My Week

Querido familia,

Like Marissa said, the letters are really cool to hear what is going on.

I received several letters this last Tuesday (including 4 letters and
a package from you Mom) and I think I figured out the letter system.
Some of the letters had been dated from about March 4 to March 15. So
it actually only takes about a couple weeks to get to Bolivia or the
Mission home. However, they then have to send it to Potosi whenever
they feel like it which takes a while. I only recieve letters or
Packages on the last Tuesday of the month during District and Zone
meetings. However Mom, no stamps have come yet so I can´t send any
letters yet. I´m working on that end.

I have used the Dazer II many times here, which has saved me. Whenever
I forget it, I usually have to walk with one strap of my backpack on
or a book of Mormon in my hand so I can smack the dogs that come up to
me. I´ve really only almost been bitten twice. However, just a couple
days ago, I dropped my dazer and it doesn´t function properly. If I
can´t fix it, I will send it back to you so a computer science person
can fix it. Lucas is doing good thanks for asking. He still follows us
around, which I enjoy because he fights or distracts the other dogs
just like my dazer. I found out that Lucas is actually a dog of a
recent convert. Apparently he liked the missionaries being there and
now follows us around.
My favorite Bolivian food here is probably salteñas. They look like an
empenada and are these cooked bread things with a delicious hot soup
inside. I also like pique machu or banana shakes. My not so favorite
food is probably chuño. They are potatoes gone to the dark side. I
swear, they take an ordinary small potato, sit it out in the sun and
rain for a year until it is ´´ripe´´. Which really means moldy black.
I also really don´t like the weird meats inside animals like llama
liver or cow brains (you get the idea).

Monday - p -day. We played futsal (like almost every p-day) which is
just futbol, but played on a basketball size court with these small
goals. It is fun and takes technical skill.
Tuesday - Rained all day (can´t wait until winter). Most of our
appointments cancelled so we had to find someone to let us to teach
and for shelter. Since we are the highest city in the world (and the
closet to God according to them), we get lots of cool weather. I love
the lightning and thunder storms. The clouds are cool. Nice sunsets.
Wednesday - Trip to Betanzos. Betanzos is a city 1 hour out of Potosi
and has two elders there that are in our district. Betanzos is really
nice and a little warmer. That is where I took the picture of the
sheep and the cool mountain. We went there because the numbers were
really low, next to nothing. Either they have a bad area, or the
elders have ´´fallen´´. In 3 hours time, we did more than what they
have done in the last 4 weeks. I don´t want to make this a numbers
game, but when the fruits of you ´´labor´´ are not producing, you have
hewn down the ´´trunky´´ tree so that a new one can grow.
Thursday - Everyday we have to walk by ''La luz verde'' to get to
dinner. It is acutally a prostitution place. And there were a lot of
snakes whistling, calling me over, and other stuff that I probably
will not mention here. Also, I get offered alcohol like every day in
that area. I pulled a Joseph from Egypt and ran. I had to act and not
be acted upon which brings me to my scripture of the week: 2 Nefi 2:26
(or 14, 16, or the whole chapter since it´s all good). I had to act
and use my agency for good just like in every other situation in life.
Notice it just says act. It doesn´t say choose wrong or right. Doing
nothing always leads to forbidden paths. As long as you are being a
good little girl or boy, your actions and decisions will mostly always
be guided and reasonable.
Friday - Just service, then work the rest of the day
Saturday and Sunday - Conference! I really enjoyed that which I
understood. About a fourth of it, I watched in Spanish, so I
definitely need a copy in English Mom, please. Did you guys see David
Archeleta in the choir of elders? Look for him, in your DVR. I felt
that a theme for the conference was families. And that the gospel
blesses families, members, inactives, and non-members. One of my
favorites talks was Richard G. Scott on Saturday Afternoon. He
answered many of the questions that one of my investigator has. This
particular investigator is a girl about the age of 11 or 12. She asks
hard questions!!! For example - So can I move that mountain with my
faith? Or she talked about voices calling her name, but no one was
there (I showed her the story of young samuel)? But this week, she has
been having sueño feos or bad dreams. Some were pretty intense. So I
like how Elder Scott talked about dreams, it probably helped.

Well, now that I´m spiritually boosted from conference, time to get to
work. Chow
-Elder Walker