This week was my second week here in Bolivia, and I had the chance to go on exchanges with another Elder in a city called Sipe Sipe.
A little bit about Sipe Sipe: It's a small town about 30 minutes south of Vinto and Quillacollo. Its up in the mountains and is very cold, especially at night. I was there for a total of about 24 hours. NOw, if you can imagine this, the town looks like downtown Kennesaw or something, but in 50 years with no rennovation. All of them buildings look like they are from the 50s, and there are piles of dust and debris literally everywhere. Basically all of the people there dress traditionally, with the skirts and all.
So While I was there, I was on exchanges with an Elder named Elder Rodriguez He is also from Colombia, and is a convert of 3 years. He is 25 years old, and is the hardest worker I have met yet.
In Sipe Sipe, we had the chance to teach a few lessons. Our first lesson was with an elderly couple, who's daughter was a recent convert, and she was about 14 years old. These parents mainly spoke Quechua, but they could understand and speak Spanish also. We taught them the first lesson, about the restoration. They claimed they were Catholic, but knew nothing about the church, and had not been in decades. They seemed very receptive though, and enjoyed our lesson. Afterwards, my companion asked them if they would like a copy of the Book of Mormon and the pamphlet. They told us they could not read. He asked if they would like one in Quechua, and they told us they also could not read Quechua either. We did not have the DVD player, but left them with some pamphlets so that the newly converted daughter could read to them at nights, and she gladly accepted. This was a very different experience for me because I have always assumed everyone could read, at least a little bit.
This past Saturday, we also had the opportunity to give service to a young couple from the ward. They are both in their early 20's and have one kid. The Hermano from the ward had been given a very old, non working car. I believe it is either from the 80s or early 90's, and is a Volkswagon Brasilia. This is the only car the family has, and it had massive holes in the floorboards from corrosion and rust, to where the seats no longer were in the car. My companion, Elder De Horta, worked a lot with metals and welding before the mission, so he was able to repair the floor. SInce I have worked on brakes a few times, I was able to put some newer brake pads on them, and we both helped install new window rolling mechanisms for the windows. It was a pretty good experience.
Other than that, this week has been pretty normal. We have our first baptism this upcoming Saturday, so that shgould be a good experience. My spanish has gotten a lot better in the past week or so, to the point where I can hold a conversation with almost anyone about most things, especially the gospel.
Elder Potts
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