San Marcos Earthquake, Dog Bite & Socialized Medicine

Hello people!

Well, its Friday again. Time is kind of passing by fast here. It is so weird to me that my time in the mission office is already closing to an end. It feels like last week when I first got to the mission office and all that. But I am ready to move on! I have until August 7th to train Elder Andreasen in the office and all that, then from there I will be a normal missionary in some other part! This change is short (only 4 weeks) which is weird, but I will be here training for 6 weeks with Elder Andreasen. So I will have changes two weeks into the other change!

Well, last Sunday there was an earthquake here in El Salv., a 5.6 on the scale, and the epicenter was in San Marcos, like a 5 minute walk from my house here. We were probably in the worst place possible for the earthquake, in those 6 story tall cinder block apartments that are falling apart. But nothing happened. Just a good shake that gave us all a good scare! It was really crazy because I heard all of the buildings shaking before I could even feel the movements. crazy stuff.

So this week has really been a crazy mix of unfortunate events. First was that small quake. Then two nights ago a dang dog bit my leg. We were in this neighborhood on the side of a big hill, that has a ton of small passageways going up and sideways and wherever. Me and my comp were climbing up a solid stretch of 300 stairs and then 6 wild dogs appeared in the middle of our path and started barking. In my mission I really just don´t get scared by dogs because in my experience they have never bothered me, until now. So I ignored them and kept walking upwards. Once I passed them one of them snuck up behind me and bit the back of my thigh. I immediately turned around and almost punted the pooch down the stairs, but it just ran off.

Yes, now you are wondering if the dog has rabies. I doubt it. But just to be precautious and all that, I went this morning to the local clinic to have a consult with the doc and maybe get a rabies shot. So we went. The government in this country is highly socialist. The service was terrible. terrible. terrible. There were about 200 people waiting in the clinic to be attended to, and in the one hour I waited, 2 people were attended to. So, do the math. The medical services are free there (socialism remember?) so that is why I was instructed to go there. But after I write we are going to find another place that will do it whatever the cost may be.

But yeah. It is really almost 100% positive I don´t have rabies because a doctor checked me up yesterday and the fact that my pants nor my garments were punctured, and that the bite is small, it really is not possible. But I will go for the shot just to be sure right?

I hope that doesn´t freak you out. I am fine, I´m not foaming at the mouth or hallucinating either. I am great! :) Umm.. so yesterday we had interviews with President Glazier, which I always look forward to. At the start of my mission I used to be nervous for them, but now I kinda look forward to them because he always teaches me great stuff to help me out!

Well that's my week! It has been crazy but exciting as usual. I am happy for pday. I don´t know exactly what we are going to do yet. but we will see.

Love Elder Vaughan

Sad and Excited, Training a New Secretary & Learning Sign Language

Hello!

So maybe in past weeks my emails have been kinda dull, because I felt like things were actually getting kinda dull here in the mission. But things are starting to get more interesting.

Wednesday was changes day, and I found out that I am now training a new financial secretary this change, and then the next change I am done with the office! I wasn't expecting to leave the office this change, which makes me kinda sad, but I am super excited at the same time!

First off, its kinda sad because I felt like I fit in well in the office, both with the people and doing the work. But I am content moving on to being a normal missionary. Sometimes in the office I just don´t feel like a missionary, it just feels like work which is weird. When I was first starting in the office I was so happy to spend the hottest hours of the day in an air conditioned office rather than walking around in the hot sun all day, but I am kinda excited to go back to the whole walking around all day thing, like a normal missionary!

So right now I am training for a period of 4 weeks (this change is only four weeks) and then I will be out of the office. It is crazy how fast time is going by. My companion is Elder Andreasen, from Redlands CA. He is doing great so far. This morning we had a meeting with the financial guy from Guatemala and my companion was participating and talking in the meeting as if he had been here for a long time. It was cool. So that meeting was all about getting us ready with our new bank account and transferring all of the files and what not to the other mission. Technically our mission (El Salv San Salv East) is the new one so we get all new stuff, which will be fun.

Since it has been changes week it was naturally hard to dedicate a lot of time to our area, but for this next coming up weekend we set a baptismal date for those deaf people we are teaching. It is super cool. We are learning the sign language well enough to teach them the lessons and all.

Well, that´s my week. Umm, stuff around here is always busy, but that's good, I am ready to enjoy my last weeks here in the office. I hope that you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Vaughan

Fever, 501 Things To Do & P-Day Not So Much

Hello again,

Well, another week has happened here. This week was not so hot since I kinda had a fever for a few days, but whatever. On top of that we have been super busy getting ready for the division in the mission and all that. Nothing too exciting going on. I am just exited for the division to be made already!

Like I said in one of the previous emails, we have been teaching a couple that is deaf, and we have been learning some sign language to be able to teach them. Since it has been hard to learn we haven´t been able to teach much, until now. A couple days we taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was a super spiritual lesson. They later on expressed their desire to be baptized and all that. We are excited for this chance to teach such a great couple the gospel.

Um.. well being in the office, having our pday on fridays is difficult because there are always 501 things that interrupt our pday activities, as if it were any other normal day. This morning we had to go to a zone meeting, so we spend a solid 2 hours of our pday in that stuff. It is just funny because at the end of each pday we don't even feel like we had a pday!

This next week is changes, the last changes meeting before the division, meaning that wherever the missionaries end up, is the mission they will continue in forever. So this week will be kinda.. well not stressful, just pretty intense. I am excited to see what happens.

Well I hope that you all have a great weekend. Talk to you next time!

Love Elder Vaughan

Mission Division Business, Time at the Temple & Work is the Greatest Remedy

Hello,

This week has been busy just like the last! Just a lot of time being in the office, I feel like there isn't much to report.

The thing that is keeping us so busy is the division in the mission. We have so much stuff to do. I have to do a lot of financial janitor work in the mission finance junk so that it is all pretty for the new mission. Hopefully this will be a somewhat relaxed P-Day for once.

This week we have been at the office pretty late taking care of all this stuff, which is not to exciting. But I kind of enjoy being busy here. It feels good to accomplish things.

Every six months we get to go to the temple, yesterday was that day. It was super awesome being there. The best part was the silence that is there in the celestial room. It is the most quiet place I have been in a long time.

Here is a cool quote that our mission president shared with us, that I find to be very true:

"If you are poor, work. If you are burdened with seemingly unfair responsibilities, work. If you are happy, work. Idleness gives room for doubts and fears. If disappointments come, keep right on working. If sorrow overwhelms you and loved ones seem not true, work. If health is threatened, work. When faith falters and reason fails, just work. When dreams are shattered and hope seems dead, work. Work as if your life were in peril. It really is. No matter what ails you, work. Work faithfully-work with faith. Work is the greatest remedy available for both mental and physical afflictions."

Work seems to be the solution to everything in life. I hope that you all have a great week working and all that. Cant wait to talk next week!

Love Elder Vaughan

New Mission, Ex President's House & Craziness

Hello,

So this week has been very busy (believe it or not). On Monday two missionaries from the Santa Ana Mission came over to our mission to prepare the office for the new mission. I know this may be confusing to you as to what is going on. To keep it simple, this week a million missionaries were here in the office trying to make all the necessary preparations for their new office. Almost every day this week we have been in the office until 7 PM, then the 1 hour in bus to get to our area, and one hour to do some missionary work. It has been crazy. My patience has been tried with these new office elders from the Santa Ana mission because they all are commanding us around in everything that we have to be doing which I don´t like. But that's okay. Now they have their own office and our finally off our backs!

This week we will hopefully dedicate a lot more time to the missionary work in our area. Right now we are teaching a family who lives in a fairly nice house. This week after the second lesson with them the lady told us that the house used to belong to an ex president of El Salvador! That blew our mind. And the ex president was her brother in law! I really love that kind of history, and it is cool knowing these kind of people here!

Ummm... I really cant think of much else to say, we have just spent a ton of time in the office this week!! This week we will get outside more for sure!

It really is exciting being on the second half of things here in the mission. One random thing I just remembered is that with the change of missions and all that, the change schedules are changing a lot, so the thing is that those who are in my mission will most likely be going home three weeks sooner than planned. Which means I may or may not be home in mid may, rather than the first week of June! So that's kinda cool, to have more time in summer to get back to a normal life and all, although my mission will be cut short a few weeks. That's okay.

Well that is all I got for now, I hope that y'all have a great week with all the craziness that is going on! Talk to you all next week.

Elder Vaughan

Downhill From Here, The Kowloon of El Salvador & Praying in Sign Language

Hello Family,

Yes, one year down! I guess I am not so green anymore! It will all be downhill from here!

So like I said last week, I had changes once again! I am now in a place called Los Lencas. It is located in the southern area of the capital. So yes this change does mean that I am going to stay in President Glazier´s mission. There are good and bad things about being in either of the missions, so I am content for whatever happens!

So this week has been very interesting for me. My new area is very different than the last ones. Just in case you lost count I am now in my fourth area! This area in very interesting in many ways. One of the neighborhoods that we work a lot in is called "El Modelo", ironic, because it is not a good model of how people should be living. Let me explain. They are some 6 story apartment buildings made out of cinder blocks and cement. In 2001 there was a huge earthquake and the government declared El Modelo to be uninhabitable. So after that all the people abandoned the apartments and the govt took out all the water and electricity lines so that people wouldn´t be tempted to live there. But, people who wanted a home decided to enter these abandoned homes. They set up a scrambled network of illegal water and light lines so that they could live there. So now El Modelo is a place where a couple hundred people call home.

It gets better, El Modelo is located in a bunch of trees and the buildings are all close together, so it is very easy to get lost in there. We refer to it as The Labyrinth. It is one of the most unreal things I have seen here. Have you heard of or seen pictures of Kowloon Hong Kong?? It reminds me of that a little bit.

Right now we have a couple investigators who live in El Modelo, and the best part is that they are deaf! So that means I am learning some sign language to teach them! My companion Elder Muñoz knows a little bit, and in my one week here I have learned enough to get around. Each Saturday the investigator teaches a free sign language class in the church so that all can learn, and be able to better communicate with him and his wife, as they are both deaf. Last night after teaching them about prophets, they asked me to say the prayer, or better said, do a prayer with my hands. Probably the coolest thing ever, even though it was super short and basic. I knew enough to do a decent prayer.

Well as I was starting this letter the power suddenly went out so we decided to go to TGI fridays and eat real fast. Then all of the sudden we had to take care of a few missionaries who have visas that expire today (Elder Muñoz is the migration/travel secretary) so we ran around for a while taking care of stuff. Fun day. But here I am now!

Oh.. the flying ants. The other day we woke up to find a ton of huge ant like creatures with wings everywhere! We later figured out that they are called "Sonpopos de Mayo", they only come out in may. really freaky things. Every step we walked on the street we crunched a couple of them.

Well that has been my week. Sounds like all is normal back at home. And by normal I mean, not. I hope that you have a fantastic weekend! Can´t wait to talk to you next week!!

Love Elder Vaughan

Moving Again, Best Friend & Crazy Stories to Tell...After the Mission

Hello once again!

Well if you read the title, I have changes again! About an hour ago President Glazier called me telling me that I have changes today! That means that I will be in the east mission now, not the west Belize mission, which is kind of a disappointment. I am not quite sure what the reason for the change was, he just likes to make lots of changes in the mission. So I will still be here in San Salvador working in the office and all, I will probably be in the office for a lot more time.

I am actually kind of sad about these changes because I just got to the area and was still meeting all the members and stuff. So now I get to start from zero again. In the following week I am sure that we will see so many changes with everyone as President decides who he wants and where!

So yes, this does mean that I will be in the East mission with President Glazier, which is cool because I will finish the mission with the same president that I started with! Another cool thing is that the east mission is so much bigger, is has some larger cities in the east like San Miguel and Usulutan. So with this change it looks like I will get to see more places other than San Vicente and San Salvador. The west mission is honestly really small, just the capital, a few other parts and Belize.

The other cool thing is that my new companion is literally one of my best friends here in the mission, so I am pretty excited for that part!

This week I had an interesting experience as we were walking down the main boulevard, but I should probably save this story for another day... after the mission. I am sure after the mission I will have a ton of crazy stories to tell. I was just reminded this week that this really is a dangerous country and that we need to always be as careful as we can! Don´t worry though, absolutely nothing has happened to me. The worst that I have had happen to me in the mission was Montezuma's Revenge, if you know what I mean.

Well, all is well here, crazy, busy, kinda stressful. But well. I will probably spend a lot of my p-day packing and moving again! I hope that you all have a great week!

Love Elder Vaughan