November 15, 2012

Hey all!! How is everyone doing??  I have to say I had a good week.  With all our sickness going on, it was nice to finally get a good week in.  We have people to teach, but just not as many as we used too.  Yeah we still are getting on track, but it just feels better.  I have to say that I still don´t know why I got sick, I don´t know why my comp got sick, I still have no clue why everything went wrong during those weeks, but what I do know is that the Lord is still with me.  I know that he still cares, that he is wanting the best for me.  I know that he wants me to find the answers to these things, he wants me to really search. He just can´t give it to me, I gotta do some work.

I have to clarify some things.  Today I got a letter from Mom, she was wanting to know what type of "hard" is this?  Emotional, expectation, or what?  I have to say all of it.  During this time when all of this was going on, I didn´t know what to do.  That was the hardest part.  During the first part of my mission I went through this same type of deal, when I didn´t know what to say or do.  But I had my trainer, I had people to help me get through those times, and I learned a ton by that.  Time goes by, I learn more, gain more knowledge of this gospel, things started to get easier, the language, the teaching...  When both our sicknesses hit, I didn´t know what to do.  That scared me, I didn´t know who to turn to or what to say.  My friend is in the hospital, I´m sick, our area is going down the drain and I am here... alone, with my mission leader trying to do everything at once.  Of course it is impossible to do it all at once.  Visit my comp, go to a lesson and all that.  It was hard on me, on my mind, my body, everything.  Soooo when I was saying it was hard, that is what I was saying.  I didn´t know what to do, I turned to my Lord and that´s all I could do.  My president couldn´t do a lot and others as well, they just watched me do it all, but I have to say I have learned a lot from this. I started to learn a lot more in my scripture reading and my prayers.  I have always turned to those 2 things when I am in my hour of need, and always, I have gotten my answers.  This past week I have been finishing up the chapters of Alma, good ol war chapters and things just started to make more sense.  I have to say, my studies have meant more to me. Also I have to say my man Capt. Moroni, Alma, Helaman have really been helping me through this.  This isn´t my time, this isn´t the time of Elder Laubaugh, but this is the time of the Lord.  I have learned that these things too shall pass, I won´t be stuck in this time for all eternity, that there will be an end, that I will learn from this.  I had really been in the moment latey and it´s been bringing me down, that ohhh nooo this is going to last forever, but it´s not, it will take some time yes, but it too shall pass.  That has helped me out a ton with this little problem right now.  We are both doing better, we are learning a ton.  Our bodies are getting better and stronger, I´m working out a little more and getting better. 

Well on to some fun things that have happened to me in the past week.  Well we have been helping a MA with a new house, we have been doing some service for him.  One of the members is moving out and is letting him and his fam live there for free.  So we ask if we can help.  He said sure and off we go.  Welllll what we didn´t know is that this house is bad... It´s not ohhh a little messy, it´s realllly messy.  Lets just say this fam is a fam of hourders.  They keep everything!!! It smelled sooo bad like something died.  So of course we get down and dirty.  I´m cleaning the shelves and finding weird things and old food and mold and all this grossness, but i have to say, now that house is alright, still needs a lot of work, but it´s better.  So yeah, it was a good day. 

Well on to some food things.  So in Madrid, I ate a lot of different things, as you all know. Up here not as much, a lot of octopus, pig, that stuff.  Well Naty and her fam love us... they feed us all the time. Well Flor cooks amazing food, yes good ol peruvian food.  mmmmm soo good! good ol papas a la juanciyna(spelling) its potatos, with this amazing sauce that I lovvveee!!! Then of course we get to have ceviche!! I loveeee ceviche!! yes raw fish that is cooked by lemon juice, yes it might be gross to you all but it is so good.  We had sooo much of that the other day!! AHHHHHH I miss Madrid!! I used to have that a lot.  Did you know that each country has ceviche, just made differently, I didn´t know that till a couple of weeks ago, pretty cool. 

But yeah it´s been good, still truckin along, but the Lord has really been helping me out for the past couple of days, well this past week.  Thank you all for your love, for you letters.  I love them! Family, I love you so much, keep on being great!! I love you!!

 

Love,

Elder Alex Laubaugh of Spain