Went on divisions with Rodriguez this week. Went to GALAXIA--where one of the streets is named "CANCER" street. Thats kinda weird. Visited this cop and he showed us all the bullets that narcos use that they can't use. Would be terrible to be a police here, but I learned a lot about Chapo Guzman....interesting story.
Kinda legit how he got out jail...you should look up the story. Knocked some doors, kinda had to teach Rodriguez how to do it though cause TURNER never taught him. Be happy. Act like you love them and they're your best friend. Always works. Got a bunch of set appointments for other days though....that was sweet. Went on divisions with the leaderes de zona tambien which was super fun cause I went with Elder Jimenez. He's awesome. We had tons of fun. We saw this pueblo in their area (it's the picture with me with my arms open and the lagoon in the back) and decided to walk straight for it though the fields. Passed a bunch of horses and cows and bad dogs. Got there. Knocked it. Visited some members. Ate pizza that night. Went to Elder Blanchards baptism in the stake center. Then Jimenez and and I found some guy in the street (my other picture).
Kinda legit how he got out jail...you should look up the story. Knocked some doors, kinda had to teach Rodriguez how to do it though cause TURNER never taught him. Be happy. Act like you love them and they're your best friend. Always works. Got a bunch of set appointments for other days though....that was sweet. Went on divisions with the leaderes de zona tambien which was super fun cause I went with Elder Jimenez. He's awesome. We had tons of fun. We saw this pueblo in their area (it's the picture with me with my arms open and the lagoon in the back) and decided to walk straight for it though the fields. Passed a bunch of horses and cows and bad dogs. Got there. Knocked it. Visited some members. Ate pizza that night. Went to Elder Blanchards baptism in the stake center. Then Jimenez and and I found some guy in the street (my other picture).
There are these huge concrete slides in the Margairta......sooooooooooooo cool. I rode down them all when we went on divisions. I also made a voluntary rule in my district that everyone had to get a luchador mask for a awesome district picture. Needless to say, they were obviously ALL DOWN. Epic picture before the baptism yesterday. I did my first baptismal interview. Set the record for the longest baptismal interview in history I think. I was planning on the short 15 minutes, simple questions, simpler answers. But thanks to Rodriguez and Wingington for not explaining what the interview was and how long it was suppose to be....it was quite long. Like 2 hours and 30 minutes quite long. But it was a wonderful chat I had with the Hermana. She was probably like 30 or 35 years old and seriously she pretty much talked the whole time. I asked how she came to know the missionaries and 45 minutes later I asked the second question hahahah, it was way awesome though, and from our conversation, I pretty much didn't even have to ask a bunch of the questions. But now, I know EVERYTHING ABOUT HER LIFE... relationships, kids, like everything.....things that you don't even tell good friends. It was kind of way surprising and really neat how she had sooooooo much confidence in me to tell me all these things...so crazy. 2 hours and 30 minutes alone with a woman in a room---that's probably a record ---AND it wasn't breaking rules. Worst part was I was sitting with one leg under the other the whole time and i pretty much couldn't walk after the interview. But this woman was amazing and so ready to be baptized!! It was such a blessing to talk to her and really fortified my testimony aun mas to hear hers and her experiences and EVERYTHING that she has gone though in her life. I got to use sweet examples from my life and the life of others I know as examples to explain things to her....that part was sweet.
I beat some Mexicans at soccer today. Well Pech was on my team so it wasn't alllll American, but PECH is a champ at soccer. We also had the presidents son and Wingington, the newbie from Wisconsin. We played for like 3 hours and I just about died. I was so tired and had to take little breaks cause I´m a fatty now and can't run like I used to... but I did score about 30 or more goals in all of the time we played. 4 on 3, but 3 on 3 for a while on this small ghetto turf on a concrete field in the middle of the projects of the Margarita. SOOOO much fun though, cause it was all footwork and I just mess with the kid in the Margarita ward who is super cool and play dirty....it's such a blast. I love playing soccer here.
I gave a talk in church this week. It was like 15 or 20 minutes. IT WAS SWEET THOUGH!!! I talked about the DIA DE REPOSO and how we need to guardar it. So I took out these 6 points from the 8 lessons and based my talk off that and then added my stories how we can keep the sabbath day holy...and I would tell you more details about it but I forgot my notebook that I wrote it in. HEY, but cool part was I rarely looked at my notes and just spoke Spanish the entire time and they understood me. I even got a standing ovation at the end. not. But they smiled :) AND LAUGHED once. I used stories about soccer and tennis and how I made the decision when I was younger not to play on Sundays and pretty much for that I am on a mission cause I learned so many things in church from teachers that I wouldn't have learned if I wasn't in church, and the things we learn in church help us in our trials that we have and tal vez if I didn't go to church those days I probably wouldn't have been able to handle trials in my life.... stuff like that. To play in college you need to play tennis on Sundays to get a ranking. Well, I didn't play in tournaments bc I chose to keep the Sabbath Day holy. I talked about blessings of friends IN the church. How Joel and I didn't go to the same school when we were little lads but saw each other every Sunday and made our wonderful friendship :) and I said how much of an influence he was on me, and the influence of our friends in the church and a TON OF OTHER STUFF. I can speak Spanish faster so I could say more. It was great :) I´ll show you guys when I get back :)
Then we had the baptism. Took our epic luchador pic in front of the font. Its called "BERTHAS DISTRICT" picture. It's a classic. epic. I´ll probably send it to President Reeves. Brian is sweet. We took him to play soccer with us, then went to the military area after to buy sick switch blades. Then ate cemitas. whiiiiiiiiiiiiiich probably wasn't the best idea...father. brother. I still can't sleep here. I´m WAY tired right now. We have a noche de hogar tonight with some inactives and families...should be sweet. we´re going to watch a movie and share a message.
Primer Nephi 22:31 --- shared that with some Hermanos this week. We had 23 lessons with inactives this week. We´re getting on em so that they will come back to church. some did :)
Oh, we found two newbies that are super sick and I think they will get baptized. We put fecha with herbalife for the 30th of september cause he couldn't come this Sunday but said he could come the next 2...so hopefully that all works out too. Have appointments with everyone this week. Jesus y Areseli are awesome and progressing, but say they need to take everything slow. We are meeting with the guy that doesnt believe in God in 2 days also.
Oh, we found two newbies that are super sick and I think they will get baptized. We put fecha with herbalife for the 30th of september cause he couldn't come this Sunday but said he could come the next 2...so hopefully that all works out too. Have appointments with everyone this week. Jesus y Areseli are awesome and progressing, but say they need to take everything slow. We are meeting with the guy that doesnt believe in God in 2 days also.
oh ya. almost forgot. found another Hermana with a waffle maker and I ate 3 and a half waffle Sunday morning at her house, and caught some of the news about 9-11's 10 year anniversary. Crazy stuff. The new building they are building is CRAZY looking. I can't wait to go back and see it---that's if I don't get jumped or stolen by a narco or something. This week has been hectic though, with divisions and meetings and everything. espero que la proxima este maaaaaaaaas tranquilo. Love you all. Keep the faith, and the sabbath day holy. have fun. drink tap water. remember elder bertha. :)
I love allll your letters, you´re allll amazing and count yourselves lucky that you were chosen to come to earth in these times and to know the truth. les quiero mucho. No tengo nada mas que escribir. Paz. Gozo. Felicidad. :) Mexico. 9 meses. Vaca. Combi. Perron. Casidilla.
Elder Bertha.
