Zacamil- week 5

Pancho Tanner

Hola familia!
So this week I had the song from the Goofy movie in my head.  Remember? at the very end when their at the concert? yeah that one.. its a good song, its just annoying when you dont know all the words!..jaja. But this week went by crazy fast.  It was sooooooo busy. But first I´ll go through my list of things to tell you..
Happy birthday Monson! I know you birthday is this week!..I love you man! stay strong!
There´s no crosswalks here so you just cross wherever the heck you want and wait in the two foot median until you can cross, its crazzzy!.. jaja. Theres an elder in my mission that looks like Abed from community. It made me laugh. I took a few videos to send but they´re too big.. so I guess I wont send them.. jaja, but I did buy a cord this week to send fotos so that's all taken care of.. and it works! There is a handshake here that everyone and there dog does.. including me.. its like a regular normal high five, and then a fist bump.. it was kinda awkward at first... the way they do it is a little funky.. but its funny because even the 80 year old grandmas and grandpas do it. Its pretty funny. There´s different cars here. There´s a Toyota hilux here. Its a diesel and its pretty sweet.. I´ve never seen it before.. its sick. but only the really rich people have one here.. actually the assistants to the pres drive one.. bien chivo. I forgot to mention that there was an earthquake last week.. That was a crazy experience.I have never been in an earthquake before... anyway! btw, puchica = freak!
So there´s been some people asking me to teach them piano... I'm like.. yeah I´ll teach you how to play with all the extra time that I have in a week.. jaja.. then they're like.. just one song is all! but they don´t realize how much goes into to teaching one song.. jaja.. time signatures, note values, key signatures, notes themselves, how the keyboard works.. jaja.. but you know, whatever!
So our district is really awesome. There´s a saying or name among the missionaries here:" muy bien Pancho! It's like saying "good job Einstein!" So, our district is really funny and stuff and everyone has really taken that to heart, so we might make jerseys with our Pancho names on the back and Distrito: Los Panchos. My pancho name is Pancho Tanner. Not only because my first name is Tanner, but let me explain.  Have you ever seen the story of John Tanner? Its like a twenty min. church movie that was really good and spiritual the first couple times you watch it.. then it just gets funny:) At The very end, Padre Tanner (Father Tanner) is leaving on a mission after giving a bunch of money to the church for the temple. Then, Joseph Smith yells, PADRE TANNER! And puts his hand up in a wave and just holds it there and has the funniest look on his face! So now everyone knows my first name, and whenever we leave the district, they say, Pancho Tanner! and put their hands up and make the same goofy face of Joseph Smith... hence, Pancho Tanner.:)
Also, I sent a picture of a family of birds that showed up in our house... we tried to feed them cereal, but they have yet to return.. jaja. Also, I sent a picture of the national bird. a torogós (sp?). they are pretty sweet as well.
So also last week, we had three appointments fall through.. so we went to see the fair across the street from our house.. not to ride anything, just to look.. then these snakes caught my comps eye and he wanted to see them.. he said he had seen something like that in Guatemala and it was just like a bunch of snakes to look at in cages.. so we paid a dollar, got in, I got a seat next to a chicken, literally a wild chicken, and it ended up being a circus.. so i was like, what the... so we left.. went back to the house.. took showers, changed, but our dinner appointment fell through as well so we went across the street to buy pupusas for dinner. Then we went back to our appt... turns out a member saw us and told the other elders in our district that they had seen us at the circus and we had changed our clothes so we wouldn´t be recognized and started doing all this stuff in the circus... which was totally untrue.. word got to the zone leaders, they called and my comp had to tell the story, and it was OK, they believed us. The members here are great, but they exaggerate the poop out everything. 

Which brings me to my next topic. THE TEMPLE DEDICATION! Friday, Pres Eyring, D Todd Christofferson, and a member of the seventy came to talk to us. Both missions were there so I got see all my buddies from the MTC!  They all went to the Santa Anne mission. That was incredible. There was a translator so it was really easy to take notes, because I had a lot more time to write everything down. It was an Incredible meeting, and funny as well.  The driving here is kinda crazy.. so Pres. Eyring was like, I have never been to El Salvador before.. the driving is .... interesting. jaja. and yesterday when they were filling the cornerstone, he was like, como se dice?..NICE!? Then he would say like one word in Spanish and we would all laugh.  Very spirit filled weekend. The Cultural celebration was Saturday and that was incredibly cool.  I sent a picture of our Stake practicing. Sometimes you can watch them on a LDS website.. try and see if you can watch it! It was sweet. And the temple dedication was yesterday and that was also awesome. As elders, we were able to watch all three sessions! sick. :)
side note: there is a family in our Ward who is getting my comp and I this movie called la vida loca. Its about all the gang groups here. Its like a documentary. They showed us a little bit of it, but as missionaries, we´re not suppose to watch, so they´re getting us disks to take home in 21 months.. jaja:)
Also, we were able to watch a little bit of the Barca vs real game. That was intense. Barca won thankfully. My comp was ticked, because he is a Real fan.  But no one is outside when there´s a game like that on..it was sweet.
Now for the most exciting part of the week: last week on p day we got a reference. They said she was really positive, and she wanted to get baptized so she could see the temple dedication. So we went that evening to her house. My comp said even if she wants to get baptized, we cant because she needs to go to church 3 times before. During the lesson, it was just powerful. I felt three times at she needed to be challenged for a baptism this weekend. but I didn´t say anything because my comp told me we couldn´t. But on the third time, my comp challenged her for this weekend. She was a little thrown off guard.. but my comp said, qué le impide?( what's keeping you from?) She said nothing and she accepted! So we hurried home, called the ZL´s and tried to explain the situation. Then we called the Pres. and told him the situation.  He said he´d call in the morning with an answer. He didn´t.  So we went to teach her like two lessons a day everyday to get her ready. She was doing all her assignments and everything.  Then Friday, he told us we couldn´t because she doesn´t know what church is like. I was so let down!. I love my mission president.. I really do.. but I just couldn't understand!.  How could we both feel the spirit telling us to challenge her and then it not work out??  Why would the spirit tell me to do one thing if it wasn´t going to be possible? I just don't get it sometimes.. its crazy how much I´m finding out the things that I don´t know.. I know we don't see the whole picture I'm sure there was a reason but its still hard!. I think she is going to France next week and going to be baptized with her family in France..(maybe that's why?) which is a lot better for her...I was just really confused...That night we got to see Pres Eyring like I mentioned... he said that not only are we sent to the place by inspiration, but also, we are sent to our mission presidents by inspiration.. it made me look at things a lot different. But this investigator is going to be a powerful convert. She had a testimony of the Book of Mormon the first verse we read together..She told us right after we read the first verse that she felt something about that book. She is amazing. Hermana Elizabeth is her name.
Mum, thanks for everything! My ingrown toenail is all better! we are actually not allowed to drink coke here but I have to drink pop here.. its the culture. They don´t really drink much plain water.. but I am drinking pop. We got some permitherin for bugs that we´ll be using today! So a package is coming? Thanks mum! I do have a few requests for the big one.
1. mario badescu face wash and healing cream
2. benzoyle and peroxide
3. life strength or power balance band (preferably the color white)
4. Skinny ties! Missionaries always love to get ties. my comp has like 60! its like our pride and joy to have ties jaja. but they don´t really do skinny ties here..
5. honeystingers!?
But that´s all I need! Thanks mum. I love you!
Dad, you´re an animal. You should send a picture of your new frame!! That´s so sick. I had no idea that specialized would give you a new frame if you broke it! That's pretty worth it then to get a carbon frame. How´s the training going? Whats your weight at? the weather here is off and on. It rains about everyday. Its not super hot.. its just the humidity that kills you. I sweat a lot.. but my skin is doing good! I actually have a lot less acne on my face. and my chest and back are pretty much clear. which has never happened. I don´t have rashes or anything. Everything is good! I do shower two times a day and our shower is inside.. our area is pretty unique because its like all apartment buildings. so we are on the third floor. and the toilets are the same as well.:)  Someone cooks lunch and breakfast for us and the members usually feed dinner. and someone does our laundry as well. Maybe they don´t trust us to do it ourselves? Who knows! I´m not complaining! But thanks for everything dad. Your the man!
Stee, whats up mujer! sounds like everything going good! football sounds awesome and its cool that the coach likes you and everything. so you´re pretty close to starting huh? that's awesome! and you asked the Zarharis girl to homecoming? STUD. keep up the good work and always read your scrips and don´t forget to pray.
El, hey how´s it going? how´s school going and all that? are you liking choir? stick with piano. voice and piano are the perfect combo. every things good here! there´s this thing called the missionary handbook that you keep in your front pocket. I cut a picture of you and Brynn to fit in the little book so now I can show people you and Brynn really easy when we talk about families:)
Brynny Brynn! how are you? sounds like you´re having a blast with all of your friends and stuff. make sure you read above about the picture of you and El in my little book! its of you and El at bears ears:) I´m working on getting a hold of the guy to make the scripture cases. I sent a picture of kinda what they look like:) tell mum that she doesn´t need to put money in my account because it can be an early Christmas? sound good? OK.. love you!
Thanks for everything family! I love you all!
TTT