Life in Mexico

Hello Everybody,

It seems like just the other day that I was sitting here writing my weekly email. Now that I found my groove, the weeks are going by faster and faster, I am beginning to see what you´re talking about dad.

My schedule is a little bit different here in Mexico than it was in Salt Lake. As with every missionary, we wake up at 630 and we get ready to go by 8. We have personal and then companionship study. We don’t have language study since half of the missionaries here already know the language, so us white boys just have to learn on the go. We are out working at 10 in the morning. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we have meetings with the zone as Districts. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we get trained on something--Thursday is more interactive with practices and role plays and stuff like that. But after 10 we are working. We go by our appointments, knock doors, contact people in the street, you know the usual missionary stuff. For some appointments we have to travel pretty far and we take buses and taxis to get around. Every 3 weeks we get money for transportation, different amounts depending on the area. Here in Metepec we get 800 pesos every 3 weeks along with our monthly 1200 which is the same for everyone. Then around 2 or 3 we get fed by members. Usually consisting of meat, rice, beans and warm corn tortillas with some kind of fruit juice. I love it! I imagine that I will want to eat corn tortillas with my meals for a while after I get home from my mission. And after our meal in the afternoon, we are out working again until about 9 when we return back to the house. Eat, plan and go to bed. And yup that´s a usual day here on the mission in Mexico. On Sundays, church starts at 830 in the morning and we only go to one ward since that’s all we cover. After church,  we attend baptisms or go out working some more.

This week was good. Between the 4 of us we had one baptism, and next week we are planning on 3 or 4 more, hopefully. I ate some more cow eye tacos, this batch seemed to be a little bit slimier haha. I might have to stay away from them for a couple of weeks. I didn’t get sick or anything but I just wasn’t a huge fan of them. Lets see what else, A dog bit my pants. He was barking at us and then he ran behind us, so we kept walking, and then I felt him bite my pant leg and start pulling it. Luckily the owner chased him off or else I probably would’ve punted that little guy to the moon. Haha he was just a tiny little noisy dog.

We found another 11 new investigators, so our teaching pool is absolutely loaded now.  This week were really going to be focused on helping those people progress and apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. The first step is faith. If we get them to have faith in what we teach them, they will begin to feel its true and their desire to follow Jesus Christ will grow with every act of faith they do (i.e. reading the scriptures, praying, attending church). The next step is repentance, or changing your life and your actions to put them more in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. I have a strong testimony that if we put our faith in the Savior and give up the things of the world and ask him for forgiveness he will not only forgive us of our sins but he will bless us and we will find more happiness in our lives. Through the Savior all of us have the opportunity to be perfect, because he suffered for all of our sins (Moroni 10:32). After the investigators take this important step and repent they begin to see that Jesus Christ really is our Savior and they will see blessings and happiness. Once they repent, they are prepared for baptism and for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Christ taught us these things are essential to enter into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). He also taught us the form in which we should be baptized - In the same way that he was (Mark 10:38-39) - by someone with the authority of God (John the Baptist), by immersion completely in the water (Matthew 3:13-17), and you should be baptized when you have an age of responsibility or in other words you can choose whether you want to be baptized or not. Then comes the gift of the Holy Ghost which is a gift God gives us so we can accomplish the final step in the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is to endure to the end. (2 Nephi 32:5, 2 Nephi 31:20)

By helping our investigators do these things, we help them return to our Father in Heaven and live with him again someday. I can testify that this is the Only way we can return and live in God´s presence. Because we learn in Ephesians 4:5 that there is only “Un Senor, Una Fe, y un bautismo.”  There´s only one way to return to Him, and it is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel that has been restored through Joseph Smith and is here on the Earth today. I love this Gospel, and I love the opportunity I have to help people accept and live by its principles.

Today I went to D.F. (Distrito Federal) with Elder Berezay. He goes home in 7 weeks and wanted to order a suit for his Dad and himself. This place we went to sells these really nice suits for 700 pesos which is like less than 70 bucks. Its a good deal, so I´m thinking I’ll probably come home with a few new suits, one for Dad too, and maybe my brothers if I still like them by then ;). But the DF is a whole different place. Everything is just faster and crazier there. So many people. Out here in Metepec its a little more relaxed and calm. That being said, whenever its my time to go to DF, I´m excited. Speaking of which, Transfers are next Monday, so who knows what’s going to happen, I´ll probably find out Saturday or Sunday if I´m going to go or stay, but naturally, you´ll have to wait until Monday to find out. My guess is that I stay with Elder Salazar here in Metepec for another transfer. But who knows? Whatever happens I am excited and willing to serve wherever the Lord wants me.

As for pictures......Dangit!  One, I forgot my camera in the apartment, and two I only took one this week anyways. It is a pretty cool one though. I bought this cool warm-up suit for this soccer team called America which is a soccer team in Mexico City. They are now my new pajamas and are awesome. I got them for 20 American dollars from Elder Molina (American money is a big deal for foreigners I guess.) But I took a picture in them in the apartment, but that was it. So that picture will come next week, along with whatever I take this week. Sorry about that.

Thanks for all the love and support Family and Friends. I miss you all and love you.

And this is my joy.

Elder Peacock