3 - Half Way Done with the CCM!

This week has been going a lot better. I didn't have anything stolen! The money was in the bottom of my backpack and they had to search for it. I haven't gotten any cash, but they gave me a card to use for now.

I'm pretty happy. I'm over the home sickness now, like I tell myself I'll be gone for two years and I don't even think twice. It's a lot of work being the district leader. I pray about the other missionaries and spend most of my time thinking about what would be best for them. It seems like time is the one thing I don't have a lot of right now. I don't really have much time to take pictures here because even on P day we are super super busy. We have laundry and emails and naps and sports and a ton of things. But I have been writing in my journal every night. It's hard some nights but it's kind of fun. Learning is hard, but it's actually easier than it was in high school. But it's still super tough. 

We have learned how things work around here, and being half way done, we know the tricks. We found this secret computer lab, but it's always locked so it's hard to get in. But it's so much cooler than any of the other ones! 

I got a new scripture case. It has Jesus on it and I put Alma 26:5 on the back, it's pretty cool. I really like that scripture for some reason. I'll send you a picture in a bit. It's actually really cool looking.

But thank you for that picture, mom! That is the funniest thing I've seen in the last 3 weeks. 

Easter is only a few days after I get into the field so that's a little crazy. 

I have been getting into these things called tazos, they are little cardboard circles with pictures on them. You get them out of chip bags and it's kind of fun to play with them. 

There is still a million things going on here, I'm still not used to having every minute of every day planned out. It's really tough for me. I have tried to just let things go how they are going to go. I'm  trying to do the best I can, but I can only handle sitting in a class for so long before I start losing my mind, it's not much fun. Our teaching is going better. We do a thing called TRC where we get a random investigator and we teach them things from preach my gospel. The language is going okay I guess, but I don't know how to gauge how well I am doing. But then I think where I was even 3 weeks ago and it's amazing that I have learned more in 3 weeks than I did in 3 years of High School Spanish. 

 

I have a rash on my biceps so I'm trying to get it to go away. I want McDonalds. And I wish I could get my hands on some Mt. Dew out here. I need something to keep me going. My body is completely exhausted every single day. But I guess I just gotta get used to it. The kool aid packets were an awesome idea. It's nice to get a little bit of goodness. And in the comedor sometimes they have lemonade, it's amazing. And some days they have like pineapple and orange juice mixed, it reminds me a lot of grandmas house for some reason.

I love you. I'll talk to you soon, and I'll send you the picture in a minute.

2 - 2nd Week in the CCM!

Well, it was a pretty good week, but it was stressful beyond all belief. I started lifting weights again and that takes away a lot of the stress. Hopefully I'll be scary to all those boys trying to take Brooke on dates when I get back. Spanish is hard but I've been doing okay. We had an investigator like our first week, but we can only teach and most of the time talk in Spanish. We are already teaching full lessons in completely Spanish. It was really scary at first but now I"m kind of used to it. I feel like I'm learning, but just not as fast as I would like. Teaching in Spanish is getting a little easier, but it's still hard though.

I polished my shoes and ironed one of my shirts for the first time this week. I didn't completely destroy it so I felt good. I'm used to being called Elder now. Like hearing my name is kinda of different, watch me forget my name by the time I come home! But I can't tell one day from another, they all just kind of keep going. We wake up by 6:30, have class from 7:30 till 12. Then lunch, then class from 12:30 to about 5:00, then dinner, then class from 6 to about 9:30. So about 10 or 11 hours of pure study. The days I live for are Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.  We get pizza on Tuesdays and Thursdays are p days! Being district leader is stressful. But I have learned a lot about prayer. It feels like you pray every twenty five seconds, it's insane. But prayer has helped a lot. At first it felt weird to pray this much. But there is no possible way I could do this without prayer.

I got all my money stolen, so that kinda sucked. I still have my credit and debit cards and $20 though, so at least I have something. I filed a report and everything but it's just kind of gone. They can't do anything about it. They didn't take my camera or speaker or anything, just my cash. The reception desk said to go to the financial advisor and he will be able to give me some money. But that's about all I can do. Elder Barnes gave me a couple hundred pesos and said that I need it more than him. But we get 100 pesos every p day to use in the store. They have pretty much Chips A Hoy cookies but they call them chokis. They are like $1.15 in American so they are really cheap. 

But we made a sling shot in our casa with some exercise bands, I'll send you the video, but it was a lot of fun.We have more plans for fun stuff to do. But I'll try to send some more pictures.  

I have been writing in my journal every night. And the funny thing is we are supposed to study the scriptures but they give us so little time for anything that I've only made it to like the 18th chapter of Nephi. But one thing I want you to read is 3 Nephi 17 verse 3. It's one of my favorites so far, and I'm trying to save the weekly money and buy a scripture case and get it put on it. 

We had Elder Hoffman go to another district because he is supposed to leave earlier than us, so Elder Feeney is another one of my companions.  

But yes, I already sent the package to Hermana Hill. 

The explosions are fireworks, so don't worry too much. The CCM is in the dead center of the ghetto, like it was crazy coming in. I'll try to get some pictures from Elder Barnes and send them to you.  

I love you and I miss you. I still don't know how I got talked into doing this! Ha, just kidding. But really this is rough. I just hope it gets easier as it goes!

I love you!

1 - First Week in the CCM

 

Well, it's been a crazy week. This is easily the hardest thing I have ever done. But I'm already the district leader. It's not very hard but it's just a little more pressure that I really don't want right now but it's not like I get to choose really. 

The CCM is crazy. All of the city around us looks like something off Call of Duty, it's all run down and broken. But the shops are all outside, hardly any are indoors. But we are surrounded by giant walls and armed guards that are there 24 hours a day. We joke that the only way to get out of here is to go to your mission, go home, or go to the hospital. But it's really pretty out here. We live in little houses called casas, of course. But there are a bunch of missionaries in each casa. Me and my companion share a room with a guy from Mexico and a guy from Panama. They are hilarious! We are up till like 11 every night just laughing. Mexico is about 70 degrees every day and Panama is up in the 90`s! It's so hot! It's pretty here though. I will send you a few pictures in a minute.

But learning Spanish is hard. People only speak Spanish in Mexico! We got an investigator on our 3rd day here to teach that only speaks Spanish. My companion knows no Spanish at all so I try my best to keep the lessons going. But I'm trying to not get upset. It's crazy how much I have felt the spirit down here. 

On the computers one of the backgrounds is a picture of the farm in Monticello!

But tell C.H. to email me. But I miss you guys like crazy. The only problem is every minute of every day is planned here. It's hard to get used to. Sometimes I wish I could be at home and just lay there. But I love you and I'll talk to you next week.