Hello Hello. We MOVED finally on Thursday to my sweet new bachelor pad. It took forrrrrrrrrever for them to get us there, but we’re there now. One night we were all figuring it all out I called from the payphone, then they called my district leader at the same time, so I was talking to him on the speakerphone of a cell phone then the ZONE leaders called and they were talking in our little chat group then someone else...it was great...it was a nice little confusing loud 5 way chat---but it was kinda cool. So we stayed with Turner and Rodriguez most of the week...it was a BLAST.
We obviously went to our areas during the day but at night it was so much fun. I learned a bunch of gang signs from one of the members that is on a "swat" kind of team here and we took some ghetto pictures in the projects. One night this couple started fighting on the third floor with their windows open and we went out side and listened for a while and it was the FUNNEST thing EVER!!! typical novela filled Mexico---all the neighbors had their windows open and their ears towards the couple and were just standing there listening hahahah it was so funny.
Pretty much this week was PACKED with tons of things, and I’ll prob forget most of what went on...but overall it was great---but felt like a year. Moved. Bought stuff for the house (oh and I will make a video when I get the chance showing you---its pretty sweet...not really but I like it...there are a TON of big windows :))
We journeyed out to know a little more of our area this week and to find the members who we were eating with...the streets are super confusing and it makes it JUUUUUUUUUUST a little bit harder without a map..but we managed. I’ll prob buy a map today. Had chile with cheese in it...soooooo nasty. Chile is the grossest thing in the world.
We contacted a ton of people and knocked a TON of doors. One day we got 7 references---
which is like a ton here ...from contacting and knocking doors, they all said we could come back :) so weird how people here actually have a perception of time and make appointments---unlike Tetala where nobody know when or what they are going to do.
Met some awesome people contacting in the market. I figure that if we knock doors and nobody is home, then they all must be working----sooooooooo I go to the market to contact and it’s SWEET and we find tons...we gave this guy a Book of Mormon there the other day and taught a couple more in their stores :P it was sweet...
So we contacted some awesome drunk guys the other day---I’ll send a picture. One of them had been in the US army for a super long time and had served in Persian Gulf and in Pakistan---it was way weird cause it was only like 10 minutes into it that me and the other American (there were 4 cause it was the bap interview) realized that he spoke English. He’s one of those 911 conspiracy theory people. But, he’s way cool and we talked about everything, then his friend, who was more drunk (oh all these guys had had like NO JOKE at least 10 Tecate cans) but the one that spoke English was a little less drunk. But anyway, his friend is like "does anyone have a light" for his cigarette, and OF COURSE--thinking fast, I said I did and whipped out my little laser red led light gun that you guys sent me and he bent over thinking it was a lighter and I totally SHOT him in the face bahahahah it was so funny, then he told me he was gonna get the real deal, but he got over it and I started talking to him, and turns out he’s kinda a big deal. After the lighter thing, his friend tells me he’s in charge of 10,000 of the militants in the base cause we live next to this huge base here hahahahahah soo awesome...totally shot him with a little lazer gun...but I started talking to him and he was telling me about all the stuff going down in Juarez and a bunch of gnarly stuff like what he’s seen and how narcos kill people. I was going to say what he said but it’s super nasty so I wont...but then I used this wonderful time just waiting there, while Elder Esteban was having his interview inside, to get ALLLLLLLL their addresses and numbers so I could come visit them when they weren’t drunk. I talked to the leader guy about the Book of Mormon too cause he studies history a lot and I’m bringing him one this week...so got his address and number. To the other guy I was like "so if I have a problem with anyone here---" and he’s like "YOU CALL ME!" bahha perfect, just as I had planned---and then I asked him where he lived and his number. It was great.
In our new house, I found this pull up bar that was there but it was hanging a curtain and it’s super high and I have to jump a little. Well, I start doing pull ups one night with my knees curled and it BREAKS and I fall like seriously 4 feet onto the concrete with my knees. Needless to say, it was quite painful and my knees looked demented the next morning and were totally bruised and it hurt all day. But I think I’ve kinda gained a higher tolerance for pain here.
Oh, and we of course dedicated our house which was really cool...we didn’t do it the first night and it kinda bothered me the whole night that night but I got the opportunity to dedicate it and after, I just felt this calm and peaceful feeling for real. It really changed everything. Did Iever tell you I got to dedicate the church in Tetela too--THAT was cool.
BAPTISM went AMAZING. We had 34 people show up!!! We worked so hard to tell everyone and get everyone there to support him!! It was AWESOME, the room was PACKED. He thought that it was just going to be us and his family and maybe another hermano he knows. It was great though. As always with Mexican time everyone showed up about 45 min. late but it went well and I made SWEET programs and found these fake flowers in one of the closets inthe church and put them out on the table and there were SO many comments on them bahhaha.
Filling the font is way complicated and the day before we ran into so many problems cleaning and draining it---but overall and in the end things went great :) I was so happy---so was Esteban---don’t think he wasn’t---they just don’t smile in pictures :) Teaching him has been awesome, we had like 3 or 4 lessons with him and taught him everything, even convinced him toplay his guitar and sing the romance songs to us that he has written. He is an AWESOME guy, and we’re going to continue visiting with him and helping him out. He’ll be a great member and I’m so glad I got to take part in the wonderful ordinance.
The president came to church this week!! It’s kinda weird seeing him but it was fun. He’s really awesome and nice. His wife is super serious all the time and I don’t know how to take her at all, but she’s great too. The fun one is their son, we talked a ton, and he’s prob going to come with us on an African safari next week. It’d be so boring being him though, they don’t let him leave the house or anything and he’s just on the compound all day----it’d be super boring. Anyway, we were in classes together cause I was his translator and it was way fun and funny for many reasons… I was kinda forgetting some words and saying things weird....hey butI’m doing really great in Spanish now....I’ve mastered saying hello to people and I know how to order food pretty well too...but that’s pretty much it...
I taught gospel principals about work and self sufficiency...it was such a good lesson with everyone, everyone participated and it led into more things that I wasn’t planning on and I got to brag about my parents and just how thankful I was that when I was younger you made me do things that sometimes I didn’t want to do, but now in the long run I see how much it has blessed my life. I talked about my chore chart as a kid and at the end I got the bike and how dad, you always made us sweep the driveway or mom do dishes and take out the trash and taught us how to clean and do TONS of things as kids and now in my mission---I’m using all these things that sometimes I never thought I was going to use...and I’m using it all right now...and I counseled them---cause most of them have little kids, to do the same and put their kids to work and help around the home so that they can instill in their children these habits so that late they will benefit from them in the future. Thanks a ton.
I always hated power-washing the tennis court, even though we only did it like 3 times, but itmade us work, and speaking of that, you should totally make Monica do that to teach her how to power wash :) OH and when Andrew and I mowed the lawn, that was fun :P Thanks for making me work at that old folks home, even though I REALLY dreaded it, standing there for an hour hitting balloons back and forth with people with Alzheimers, I realize now that it taught me a lot....wait---not really, but those were good times and thanks for making me do all that service even though mom I think you secretly knew that all the hours REALLY didn’t mean anything for the college application. But you tricked me and it worked :P hah but I WAS there for that lady’s 100th birthday---so that was kinda worth it.
So thanks for everything mom and dad, this week has been sweet and this next one will be better....
I got all your dear elders, sounds like ALL of you are having a blast!!! goshhhh it sounds like an epic summer---sam..do a double front. syd..got your letter, and just wait till next summer--it’ll be a battle. Kendall--love ya, you’re awesome, you and Nicole are crazy and that’s sweet she’s comin up. Nate-win Mt. Washington FOR ME. Annie--sounds like a party, wish I was there with you. Susan and Sandra---don’t forget to go to the big rock :) Monica---dominate EVERYONE at the club in tennis. EVERYONE...they can cry later. Megan--be good at EFY and listen, don’t play on your phone J. Andrew---do something cool. Father and Mother---I love YOU GUYS!!
I put the sweet Park City map on my agenda---it looks soooooooooooo legit---then I sowed it so it even looks cooler. I played some janga today and it was CRAZY!!! I sent you a pic... and some connect 4 and dominated the Canadian. Oh and this might have been last week butI ate DOMINOES and it was amaaaaaaaaazing...basically I just eat bread though...not good. The secretaries didn’t give us a fridge and didn’t tell us when they were going to give us one when I asked. OH and this week we had an awesome family home evening lesson with one of the new members and we read the story of the tree of life then I brought this huge black marker and this huge piece of paper and had the kids draw the tree and the rod and everything---IT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!! but then my whole master plan got killed at the end when we were going to watch the animated classic from my ipod and the darn CABLE DIDN’T WORK even after I had gotten the other part!!! It put kinda a dampener on the night, but they told me not to worry about it---I was totally bummed though---cheap Mexican cable things... but the family home evening was super awesome and they have the cutest kids ever and they are all so funny.
I’m loving my time here though, loving the mission. I love reading the Book of Mormon,
haven’t had too much time lately to read a lot but I’m almost to the middle of Alma again in Spanish and have almost finished the Book of Mormon again in English, so I’m working at it :) The mission is the sickest experience ever though and I’m so glad I’m out here cause I know I couldn’t have had tons of the experiences I’m having now if I wouldn’t have come---not like I ever thought about NOT coming but it’s really awesome and really FUN I think.
The best part is I get to SEE miracles and feel the spirit more strongly than ever before...it’s ahuge testimony builder and my testimony is just growing more and more every day as I find out new things in the gospel and see the change it brings in peoples lives. I feel so blessed to be out here right now :)
Tons of Love,
Elder Bertha
