Great Week

This was a really great week. 

So who is Elder Goycochea? He is from Lima, Peru and loves soccer and singing. He has one year in the mission and knows all the cool parts of the mission: Coast, Mountains, and Jungle. He is a great missionary and we get along. 

Also, all my health problems have gone away. It really stinks being sick, especially in the mission. That loss of this precious time can be frustrating. But afterwards it rocks because you realize how great it is to not have health issues. 

This week was a little stressful though. God has blessed us with so many great people to visit and it is hard fitting them all in to the little time we have in the week. There is a special relationship between a missionary and someone they teach. It is a kind of love hard to explain but very real. These people are really important to me and I know they are important to God. I do not want a single one to fall through the cracks or to lose interest. For example, this week Pablo and Estefani, this awesome couple we have been working with for 3 months, moved farther south. It stinks because they are really close to baptism but I won't be able to see that through. But it could be worse and a great thing about the mission is that all is expected is our best. The only stress in the mission is the stress we put on ourselves (and when we are not sure if we can eat all that pig stomach just given to us).

Something also I did this week was I have begun reading Jesus the Christ, a commentary on the life of Jesus Christ by an apostle. Very interesting stuff and I have been flying through it. There was a referendum this Sunday for the entire nation so we had to be in the house by 6 so I was able to read a lot of the book. Sometimes I think the author just invents words because man there are some weird words in that book. Luckily Spanish has a lot of words that help you understand advanced words in English so not too much difficulty in that department. 

Something I have felt a lot recently in the mission is hunger. Not just physical hunger when I got food poisoning but a hunger to do everything. I want to read all the scriptures, contact everyone, and be an expert in Spanish. But there is not enough time for me to do everything. I really feel how short the time on the mission is. It is scary but helps me work with more urgency. 

Also just my favorite thing in the world is talking to people. Before we start teaching we talk to people about their lives, their work, and their slang. I find the slang here fascinating and the people love talking about it so it is a great conversation starter. I love the people in Ecuador, even though some can be a little closed.   

Attached is a photo of an awesome dessert in Ecuador. You take the clear part of an egg (not the yolk I think) and whip it forever. Super hard work but it makes it seem like a pudding substance. Then add sugar and some fruit flavor and it is super delicious. I definitely want to bring that home. 

Also there are a ton of Ecuadorians in New Jersey. I have always looked down on the armpit of America but now I gotta go there so I can eat some Ecuadorian food. On Friday I went to buy some ice cream and the owner started talking to me in perfect English. So weird but really cool and he was very polite. 

Love the mission and love y'all

Elder Tucker