Carthage

Fun fact of the week: Cartago means ''Carthage.'' Like the jail.

This week, I had one of those awkward moments where you say ''See you later'' to a blind person. The silence that follows is so painful, but also hilarious. There was a night this week where we were on the bus going home, and this guy walked up to our seats and asked if we were the Mormons. He proceeded to tell us that he's talked to missionaries before but lost contact with them, and wanted to learn more. He started asking us about some points of doctrine, and before long about five people were joining in on the conversation and listening to us, and two of them asked for pamphlets! We're going to start teaching them this week. I'm starting to learn my way around here. WAY faster than I did in Vizcaya. I think the mission's helping me with that stuff a ton, because I've always been awful with directions and orienting myself in big places. One thing I don't like is that although the area is so big, there are buses that can take us to whatever part of it, so we hardly walk at all. On top of that, we eat fast food way too often, so I'm probably going to put on some major pounds. Or maybe I should say kilos.

Elder Velazquez's parents joined the church when he was three years old, so he's basically been a member his whole life. He's only been in Cartago for one change before I got here, so sometimes it takes us awhile to find things. There are four of us that live in the same house. It's a pretty average-sized house for Costa Rica. It would actually be super super nice if it wasn't so nasty and poorly maintained. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a front room thing, a kitchen, and a back patio. We do have a warm shower! I'm hoping that I don't ever have to deal with a cold one again. We eat lunch at the mansion two days a week, three days a week we eat lunch with another awesome family in the ward, but for all other meals we're on our own... so we eat out a lot. It's bad. We don't pay anyone to do our laundry, but there are nice members with washing machines that let us use them, then we have to take the wet clothes back to our house and hang them to dry. Tell Miharu I say hi! She sounds super fun and nice. I'm sad I can't meet her, but I'm sure you guys will have a great two weeks. The gathering at the Neilsen home must have been beautiful. What a great man. We'll always remember him.

I bought an electric razor today! We'll see if it helps me much. Unfortunately, D----l decided to not do some homework this week, and now his dad says he can't get baptized. It's frustrating on both of their parts. They say that Cartago sure lives up to its name as a spiritual prison, that it kills missionaries' enthusiasm. Mormons are to Orem, Utah as Catholics are to Cartago. Everyone's super Catholic and nobody wants to change. I'm determined to maintain a good attitude though. All of our investigators are kind of in limbo, but we're going to work really hard this week to find some new ones. This change, 8 missionaries went home, and 28 came. I think the big influx is going to come more gradually with a ratio like that for the next few changes. There was probably at least one missionary from Orem in all of those, but I didn't recognize anyone! Man, before I thought you guys were going to be able to send the package with someone who was coming to Rica, but if that's not the case, don't worry about sending it. Isn't it completely out of control ridiculously expensive to send it the normal way? Don't worry about it if you don't want to, I don't need anything desperately. But if you do send it, I can't think of anything more I would want! Thanks so much for all you guys do for me! I love you, and think about you every day! Sorry the emails a little short. Hope you guys are doing great and loving LOST! Know that I'm alive and very well.

Till next week,

--Elder Hampton

Pictures: (top) - a famous cathedral in Cartago; (bottom) - the Costa Rica San Jose mission with Elder Christofferson who came to visit about a month ago.