September 22, 2014

So, hey all.

The flights were a little painful. The first one, a large woman slept on me for the entire flight. The second one was fine. The third one, the stewardess kept waking me up to tell me things that were unimportant.

I am in the second area for Reynosa city, and I have no idea exactly where I am, because none of the streets have names. With the exception of those whose signs are so rusted you can't tell what they say.

We have taught about 15 lessons, we talk to a lot of people, and everything here is great. The first day was hard, but everything got better after that. This area is a new one, (kind of) because the hermanas who were here last didn't leave any records for us.

My companion, Elder H, is a fine elder but is a little difficult to get along with, but everything is good. He is from Mexico City. We get along fine, but he doesn’t like to follow some of the rules. He doesn't do morning exercise, sometimes we come home early, and the way he eats...oh boy! The serving sizes here in Mexico are about 3x the sizes in the US. Everyone who can afford to buy food here has a belly (almost). I can barely finish half of a plate, and he has 3 or 4 every meal. The members feed us every lunch time, and the food is always really good. I drink so much water. I can drink 2 liters of water at a time and still feel thirsty, but I can’t eat anything. The water here is not safe to drink, so you have to buy purified water from salespeople who drive around in little cement trucks.

I understand what most people are saying, but I have trouble figuring out what older people say, because they have almost no teeth, they mumble, and they talk in a really strange pattern. Understanding depends on the line of communication, with phones I understand nothing, in person, as long as they have teeth, I am good. I can kind of talk to people, but the way I word things is weird, and people seem to understand me, but I don't feel happy with my language skills.

We walk everywhere. My bishop’s house is about 2 miles from the chapel, and my residence is almost in the middle between these two places. Everything is good though. I teach the gospel every day. I see at least one donkey a day, except Sundays. My mission President is very nice, although he doesn't speak English. He really is very nice, though.

Oh, Canicula? The 40 days and nights of extreme heat? It isn’t just 110. It can go as high as 50 degrees celsius (about 120 F) or more, but it is always over 45.

Also, someone accepted a baptismal date already! Her name is Immelda, and we have her set up for baptism on the 9th of October. Pretty excited about that!

Love you guys,
-Elder Scott

Pics from the MTC: