SO WE MET THE NEW PRESIDENT THIS WEEK!!! He's so sick! He's suuuuuuuper tall too. I talked to his wife before the conference and she told me the Reinharts had told her to look out for me here, and she was glad she finally got to meet me, kinda cool right…but then I found out something cooler---they are like SUPER good friends with the McGraths I guess they go stay with them sometimes in Hawaii in the summer.
SO FUNNY!! Such a small world. I think the McGraths get my email---so yup—I met your friends the Reeves, and they're awesome. When I met the president in line, he said the same thing about the Reinharts. They used to live in San Diego in Lavern so that’s I'm guessing how they know the McGraths so well, but ya, so crazy. Then they moved to Arizona 7 years ago and he was called as a stake president and then a PATRIARCH!! So cool, sometime I will ask him all these questions that I've always wanted to know about patriarchs, but really he is so awesome and will totally change this mission I think. He brings the spirit with him so strong. The 6 hour meeting flew by and I learned a ton. Two stake presidents spoke about missionary work and what they need of us and asked us what we need of them. It was really interactive and super interesting. The Reeves also have a son Brian who is 17—he's a super cool kid to. Plays LAX like Andrew---but obvi not as good :) My friend Wennerhold and I went and sat next to him and ate and talked the whole time. It was way fun---and I might hook him up with one of my sick sweaters—but I got transferred so that’s going to be kinda hard now, but I showed him the one I got Winnerholm—the same one as me, the first one, the one I gave Andrew too…it's soooooooo sweet yup. And my comp has one too hahah leeeeeeegit. Anyway, Im gonna try to work on that, I seriously have gotten Alfonzo and his wife so much business, the other missionaries in our district each ordered 2 and others want them now….but nobody will get to have sick crazy colors now cause I used them all up heeeeeeeheheh. But, off of the sweater tangent, the new pres is my fave and I hope we become best friends :)
The meeting was awesome, I learned a ton, and my friend Elder Gonzalez who was the skinny Mexican who went to the caves with us bore his testimony because he is leaving in a month and a half and it was AWESOME!! I love that kid. Ya everything is super awesome here, they just need to do a little switching up some of the district leaders and zone leaders and put some happy fun people in there to make missionary work and p-days more fun and the mission would be perfect. Hopefully that changes with the new president. BUT PRESIDENT REX was totally awesome and I loved him too…he was always so soft spoken and like the nicest person in the world.
I had this great idea the other day that totally got ruined. We were waiting for the Manchies to get back to their house, and we had already knocked all the doors in this small community,so we went on a little exploring adventure and next to their house is this HUUUGE corn field---so I was like—let's go into the middle, close our eyes, spin around for 30 seconds, and then try to get out of it ending up in front of the house…hahahahah and this field was HUGE!!! It would have been the funniest thing ever…but then we got like 5 feet in and I asked my comp if there were animals and he was like “OH yaaaa wait, we can't cause there are those huge spiders” and I guess in this area, Puebla, there are spiders in the corn fields that are super venomous and can kill you in 5 minutes…pshhhhhhhh so we didn’t go. I kinda didn’t believe him but I didn't want to risk it---well SOMEDAY I WILLLLLLLLL DO it…..my corn field friend can come with me J … and everyone else who wants to have the most legit adventure ever….think about this, what if we did it in the GINORMOUS corn field that was next to our house in Pennsylvania….ahhhhhhhhh that'd be so sick… well i'll look forward to this when I get back…and some other awesome ideas I have written down in my journal…..like the dog milk one…ahhhhhhhhh its going to be epic….
Hey dad, thanks for all those articles, that TENNIS one was SICK, 11 hour 5 minutes match...so crazy--i'll try to use it in a lesson---but I don't think people know what tennis is here. The Newsweek article about Mitt was crazy! On the front with a Book of Mormon...haha kinda a bummer though he talked about how we was disobedient in his mish and went to the movies and stuff and ate out in the middle of the night---that was kinda a lame part---but his mish was CRAZY, the presidents wife dying, him leading everyone---that would've been a trip all of that..but ya cool how tons of the top leaders are members of the church. And I didn't know about Huntsman running for president too--that's weird 2 LDS people running. At the end of the article they WOULD put two paragraphs about 2 people that left the church pshhh lame. but the end paragraph was good and cleaned it up a little...but all of it was super interesting, same with the Gods MBA: Why Mormon Missionaries Produce Leaders...everyone should go read that, it's on the internet in like Business Week or something. It's sweet.
I love 1 cor 2:4
Thanks for all the pictures from Delphi and Athens!!! They are ridiculous...sooooo cool and amazing and I must journey there someday!! THE BAPTISM on Saturday went perfectly!! MENOS one thing. I jumped in the pool with my CAMERA in my pocket and it got TOTALLY wrecked...yup gone. Worst thing ever. I took it apart and tried to bring it back to life---but it's dead :( But the bap went perfectly, we baptized in this SUPER nice pool in the center of town, so sweet. This guy had imported all this stuff from Miami to filter it and make it and it looks like it could be at a hotel or something. Anyways, the program was precious and Ruben Lopez Hernandezs (thats his name) was crying telling her son to keep strong throughout all his life and talking about the importance of baptism and everything...it was awesome, the spirit was felt so strong. Hermano Manche gave a great testimony also, he is the grandfathers of Ruben. It was great leaving Tetela with that, I really do feel like, if nothing else, we helped ONE person with their salvation, and more than anything, we reactivated Hermano Manche and his daughter and her family after almost 8 years of being inactive. Many had visited them, but it just never clicked...i dunno---maybe that's the reason I had to go there? You never know. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I feel blessed that I got to serve there in that gorgeous area. SO many problems, but there was so much to be learned, and I KNOW I left there edified intellectually going through all those weird and one-time experiences.
Changes were crazy, probably the worst bus ride of my life. We woke up at 3am to leave for the CAPU, get on the bus at 4---and it's PACKED!!!! I sat on the stairs (luckily I got that) and after about 30 miserable minutes winding through the mountains my comp, who was sitting below me on the stairs, went into the bathroom and puked his brains out and pretty much slept in there for an hour. It was so hot and just terrible. Then we got onto a another bus and arrived at 8 there, waited forever, and NOW I'M IN MY NEW AREA!!!! I got a new companion......Elder Pech-yucatan, super smiley laughy short Mexican 5 months out....I think we´re going to get along great!! COOLEST THING RIGHT NOW THOUGH IS I´m living with Elder Turner, the other ginger from the MTC, until we can find a house---lame thing is they want us to find a house by Wednesday---pshhh that's like impossible cause we know NOTHING, but we´ll prob look all day tomorrow...but it's pretty much a party and I´m totally going to get dominoes pizza tonight....oh and it's so weird being in the city!!! There are tons of people and cars and trash and it smells super bad and there are no trees. Oh and get this...President Reeves is in the ward in my new area now---yup....fun fun. I hear there are tons of good members though who are super supportive, which I am totally looking forward to!! It's so weird NOT being in the middle of nowhere with no cars and dog packs and dust and dirt and trees---i kinda liked it. Anyways, I´m VERY MUCH enjoying this new area so far, Elder Turner and his comp are gonna show us around tomorrow cause the areas got split and moved around so they know a little more than us about this area. I´m way amped though, don't know what to expect yet...but I´m hoping good things.
I just remembered about those animal squirt guns and the jump rope you guys sent a couple months ago---it never got here....I used Turners jump rope today :) ya but this week is going to be LOCO with moving and finding a house and all...hope everything is great at home...saw that gnarly sand storm cloud thing that hit Phoenix...THAT was crazy...super weird...end of the world-2012 yup yup yup love you all so much. WRITE MEEE if you guys want...it ONLY makes my life....it's going to be cool seeing more of the President, cause he's super awesome. Well, AGAIN I LOVE ¨YOU ALL!!!
OH, and one more thing, Mom, the people who worked at Ralphs, I showed them your picture and they TOTALLY REMEMBER YOU!!!! and I took a picture with them so I´ll send it in another email :) LOVE YOU TONS!!! And Dad thanks for your email....it was awesome, I love you so much!!
Elder Bertha
These are the baptism pictures---just before my camera fell in the water and drowned!! it was a happy---sad momemt :)
Alfonzo and his "wife" who make the sweat sweaters.
MOM THESE ARE THE RALPHS GUYS...they totally remember you...they both worked there. and this is their family and i told them when we return we will go and visit them. they are seriuosly the nicest people in the world and i wish i would have talked more with them while i was in tetela.
Ana-Maria and her husband Bernavie. TEL CEL...she came to church yesterday cause i told her it was my last day and that i was speaking. i spoke about the scriptures. they were great friends and i hope elder almeida keeps teaching them and someday they GET MARRIED and get baptized.
The last is of Carlos and Luisa, of the tortillas. they lived next to us and we went to their house/store thingy super close to eat in the morning eggs INSIDE tortillas---kinda cool huh. they are some of my favorite peopele in the world. Carlos has almost lost all of his eyesight, which is super sad. She is the funniest lady ever and always talked about how we were going to get married hahah they are the best.
Hermano Chucho. ---um yup. he gave me a book when i left of pictures of hands that were pained. interesting person. super nice and also someone we reactivated to full activation and is now going strong.
The Drunk guy who is always on the street, hes awesome...he has some mental problems and we always wave to him and he gets super happy and waves back.
Hermano Alejandro. Strugglin still but seriously one of my best friends on my mission, so many fun adventures with him.
