Off to the wild blue yonder

I'm sorry I haven't had time to write recently.  Things have been so busy.  Let's see, I've been sick a couple more times and found out I have parasites (again).  I'm so picky about everything I eat and yet I still keep getting them so my new resolve is to eat all the yummy street food I want and just take the anti-parasitic pills every three months to get rid of them.  Our Memorial was really nice.  We have about 20 publishers and had 68 in attendance.  I've been preparing for my pioneer route.  I leave in a few hours.  Spanish lessons went well.  I still have a lot to learn but I'm more comfortable.  I actually realized I was putting so much pressure on myself that every time I picked up the Spanish book, I'd get a stomach ache.  I took some time away from it, and reminded myself that Jehovah will give me the words I need and then it was much better.

Friends there are telling me the mosquitoes are getting worse so I'm going with lots of bug spray, longs skirts and leggings to go under the skirts for added protection.  They didn't have any Teach books so we were able to get a lot to bring to them.  I was really worried about not being able to communicate well but after much prayer, as sister in my hall decided to stay for the time I am there.  We will even be rooming together!  She's been telling the friends how nervous I am about my Spanish so they all decided to learn a little English from her so they can make me feel more comfortable.  They can't wait to practice what they have learned (so sweet!).  The three of us sisters will share a small room.  Fortunately, the sister I know was able to tell me there is no fan so I'm bringing one.  We were told to bring food with us since the local market is about an hour and a half away by bus.  Because of the distance, they shop once per month.  There is no fridge in the house so all I can bring is top ramen, spaghetti, beans, rice, oatmeal and a few other things.

Once per month they take a two day trek into the mountains to preach.  They sleep in hammocks and bathe in the local river.  Rumor has it, the next trip is this Thursday.  It's interesting to pack service clothes and think, "hmm what should I pack to bathe in a river?  My baptism shorts maybe??"  One brother said they are trying to get a group together to explore some territory that is only accessible by horse.  It's one thing to make sure your skirts are of a modest length, another to think, "Is this modest enough to ride a horse?"  I also know that the bathroom is outside.  Since it's usually dark when you start getting dressed, I borrowed a head lamp to make sure no creepy crawlies sneak into the shower.  Definitely a unique packing experience and I'm sure service will have plenty of stories.

I won't have Internet access but I will take lots of pictures and tell you all the stories once I return to my regular assignment in late June.  Feel free to look at some of the older posts until then.

See ya!
Nica Chica