Outside of those open walls lived a peculiar people. They spoke a different language, wore different clothing, and ate strange food. Though from different worlds, each moment of her day was spent in the midst of those people. She taught them, she served them. They taught her and they served her. She fell in love with those people.
Some days were hard, fruitless, and seemed to be without end. Sometimes she was tired and simply didn't understand the hearts of the people. However, upon counting the victories, big and small, she understood that the work was not her own. It was the work of a grand and loving Father. It was a marvelous work which changed the lives of those that she had learned to love. She fell in love with that work.
At the end of each day she climbed into her high-hanging hammock. Listening to the ocean, thinking of the people, and satisfied with the work, she drifted off to sleep with a grateful heart and a simple smile.
Occasionally, I feel like I'm living a fairy-tale. I sit and contemplate this incredible experience that the Lord has blessed me with and am filled with gratitude. Obviously the cultural experience is right up my alley, and I enjoy every minute of it. However, even more so, I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to meet these wonderful people. I have loved people in all of my areas, but never before in my life have I felt such an all-encompassing and overwhelming love for someone like I do for the people here. My connection to them is so strong, and I can't help but think that they are all the reason that I needed to come on my mission. I needed to meet them.
The Lord continued to bless us this week. We've had unbelievable amounts of rain in the last two days (which is why I'm writing on Tuesday instead of Monday . . . solar power complicates things). We recently improved our water collection system to be even more efficient, so we now have all of our water jugs filled with drinking water. I started playing with some of our seminary kids during the last giant rain storm. We started out playing soccer, then it turned into a game of splashing and puddle-jumping. We had such a good time together. I think one of my favorite parts was when I looked over and saw one of the grandpas watching us with a giant smile on his face. I love playing with these kids.
In other news, this week I tried something called "cambombia". I don't honestly know what it is called in English. It's a strange sea creature that lives in a big shell. It didn't taste too bad, but our jaws were tired after eating it because it resembles the texture of a rubber tire. Yet another bizarre food to add to the list. All part of the experience I suppose :)
Unfortunately, the battery is beeping at me, so it appears that my time is up. I miss and love you all! Make it a marvelous week!
Go Forward With Faith,
Hermana Falslev
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