2015-5-18 Q and A

So, as we said last week, Rob thought a little Q and A would be good to send for writing his weekly posts.  Here's the first one!

Q:  What’s up with Edgar and Mary?  (We still pray for them each night during family prayer!)

A:   Edgar and Mari... Well, more or less, to be honest. Mari is doing well. She's been sick recently, so she hasn't been able to come to church, but she seems to have a strong desire to come back (less active member for a long time, had problems with her ex-husband and left the church a while ago). Edgar, her boyfriend, has been working a lot recently, so we haven't been able to see him recently. I think he'll get baptized one day, but I don't think it'll be while I'm here. Thank you for your prayers! It means a lot, and it also helps a lot. We actually heard that he got injured at work, not anything serious, but it might mean that he'll be let go. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but his work's been a large impediment to our teaching him, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Much more likely would be a woman named Ángel. Please pray for her to feel that desire to get baptized! She's progressing, but slowly. And that Itzel can have the means to get married. It's super difficult here to get married, and so many couples are living in "uniones libres." That is to say, living together, often with kids (even grandkids) and aren't married.

Q:  Are you learning any Nahuatl? Did I even spell that right?

A:   Náhuatl... A few phrases/words, but not a whole lot. Here in the port there's not many people to practice with. I'll have to wait till I get sent to the "pueblitos" (small towns, villages).

Q:  Have you been staying healthy?  Getting used to the heat? (Somebody else was talking about how their missionary was someplace very hot and humid, and felt like they weren’t taking it very well.)
A:  Yeah, I've been pretty healthy, although I do sweat a lot (although not as much as my companion although he's from a place even hotter than here).  And, I drink a lot of water, and use a lot of sunscreen...most days...I wonder, every so often, what it'll be like to return to Washington (and then Utah) in the fall and winter.  Different.  It'll be different.  It's over ninety degrees right now, and like I told you on Mother's Day, it's gotten up around 105 a few days.  And it's going to get worse.  But we've started to take a vitamin/supplement thing called "complejo B," and it also is supposed to be good for keeping away the mosquitos, so they've been bothering me less.  Almost not at all, actually, so I can't complain.  But no, the heat's fine.  I actually thought it would be a lot worse/more difficult than it is, haha.  We just always ask for water when we enter a house, and we carry around little towels/washcloths for the sweat.

Q:  Did you try David’s suggestion of a sail and a bike when El Nortes blow through on p-day? (kidding. J )
A:  No answer from Rob

Q:   Are you getting any chance at all to use your piano and vocal gifts? 

A:   Piano and vocal "gifts..." Not so much, actually. Not at all, actually. I've touched a piano fewer than five times since I came here, I think. That's probably one of the things I miss the most, actually. In fact, just yesterday after the church service we were in the sacrament hall and I sat down at the piano and played a snatch of a hymn, but then I stopped, closed the piano, and left. I notice how much I miss it when I play, and it's actually easier not to play at all than only have a couple of minutes once in a while. I like having sheet music, though. I can "play" the songs in my head and hear them, and feel them, without having to be at a piano. And, I'm sure that in the future I'll be in an area where they need piano players and have a piano, and I'll get to play a little.

Please keep sending photos.  We LOVE them!!

Q:  Did you know you are a very awesome missionary? 

A:  No answer from Rob.