Week Seventy Two

Instead of an email, got a message from Ralph today:

it’s insane, mom

got emergency transferred

mom, guess where i am now?

lol i got called as assistant to pres

now i’m in mission offices



yeah when they called me i was so bummed

having to leave everybody

i was counting on 5 months there

the APs called me thursday morn

i think or friday

so i had to pack my bags

we cabbed to their house

across town 30min


and this weekend was transfers

so we have been working crazy on transfers


my new comp is elder vieira

he’s from brasil

he’s the only member

he’s dope

Week Seventy One

Hey family,

This week was super cool, also super hard.

I told you guys about Cesar Martinez. He has become our best friend. We have been waking up extra early to go out and jog with him. Then we go back and eat breakfast with him. (EXTRA BONUS) He has an accordion in his house.

We had a contacting activity in the farm town Cota. One lady thought we were robbers and called the cops on us lolol.

I don't know. I think this has been my favorite transfer so far. I feel like I'm in my home ward.

Some other people in our area:

Perez Family. A young couple with 3 crazy sons. They had a family new year's resolution to find a new church to go to LOL. They came for the first time this week. We rolled up to Sacrament Meeting late with them. Felt pretty sweet to burst though the door. Bishop Romero flashed us a smile.

Cipriano and Melisa. We contacted them on the street last week. It's Father and Daughter. Cipriano's wife died a year ago and he went into depression. We had a really cool lesson with them

I feel deeper connections with people here. I am trying to improve on integrity. Like trying to be aware of my intentions. It's pretty sad realizing how often my intentions are stupid.

Lovin life though.

Miss you guys
Elder Blair


P.S. — You guys are about to drown in pics:

with my district at Don Alfonso Velasquez house (called the baticueva)

jazlin and Alan Huffington (my best friend here)

with a campesina

best christmas ever

osvaldo bracho reyes

with my mtc elders

with Elder Patterson

FHE ROLL UPPPPP

eLDER oLIVEIRA Sau Paulo

MY BROTHAS FROM MARACAIBO

MY BROTHA HECTOR

LINA GARZON

police flirting lol

FHE

ELDER DIAS

Sorry for not sending photos in forever.

Week Seventy

This week was awesome.

Alan Huffington is in my ward. Elder Vincent and I contacted him last June. He got baptized like 2 weeks after I left Suba to Bucaramanga. Alan is from NY and is my best friend in Suba. Used to be a thug and has crazy scars from when he's been stabbed. He is good at praying too.

Adriana Chaparro got baptized. Adriana is a powerhouse. She's a crazy cat lady but she is dope. Her Mom is hospitalized way on the other side of Bogota (like 2-3 hour journey) and she visits her like 4 times a week. She always says, "don't worry be happy." We had a good baptismal service with Alan Huffington directing it. Elder Richey's first baptism.

Rained a lot this week. Lots of dirt roads in our area so it's very muddy.

Had fun intercambios with Elder Oliveira. We had an unexpected service opportunity, helping unload wood planks from a truck and carrying them up to a roof where this family is building a dog house. We both had tons of splinters after the service. We also played soccer with this grandpa and his grandkids on the street.

Visited our Bishop this week. Obispo Romero. He is from Barraquilla (where Shakira is from) and served his mission in la Paz Bolivia. At one point in his mission, his whole zone had to flee to Brazil for political unrest. Bishop is super cool though, helps us a lot. During priesthood he gets all the men to give us their hours of when they can do visits with us.

Good district meeting this week. I had Elder Oliveira give a training on the fall of Adam and Eve. Then we all shared our favorite scriptures.

Our house is fun. Elder Thompson and Elder Dias are the other elders who live with us. They are the zone leaders. Elder Dias is addicted to Jet chocolate. Elder Thompson always finds something cool to do on p-day. Today we went to the Bogota Botanical Garden. Super well designed. One of the best places in Bogota.

Another friend here is named Jesus. He was in the Bogota MTC, getting ready to serve in the Venezuela Maracaibo mission. When he finished the mtc, they went to the airport and he took a cab and ditched the mission. Now he lives in my zone lol.

Ill end the week letter with a scripture:

Genesis 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Love you guys and miss you

Elder Blair

Week Sixty Nine

2018 started off with a BANG.

We found some sweet people this week.

We stopped a señor named CESAR MARTINEZ walking down the street. He is from VALLEDUPAR which is a notable city in Colombia. It counts as a coastal city even though it's not on the coast — because the coastal culture comes from there. People from the coast (saying the word coast a lot) are really relaxed, speak really fast and listen to Vallenato (I sent you guys a cd of it — accordion music).

Anyway, Cesar had missionaries visiting his family when he was like 5 and has been reading a book of Mormon for the past 30 years without knowing what it was.

We also met Bridgit Yordan who is a half German half Colombian veterinarian. She told us about a book, "Las Venas Abiertas de LatinaAmerica," and she eats raw aloe vera with honey. We taught her with her dad. It was a crazy lesson with lots of shouting.

One of my good friends here is Osvaldo Bracho. He is from Maracaibo, Venezuela. People from Maracaibo love me because I learned the slang from there. I met Osvaldo back in the summer before I left to Bucaramanga and now he lives in my area. He always puts carrots or random food in my pocket and tell everybody I'm stealing, haha.

Love being comps with Elder Richey. He loves contacting too so we talk with everybody.
This dude tried to rob his bag on Sunday but saw that it just had scriptures, haha.

P.S. Found a crazy family. The Perez Family. We taught them the Book of Mormon and the dad was like, "I know this might be too much to ask, but could I get my own book? We want to read it as a family but I also want my own book to study."

Some scriptures I liked this week are:

Daniel 2:22
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

DYC 6:21
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

Still loving Suba. My district is 3 gringos and a Brazillian. In the mission we have to choose an English teacher in every district and the Brazillian is our English teacher. Elder Oliveira.

Miss you guys and love you.
Elder Blair

Week Sixty Eight

2018 Happy New Year.

It was cool getting letters from a few Oakland 1st members.

Hope you guys are good. The Christmas Eve video call was so sweet.

I love my area so much. I could finish my mission here.

I dont know what to write about even though tons of stuff went down this week.

We did that activity where they send us 2 MTC missionaries each, and we spend the day with them. That was fun. I was with a Peruano and Ecuatoriano again. It always rains a ton whenever we have the activity haha. I made my missionaries climb a mountain and then I had them follow me onto a bus and made them preach. It was so funny.

Lots of Venezuelan missionaries. They all get called to serve Venezuelan misisons.

Its crazy. Pretty much an entire country's families are split apart and left with nothing.

I had intercambios with Elder Chase. His area is Jordan- the most dangeorus area in the mission. Super fun day. The area is massive. It used to be 3 areas but they combined them all. Only 2 missionaries there.

Love you guys

Elder Blair