Week 13!

SECOND TRY SATURDAY!

I actually got my first baptism!  It was super cool.  I can't believe we got one so soon!  One of Elders was telling me he didn't get one for his first 6 months, so I guess I'm #BLESSED, hahaha.  I got to do the baptism, and it took me two tries, and it was Saturday (lol...second try Saturday) but it was really cool.  The water was freezing because we couldn't turn on the heater, and it was also green because we are in Colombia, where the water is whatever color it feels like being.  But the spirit was super strong!!!  Afterwards, her aunt (who she lives with) bore her testimony, and then she got to bear hers, but she couldn't say much because she was crying. What a cool experience.

Other than that we didn't get to do much, we spent two days of this week in norte, because someone lost my Colombian ID so we had to go get it. Which is cool, but it sucks because its like and hour and a half there, and an hour and a half back.  But that's fine because norte is sweet. I've decided that when we visit, we´ll stay in norte and just go visit the other cool places from there.  

I don't know if you can see from the pictures, but I got to meet Élder Parsons this week!  He is a nice guy, I respect him a lot.

My spirituality is great, I find myself praying for like 10 or more minutes every night.  It helps because I can see the blessings from sincere prayer.  Also, since they changed the mission rules, I have time to do personal study at night, and not just for my investigators.  So I'm getting a lot of studying done, because first I need to seek to obtain the word, then I can teach it.

We also got a new gringo in our district so that's been cool!  I'm not the newest anymore, haha, because he just got out of the CCM.  They live in our area so we get to see them quite a bit.

Other than that not much happened! I'm still convinced this is another planet, haha, but I'm loving it.

Also, we are going to the centro next week, so I will probably use the card, so just keep an eye on it.  Thanks :)  I love you.  Hopefully i will have some cool pics of the centro because its like a Spanish New York, hahaha.  Thanks for sending me pics and keeping me updated every week, I really couldn't ask for a better mom. :) I hope you know that i think you are the best.  I love my family more than anything on this planet...and my home planet...still not convinced I'm on the same world anymore, haha.  I love you, have fun on your 4 trips to Saint George since I left, lol. :) Something pretty crazy to think about, I've already downed 13 weeks...that means I have less than 100 P Days left in my mission.  I don't know how its going for you guys, but the time is flying by for me.  I hope you guys feel the spirit next week in gen conf, I'll be watching it too (in English, woo!) so in a way we´ll be watching it together.  I love a million.  Talk to you soon! (Only like one more month until we Skype, and only like 2 more weeks until your birthday!!) 

I love you like crazy, Mom.  I tell people all the time that I literally have the greatest family in the world.  I miss you guys a ton.  Talk to you next week!

Elder Sotoki, Elder Leishman and Likski

 

Week 12!

This week wasn't all that interesting.  But we did get to go to the temple today which was awesome! But what wasn't awesome is that we had to get up at 4 to go, haha.  The temple is pretty far, and we have to take a Trax kinda thing all the way there.  The temple is in norte, which I've decided is where we would live should we ever come to Colombia. Its a lot safer, and it just feels like a more tropical Salt Lake that speaks Spanish, haha.  Its pretty sweet.  We got to eat Subway which was pretty sweet also.  We were gonna eat at McDonalds, but that's too expensive, lol.  Its about the same price, but it just feels too expensive here. I can tell I'm gonna be a real cheap-wad when I get home.

I finished my first cambio [we think this means transfer] this week! Hard to believe that I've already been gone 3 months man. Time flies.  I guess that's okay because I wanna see my family again.  Elder Sotoski and I are both staying in Bosa, except now Elder Sotoski is the district leader! So that's pretty cool 'cuz I get to help him with those kinds of things.

This week we got to hang out with the Baragan family, which makes me happy because they remind me so much of my grandparents. It´s kind of weird, they are like the most American Colombian family ever, haha.  They are so cool.  They always make us arepas when we go over.  They love to just sit and talk, its awesome. 

We have a baptism this week! So hopefully all will go smoothly and she´ll get baptized on the 22.  Her name is Liksi and she's super cool.  She's from the coast, so she's a little difficult to understand but that's okay because she seems really excited about her baptism! 

[In response to asking him if he needs anything sent to him...]  The only thing I can think of is if you could send more ties.  If you ever find a floral tie, please pick it up, haha. I only have one or two, and everyone wants to trade for them, but they have too much sentimental value attached because my bros and my dad at home have the same one. ;)  I told Elder Sotoski that I would ask you to send one, hahaha.  

We also found a wing restaurante in our area we are gonna try tonight so wish us luck!! I know they will be nothing compared to dad's wings but we´ll see how it goes.

Love you like crazy! I pray for you guys every day!!  Talk to you soon!

Elder Leishman

Subway!  A nice little taste of home.  

Tanner said, "It was super cool to run into you in Colombia, Dad!  Wow, what a pleasant surprise!  Hahaha!  We were walking in the street and Elder Sotoski saw this sign and goes, "look!  It's your dad!" So I had to grab a pic."

Week 11!

Hey guys! Another good ol' week in the ol' Bosa!  We have been working hard this week to bring the word of God to the people of Colombia. I just hope that there are more people who are ready to hear our message!! 

This week we did a lot of teaching again obviously, but today we got to do some service!  A family in the ward (Familia Lugo) is moving today and they asked if we could help em out.  So of course we did.  We love those guys.  They are the family that we spent all P Day with last week because they made us food for Élder Sotoski's birthday.  So that was good, plus they made us food after so you can't go wrong there.  

More good news, while we were getting a new razor for Élder Sotoski, we found a place selling straight razors, so naturally we had to get some. So now Élder Sotoski and I have ourselves some straight razors...except I'm not sure why he got one...he's too scared to use it.   But oh well, its fun.  Also, he was hoping you might be able to send him some shave soap because he thinks its pretty cool.   Just if when you send the next package maybe toss one in there that the boys aren't using.  He already has a brush so he's set.  

Good news is, I'm alive and well.  Bogota is treating me well.  I hope the states are treating you guys well.  I've had a ton of people ask me about Trump lately, so something must have gone down, lol.  Love you guys! Talk to you next week.

Elder Leishman

It was a Pedialyte kind of week!

Straight razors! 

Week 10!

Hey guys!! This week FLEW by, and I'm not sure why.  But here we are at our next P Day!! So that´s been fun.  Actually it´s been super boring today, haha.  Yesterday was Élder Sotoski´s birthday, so I guess I´m just gonna let him do whatever he wants today...which is eat food, and talk with the members.

It´s super cool because here, the missionaries aren't a nuisance.  People genuinely want to be our friends, or at least it feels that way.  There is a guy in our ward named Michael, who served in Brazil, so he made us some prime Brazilian food.  We got to the house, and they had a Feliz Cumpleaños thing on the wall, and sang happy birthday in Portuguese for Élder Sotoski, which was really cool.  I feel like that never would have happened in the states, haha, people are a little nicer here.  

We have been teaching a bunch so that´s been good, and I feel like the language is still coming along...but these people are still so dang hard to understand, haha, they just talk so fast.  Dad says that I need to get a feel for their rhythm and that will help so I'll try to work on that.  There are just about 50 different accents in Colombia, so it might take me a bit.  I just need to remember that I haven't been out here long and that I'm definitely doing better with the language than other missionaries at this point in their mission.  

Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting, so obviously the missionaries had to get up and bear testimony.  Élder Sotoski got up and bawled his eyes out during his testimony, and I was like "Meh, I'm not much of a crier." So I got up to bear my testimony, and like halfway through, I started freaking bawling...LIKE WHAT THE HECK.  I didn't even know I could feel the spirit in Spanish yet, haha.  Who even knows if anyone could understand me.  Another Elder told me this week when we were talking about learning Spanish that "They might not be able to understand English, and sometimes they won't be able to understand your Spanish, but there is one language that everyone can understand, and that´s the spirit." So I hope that people at least understood that part of it.  

I also got my first package this week!!  Which felt super good.  I was glad to get it all in one piece, and nothing missing.  It was such a blessing that it all arrived, and I don't think it took that long either so that's good.  This week has been a lot better, and the homesickness is finally starting to go away (it'll never go away completely) but I think I'm finally getting used to being here. 

That´s funny Giovanni said that I eat a lot, because compared to the rest of Colombia, I eat like nothing.  Maybe he got me mixed up with Élder Sotoski for a sec, 'cuz the guy will eat you out of house and home.  But Giovanni is super nice, and super funny.  I've never met any one with the gift of tongues better than him, haha.  He can sit there and speak English with me, then turn and speak Portuguese with Élder Sotoski, and then go back to Spanish when speaking to his wife, in a matter of like 10 seconds.  He is super cool, and is very supportive of the missionaries.  

So that's about all the went down this week!  Hopefully next week is a little more interesting, haha.  I love you guys! Talk to you next week.

Yay!  He got his package!  With everything in it!  

These are Filthy Johns (in Colombia, Tanner is calling them Filthy Juans, haha!).  They are dollar store kid's sunglasses, and we have no idea why . . . but Tanner is obsessed with them - and has been for a while.  It is important to leave the stickers on the lenses.  LOL!  We sent him enough to share with others.  

We also sent him a bunch of chapstick.  Blue is his favorite.  

Tanner, why must you make this face in EVERY picture???