W25: Dog Bites y Cambios
Looking back on the weeks, they are all pretty similar with minor differences. This week's difference was I got bit by a dog. It's like a right of passage walking the streets of Chile that are infested with stray dogs. Envision Scott walking members home from church when a huge German Shepard jumped out of the bushes and took a chunk out of my leg. While thats a good story, the reality is I was knocking some doors with my comp and this tiny little wiener dog snuck up on us (like we didn't even know it was behind us) and bit me in the calf. I didn't know what happened but suddenly felt a sharp pain in my calf to look down and see a little rat dog and my leg bleeding.
The dog disappeared, we tried to find the owner to no avail and so I got to experience the Chilean Urgent Care to get my 1st of 5 rabies shots. Let me tell you, the Quellon urgent care is sketch. It took them too long to figure out I wasn't from Chile and my name was Scott, not Daniel. I needed my passport but they are in the mission home vault so I got a pic sent to me and 20 minutes later I was officially a part of the Chilean hospital system. They gave me my shot and I was on my merry way with increased prayers to never end of up in urgent care. It was one giant room where people appeared to have treatment that were definitely not urgent care type needs like me and my rabies shot but hospital level needs.
Today was spent buying little regalos for some of the members and friends we are teaching, eating some cake with Elder Cok and packing my bags to get transferred. I wish I had time to say good-bye to more people.
Leaving Quellon is both sad and exciting. It was a great way to start my mission. It was full of really great people and companions. I was taught by the best. Elder Garlick eased me into missionary work, loved the people, work and me (who I am sure slowed him down). He was the perfect 1st companion. After I was a little more comfortable Elder Hollingshead taught me everything he could in a 7 week crash course. Since I had been in Quellon for 2 transfers Elder Cok and the branch relied on me to get things done which was a little stressful but helped me. Maybe they didn't rely on me, but that's what I felt. I realize I only have 2 years to fully dedicate to being a missionary and I want to make the most of it. The branch is doing their best. We saw miracles and the hand of God in people's lives.
Elder Cok is staying in Quellon and I am off to the Osorno Zone. I didn't need to worry about the weight of my bags on a plane which was awesome. Today we travel to Castro, meet up with members and our zone to wish our faithful zone leader good-bye who is dying (see pic below). One last hurrah with my comp and zone to conclude my time in Quellon and Castro. I'll stay in Castro tonight and catch a bus for Entre Lagos, my new area, tomorrow.
My area is in the Osorno Zone which used to be our mission headquarters before it changed to Puerto Montt (more central for our mission). At first I thought I was heading to a normal size town until a member informed me that Entre Lagos was smaller than Quellon. Apparently the Lord wants me to be all by myself with my faithful companions in rural little towns. From what my mom found, it appears to be a farming town and the only inhabited town on the lake. Its about 45 minutes away from Osorno. Entre Lagos means between lakes. Elder Martinez is from Uruguay which will be good f0r my Spanish.
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