May 20th
Hey
everyone!!!! How are you all doing?! I am excited to tell you about what we
did!
So this
past week has been kinda like a normal one I guess, but the topic that has been
coming up a lot lately is that this is my last week in Cartagena! 😱 That's right, your Elder
is finishing up, hahaha! I am excited, can you tell? Or could you tell from my mom's Facebook post
about having 9 days left and being in single digits, hahaha 😂 I think she is more
excited than I am!
On
Tuesday, it was a pretty normal day. Just passing by points (names on our
contact list) and contacting. We came back ready to be done with the day.
On Wednesday we went
to this pueblo about 30 minutes away and there was basically nothing there. It
was the smallest pueblo (town) one that I had ever been in. We then went to go
eat at a member’s house who are rock stars. Literally, they have a band with
their family. We ate some barbecue ribs with cheesy fries, it was so good!
We then went upstairs to where they practice and my companion played the guitar
with them. The kid was playing drums, the daughter was singing, and the dad
plays the piano super well. He can play any song and it will sound like the
original. He's a good singer too. I didn't sing because I was too shy, but we
are going to go back this week for dinner at their place and I'll see if I can
get a moment to sing.
So, on
Thursday we had an intercambio (exchange) with the elders from Los Alcázares. I
went there and stayed with Elder Gurrola. He is from Elder West group, so it
was pretty fun to be with a young missionary again. We also had the car, so it
was nice going around in a car. We taught a part member family who are from Ecuador.
They are super nice. I was caught by surprise though when we walked in and they
all started talking some weird language. I figured out that it was one of their
native dialects called "Quechua" It sounds like nothing that I have
ever heard of before. I mean even Elder Gurrola was speaking it. (My mother confirmed that it is a dialect from
Ecuador, which is where she served her mission). Well, he just knew how to say "Hi”, but
I mean it was still pretty neat. If you don't know what it sounds like, the
closest thing that I can imagine to describe it is in the movie, "Night at
the Museum" and Teddy Roosevelt is explaining when he went to meet some
indigenous people and he spoke a clicking language or something like that. Well
that's what Quechua sounds like to me,... kinda, haha.
I forgot
to tell you all of a funny experience that happened last Sunday. We were in the
church in Los Alcázares and I was standing at one of the doors with a member,
then all of a sudden, I feel these two hands grab my side pretty firmly. I turn
around and it's a young female adult! I was shocked. She looks at me and says,
"Perdón" (pardon/excuse me). She walks away and I'm still talking to
the member, then I hear her tell her parents and they all start laughing. Clearly, she had the wrong person. I was starting to feel a little hot (as in embarrassed),
Haha! I want to tell you that this has never happened to me before. Just in
case you were wondering.
On Friday we finished
our intercambio and then me and Elder Benedict went to an eating visit with the
stake patriarch and his family. We ate paella which was really good. We went to
go pass by people and contact, and we saw a member sitting in the park with her
friends. We talked to them and now we are going to teach English class to one
of them. Boom-ya! They also bought us some empanadas from Mercadona and some
drinks. We were really blessed to be able to find them there.
On Saturday, we had
sports. We played basketball and "pig" which was fun. Then we
went over a bunch of old investigator forms and tried to get in contact with
them. There were so many! I also received
my train ticket to go to Barcelona from Cartagena next Sunday. The train trip
will be 8 hours. The clock is winding
down!
This past
Sunday was good as well. Church as great as always, we went to ward council and
we talked about what the ward needs and what the bishop wants to put in place.
It felt good to be there again. We ate with Flavier and his family. They did a
good-bye Elder Maybury lunch. We ate some really good food Colombian food, but
I can't think of what it’s called. We then taught Andrea because she was there
too. We are working with her to get baptized the 23rd of June. I think she can
make it. She is very good at doing what we invite her to do. We then went over
to another members house and we ate hot dogs! One weird thing was that the buns
were cut open on the top, instead of the side, Haha! My companion and I looked
at it weird and laughed. It's how they eat them here in Spain I guess.
Hahahaha!!!!
Today we
went to gym so that's always good. We went to the shopping center and I bought
myself some good clothes to have back home. We also played bowling and in am
trying to work on spinning the bowling ball. It's rough stuff but I'll get it.
We had lunch and now we are reading here at the church. We will be teaching
English class to that one members friend who we meet in the park and then
playing some basketball with some youth and start to teach them hopefully. It's
been an impactful week and I will remember every minute of it.
I love
you all, I hope you have a great week and remember to keep the faith! I love
you all!
Love Elder Maybury
Time in Caratagena
With some AWESOME families!
P-Day with my companion - yes, we get hungry!
Well, this very well could be Elder Maybury’s last email home. He
comes home next week and there may be no time for him to write next
Monday. He will have time for preparation
day activities, like seeing the sights in Barcelona and perhaps visiting with
families that he knows in the area.
Then, he will have his final interview with the Mission President and
then all of those missionaries going home will have a dinner and testimony
meeting.
He will leave Cartagena on Sunday around noon and travel by train
for 8 hours to Barcelona and the mission home.
They gave him the option of an airplane ticket to Barcelona or a train
ticket. He chose the train because he
didn’t want to add an extra flight to his plans. He wants to stay on the ground! Hahaha.
It was when talking about leaving his area that he got emotional
in our phone call. Of course, I was
already emotional, but for him, thinking of leaving tugs at his heart
strings. He is excited to see his
family, of course, but it is hard to finish the mission. It’s all he has known for 2 years and it
makes perfect sense that he has these feelings.
Next Tuesday, he will leave the mission home around 8am to be at
the airport 2 hours before his flight (a mission rule). He will then board his flight home, stopping
in Atlanta first, and then on to Salt Lake City. As a family, we can hardly contain ourselves
at seeing him again. Even as I think
about it, my eyes fill with tears at the thought of being able to hug my son
again after 2 years. It will be good to
have him home. We have all missed him,
but we are absolutely monumentally proud of him and his service.
Last week, he decided to clean some things up, so he sent me tons
and tons of emails loaded with pictures.
77 pictures in all! So, I am
sharing them here as a complete record of his journey.
I cannot thank you all enough for the love and support that you
have extended to my son and our family.
Your love and prayers were felt and were and are appreciated. Alexander felt his cheering section cheering
him on all 5,200 miles away, in moments when he needed it the most.
Please join us for one of his speaking opportunities.
In Sacramento,
CA – Sunday, June 16th 9am at the Hurley Ward (2730 Hurley
Way). There will be an “open house” for
visiting and pictures later that afternoon from 4-7pm. Please come!
We would love to see you! We are
traveling from Utah to see all of our wonderful CA friends.
In Utah
(date change) – Sunday, June 30th 11:30am at the Riverside 2nd
Ward (612 W Pony Express Parkway, Saratoga Springs).
There is still time to email him, if you would like to wish him well,
send him positive thoughts, or just continue to cheer him on. His email address is:
Enjoy these pictures which show that Elder Maybury's fun loving personality is alive and well! :o)
This was his former companion when he was on the islands.
Roberto (Elder Salazar) now lives in Murcia, which is in Elder Maybury's last area of his mission. #Blessed
Roberto Salazar and his parents with Elder Maybury
Please keep him in your prayers for his travels next week.
