Week of July 24, 2011 ¡hola de guayaramerin!

We got a pic and an email!! Corban's email: " Hello everyone!
Well, what happened in my week this week that is interesting enough to share with you all... Ahh yes, the bull fight. There was a festival this weekend where people gather around to watch a bull try and run over another person, they call it a ¨bullrace¨ yeah I thought it was funny too. The people really just run away from the bull, that is about it. But if someone doesn't get the crowd gets angry. But the funniest part is that when the person needs to go to the hospital, they don't call an ambulance, they just put him on the back of a motorcycle and send him on his way. oh Bolivianos, gotta love em. I'm trying to attach some fotos that I took this past week. I hope that everyone enjoys them. It's probably gonna take the time that I have left to send them. So I hope that you all have fun with 30 mins of my time. Well, what else happened this week. not much really, just getting to know the area that i am in. just to let you all know, incase you missed it last week, im in an area called Guayaramerin. It's one of the farthest north places here in Bolivia. We are in the fronterra de brasil. brasileros come and go about everyday. So I am enjoying a little bit of Portuguese also. There is a chance that later on in my mission I could get to go to a part of Brasil, but I would definitely have to learn Portuguese. which would be cool to go back to the states having learned two languages. But as for that I am definitely loving it here. although it is hot my spirits are not down. The people are great here, almost always with a smile on there face. Time is flying here in Bolivia and I'm loving the speed that it is going at. Sorry only one of my pictures would attach. So have fun with the one. I love you all and hope that you are all doing well."
love,
Corban

Week of July 17, 2011

Corban's email: "Heeey yalll!
yep that is right I'm out of Santa Cruz and lovin it. I'm in the beautiful pueblo de Guayarmerin. It's in a state called Beni which the the most northern part of Bolivia that I can go to. I'm at the boundaries of my mission and will probably be here for 3-6 months. pretty wicked ey? That means I will probably be here until at least October, sorry for those of you who will be in school again. lol. but it is really beautiful here, I will take some pictures, but I'm sorry, todavia yo no puedo enviarselas. sorry. the internet here is a little slow if you are lucky I can reduce the format of the picture to a 1.2 mp ad sed that. but which is better a good picture of a bad one. good amirite? well. I'm doing well here. and sweating like a mad man. It never gets below 80 degrees here and yes we are in winter here. they say in the summer has a chance of getting up to 113 degrees. yep that is right I'm gonna come back looking like the burnt marsh mellow man. lol. Except a little skinnier. well. what else to say, there are people with monkeys parrots and almost every night here is a party. The brasileros come in during the weekend and buy all kinds of stuff here. oh yeah. I'm in the frontera with Brasil. I can literally see it from my area. there is a river dividing it called the Rio Mamoré. es buenisimo! yeah. It's beautiful to live in the jungle. just a little hot. the nights here are hot too because of the humidity from the Rio. only at like 5-6 in the morning is the weather nice. but hanging in there. just thought that I would let you all know where I am and what I'm doing. loving the work and the people. Just know that I think about you guys often."
love,
Corban

Week of July 10, 2011

Corban's email was rather short this week and I didn't see where he sent his usual group email...so here is what I heard from him. Corban's email: "Well, good to hear from you this week, just want to let you know that I am proud of you too. I hope that everything is okay, and siempre am praying for you. I love you a lot mom and want you to know that. I think about you guys at least everyday and always put in my testimonio que my family is the most important thing that I have here on this earth. I love you guys so much and will be very happy when this year and a half is up, so that I can return home in honor, and present the good name that I bare on my chest everyday. I love you mom.
Corban

Week of July3rd, 2011 Corban's first B-day away from home

Corban's Email: "Hey how's everyone doin?
So I guess that everyone is doing well. AndIi think that is a good thing xD. Well. I had a good birthday and thank you all for the birthday wishes. I also am still freezing my tail off. I am using two jackets. My suit coat and my other jacket that I brought for the rain. A long sleeve shirt my pants earmuffs, and gloves. I hate to say it but when you loose a little bit of weight you are a little bit colder. entonces I'm really cold. But other than that I had a good birthday. I'm still hanging in there and yeah I'm still loosing weight, even in the cold weather. The other day I was below 115 kilos. I'll let you guys do the math, but I was around 113. I'm still dong well, and loving the people and the service here. I'm gonna keep this short but I love you all and will talk to you next week, hopefully it will be warmer than 8 degrees..... and yes that is Celsius.
love,
Corban

Week of June 26, 2011

Corban's email: "well, how is everyone doing this week?
I am doing just fine, waiting for it to get a little warmer. Just thought to let everyone know that I never knew that 50 degrees could be so cold. I was walking around in a hat and my suit jacket, all week. Needless to say I'm freezing my tail off, but this cambio is going fast and I cannot believe that it is already half my first year in the field. Soon I'm gonna be talking to people at Christmas, which I am looking forward to. Other than that I had a baptism this week. It was nice. Not many people were there but it was a nice peaceful setting. Also I have to say that although I'm in the city now I think that I have seen the most monkeys here so far and not all of them are pets either. I'm doing good all around and I think the best part is that I have new shoes and am walking smooth now, thanks to good ole papa Schafe. Well, I have been trying to attach pictures for weeks now but they always seem to fail and do not attach so I'm sorry that you cant see them. But the pictures that I have are not all that good anyway. I never take my camera out of the house other than Mondays, I don't really want it to get stolen. Well, I'm gonna keep this short and not ramble on. But I love you all and hope you are all doing well this week.
ps. stay warm xD cause im not. ¡chiste!
love,
Corban

Week of June 19, 2011

Needless to say I am a bit behind in keeping up with Corban's emails. So here we are the week of June 19th Corban's Email: "hey everyone,
just thought I would give you all an update from here in SC Bolivia, I'm doing well and loving my new area and companion, the weeks are just speeding along here and I think that this is possibly my quickest cambio yet. I'm doing well and have been able to receive a few letters from people in the mail. Just to let you all know it usually takes 2 weeks for me to get letters and yeah I really enjoy them, so if you get the time sit down and write a letter, I would surely appreciate it. Well I'm probably gonna have a baptism this weekend, but it is not set in stone, gotta have an intrevista first. But if things go well it will all be good. I'm happy here and loving the work and the blessings that I receive from it, not to mention the pounds that I have shed are nice. But I hope and pray for you all everyday and hope and pray that you are all doing well and overcoming your trials with success. I love you and hope to hear from you all soon, till next week.
love, Corban (Elder Schafer)