llamados a servir: A week in the jungle

So, I have been here in Tena a week now, and I am still stunned each day by this amazing place. On Tuesday, I went on divisions with Elder Molina and Elder Quiquivix in Puyo, and I was surprised by how temperate the climate was. There was a nice breeze and a few bits of rain in the day, but it just isn't the nasty heat that I always expected from the jungle. In Tena it is a little bit more toasty, but with a cool shower in the morning and at night, the heat becomes forgotten. Speaking of the night, we put the fan next to the open window to blow in the cooler air and just sleep on top of the mattress and sheet. I just put some shorts on and sleep in the open, whereas in Quito, I had a sheet and a blanket and wool socks on every night, and sometimes my thermal pants too... It is just so convenient here.

We went running one morning to exercise and explore a bit of the sector. We found a sweet little river and beach to go to someday to write letters. Also, on Thursday we had lunch at a restaurant that a member paid for, and we got to talking with the hostess, a native to the Oriente, about chontacuro, those fat worms they eat here. She said she loves them, and that she ate like 16 for breakfast. They always interested me, and I figured I'd eat one. She gave me a little guy to try.

Normally they serve them asado, but she said they were good just raw. Ever since I was little, I have always imagined those mandarin orange slices that come in syrup in a cup like the grubs that Timon and Pumba eat, and when I saw them here, I got excited to try them. Well, they really aren't that bad. There really is nothing bad about them, just the idea of eating a grub... It leaves a flavor in your mouth like the smell of the sawdust festival. They honestly just taste like wood, another childhood fantasy of mine (: hehehe

Eating the chontacuro

We had a family home evening on Saturday with a member, Hermano Cajilema, who lived in the states and was baptized there. He is a cool old dude who is pretty relaxed. The Guillín couple came too (other members from our branch) who live like 2 hours away deep in the jungle. They are more than 80 years old but work hard all week on their farm, then take the 2 hour bus every Saturday night and stay at the Cajilema house before church the following day. They are so peppy and have a lot of spunk, just like grandma.

Well, as for the work, we are focusing on 5 less active families with the Branch President. We have 3 of the kids from those families with baptismal dates for these next 2 weeks. The cool part is we baptize in the river (: Today we have to go to Quito for the Zone Leader council which we have at the beginning of every month to talk about the results from the previous month. We will be back here on Wednesday, work a bit, then we have a big service project on Thursday with the elders from Puyo, we are going to harvest cacao, and a long zone training meeting. Then on Friday I'll be in Puyo for some interviews.

Well, I love you guys. Have a good week.

Love, Elder Blackwelder