Wow. Wow. Wow. What a crazy week.

This week was really good. I have started to feel like a missionary. It´s weird to think of the missionaries back home and now I´m that weird guy that shows up for dinner and pesters you about being a better missionary. How weird. 

So this Monday we went to el Centro which is the only cool place in Juarez. It´s like a huge downtown open air market. It is cool but also really crowded. The worst part is you have to pay for the bathroom. In my area bathrooms are free and frequent. But its cool because it´s really the Mexican part of CD Juarez. 

This week we had a million meetings. Our mission puts General Conference to shame. I´ve learned how to stay awake and take notes better this week than any other week. For instance we had a 6+ hour meeting on Wednesday. It was ok because we had a missionary conference with all the missionaries in the world. I don´t know for sure but I almost swear that I saw Chase Larson at the Conference. 

I think all the dust here has done something to my head. One morning I woke up and I was in the bathroom looking at my toes. I thought, Wooow, that's a long way down. I felt like I was standing on a 30 ft diving board. So weird. Maybe I´m just growing and not realizing it.

We´ve walked a lot but we´ve also had a lot of good lessons. We had 4 lessons with members which was so cool. It´s a lot easier with members helping us. I think it also makes the investigators more comfortable too. 

It´s really sad because we had some contacts in this one area but we don´t like to be there in the dark. It´s super close to the boarder and really poor so it´s really dangerous. My first street contacts are there but we can´t visit because the investigators have work until dark.

How´s school going? What´s the new ward like? ANY MISSIONARY OPPORTUNITIES?

Love yáll lots,

Elder Nelson

 

This is the after parties we have in Mexico

I'm so glad to hear from all of you. It's my favorite part of the week to be able to read your letters.

This week was good. This Tuesday was really awesome. I went to a fraccionamiento to contact some people. It was my first time contacting in the streets. So I watched my companions do it and then it was my turn. My first contact was Bianca. I'm not going to lie it was so scary. The Iron Rattler (Roller Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas) has nothing on street contacting in Mexico. But it's all good because we're going to go visit her this week. That's the best part. Then we were about to leave when I contacted this really old guy. His name is Telefono, I think. It's really awesome because we passed him but I just felt like I should contact him. So I did and now we have an appointment. That was the best part of the week. 

This week was really indecisive. In the beginning of the week it was so cold that we did our studying in the bedroom because it had a heater. Sunday was so hot. I thought Ay Carumba. This is nothing compared to summer. Oh no. So we'll see if it is hot or cold next week. 

There are some perks to having to walk every where. We were on the way to an investigator walking through a desert when we saw some jack rabbits. So we parcored off the dirt piles chasing after bunnies. We didn't catch them and I have no idea what we would of done if we did but it was fun and we got to the investigators house a lot quicker. 

I had my first divisions this week. I went with Elder Chapman for the day. It was a lot different because his area is more in the city so we had a lot of people to talk to. I almost cried during the comida that day because we had Costco Pizza and Chicken Bakes. The only good food they served in the CCM. Oh it was so good.

It was funny because we had a cita with a family of investigators. It was awesome because they opened up to us and I feel like we can make progress. Afterwards all 8 of us and the family Chihuahua loaded up in the 5 seat car. That was insane. My family has a van because this is how many we drive around with. 

Well I hope you have a good week. Congratulations

on all of your accomplishments. Keep working hard. 

I love ya'll lots,

Elder Nelson

So the really shinny thing is the bridge in the first one. The second one is just an overall description of my area. The buildings are where we were heading to.

This week was pretty good. Things are going good down here. I think it´s getting warmer but I don´t know for sure. 

I had a really funny experience this week. Well, it´s funny how much attention I get down here. I´m not sure if it is because of my beautiful golden locks or if it is because of my stellar Spanish. But I was walking with my companions and we passed this homeless looking guy. He started speaking English which is when I was like ¡Ay Caramba! It always gives away the fact that he´s just going to give me trash. So he says ¨Good luck, I am an American city. I drink American tea.¨ It was so strange we just kept walking, laughing at how dumb it was. It was like this other time when I was in the mall and a person said ¨Do you remember me, I´m an American citizen.¨ It´s silly stuff like that. I´m beginning to think that my amazing accent is what makes me so popular. 

It was also really sad because we were going to have a baptism this Saturday. We got everything done, taught everything, and invited everyone. Then we had to cancel it because our investigator had a cup of coffee a couple of days ago. That was really hard. Really great investigator but every now and then he has a problem with the Word of Wisdom. Hopefully we get to baptize him in two weeks. 

I got a new compañero this week. I´m still in a tricompanionship but with a new compañero. Elder Navarro got transferred to a new area so they replaced him with Elder Orcutt who leaves in three weeks. I guess I should be nicer to my companions. I´ve just chewed ém up and spit ém out. Possible before I finish my 12 week training I will have had 4 companions. It´s probably my jokes.

I talked in Sacrament meeting this week. So we received the Area Mexico Mission plan this weekend so the bishop wanted us to share it. So I discussed a tiny point on temple work. It was really hard because we learned about it when we got to the church so it was really short. I mumbled my broken Spanish for about 30 seconds on a point that was already self-explanatory. It was good though. This gives us an excuse to visit the members.  

I like to put really really really picante salsa verde on my tacos. I also like to put guacamole as well. Sometimes green herbs. My favorite food that I have had here is Carne Rojo. It´s like a bunch of meats and you add guacamole and salsa and scoop it up with a tortilla. It´s picante but I like it. I don´t really miss much because it´s all here too, but I miss fried chicken but mostly hanging out with you guys.

We usually study in the mornings and talk to people during the day and then sleep. No baptisms yet but probably soon. We can´t knock doors but we can contact references. It´s pretty slow but we´re making progress. We haven´t really street contacted since I´ve been here. We mostly walk. We have a lot of fractamientos or neighborhoods and a lot in between of nothing so we have a few contacts or lessons and then just walk. Because we live in one of the richest areas in the mission we don´t have many people who ask us to come back. It´s rough but it’s a little fun too. 

We would baptize outside but we´re suppose to baptize by water before fire so we do it inside. It´s the same as a normal church building in the US. 

On Saturday we got to have something like a Stake Conference but just for missionaries. It wasn´t that much fun but we learned a lot. 

 

This week has been really simple so I think that is it. I´m reading in Jacob 5 which is really longer especially in Spanish but it’s really good stuff too. Thank you for your questions They are really fun to answer. Have a great week. Keep progressing in the gospel.

This week I found the only green thing in Juarez. I guess that´s why we don´t drink the water. (picture)

Also it is really funny to see all of the super religioso graffiti. It´s like which church did this one. 

Love

Elder Nelson

Week four. It´s been a crazy week. It was so weird because I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting and I understood almost everything. I was like whoo coool. The gift of languages is real. It kind of stinks though because now I start to understand better what the investigators say and sometimes they have problems or don´t want the lessons any more. That´s when I doubt my Spanish. I can’t be true they´re saying something else and I´m just having a bad Spanish day. But it’s all good.

Step 1: Understand what they say.                                                      Check

Step 2: Understand what they say when they ask you a question.      Nope. Always gets me. 

Step 3: Learn how to speak it.                                                             Kind of  

This week was really cool. So on Tuesday we were doing Companion study when we heard a knock on the door. First I was like ohh so that´s how it sounds. Then we went and answered the door and it was the Testigos de Jehova. That was so cool. I was really happy I don´t know why. I didn´t really understand what they said but I´m pretty sure it was a holy war on my door step. My companions were super chill about it, I was just confused and cold. They asked us to read the bible, we agreed. Then they gave us some papers and they left but it was so cool.

On Wednesday we went to the mission office to get shot, I mean our shots.  I didn´t understand what it they said but I just know it was medicine we all had to get.

Then, same day I got to touch America. Oh it was so cool, We weren’t at the boarder but we walked past the American consulate and I touched the wall. That was so cool. I´m not sure if that is part of our mission or not because it´s America but I touched it. Then we walked around in the desert and I saw a mountain with a lone star on it. Same night it was like a miracle. I saw and kind of touched the US. 

It´s funny because sometimes the oddest people love to talk about religion. We were walking past a cop and he asked us who we were. Then he wanted us to preach to him. We said that really wasn´t our thing so he started to preach to us. That was fun because I had no idea what he was saying the entire time. Sometimes he would say Jesus and I´d be like yep yep sí sí. But I didn´t understand much. That was weird too because he had a gun but I had a pen, so take that because the pen is mightier than the sword (gun). 

Oh ya. So stuff here is really hot sometimes and my companions make fun of me sometimes when I don´t understand how to eat it. Por ejemplo:

One night we went to a member´s flauta stand which was really good but the salsa was really hot and I didn´t realize that you use it sparingly like salt. But I dunked them so here´s the story.

Vi una columna de flautas, más picante que el sol, directamente arriba una salsa verde; y este fuego gradualmente descendió hasta envolverme.

Al reposar sobre mí boca las flautas, busque y vi en el refrigerador dos botellas de yogurth, cuyo fulgor, alivio y sabor no admiten descripción. Uno de mis compañeros me habló, llamándome por mi nombre, y me dijo: ¡He aquí que naco eres! y se rieron de mi.

José Smith—cuento de hadas 1:16

In other words, it was hot and they laughed at me.

Let see. About the only other thing that happened was the investigators who were so golden dropped us. It was really weird because afterwards the served us cake and hot coco. The people here are really nice but it’s hard to teach them sometimes.

I miss you guys a lot. I hope that you have a great year. If you have any questions just email me I love to answer them.

Love yáll

Elder Nelson

 The second one is the really really hot flautas.

¡Feliz Navidad! I hope that yáll had a wonderful Christmas Season. It has been so much fun down here in Juarez. This week has been so eventful.

So on our P-day, we took a field trip to downtown Juarez. It was a lot different then Ciudad Satelite where I serve. There were a lot of people and it felt a little bit more Mexican. It was a little bit different but remember this is out of my area, Mom. But while we were there we came across a murder scene. I was like "that´s more like it. I was beginner to think I was in the wrong mission." So that´s one. I also saw a cardboard cut out of the pope which was a little weird. I thought taking a picture with him but then I realized, I didn´t have my camera. Maybe next time. 

On Tuesday or Wednesday I forget, I think we almost got (Mom don´t listen) almost got jumped. That was so scary. Both me an my companion jumped so bad. We were walking to another Elders house at about 8 o´clock and we went through the narrow passages between the houses and some guy turned the corner so fast. Whoo who needs rollarcoasters. 

We have an awesome family (mom you can listen again). I met them my first week here and I thought they were members. Our first meeting with them they asked about their kids going on missions. I thought my spanish was bad because they couldn´t be investigators and want to pay $10,000 to a random church and have their children go to a foreign place for two years. It was weird. We taught a lesson for like 2 hours. It was intense. They are a big family too. Talk about a diamond in the rough.

Christmas Eve or Nocha Buena was really different. There is an elder who was in my CCM district. We were really good friends and we got put in neighboring areas. We live super close together so we always hung out. Well he has always had a really hard time being away from his family. I think the Christmas Season really broke him. He had a mental break down got sent home. It was really hard for me. It just goes to show that you need to have a firm unshakable testimony in your mission. This is a very demanding calling. I walk close to 15 miles some days. It taxes your brain to try and listen to crazy people who you have no idea what they are saying and even if you did you have no idea how to respond. Not only that but you have to be a spiritual giant who can teach spiritual kindergarten. It´s hard but it is worth it. 

After that I got put into a tricompanionship. I feel so tiny because I have two Latino, District Leaders, trainers who are over 20 months. Not to mention I don't have a phone like they do so no one calls me on the weekend which is really sad. But it is ok because I have an espiderman phone I can use. 

I had a great time talking to you guys. It was so much fun being able to see your faces. Also my companions loved their stocking. Thank you for the gift it was awesome. I loved all the letters the most. 

It got really cold this weekend. On Saturday it snowed. It wasn´t like the first snow of flurries but it was wet heavy snow. It was rough too because it would change from rain to snow and then back again. We were out contacting in Waterfield which is really far from our casa. We were having no success. Sometimes we would find the address only to be a deserted building. Juarez is super diverse. It´s a transit city so a lot of people will move in and out. So we were contacting and we had high heels of mud because we had to walk through a cotton field to get to the area. Then it rained, then it snow. It was so much fun to play in but then it got really cold and wet and not so much fun to play in. We decided to call it a day and head home but that was several miles. So we hiked and hiked and hiked. I felt like a pioneer, I didn´t think I was going to make it. on Friday we had watched 17 miracles and I was just like point my feet toward the US and remember me kindly. So we stopped by a store and called for a ride. What a relief. The members were so nice that they took us to AaaTiTi to eat. I feel like the song Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd¨ sums it up perfectly 

´´Out in the desert they wander,

Hungry and helpless and cold;

Off to the rescue he hastens,

Bringing them back to the fold.¨ 

So we hung out at la casa de familia Cruz el domingo. They canceled church because of the snow which was sad. So we played games all day with the Cruz family. It was really hard because we played the slap, clap, snap game where you say each other´s names and go until someone messes up. It´s really hard in Spanish. We played with Pedro, Santiago, Juan, Uno al nueva. It was hard. The worse part was when I was uno and I had Juan next to me. Juan sounds like one and uno is one. I got so confused. Sometimes I was Juan and I would call out One and lose. No manches. 

Well it has been a great week full of snowball fights it´s almost like work all over again. It was a white Christmas just one day late which is surprising with the horrible postal system in Mexico. Have a great week, Send me questions of Mexico I´ll send you mine.

Love,

Elder Nelson