On Tuesday night at 10 pm we received notice that we were being transferred to a new location as part of an emergency transfer. As we packed and scrambled to prepare everything for the new missionaries, we thought of all the possible reasons why we were being transferred. "It's because we complained about the food to the zone leaders, or because we arrived late that one time. Maybe we have 5 people who are stalking us that we don't know about" (the most realistic explanation). Our leaders assured us that if we had done something wrong they wouldn't have kept us together. So, we are in our new city (technically the jungle) and still together. Turns out, a couple of young men were in love with and fighting over the other missionaries, so they had to leave and quickly.
Open mouth, insert foot. We were at our first meeting with our new zone when I met all the missionaries, including Elder Delgado (his last name means "skinny" or "slender" in Spanish). Since Hna. Tepen and I had been enjoying the Peruvian food a little too much, the first thing I say to Elder Delgado is "Oh, Elder. I need your last name" (meaning, I need to go on a diet and lose some weight). As soon as the words leave from my mouth, I realize that they could be misinterpreted as a marriage proposal. No, I am not hitting on the elders in my zone. But, I thought, perhaps this has happened in the past. Could this be the real reason for our emergency transfer??? (ha ha)
The first thing I noticed in my new area is the heat. "The sun doesn't burn" my darker-skinned Latina companions told me. What they should have added was, "The sun doesn't burn my skin." I can attest that the sun does burn. I forgot to put sunscreen on my arms one day and watched in amazement as my skin went from pasty white to lobster red in 5 minutes. I'm not even exaggerating. But, I learned my lesson. And, I am going to ask permission to use an umbrella. The good news is that it is not hot all of the time. Every so often, it will randomly begin to pour buckets of rain, which cools down everything. Also, this is the month of Carnaval, which is one huge water fight. Kids stand on the corners with their water balloons and their water guns, ready to drench unsuspecting pedestrians or motorists, including missionaries. Hna. Tepen and I joked about how we will empty our bags of scriptures and instead fill it with water balloons, to defend ourselves. As that is not an option, however, we avoid the corners with the Carnaval participants.
I'm sad to leave my old area, because we were working hard and had people we were teaching. We also loved our zone (we were 8 and unified). I am sure that the new missionaries will do a good job in taking over the area. It's difficult to start from scratch here, but I am learning lessons in humility. We have accepted that we are here, and we are going to work hard and have success. Even though it is difficult, we try not to compare the areas, because every experience and area is different. Learning to accept change is part of life.
Oh, and in case anyone wondered, Hna. Tepen celebrated her first Kansas Day on Jan. 29. I sang "Home on the Range" in a western twangy accent and we ate chocolate. These things are important.
Hna. Christensen
