Sleeping on the Roof

 We´re in a pretty big ward here. I guess there are like 700 people in the registers of the ward, but about 100 come each week. It´s a nice ward. The first week I was here I had to go up and give my testimony for the ward. It was a little scary, but I think that everyone understood me. I haven´t had to say the prayer in church yet, but I've prayed  in the members homes. I think my Spanish is improving a lot . I've been studying how to use the present subjunctive tense and a bunch of other things I didn't even know existed in Spanish. 

On Saturday night the lights went out. Apparently we haven´t paid the electricity bill for about 3 months, but we haven´t gotten the bill delivered to us either. Since the electricity didn't work the fan didn't work either so we were all sweating in our sleep Saturday night. To solve this problem last night we slept on the roof of the apartment. We moved the mattresses up there and everything. All of the houses are made out of cement here so we were pretty secure up on the roof.  It was much cooler up there, but I got bit a bunch by mosquitoes. Hopefully we can figure out the electricity problem soon, because I do not enjoy the heat. 

Man it has been hot here the past few days! I don´t think that I´ve ever sweat so much. It´s just the perfect combination of heat and humidity and walking to make me perspire. And let me tell you, it is not  very fun. I don´t mind walking all the time, but being sticky with sweat all the time is just a little annoying. 

Well last night I was complaining and being bitter about being sweaty all the time and the district leader Elder Barrios asked me why I was so "amargo" (sour or bitter). I told him that I was just tired of being uncomfortable. His reply was, "welcome to the mission". He told me that there are going to be times when the mission really stinks and when it´s hot and uncomfortable, but that I just have to enjoy it all and give it all I've got. Now this would have been easy for me to brush aside, but I took it seriously. It reminded me of a scripture that says, "wickedness never was happiness". The flip side of this would be that righteousness is always happiness. There is always happiness and joy in this work. I just had to change my perspective and see it. After I decided this the rest of the night was much nicer (and it cooled off so that helped me change my attitude too  Ha ha.

Transfers were this weekend. Everyone in my area is staying. I think that I´ll probably stay here for a few more transfers, I've heard that´s how it usually goes. 

Here´s a picture of our zone. Zona Sur. My companion Elder Sparks is in the first row with the blue tie. I would take more pictures, but I´m afraid that my camera is going to get stolen or something.