sure and so I didn't lose the stuff like that. It was just following the Spirit without being very conscious of it, which is how it normally happens. 

There's actually tons of horses here, you get used to walking down the street and a horse passes you. Normally with someone and a cart, but sometimes just strolling. This park is el Parque de los Sueños and the horses just walk around trotting or running and playing. One time Elder Velazquez and I were with Alejandro Oliveros (Pte de los Elderes) And Velazquez thought he was going to get trampled and the horse almost kicked a gamín.

 Me with some horses we were walking past Friday night. 

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

And another tidbit from Kai in a separate email exchange asking for more contact lenses.  I learned that since his prescription has expired he needs to get an exam in Colombia before we can get new contacts.  Here is his response:

I expect I'll make a scare with my eyesight there in an exam like I did in Sam's Club the other time. When people here complain about their eyesight, I normally lend them my glasses and when they pull their head back and exclaim that I'm super blind, I use the opportunity to essentially tell them not to complain and get to reading the Libro de Mormón.