Trio

I tell the short version. Pezo left to Manizales, the cold corner of the mission. They announced my comp as "el gran y poderoso Elder Reyes." [the great and powerful Elder Reyes].  Immediately, almost every missionary gasped and started warning me of what was about to come. It reminded me of when they announced Rios as my comp, but like the triple. He has a massive amount of fame in the mission for being one of the worst comps, and least obedient. 6 weeks left in the mission, and as trunky as can be. Not even wanting to get up in the morning at any hour. Also a mountain of other things that are things you don´t want with you 24/7. Basically, they sent him home before he ever got here, and the APs say that they´ll probably not send me another comp. En fin [In the end], I´m in a trio now with Elder Muñoz and Elder León working between two areas. I told more deets to Kenzie, so if you really want to know more...but it´s been a massive change in Cereté. When I left Envigado, Elder Bleazard told me that houses of 4 elders are cool, but one missionary can turn it into a detriment easily. I didn´t believe him until Pezo left. The change was massive. Starting the next morning, there´s been hardly any issues with obedience, and everything good is better. Not saying that correlation is causation, but it happened.

So, this week has been awesome. Trio is a bit rough, but we get along real well, and all have desires to be obedient and work hard. Pezo confessed to Muñoz that he didn´t have either of those desires. At least it´s cool in Cereté in one sentido [sense]. Last night, a member who works as a chef invited us to his home for Mote de Queso. It´s a traditional food from the area (the colombian coast has a massive love affair with their local cheese, fried, soup, solo, with dessert...) and it´s one of the most delicious things that exists. Basically queso costeño and ñame, but I don´t even know how it´s so good. I should of taken a picture, but I didn´t. Maybe next time. But this guy cooks real well. He invited us to a crab ceviche/cocktail the other week and it was real good.

Mote de Queso (Google images)

So, another change this week was housing. Really,  just in the organization. When there were two companionships, we used two rooms. But, now with one companionship, we have to all sleep in the same room, and three beds don´t fit in the same room. So, we took the beds and put them in the living room, but the desks in my old room, and use the other room as storage. There´s only three salones [rooms] and a small kitchen, but now the house feels a lot cooler as well.

There's a term we use alot in the mission "cortando cabezas" or cutting heads, which I think coordinates well with the term "making heads roll" in English. Basically, it´s the way to corregir [correct] people. Well, over the months, I´ve gotten really practiced. Having had my head cut off a fair number of times and having cut off a fair number of my own, it´s now something I do instead of just letting things fly. I made the decision to cut the heads off of the ward council yesterday and got congratulations afterwards. There were just a bunch of problems there, and I got on their case. I´ve been trying to focus on the leadership tactics of Jesus Christ. He cuts heads like no one else, but he has so much wisdom and love and humility when he does it. Sometimes, we try to cut heads off from above, but it doesn´t work. You can´t get to the neck to do it well that way. You should be on the same level. Interesting way to look at it, but if you correct people pridefully, they rebel. If you do it humbly, they follow. 

Hey, congrats to Talon and Maddy this week! I´ll be awaiting pictures!

Always Great,

Élder Hicken