Oops, forgot the camera chord again. Looks like there won’t be any pics, whoopsy-daisy, oh well next week.
Hey tell Matt I’m so proud of him for his mission and everything and that I’m going to send him a gigantic package when I get home and while he’s still on his mission. And if he comes home early he won’t get anything!
All right, so here’s the what’s what. This week has been sweet. We found all sorts of people interested in listening to us and a lot of people who want to get their baptism on, but are unable to, due to their work. I say that because most people here are fishermen. For their work they leave for like a month straight, on fishing voyages. So ya, if everything goes well this next transfer could be my most successful I’ve had so far. Which is pretty cool because when I got here this area was pretty dead. There’s a tradition that goes around the mission that says that pueblos, (villages, NOT cities) are the hardest places to work because that’s where the people are the most traditional and don’t accept new things easily, but honestly I think pueblos are the best. Even though the people are traditional and there are less people than in the city, it actually makes it easier because everyone knows everyone. So if you’re ever looking for someone you just ask a guy that lives on his street and he'll tell you something like:
"Oh Rigoberto, ok go about 4 houses that way, make a left down the little dirt road and when you see the little fruit cart selling mangos you go 2 houses to the right and the house you’ll find has a green fence. Well, he lives in a rented room in that house."
Also everyone knows exactly where our church is. Its funny because everyone here knows it as " la Iglesias de los tios fresas" or the rich people church, because honestly our chapel is a lot nicer than the rest of the others. But what they don’t realize is that the members are normal people, it’s just that our tithing funds don’t go towards the preacher’s new BMW. (The local clergy, bishops, teachers, organists etc. in our church don’t get paid. They are all volunteers.)
Honestly the biggest houses here in Champoton are those of ministers and preachers of other religions. It kind of makes me a little bit sad about some of the preachers here. They go and preach from the Bible about humility in their little bitty over crowded cinderblock tin roof chapel, then afterwards they go home to their giant 2 or 3 story houses with 3 cars all paid for by the tithing of their congregation.
It’s pretty backwards world here. Honestly it’s grown my testimony that this (our) church is true. You can’t attack our church’s tithing system because literally no one personally benefits from it. It all goes to chapel construction and maintenance etc. and not to our clergy.
I don't mean to attack other churches while I’m here; but honestly, I’ve seen so many disgusting things from some of the hypocritical ministers. Sorry if I offended anyone; but if it wasn’t a problem, I wouldn’t have said it.
Whelp I’m all out of time,
Smith out
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