"As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two"
--- Norman Wisdom (English Actor and Comedian; 1915 - 2010)
Your birthday only comes but once a year, right? Anyway, as a young adult away from home for the first time, it meant a lot to me that so many people who were only recently strangers to me would think to do something for me. And besides being among half-strangers, it was a birthday like none other before. To be honest, even among these people who had known me for so short a time up to that point, it was probably the most fun I'd ever had on my birthday at the time. In some ways, these people were better friends than many of my friends back home. I wasn't alone.
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ELDER RAWLE
Recall that I arrived in Monterreal, Rio Bravo on the 17th of September (See "1st Area: Monterreal, Rio Bravo"). The following week, the 25th of September was my nineteenth birthday. One of the A.P.s (Assistants to President Moralest), Elder Rawle, came with us for the day to supervise our work. He only found out about my birthday-to-be after the fact which was serendipitous. If you recall, I'd met Elder Rawle briefly before when we arrived in Mexico the week before. (See "Testimonies and Trainers")
He met up with us immediately after we had our Zone Conference. News of his visit was from one day to the next so we had no time to accommodate space in our tiny "house". For lack of a third place to sleep he toughed it out on our hard white tile floor for the night, and the family who lived beneath us provided him some blankets and pillows.
I truly don’t recall much of his time with us. All I remember is Elder Rawle and Elder Howard approaching strangers in the street, each taking his turn sharing testimony, and lastly looking at me to say something. ANYTHING! I don’t wish to make excuses but my tongue was not yet loosed. I should have shared a simple testimony but I was too shy to even try lest I get the response the little girl in my first lesson gave. (See "Become As Little Children")
What I do remember is being at our lunch appointment for the day in the "backyard" of a Ward member's house. I have a video of her yard that you can rewatch in my post "Intercambios". Her "backyard" was a patio surrounded by rusty antiques like horseshoes, lanterns, birdcages, pans, and knickknacks that were breathtaking; stuff you would see on the show "American Pickers". It was an overcast day with a decent breeze. A giant oak tree overlooked the glass table we were eating at. With a gust of the wind, an acorn fell out of the tree and landed with a loud clunk in one of our drinking glasses. It seems so menial now but at the moment it was impressive and comical that an acorn would have the "accuracy" to hit such a small target like a high-diver in a circus.
It was the night before my birthday and Elder Rawle wanted to make it special so after some phone calls and by some "witchcraft" he managed to get pizza delivered to our place which seemed quite a feat considering the closest pizza place was in the center of Rio Bravo. But he did it. I believe we tried ordering pizza before but for one reason or another, we couldn’t get them to deliver although we were only two miles away. On foot, two miles feels like forever which made the city center feel farther away than it was. Mind you that we didn't have cars or bikes.
He wanted to be the first to wish me happy birthday the next morning but on the pecera to the station to drop him off, President Morales’ wife called and beat him to the chase (See "P-Days & Peceras"). To be honest, my heart jumped nervously when Elder Rawle handed me his phone and said that the President's wife wanted to speak to me. It didn't hit me why until we started talking. I didn’t understand her Spanish well since I was so green and gringo and the pecera was extra noisy when our call abruptly ended but I was grateful for the gesture. It's a small thing but Hermana Morales never skipped a beat; she was truly the heart of the mission. Elder Rawle was pretty bummed out that she had beaten him to the punch. I thought it very sweet of her to congratulate me on top of all the other business she did in the offices. Great people care for the one.
CAKE IN THE FACE
The week after arriving, more specifically our first Monday, we had our weekly District Meeting to discuss collaboratively how to help the people we were teaching progress and receive training on how to be better missionaries. I saw Elder Johnson again, and I was super relieved to see a familiar face among a dozen strangers (See "Adventures of District D -- Part 1"). After our Zone Meeting, Elder Adams brought in two small chocolate frosted cakes:
One for me and another for another Elder. They sang a song that was unfamiliar to me: Las mañanitas (Mah-nyah-nee-tahs)—a Spanish Happy Birthday tune. Mañanitas is a song about waking up the person being celebrated. Literally, las mañanitas means "the little mornings". But a fun fact is that mañanitas can also mean "bed jackets" which are warm woven ponchos, usually worn by women.
Without further ado, Elder Adams told me to take a bite out of the corner of the cake. I was nobody’s fool. I knew where this was going but they were persistent and wanted to have fun so I went in as everyone chanted ritualistically, “Mordida” (Mohr-dee-dah: which means "a bite" or "mouthful" whereas picar is more like a bug bite). I tried to be quick but Elder Adams successfully shoved my face into the cake, chocolate frosting and all smothering my face like a brown avocado mask. It was all good fun and kind-spirited. I felt special that they would even know it was my birthday considering I only just got there the week before and bothered doing something to celebrate it. It’s the little things like these that make people feel appreciated. I didn’t need any birthday presents, I just needed to feel like I was among friends, and I did.
Some of the Elders in the Zone had a baptism the day of my birthday and I got to attend and be one of the Witnesses (one of the people who watches and makes sure the baptism is performed correctly). I felt valued that I, the new guy, was even asked to participate. I’d never been a Witness before. And I was also asked to conduct the opening hymn, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (I don’t know why they chose that hymn). I’d seen Elder Howard lead the hymns almost every Sunday in sacrament meetings so I attempted to copy what he did (See "Sabbath Day Observance"). It wasn’t uncommon for us to always sing the hymns Acapella because it wasn’t common for someone to know how to play the piano. As consequence, the Church members had to do their best to know how the hymn went: notes, and tempo, and so forth. The results were an “interesting” medley of different pitched but well-meaning voices (See "Sing!"). Very different from Utah where so many of us grew up singing hymns in parts and where so many learn the piano young.
First impressions last forever. Sometimes it’s just good to not take yourself too seriously and to take time to have fun. The mission is meant to be enjoyed just as much as it is meant to be busy.
Mine wasn't the only birthday we celebrated, even during my time in Rio Bravo. I think we had at least 4 or so. And each had cake splattered on their face as per Mexican tradition. In late November, Elder Johnson had his birthday. As did his companion/trainer Elder Stohel. There was a time that we celebrated in the basketball court just outside of the chapel as a surprise party. I saw Elder Adams struggle to place the small chocolate cake, one pastry of many, on the table and accidentally drop it on his pants. Few of us saw this as he ducked back into the chapel bathroom to wash off. I think it was Elder Lopez's cake, and he didn't know about it until I told him a couple of months later.
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