October 27, 2014 -- Mas Cerca Dios de Ti‏ (Nearer My God to Thee)

Well, this week was quite interesting. As the subject line reads, baptism--I had my first one. It really was quite something, not only due to the fact that it was my first one, but also due to the strangeness of it. As I believe I have told you all, Virginia was in a car crash and as a result has various problems with her right leg. One of these problems is that she cannot bend it. Due to this, our plan for the baptism was very strange. We had two chairs in the font, me, the bishop, and my companion (all to help this brave sister because her condition prevents her from standing, among various other fun things). I did the ordinance 3 times because we could not get her entire body under the water the first 2 times (leg problem). But, when I was talking to her afterward, apparently she experienced no pain during the baptism, which is, quite frankly a miracle. She was in so much pain she could not move the day before. She is so very happy. Also, one of her good friends turned out to be the bishop of another ward that is a couple of hours away, and he was unaware of the baptism. When he found out, he came all the way here for the confirmation, and he did it. It was really, really cool.

We moved Virginia into a new home (same Virginia) and as a result we are going to teach one of her daughters who previously had absolutely no interest in religion. Service works, let me tell you.

Due to various circumstances, from moving out of our area, to family saying you cannot talk to the Mormons anymore, to death threats, etc., all of our baptismal dates for the 30th have failed. But, we have 3 more planned for the 20th of November now, and these ones I am sure will work out.

My new shoes, which are very, very nice, cost a total of 50 pesos. That is about $4.15. And, to make things even better, they are the type of shoe that Jessica and my mother were trying to get me to wear to be fashionable and for dating before my mission. The cheapest tie I have bought so far here cost 10 pesos, and it, too, It is quite nice.

Things with my companion are better; we work well now.

I am having very vivid dreams that I am starting to actually remember. They are very interesting, and I have decided to write them down (useful for, if nothing else, to amuse me when I am really super bored).

I went with a bunch of the new elders to the Mexican equivalent of the consulate here to work on obtaining a green card. Most of my district from the MTC was there, and it was really super nice. We were kind of loud, though, because we were having such a good time, and that was a problem. I got my fingerprints taken and did lots of signing papers. It was alright.

Apparently there is a video of the newbies here in Mexico on facebook. If you would like to view it, please consult my mother, because I have no idea how to access anything but Myldsmail and the missionary website.

Once again, I would like to talk about my clothes and how they fit. Those nice fitted suits that I got just before my mission? Well, when I wear them, there is a large section of the fabric that folds
in on itself underneath the belt that I need to put another hole in. I am working on making the sleeves tighter around my arms, but unfortunately, my arms are not massive enough for me to need to cut them open. (Haha, that was a joke. I do not want huge arms that ruin my clothes.) All of my shirts look massive on me, like I borrowed a shirt from my companion.

I send pictures to my mother every week and then I erase them from my camera so that I can take more. If you would like to view pictures, please consult her. (I do not know what she does with them.) [editorial note: I put them on this blog—big grin.]

And to answer your question about the picture of the jaw in the street, I think it was a dog jaw. We see some dead animals in the street, and usually it is a dog. Of course, it is hard to tell whether it is dead or soon to give birth, but when it is male you know it is dead. There are animals everywhere. I have seen people take belts into the street, rassle themselves a dog, and take it home. This country is very interesting.

This week I experienced something very interesting with our food situation. One day we ate 3 separate lunches. One consisted entirely of tamales and grape juice. Another was spaghetti with American cheese, fried tacos, and carbonated juice (I do not know the name of the fruit, but it looks like an orange, and the inside is pink) [second editorial note: I’m pretty sure that is a grapefruit; he’s losing the ability to remember English words]. And for our third, we had soup, tortillas and lemonade. I was so full it was painful.

Well, that is about all I have got. Love you guys, and have a good week!

Elder Scott