The "Japan of Central America", Tap Water & Cow Guts

Hello World,

Okay, so this week was somewhat interesting to me. Nothing too big or crazy, just interesting. As far as the week went, a fairly normal schedule, only on Friday we were in Ilopango (San Salvador) for a multi zone meeting with the president. It was pretty cool, there are always things I learn that help me improve my work as a missionary and make me more motivated me to do a better job each day! Those meetings happen usually every 2 or 3 months, I'm not exactly sure. 

I actually love going to San Salvador for meetings because I like seeing the city because it is insane. El Salvador is the most densely populated country in all of Central America, it is super tiny and there are just a ton of people here! So for that I like to think of this country as the "Japan of Central America". San Vicente is not that big, and for that it is a calmer place and for that it is much easier to find people to talk to and all that. But in San Salvador the way things are just blows my mind. The houses are all so tiny and so packed together and the streets are crowded with hundreds of buses  Here there are not any of those sound ordinances or pollution guidelines on vehicles, so all the buses are super loud and pollute like crazy. When I was in Ilopango on Friday the sky was grey from all the bus pollution, fortunately its not like that in San Vicente because there is only one bus route and nobody goes anywhere.

So we are still here without any water coming out of the tap. When Chris came home from his mission I remember him being amazed that water actually comes out of the tap every time he opens it. Chris, I can totally relate to that feeling now! About twice a week in the early morning the water comes back, so we always leave the tap to the pila opened so we can have water to bathe with. As far as drinking water, the only Central American country with safe tap water is Panama (because the  gringos who dug the canal also set up the water system in Panama while they were there). So here we aren't supposed to drink the tap water, but I know I have drunken it a million times, its unavoidable, but when it's us in the house, we buy 5 gallon bottles of purified water to drink. Many times the people offer us a "fresco" which is their homemade fruit juices, and that is almost always made with tap water, so whatever. 

So this week we are teaching a great family that is super excited and all. We think that they will be able to be baptized soon enough. The other day we were in a lesson with them and the little girl was told by her mom to go feed the pigs. So the girl got up and brought out a bucket filled with cow guts. Everything from intestines to hearts and kidneys, she had it all. She just spilled all the guts on the ground and the pigs went nuts. It was like one of those things you see when sharks go nuts eating a piece of meat, but these were pigs. Probably the gnarliest thing I have seen in a while. So it turns out that the dad of the family works at the nearby slaughter house, so he gets to take home as many of the cow guts as he wants to feed his animals... interesting. As far as teaching them goes, all is well, they are accepting very well all that we teach and hopefully will follow through with the goal baptism date in march!

So that's about all I've got for now to share with you. I hope that you all continue having a great week.

Love,

Elder Joshua Vaughan

No Water, Pirates & Obedience

Hello World again,

Well this week was pretty good, definitely much better and more eventful than the last! So this week we had planned a baptism for Saturday, so that morning we went to the church to fill the font and there was no water in the church, like, really there was no water anywhere in the whole city because the water company "ANDA" has been doing some hardcore cleaning and maintenance in the water system, so all week we have had no water and we won't have some water for quite some time. In our house we have this thing called a "pila" its just a huge cement box behind the house that we fill with water so we can "shower" when there is no water, its pretty sweet. So with the baptism we had no water to fill the font. All day we were running around talking to all the people we could who could possibly help us find a place or fill the font for the baptism. So with the help of the District Prez (we're too small to be a stake) he made a million phone calls (which here you pay per minute on the phone, phone plans don't exist) to many members and other people he knows to help us find a solution! After about an hour of phone calls we remembered that there is a less active sister who lives 2 blocks away from the church who has a swimming pool! So after all morning and most of the afternoon we finally found the solution!

I would totally send you some pictures of the baptism and stuff, but the computers here in the church have viruses and our branch president is blaming us for using our cameras and USB drives, I really don't believe it since all the members here use this place as their personal cyber cafe to download pirated music, movies, PlayStation games and etc. Here in this country the people live off of pirated media, original copies of movies, music, and games just don`t exist. Its funny. I have explained to people that the church doesn't support pirating, but nobody believes me and it is the only way to obtain media here!

Anyways... Although this week was eventful... nothing else comes to mind that I would like to share with you.... Sorry for being lame. Well, this week should be just as great, we don't have any more baptisms planned this week, but we have some wonderful investigators and families we are teaching. It seems that right now the members are helping us more than ever with the missionary work, and I know that the level of help we receive is directly connected with the level of obedience that we live.

Well that's about all! I am excited to continue working this week! I hope that you are all having a great time as well!

Love Elder Vaughan

Working Hard, Teaching English & an Investigator from Germany

Hello World!

So another week has just happened here! This past one was even better than the last! Right now we are working really hard and we are finally seeing the fruits of our work come up in these past few days!

Yesterday in church we had a few surprises, we had a total of 5 investigators come to church yesterday! Two of them were current investigators who we are already teaching, and the other are new investigators that were brought to church by the members! So this week we are really excited to start teaching them because as any missionary knows, the best way to find and teach investigators is through the members. Now that we are receiving more support from the members we will for sure have some more success!

So being a trainer so far is pretty cool up until now! Its harder because I have to be a perfect example in everything I do, but it is better that way! I wouldn't mind training the rest of my mission, it helps me be more motivated!

Also at this point I know Spanish pretty well compared to 6 months ago when I first got here, I don't have to worry too much about my language study. So now I am teaching my companion English, as it is highly encouraged of the Latino missionaries to learn English here so that they can have more job opportunities when they get home from the mission. So I am enjoying teaching him English as well! I have really learned how strange English is since I started teaching him English!

This coming up Saturday we will be having a baptism! An 18 year old investigator named Jenifer will be baptized! She is actually from Germany, and is just here in San Vicente until March to visit all of her family for a time. And we found her and we are teaching her! This will be the first baptism in quite some time here in our area! We are really excited!

So that's about all that we have got planned for this week, and not too much happened this past week. We are excited to continue working hard! I really enjoyed hearing from all of you! I can't wait to talk again next week!

Love,

Elder Joshua Vaughan

Another South American Comp, Training & a Family Reunion

Hello World, 

Well here we are starting another change in the mission, and this time I am training!! The president called me Tuesday morning to tell me that the following day I would be training!! It's crazy how fast things happen here like that. Well I am with Elder Flores, yes another short South American! I am probably going to be one of those missionaries that only has Latino companions the whole mission and later forgets how to speak English!! I sure hope not.

So far it has been great training, not as hard as I thought it would be, but still a big responsabilidad! I always tell him that I am still somewhat new to the mission and that he probably has lots of ideas to help me learn as well! It is going to be a great experience training him here! 

At the end of this training period, which ends in March I think, I will for sure be leaving San Vicente. I have already been in this town for almost 6 months, so my time to go is coming soon! I will be sad to leave this place because I have made some good friends among members and even a few non members!

But for now I am still here for 2-3 months more! We are excited to be working hard here! I like being the senior companion for once because I don't feel like such a baby compared to the other missionaries. Even though I am still relatively young in the mission I have been here for quite some time! At the end of this month I will be hitting the 8 month mark, almost one third the way done!!

Well I don`t have too much else to report this week. Things have been pretty hectic with all of the changes and starting to be a trainer! I am going to attach a photo below, a "Four Generation" photo that I took with my trainer, and my trainer's trainer and with my hijo. My hijo is the Latino with glasses and the tall gringo is my Grandpa! It was sweet having a short family reunion at the change meeting on Wednesday!

Well that`s all for now! I hope that you all have a great week, talk to you all then!

Love,

Elder Joshua Vaughan

Cojutepeque, Liahona Mag & Packages

Hello World!

First of all, sorry for being so slow getting to email today, we were in Ilopango all day for a multi-zone p-day, which is always a lot of fun. Right now we are in town called Cojutepeque (freaking legit name) just to write and then we will hop back on a bus for San Vicente (not as legit of a name). So today we received word on the changes for this week! I thankfully will not be going anywhere in this change!! At least another 5 weeks in San Vicente (still not a very legit name!) And my comp who has only been here for 6 weeks is already leaving from here! I am very happy to stay here in San Vicente (yeah, still not a very cool name). One of the things I don´t like about this country is that half of the cities are named after the Catholic Saints. Separation of church and state just doesn´t exist here.

Oh, I have a random cool thing to tell you. In the January Liahona magazine, open the front page and there is a picture of two sister missionaries. The one on the right, Hna Rubio, she is a member of our branch here!! Just another random person that showed up in the Liahona, but this one I actually know somewhat well, pretty cool huh? She directs the hymns every Sunday in church.

Well, Jacob Thomas is heading out to the mission this week, I can´t believe that he is already leaving. Time is really starting to go faster and faster here!! At the end of January I will be completing my 8 month mark in the field, which is also the one third point. That kinda went by faster than I thought! I can finish this out no problem!

I don´t really have much to say this week that is interesting... Oh yes. I did get two packages from home and one from Grandma Little this week! :) Thank you so much for that! I am enjoying all of the treats! The fruit leather is a big hit, keep that coming in the packages! ;) I know that you just sent me a package, but there are a few things that I would like in the next one. But please don´t put together a huge package just for these things, just keep a list going for me somewhere because I know I will forget! I would like some mechanical pencils, mine are all broken except for one after these 8 months! I have the Papermate kind that are clear and have the button on the side right, I like them, but they are really big, so maybe some thinner pencils would be nice, 0.5 lead. Wow, there was something else I was about to ask for, but I already forgot. So I will let you know when I remember. Like I said before, do not send a package just for these little things, wait a while because these packages are expensive for you!!

Unfortunately that is all I have to say this time, I am sure that I will have a lot more to say to you this next week when I will be with a new companion! I hope that everything goes well for you all this week. I love you.

Love Elder Joshua Vaughan!

BYU Neckties No Bueno, Temple Visit & Praying for Changes

Hello world!!!

Okay, another week down! So this week was pretty uneventful kinda like the last week was as well! The best part of course was going to the temple!! We went on Wednesday morning and it was great! I am going to try and send some photos here! Here is a picture of my companion, Elder Omontes. Another super short, dark skinned,  South American! After the temple trip I realized that the ties that the mission gave us are all BYU colors, so I officially retired that tie after two uses. The president is such a die hard BYU fan, so he ordered those ties in his colors. Maybe I will give it away to some young man in the branch here!

So in the other pictures you have a couple shots of the temple, and also a shot of the stake center with some random tall building in the background... probably apartments... who knows!

This week was very uneventful week. There is only like a week and a half left in this change. I really do miss my trainer Elder Tenecora because he was the perfect mix of a hard working missionary but very hilarious and fun to be around. With him I even enjoyed the days when all the appointments fall through and we just walked across town 10 times trying plan A - Z. He just knew how to make the best of things and have fun with everything! We would have days where everyone is having so many problems in their lives and they all want us the missionaries to help, and by the end of the day we are just so mentally dead that we would just laugh about how ridiculous of a job it is being a missionary!

So I am really excited for the next changes this next week. I am hoping and literally praying that I can stay here and get a good companion who wants to work hard. I will be really sad if I have to leave the area. At the start of the change my zone leader told me that I will potentially be a trainer soon, and he said it all depends on how well I do in this current change, so I am trying hard to do my best because supposedly training is the best!!

Sorry for an uneventful email, I hope you enjoy the photos, and wish me luck this week! Talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan.

Making Papusas, Holiday Lull & Too Hot

Hello World!

I know that I said we were going to have P-Day on Wednesday, but they changed plans on us again, I guess our zone leaders couldn't make up their mind on that! Anyways I am here as normal! I was afraid that I would see an empty inbox because I said I wouldn't write until Wednesday, but fortunately many of you still wrote me!

Here is a random picture of how the pupusas are made! A family invited us over for a FHE with pupusas! It was great! Here is an action shot of Hermana Adela making one, then below is some flipping action on the flat iron grill!!

Sooo... not much has happened here since we last talked. These holidays it has been hard teaching our investigators, because who really wants to talk to the missionaries about the gospel on Christmas? So we really just spent a lot of time with the members around here on Christmas, and I imagine it will be the same today since its New Years Eve! This year has really gone by fast, so much has happened in what seems like such little time. Here in El Salvador it is strange because I feel like I am still in Summer, because it just keeps getting hotter and hotter every single month, until April when it hits the hottest point of the year! Mom, you sent me those snowshoeing pictures, that makes me so jealous because it's December and it just gets hotter every day, I showed my companion those pictures and told him that here in El Salv there is no such thing as cold, pointing to the picture and showing him what cold really is! When people say it is cold here, I just tell them that that is how the weather is at the peak of summer in Washington... if we are lucky! So after this whole mission thing I would love to live somewhere cold for the rest of my life, because I really miss the cold!

So  this week we have the temple trip in a few days!! Finally! It has been a while since we have been to the temple, it will be great to be there since it is something we only get to do twice a year now. I really feel bad for those missionaries who serve in places where there is no temple in the mission! I like how we have the temple here, since the country is tiny and everybody knows the new Mormon "castle" that was recently built, it is a great teaching opportunity for them!

Anyways, I really don´t have much else to report! I hope that you all have a great New Years! I miss you all and look forward to talking to you next year!!

Love Elder Joshua Vaughan!