So I finally got everything done with the elections (registering for an absentee ballot) and all of that which is nice. I had to take out money again because my super amazing 99 cent Walmart flip flops bit the dust. I had to use them for the past week but I end up walking around the house like a fool trying to keep them on. I’m sure my companion had a good laugh. 

So this week we put our knuckles to the door and started contacting a bunch of people. We found about 9 families which was really cool. It was funny because we knocked one door and the people inside without even looking said come on in. We were like you don´t even know who we are. A 4-year-old toddler came up to the door to open it but when he saw us he ran off and never came back. It was pretty funny. There was another person that we knocked her door and an old lady came out and talked to us. She talked and talked and talked and talked. We practically had a lesson and we hadn’t even presented ourselves. 

This week it got rainy and today it is really cold. My poor companion ended up getting a cold but the worst was Thursday when we left the food appointment in the other elder´s area and had to walk to Timbuctoo. We barely started when it started to rain. We started running and took cover under trees and stuff like that. We almost got to our area when an old lady invited us in. I don’t know what it was with our luck of finding old ladies but here´s another one. She was super nice but talked and talked and talked. Not like the other one. The other one was cool, but this poor lady told us four things about four times She kept telling us that we were going to say ¨why did we go with this crazy old lady she´s crazy¨ It was super funny. When we did get to the appointment they weren’t there and they left us in the rain. My poor companion. 

Well I´m super excited about General Conference. I wish I could have gone to the women´s session but I had to go out to work. The good thing is that we only have to wait one week more. I hope that you guys are just as excited. ¡Animo! as my president says. 

I have to go because my time is short but I hope that you guys keep working with the missionaries and that you enjoy the conference. I really, really hope that the branch shows up because yesterday at 1030 there wasn´t one person in the sacrament room (I think that´s how you say it) [pretty sure he means chapel]. I love yáll mucho. Cuidese 

Élder Nelson

Ascensión 1

Misión Ciudad Juárez México

Wow this week has really passed by fast. I got to Sunday and I realized that I get to write you guys again. Sometimes I feel like the week goes Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. What is cool is that this week was so full of stuff that it passed by even faster. 

So this week was really cool because it is the week of the independence of Mexico. In the US it´s just one day but here they have a party and then the next day they have the after party. Not really but it´s a two day deal and it´s super cool. Thursday night we had el grito de dolores. In every pueblo city state in Mexico, the presidents (mayors) Shout the grito at about 1030 or 1100 in the night. and then afterwards they shoot off a bunch of fireworks. What was cool is that our house is almost on main street so we went out on our balcony and heard and saw the shout. At the very end they say viva Mexico three times.

In the morning of Friday we went to the desfila or parade they have all of the kids in the schools march and the Queens of Ascensión ride on the hoods of the cars. I think that the best part is when a less active kid about the age of Price was dressed up like a friar even with a half bald cap and holding the banner of guadalupe grito Viva la virgin Maria. It was like That´s not good. 

We had a really cool teaching opportunity. We were in Omnibus going from Ascensión to Casas Grandes for a training meeting. When we got on the bus the lady next to us asked us to talk to her about God. We were a little confused because that had never really happened before and where do you even begin. So we started with Lesson 1 and we pretty much taught all 5 lessons by the time we got to Casas Grandes. It´s a good thing we weren’t heading to Chihuahua because if we had more time we might of baptized her in the bathrooms in the back of the bus. It was really interesting because even though she didn’t say anything we could tell that she had lost someone very close to her and that she worried about his salvation. We could also tell that she had been listening a lot to the JW but that she wasn´t a member. If you listen close enough you can find out a lot about the people you talk to. Hopefully she will keep listening to the missionaries but we don´t know. 

Well I have to let you guys go but I hope that everything goes well in school and everything. Remember that you guys are examples and can help bring others to Crist. I love y’all muchisísimo. Cuídense mucho. 

Here we are teaching English and out working in the field.

How´s it going? I hope yáll had an awesome week and that your teachers aren´t too mean or give yáll a bunch of homework. 

The weeks keep going by faster and faster. Every Monday I´m surprised that I’m back at the computer screen. We had a pretty good ma o meno week. We had a few good lessons. One of the lessons that we had was with a lady named Alejandra. She is like a member but has never been baptized. The funny thing is that every time we finish the lesson we ask her who or whom she would like to say the prayer. And every time she chooses me. It´s like a rerun or something because she always turns to me and says Hermano Nelson. Me, again are you sure. And then my companion say ni modo, oh well. It´s pretty funny. The best part is that there is another lady that we visit that always asks my companion to pray so toshave. 

We went to the chapel to wait for an investigator to show up. While we were there my companion had to doo some business in the bathroom. I also had to go so we went in and opened the first stall. It was a bowl of hot chocolate that was not good looking so we went to the next, and the next. It was a nightmare. We decided that maybe the women’s bathroom would be better. Now since we were the only ones in the whole building the men and women’s signs did not apply. But even then we went into the women´s bathroom and it was worse. So my companion had to pick his poison. I decided to hold it. It was a good thing that my companion went in the men’s because about 3 minutes later the cleaning crew showed up and it would have been awkward to walk out of the women´s restroom. We bid then good bye and good luck and left. Moral of the story, flush. Moral #2 don´t go in the women´s bathroom. 

We taught RS this Sunday. We talked about the work of salvation and the need we have of the members to work with us. It didn´t go too well. The sisters got super hostile with us. I guess this answers the question that my dad gave me: Why was king Noah "wroth" when Abinadi spoke against him and Alma "grieved" when Korihor spoke against him, and what is the difference between being wroth and grieved? When we taught them we didn´t try to roast them or anything but they became wroth with the words we used. When we told them they are an important part of the work they got angry. One of the sisters in the branch is La Coca. Sometimes I feel like she is the leader of the branch mafia. She doesn´t have a calling or anything but everyone fallow, follow, follews, le sigue, her. It was had because when they spoke out against us and what Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley said. It grieved us. Afterwards the President of the RS told us don’t be sad if the RS doesn´t help us and to enjoy our missions. It was a bit disappointing.

What was really funny is that during the lesson my companion said I have gained the confidence of many women and then he realized how bad that sounded and he had to correct it and say of you guys. Right after this he must have been a little flustered because he got mixed up and said you have been like my sons and I have been like your mother. When he really wanted to say I have been like your son and you guys as my mother. It was really funny. 

Well I have to go but I want to remind you guys to help the missionaries in your ward and to magnify your callings. 

I love yáll lots