.: Ghetto in Guate!

Family,

So this week I would like to remind you of this ghetto life I live so that y'all can remember to be thankful for your blessings.

For instance... I'll start with the front door of our house, like how we have to do a running body slam to open it. One day we were in a rush to enter the house (Hermana Outsen and I are trying to drink 3 liters of water a day if you get my flow). This day the door was extra jammed, to our dismay, and I decided to do a sprinting body slam instead of a running body slam to open the door. The door didn't budge and it hurt.

The bathroom. The bathroom door doesn't work either which is a problem when you're in a rush (3 liters of water). It has a lock that takes ten minutes to function and lets be real, I never have ten minutes. So, out of pure panic I just grab the big black TRESemme shampoo bottle that sits on top of our navy blue toilet. It's not a lock, but it keeps the door shut. Speaking of our navy blue toilet, its part of our shower. So, when I take a shower, it takes a shower too. The distance between the front of NB (navy blue) toilet and the wall is little so I always scrape my knees (TMI but this is real life people).

The kitchen- or should I call it the celestial kingdom of the ant species. One time Hna Outsen made some nutritious oatmeal, left it on the counter for 2 minutes and came back to find a bajillion microscopic ants having Thanksgiving. She ate it anyways because it was either that or frozen boiled eggs (our fridge freezes everything) or Guatemala's version of saltine crackers. On the first Sunday I got here there was no food in the house but white jimbo bread, nutella, and biscoff cookie spread. So that's what we ate and it was Christmas on a sandwich. I think I died and went to heaven that day. (I bought spinach the next day no worries).

Lets see... what else? Oh yeah, the roof. Its tin and every time it rains it sounds like Niagara falls is falling right on top of us. So, I've become pretty great at sign language because its the only way to communicate because you can't hear anything. We can also hear every move of the cats and birds that live up there. Hermana Peguero is convinced that its a "demon", its most definitely a bird. Oh yeah, I'll tell you about our windows. There is a weird spacer thing in between all of them. I don't know how to describe it but basically we live inside but kind of outside too. Don't worry, nobody can break in. (I tried to put my head and body through the space but my head is too big) Cats, rats, birds, cockroaches, basically anything that is smaller than my head can get through any window in our house. Usually whatever it is goes to our grocery bag garbage can and has a feast...that's always fun to clean up in the morning. Good times.

On the plus side, for the first time in my mission, my bed is in the AIR and not on the floor! Pretty exciting right!? I love my ghetto life. Really, I do. I always get a good kick out of it todos los dias. I am so glad that I have been called to serve in the land of Guatemala! It's my favorite place!!! It will be nice because one day when I'm a broke newlywed I will have no problem living the ghetto life. All I need is two buckets, a plastic lawn chair, and baby cherry tomatoes.

On to the good stuff.....LEONEL IS GETTING BAPTIZED TOMORROW!!!!!!!! All of my hard work in Samala did not go to waste!! He will probably be the most pilas convert I've had. I'm excited for his family! Also, Hermana Outsen and I had a baptism on Saturday! Gimena and Nidia, the sisters of Jenni (who got baptized last Saturday). They are so cute! But, we did have a little mishap yesterday during sacrament meeting. Gimena and Jenni started fighting (like sisters do). It included hair pulling and all that fun stuff. I was all stressed out because they were kind of making a ruckus so I pulled a Tami Minnick and put Weston on one side of me and Whitney on the other. They didn't like that. After I looked around the congregation thinking that the members were going to be annoyed, but I'm in Guatemala and things like that always happen in church here. After they apologized to each other and gave hugs and continued being little angels.

I am loving my area! I actually have a ward mission leader which has been sososososososo nice! He is the smartest member I've worked with in the mission. He just knows his stuff! Also, its been really great to have a gringa companion. We just talk each others heads off and I love it!

I love my mission! I love this work! Its hard, yeah. But, I've never been so happy! I'm so excited for Weston to leave to Mexico! You will fall in love with that place so fast!

Read your scriptures, say your prayers and go to your cold air conditioned basement and lay on the carpet for me!

Much love,

Hermana Minnick

SHOUTOUTS:

Jenn Heslop!! Thank you SO much for the birthday package!! I loved it!!!

Jill Klein!! Your package was inspired!! Those tissues saved my life! Thank you!!

Westy! You look so handsome in your prom pictures!! Love you!

UPDATE: I think batman is gone.