Week 30: Transferred to Zona Suba, Bogota.

Hola Familia!

I´m doing well, but it is so COLD here in Bogotá! It´s sixty degrees right now, and I´m dying! My companion is a Brazilian named Elder Silva. He is twenty one, and has been seperated from his family every since he was 15. He has a wicked accent, and half of the time I don´t know if he is speaking Spanish or Portugués. Surprisingly, I can understand both pretty well! He is really funny, and quite a change from my last comp. Elder Silva is newer, so he´s very humble, and FULL of drive for the work.
We´ve been in a headlong rush every minute. I´ve been called as district leader, and with a companion that has about half my time in the mission, and to join two and a half areas. Te Nas. This area, or these areas, because were joining two and adding about a third of another, are really quite good. They are the poorest in Bogotá, and I´m told possibly in the mission. I am 40 minutes more or less away from the temple! It is so cool to be that close! We rode in a bus for 10 hours just to get here from Bucaramanga, and people do that just to go to the temple. The mission office is about an hour and a half trip by city bus. And it´s kind of a pain. trans Millenio is crazy. You really have to watch your bag on transmilenio, because Bogotá and Bucaramanga are about as different as Salt lake and New York City. 

Our house is in a complex called "Quitos de San Jorge." It´s actually really rich, and it is the first place other than the mission home where I´ve seen carpet of any kind. It´s not good carpet, but still... It is quite a good house, and has HOT WATER!!! I´m so excited... I haven´t gotten to shower yet (gross, I know, but I´m rather swamped) but I´m looking forward to it! The freaking house has FOUR FLOORS. a basement, a family room and kitchen, a third floor with bathroom and study and sleep rooms, and an identical fourth. It´s ironic, I was in a richer area last time, but in a poor house, now I´m in a poor area and a rich house. Bogotá is weird. 

Fun fact: in Colombia if something or someone is rich, the slang adjective is "poopy." True story. for example: This man is super poopy. Normal.

I thank my God for every day that I had to work with the people of Bucarica, and that will always be my home in Colombia. At the same time, I am SO excited for the opportunity to help the people in this area, even as district leader. I feel a bit like the little kid lost in the department store right now, but such is the mission! Please pray for me, for I need all the blessings that I can recieve right now. We have SO much to do, and so little time to do it. I only wish that these days were longer. The good news is we have a good many investigators, so I´m really ready to just dive in!

Love you all. 

- Elder Lewis

Elder Lewis and Elder Silva