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| La familia Lopez |
Dearest friends and family,
Hello, my loved and cherished friends and family. I’m happy and
thankful to be writing you. This week we’ve enjoyed many warm days and clear
mornings. I think it’s only natural for such beautiful days to plant a thought in
my mind like “hmm, beach day?” In high school, clear skies and sunshine usually
meant making a few phone calls and hitting the road, even more so this 2nd
week of Spring Break back in Rancho (or at least I think it is). I don’t
mention the beach to suggest we have one here in Tulcan – we are nowhere near one.
But I do mention it because clear mornings and sunny skies give me a little
extra excitement and energy to get out of the house and work hard as a
missionary.
Today was one of those clear morning, sunshine-y days but
that didn’t stop the dark clouds from rolling in around 4:00pm and the rain
from hitting us hard. Last night, the office elders called and asked us to
finish removing some old furniture out of the old house so that they can close out
the property. (We thought we had but it turns out the super heavy old desk and
dresser were ours). Anyway, we did all we could to get our hands on a truck but
due to a branch temple trip to Guayaquil, every single contact was busy. So,
helpless as we were, we decided maybe we could walk the furniture the ½ mile or
so to the new house. And here’s the comedy – that’s right when the skies opened
and released the downpour. Long story, short: we got very, very wet, and very
quickly. Like I said, comedy. We laughed it off and went back to work.
This was a good week. We have several families getting ready
for baptism next week. We’ve been finalizing details and answering the
questions of the family Lopez (the parents of grown daughters who were baptized
about 2 months ago). Hermana Veronica (Lopez) has been very kind and generous with
some delicious Colombian food. Elder Quispe and I have decided that everyone
from Colombia knows how to cook delicious food. I really enjoy the Colombian
empanadas and papas peyellenos and, of course, the various meat and bean plates
she cooks. Remember when I ate hoof stew at the coast? Hermana Veronica served
us caldo de pata de res which is the Colombian version of hoof stew and it wasn’t
bad! She cooked it in a pressure cooker which really softened the tendons,
veins, fatty tissue and skin. It was almost, almost like sushi in a weird way
because of how soft the meat was. Way better than the last time I had it at the
coast 6 months ago. (That reminds me, I’m craving sushi really badly. Where is Sushi
Deli when I need it, Mitch?)
I’m doing well. I apologize this letter is relatively short
and lacking feeling. My advice for the week is to treat everyone as if today
were one of those clear sky, sunshine-y days. And even if you’re not going to
the beach, apply that attitude to whatever endeavor you have taken up. I’ve
learned that skipping out the door with a smile has a profound ability to
change course of my day for the better. And that, in turn, can also change for
the better the day of everyone else around me. I love you all and hope you are
well.
With affection,
Elder Ericksen
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