Lost in a Swamp

Family and friends,

This week was so good! We were grinding for the whole week, but then we got to Saturday. Presidente told us we could do a zone activity if it was approved by him (because, he said, nobody would receive us that day - turned out he was right: our only lesson fell through), and he approved our plan! (Well, it was the Sister Training Leaders who came up with the plan; we won't take credit for it.) It made for an amazing day!

We started out at 4:00 on a walk through the woods in the same wilderness park I had visited before, and it was a fun experience. Afterwards, we went to the Stake Center parking lot and all the Sisters cooked some burgers. It was novel seeing the women taking over the grill. XD We played with frisbees and footballs in the parking lot. Some other unknown people also came to the other side of the parking lot and set off some small fireworks, so we had some of that action though we weren't allowed to handle them ourselves. We even had root beer floats after dinner! It was one of the best zone activities I've ever had!

That night, we didn't sleep very well, because people are VERY into fireworks here. At about 11:00, we heard a firework go off nearby that shook the entire house - the kind that would be highly illegal in Arizona because it would burn down the whole Phoenix metropolitan area. It was definitely a cultural experience.

Then, on Sunday, we went to Church for the first time in forever! It was particularly interesting, as we did not sing at all, and those passing the Sacrament put on masks and gloves right before passing the bread AND before passing the water - they were required to change their gear after coming in close proximity with everyone else. We even met there a guy we're teaching, named Liem. He's 17 and REALLY smart. It's been fun meeting with him these weeks I've been here.

But today was different. We went frisbee golfing again, but we got to a hole that was a bit harder than the others: we started atop a hill overlooking about forty yards of reed-like plants, about eight feet tall, that would swallow any frisbee with no salvation possible; just beyond all that was the area of the hole. Everyone else was too afraid to go first, so I just sent it, chucking it hard and far. It went pleasingly far, but not quite pleasingly enough to please me as enoughly as I would have wanted to be pleased. It fell among the plants. Full of faith, I and another elder forged ahead down the hill and into the plants. Near the borders, there was a bit of standing water, but nothing much, so I just kept going. It started getting high enough to seep into my shoes, though, so I just gave up trying to be careful and plowed into the plants. I soon found myself ankle deep, and then calf deep, in quite smelly water and mud. And then, when I started to feel my hope fade a bit, I saw it! I absolutely screamed in in delight and in wonder at the miracle of having found it at all. It was quite the experience, and I'm glad I did that at least once, though I'll never do it again.

So, yeah, that was my miracle for the week.

Love,

Elder Hill

P.S. Annette, my mom told me about your comments and I'll answer them myself! I am serving in the Capital/YSA area, which includes those two wards. And yes, it definitely is the same zone! It's a very good zone, too, full of hard workers; which makes me happy because it is so much easier being a zone leader over a zone that works! As I write this I'm actually in the local Institute building with the Mahoney elders! One of them just got beaten in pool, and another of them is currently being beaten in pool. Wait, no! He actually just won by the other elder getting the 8 ball in the wrong hole! Pobrecito. XD

(Note from Lani:  Ben's cousin-once-removed Annette Fairbanks served in the Nebraska Omaha mission, and had asked if he is serving in the Mahoney area in Lincoln.)

Fotos: son de la zona, de las actividades en la playa, de las Hermanas cocinando, de mí y mi bandera. También hay un video de la pérdida de mi frisbee.