WEEK 8
Buenos Dias!!

Talk about a crazy week! This week, i left the MTC, flew to texas, connected onto another flight to mexico, and then was blessed with the opportunity to figure out everything at the Monterrey Airport and going through customs with my MTC Spanish! That was all kind of crazy, but while i was on the plane to houston, i was sitting next to a couple who had a little 6month old baby with them. I started talking to them about my family and how i had 5 younger siblings and all that jazz, and then used a sweet transition into the gospel. They were intrigued by the thought of being able to be with their family forever, after this life. The father said that he has always believed that, but never heard a church that believes in it. I only had spanish book of mormons, or else i would have given them one.... I briefly talked about the restoration, and how we have the revelation that we do, and gave them a card so they can contact and ask for missionaries when they are back home. Pretty Cool!

 

In the Monterrey Airport, I did my best to talk to a man in the airport, and holy freak do natives talk so much faster than any teacher at the MTC.... i never realized how much the teachers slow it down for us! It literally was like the scene from the best two years when he walks into the bread shop and the lady talks to him super fast and the camera just zooms in on his dumbfounded face cause he has no clue what she just said..... that was me! but he could tell, and he repeated himself a little slower, and i understood him perfectly! Talk about the Gift of Tongues when i needed it the most! I explained to him that i was a misisonary for Jesus Christ, and ended up giving him a pass along card, and that was it! 

 

The president and his wife were there at the airport to pick me up, and they were (are) super nice!! President Maucotel, and Hermana Maucotel.

They took me back to the mission office, and kinda just threw me into it! What is hilarious, is that i was the only missionary who is white! Out of all the new arrivals, just me! Turns out, im the only white person (Gringo) in my whole entire part of the city! literally no other person who is not latino... So with my light hair, and blue eyes, and somewhat tallness, i stand out like no other here..... haha its pretty funny. I have had a few different little girls run up and ask me if i was ryan gosling, or justin beiber, because they have never seen white people in real life, just on the TV. Hilarious!

 

A little more about my area! The ward i am in is called "Sada Vidrio" same as the name of the little town. This is a pretty poor town. poor even for mexico. It is honestly so humbling to see how some of these people are living. My trainer (first companion in the mission) is native from southern mexico. His name is Elder Teliz. He is the bomb! He is such a good missionary, and super helpful as a trainer. My spanish is skyrocketing, because i literally dont have any other option except to speak spanish! Such a blessing to me!

(i will send a different email after this that has pictures and a little intro video of my house! haha it is super small and crappy and somewhat dirty, but it is more than enough:)

For my first night, elder teliz bought me "compechanas" which is a food that is native to Monterrey. im not even gonna explain it because it was so freaking good! I have never tasted mexican food that good! And the Coke here is all made with real sugar instead of the fake crap we have in america... its the best...

 

One other thing that is pretty cool is that my mission is only walking! We have a decent sized area, and we get to walk all over it! I had never actually taken a taxi before the mission, but we have to take them when we go to zone meetings or district meetings, or even just to go to the bank 2 times a month. Every time we take a taxi, its a perfect opportunity to share a message about Jesus Chris! haha They cant get away;)

I am seeing so many blessings in my life. The lord is truly blessing me and my companion. 

This area is a little different.. Before me and Elder Teliz, there hasnt been missionaries for almost 6 months. The Elders that were here then ended up getting sent home for being disobedient. There are 40 members in the ward. 

The people here in Sada Vidrio have an average age of maybe 55, and are very stuck in their ways. They are all so loving, and almost everyone lets us in their house and tries to feed us and give us soda, but it is very hard to extend invitations without them getting shot back down. 

Elder Teliz informed me that in all of monterrey, it is this way. The MISSION wide goal, is for every companionship to have 1 baptism every month.... ONE BAPTISM... thats crazy! I had to readjust my number goals for the 2 years im gonna be out a little bit... 

 

That being said, me an elder teliz have worked so hard this week. ill send a picture of one day in my agenda, we are packed! This week, we ended up with 8 new investigators, almost 40 street contacts, and had 3 investigators attend church with us. The bishop said that the missionaries that were here before us never brought an investigator with them. I really am so blessed to have this opportunity to re open this area. I feel so much love from the people, and the mexican people truly do have a different way of going about things. They all call me "mijo gringo" Which is basically the way a parent would say to their kid "my white son" 

We have had so many service opportunites, i think i changed about 12 lightbulbs this week! 6'1 is pretty standard for america, but here thats gigantic! We helped an old lady get a ton of dirt off her porch and move some humongous boulders (not sure how they got their) and actually all day today for Pday, we helped the bishop move! for like 6 hours! haha

On the way here, a man was doing everything he could to use his wheelchair up a hill, and started not being able to, so me and my comp ran over and offered to push him, and we took him back to his house like half a mile away! how the heck did he get so far away??? haha

 

Ill share one more cool experience about listening to the promptings of the spirit. 

One morning, we were just about to leave, and right before i walked out the door i had the randomest feeling to put my consecrated oil on our keychain to the house. I easily could have ignored it, but im so grateful i didnt. 

you bet that the first house we knocked on had someones "abuela" who was very sick. We right away offered to give a blessing to her. 

We gave her the blessing, and for the first time ever, i did the annointing in spanish! It was so awesome. 

After the blessing we explained that we help the priesthood, and how it was restored, and they both wanted us to come back and learn more. We left them a restoration pamphlet and have a return appointment for tommorow!

 

Now one funny story. 

its actually not that funny, just kinda random! 

Everyone in monterrey has a front porch with iron fencing closing it in. because of this, we cant actually knock on the doors so the way that we do it is by getting a "peso" which is mexican  money and hitting it on the cage and in a raised voice saying "buenas tardes" or "buenas noches" 

its feels super weird for me, but Elder Teliz said this is a mexican Doorbell! haha

 

I really love missionary life, and am glad that the lord blessed me with this opportunity. Dont get me wrong, its super hard reopening an area, but im happy the lord trusts me with this challenge:)

 

till next week, 

Elder Jones