GUYS! Geez, stop crying. I know, you missed me for more than a week; I
get that; I understand. There's no need to weep. *Moves to brush tears
away* ...Okay, sorry, there's a computer screen in the way. Maybe next
year. ;D
ALRIGHTY THEN! Well, that was a glorious
flip of the pages! I've now entered into what the Momo Missionaries call
the "Año Negro" (Black Year, for you Gringos out there ;P ). It is
called such because it is the year for which I will not see my family
for its entirety. ...But, because I'm a Dneek (Dorky Nerdy Geek, for
those of you who have not had a chance to read the "Dictionary of MKzing
Words And Phrses" [totally going to make that someday]), I started a
glorious revolution and changed it to "Año Blanco" (White Year), as it's
a year spent entirely in the service of The Lord. TAKE THAT,
PESSIMISTS! HA! *Shuffles in place*
Man, so many experiences...so many stories...so much to share...and for the life of me I can't really recall any of it. :D
Dominicans
celebrate Christmas slightly different that the way we do back in the
States. It's sort of like Christmas was a pad of butter that was spread
generously over a delicious plot of bread (mmmm...). The herald of this
hectic holiday is known as "Noche Buena" (Good Night), which is a night
of feasting (sort of like Thanksgiving, just a month behind). Because of
such, we missionaries had to be inside a bit earlier than normal, as
drinking often accompaies this celebration...and nothing says "target"
more than a couple of well dressed youth with heavy bags. Yeah. So, we
chilled inside starting at 8PM
for a change. We were going to celebrate the Noche Buena with our
neighbors (Dominga and her family, for those of you whom I Skyped)...but
they started a bit later than planned...like at 11:30PM. :D
THEN
CHRISTMAS! Like excited little children, Elder Thibault and I tore open
our Christmas packages, then basked in the glory of these little chunks
of home. After a time, we cascaded and met up with a swarm of
missionaries from our Zone, watched "Frozen" in Spanish, performed a Tie
Swap, then rolled home for the main event...the Skype Calling of our
families. *Crowd roars with excitement.* Indeed a rather glorious event!
Through means of technological wonders, a temporary wormhole divided
asunder the boundries of time and space, thus bringing my family to me,
and I, to them (to clarify, we Skyped).
A week
later, we came upon another likewise marvelous day, in which like a Time
Lord, the year would perish but regenerate anew. However, New Year's
Eve carries a bit more danger than the Noche Buena, as the celebration
is a bit more...insane. For those of you who have read FableHaven, it's
a bit like the Midsummer's Eve Festival. When the last few hours of the
year begin to fall, firearms are randomly discharged, cannons like
dragons breathe flames, and bonfires are set ablaze at intersections
throughout the land. Oh, and there's a LOT of drinking, which just adds
to the insanity. So, like the antepenultimate holiday, we needed to be
inside, at the latest, 8PM. We passed the time by playing cards and enjoying the remnants of our Christmas Packages, until about 10:30PM when we called it a night (mission rules). However, we set an alarm for about 11:45PM,
so as to actually behold the passing of the year. ...I also discovered a
hidden superpower that I'd never before known that I held, which is to
enter into a state of sleep so powerful that all external disturbances
cannot bring me back to conciousness. With all of the madness outside
(gunshots, explosions, insanely loud music, evangelists going crazy,
random people screaming/laughing), my brain finally activated this
superhuman state of unconciousness...insomuch that Elder Thibault
shouting my name and shining a mini-sun in my face did not so much as
even cause me to stir (Elder Thibault actually thought I died or
something, as he shouted my name about 15 times without any response).
...Then I randomly awoke at 11:58PM without any cause whatsoever. I guess my brain's just stubborn? :D
We'd
a cool experience two days ago, when we were talking with an
investigator named Stayci (who's progressed insanely, absurdly, and
gloriously fast). We posed the question as to what's really motivating
her, so as to be sure that such is for the right reasons (and not just
because I'm maddeningly attractive ;D ). She told us her story
(which was glorious on its own), and related how she'd a friend from
Santiago who used to be a missionary, and how he'd really motivated her
to learn more about the church (and was always inviting her to activites
and whatnot). The part that Elder Thibault and I freaked out about was
when she told us that she'd been trying to find out when the church had
its services, and how she saw us once walking by the school (where she
was, at that moment) and from the third floor shouted after us and asked
us when the church opened. After we told her, she said, "Cool! I'll
go!"
When she related this part of the tale, Elder Thibault
and I freaked out with glorious nostalgia, as we recalled that selfsame
moment, but didn't ever know that the girl who called to us and the girl
we were now teaching were in fact one and the same. We gloried in
seeing the fruit of that long forgotten moment, and how spectacular it
was to finally behold. Truly, it was a glorious blessing.
Alright,
now with regards to the handwritten letters! I want all of you to know
that I am indeed (and have been for a while) working on responses to
that which I have recieved, but it's a slow going process. At this
moment, I am still sculpting a letter to the Brasil Family (it's been
almost a month), but near to its completion. I wanted to make sure that
you all know that I'm indeed writing you. IT JUST TAKES SO LONG!!! :D
Here's a game to pass the time: count how many times I said "glorious" in this letter. ;D
Feliz Nuevo Año! (Happy New Year!)
-Elder Jonesy
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