I think I'm pretty fly for a white guy

(Especially since I'm the only one within a 2 mile radius of here.)

Not much to say this week because i was sick for three days, so we stayed in the apartment for two days. (On the third, I was sick of being sick; I wanted to work.) 

We went to Polanco this week so we could work on Elder Rosado´s visa. Just let me say if for some reason, I were to live in Mexico, I would live in Polanco. It was very nice there. I even saw like 5 white people. Like whoa she is actually blonde. But then we also saw a few Jehovah's Witnesses. We saw one set in Japanese, Spanish, and English. 

It's really cool that I can communicate instantaneously with family and friends all around the world. It makes it feel like you are not so far away. I'm just a block away from California, Texas, Michigan, Japan, Hungary, Hawaii, Jamaica, Utah, and all the rest of the world. It doesn't really feel like that much of a sacrifice, because I can read your words, and I can feel your support. The only thing is I can't see you. 

Oh yeah I'm learning guitar. I'm just learning chords right now, but I'll be pro when I get back. ;P 

​Mom we eat good. we have bananas.  Pay no attention to the chips or candy. So these chips apparently are a lot hotter than tokis. When I tried them I thought they were less. Yeah my ability/appetite for spicy has really increased. :)

​Elder Rosado, Mi Hijo

Aug 24, 2015 I'm a Winner!

So I think I win again. I'm pretty sure I'm the first of my "generation" of missionaries to get robbed. Well, of friends, not those here in Mexico. MOM: nothing really happened. I'm fine. The Story: We were sitting in a park waiting for an investigator. Waiting for a while. Then this guy on a bike came up to us and asked, "Whatcha doin?" (Notice I'm making this more American.)  We answered, "Waiting for someone who we normally teach here."  He started talking to us about what we do, then started talking to us that he has problems, and wants to change. (Tricky person, he knew that would grab our attention.)  He asked for our cellphone to call his mom. Elder Rosado said no (smart) and I, being the nice person I am, thought he really had to call his mom, and said yes. (not so smart)  He picked it up, looked at it and put it down on the table. I was thinking, maybe he will call later. We kept talking for a bit, he gave us some sort of sealed candy thing, talked and abruptly left. I looked down to pick up the phone to give the reference he gave, and the phone was gone. I realize that the candy was a slight of hand trick now, and that was when he took the phone. The thing that is the worst about the phone being stolen is not the phone itself, but the contacts. We lost all of them.

Then the Lord knew I needed a pickmeup, so we were able to find a family that is ready to accept the gospel and that was really nice. 

In other words, I have heard that when a missionary is getting drenched by rain, his future wife is getting prettier. I'm excited.  That's why I don't carry an umbrella. Just kidding. I carry an umbrella; I just get soaked anyway.

SIX MONTHS!!

For those who don't know the tradition, at six months you burn a tie.

Elder Gonzalez (I'll send one of Elder Rosado next week.)

Aug 17, 2015

It's six months tomorrow. Woo. I'm 1/4th the way home, Mom.  Don't worry. I don't know if tianguis has a singular form.

I saw a picture  of Ethan and Lindsay. That was cool that Ethan could see her. Ethan is excited to go on the mission and puts in his papers in a month. I'm excited too. I'm excited every time I hear someone is going on a mission or on the mission. It just makes me think of the scripture when Alma reunites with his friends and their joy was full because they were brethren in the work of the Lord. (really paraphrased) Send my congratulations to Karissa. :) Ahhhh. I'm happy reading these emails. 

First off, I'm training, guys! What the heck? I only learned the day of, three days ago that my companion was leaving. Then the next day, President told me I was going to be training a new elder who is waiting for his visa. His name is Elder Rosado, and he is from Guatemala.  I'm excited and nervous to start training. I am with him now and it is our first day. I have been with the zone leaders these past few days, but now I'm back. I hope I can do well training, because I barely know the area. 

Sorry for the short email, but love you guys!

My new Area. My new Ward. My new Companion.

Holy Moly, I am in Paradise. My companion sings and plays guitar. He has one. My ward sings. I don't know if you guys know how amazing that is. It's like a normal ward in the EEUU (USA in Mexican), but it is incredible here.  And they have a pìanist. And the ward is great. I don't really know the area yet, but I love it. I don't know how to describe everything that is awesome of this ward. The members are just great.  There is a family that reminds me of my family: they all sing, play instruments, and are awesome. And they sell really good hamburgers. That's not like my family, but it just makes them more great.

So you know how I said my companion has like 150 ties? I was wrong he has about 600. THAT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION. That is an estimate. He taught me how we can wash ties, iron ties, and how to fix them. That way we can buy ties from tianguisª.

I found a nice pink tie the other day.  All I had to do was a little bit of fixing, iron it and it looks magnificent.

ª I dont believe I have talked about tianguis. Tianguis are great. They are when the street gets converted into a market for a day.  They are easy to spot in Google Maps because the street is covered in tarps. They sell everything, from food, meat and vegetables, bikes, motor parts, tupperware, dvds, music, clothes, pretty much anything. The only bad thing is that the tarps were put up with Mexicans in mind. I have to duck a lot.  

I was just thinking the other day, "Wow, it's normal to wake up, get dressed in white shirt and tie, speak and think in a different language, and talk to complete strangers. And I've been doing that for nearly 6 months." Just the other day I talked to a taxi driver, and if you know me before the mission, that's incredible.  Yes, that's right. I said nearly Six Months. What the heck? I don't know if it has gone that fast for you, mom, but for me, boom, six months gone. What is 18 more? (a lot) :)

Evidence that my companion has a lot of ties. And those are not all. There are ties everywhere.

Dinos

Sorry. I don't have a lot to say this week. Since I knew that I was going to change my area, my companion didn't work with me. Almost literally stopped being my companion. I'm not going to complain more, because I could, but just to say what is going on. 

OK, one thing. He doesn't believe in science. Like literally. We were with a member and he was talking about the Jurassic World movie. When the member said that dinosaurs existed, my companion rolled his eyes. Rolled his eyes.... what? Anyway that's enough. 

I had changes! I am now in Azteca. Like four metro stations away but it looks sooo different. [Mom comment: Four metro stations away.  That must be something people in the big city say.  What is that measurement???  Funny boy.]  Yeah like in the country they use fursees, or the distance of how far you can see.  Here we see across the street.  [Mom: LOL.] LOL K? hahaha im using spanglishtexting language.  [Mom: LOL the fursees!]  Our apartment is bigger and we will see how it is. My new companion is Elder Gonzalez. He has about 100 ties or so. There are literally ties everywhere in our apartment. 

I was a little sad to leave my area but excited to leave and go to a new area. 

  

We went to the visitors center yesterday and i saw one of my teachers from the CCM!  Hno. Silva! It was fun to see him and I can tell now how slow he was talking to us in the CCM.

Oh and today I went to get my hair cut. It was in a professional salon, so right now I look really good. (I know. I'm humble.)  And the person who cut our hair is a member, but only like baptized as a kid. The reason this is interesting is because well, she, I believe, at one point... was a he. :¡ but my hair looks really good. She/he really knows hair. 

It was fun to meet Elder Eichmier´s mom because she was like, "Wow missionaries!" "Wow you speak english!" "Wow i have to take a picture!"