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MEXICO CARTAA #36

Yo FAm,

Bash Onda? i just got back from my first morning run in about 3 months! i feels soo good to run, but holy smokes--I am way out of shape!! No way, I  couldn't wait to check my email to see results about how Danny and Lisa did in the marathon, so I opened my inbox, NADA ESTABA! Nothing!  I was joking about checking the results myself on Tuesday, tha;ts breaking the rules haha. but it forced me to do it this morning...thanks fam... go Dan! 3:14! I couldn't find Lisa, let me know!

So I think the first thing to talk about would be the visit from Elder Andersen. It was awesome!  To start, we all loaded up on the buses Monday afternoon and took the 4.5 hours bus ride to Cancun for the night. We got there at the stake center around 8, got everyone settled (a VERY big task, holy cow, there are soooooo many of us in the mission field-- utter choas. I made a lot of new friends ha, it was so awesome, and I finally put a face to all the names I memorize from sorting their mail and ordering their stuff and calling/talking to them por the phone). All 178 (exactly 178.... it took us about 25 minutes to count up everyone on the tablero in the oficina, with presidente, his wife, the 4 secretaries and the aps haha) of us were assigned to houses of the missionaries that were there in Cancun, putting the sister missionaries in closer houses and random assignments to the rest, my comp and I got put in the house in Barrio Maya with 8 other people, in a house that houses 2... haha. It was an interesting night-- but fun. We went to bed around 11:30, and I got up at 4:30 to shower before everyone else, got ready, then the host missionaries told us that I shouldn't have showered in the bathroom with the facet because the water is contamated because animals got into the water tank above the house and died... haha.  Anyways... we show up at the stake center at 5:50 for my choir practice at 6!  I forgot to tell you guys that ha, I realize how much I forget to mention every week, I forget ha.  I'm sorry.  There was a 9 member choir that the aps picked to sing for Elder Andersen,  and we sang "Have I done any good in the World Today?" in Spanish that we´d practiced every Sunday night for the past few weeks.
It was potente!  Then around 7:15, we started to file everyone in and by 8, everyone was in their seat inside the chapel, it was quite the task.  We took a pamoramic picture and waited 1 hour for Elder Andersen to come at 9. He showed up with a quoerm of the seventy de Mexico, Elder de Moyas.  We sang the musical number, they president and his wife bore their testimonies, the wives of the general authories spoke, de Moyas talked, then the rest of the time was Elder Andersen. It was true, he speaks Italian, Spanish, served his mission and was mish pres in France, and lived in brazil as well so knows portuguese, and knows english obviously. he talked to us in spanish, it was cool.  It costed him a little bit, but it all came out good. he talked of Christ, his grace, mercy and merits, what they are and the difference between them. Also there was one time toward the end, he was talking in Spanish, he had a portable mic on him and we was walking around picking out people to answer Qs in the aisles around the whole chapel, then he just turns around, " alright I have something to say in English", the spanish was definately holding him back from what the spirit was telling him to say ha. he went back up to the stand again and there was some guy there to translate, and he just started the coolest talk about repentance and forgivness. He would say somehting, then the translator would say it in spanish. he was like yelling this, with hand motions and all.  He would say something then wait, the translator would say it and if it was said wrong, he would yell at the translator to say it right, exactly how he said it haha. It was so powerful. It was so tight. I think my favorite part of any apostle talking is when they tesitfy.  I always look forward to hearing " I bear my apostolic witness that Jesus is the Christ. I am one of His special witnesses." there's no way you can't believe them! ha. 
So I was sitting right in front of him on the 2nd row with my portable mic to hand out to the poeple that were gonna talk in my corner of the chapel, and we would make eye contact a ton ha, then he would just smile haha, like 20 times ha. It was funny. when he left, it was choas again. I had to hand out the packages and mail for all the missionaries that I thought would be the best, most prepared way to do it, but it didnt work...so it was pretty much running around with trying to hand out stuff.  It was bad. Everyone wanted to take pictures with their buddies, past comps, their generation, etc. Finally we got it all handled, I met up wiht my generation which was way fun, we took some pics and just talked for a bit. It was so fun, I love my buddies here in the mish. then the pizzas arrived, around 80 pizzas! and Little Ceasers Pizza! I didn't know that place existed in Mexico. Wel,l once we finished eating, we loaded up the bus again and off we went. It was a sleepless busride with lots of talking and stuff with new buddies-- just a blast.

Well that was a definite highlight of the week. Also cant forget my baptism last week of Abinadí!  He is such a stud!  Definately gonna keep contact with him post mish.  He is like my best friend. Everything went well, his uncle baptized and confirmed him, which was cool for them.  He's still going strong, we have visited him a few times this week, and what I love is that every time we finish, he now insists that we do the closing prayer on our knees every time, something that we teach and do when the situation is approprate. It is awesome to see the changes in people, ha!

So this was a great week!  But holy smokes, so much happens in the mish.  Being somewhat behind the scenes here in the offices, you see really how crazy and  bumpy road is, the good~ but mostly the BAD of the missionaries, and how everything comes together. I'ts interesting. the mission isn't a ride on the ferry for 2 years ha. It's NUTTY!

LATERRR in the day. got the Q email:

1.  Did you get the Easter package?

Yeah, and its funny you said that mom. I didn't see what day you sent it, but i think the package i got on Monday was one you sent like 4 days before.  It was the one with girl scout cookies. 'It was cool, I wasn't expecting to get it. I sign for all the packages 1 at a time at the post office when I pick them up, and it said CONNOLLY ha, alright ha!  So I think tha'ts the one, unless you sent another?  Also last week I got the package for dearelders and they were letters from february, like 2 months old! then this week i got dearelders that were written 5 days ago! its weird. way random.

2.  Do packages ever seem tampered with or opened?
oh yeah ha, always. its basically all taped up, you cant see the cardboard sometimes. they open them. and sometimes not treated well. the one with chocolate 3 weeks ago was completely soaked then dried up bcuase of the rain. but its chillll

3.  what about the Spencer Kimball story?  

oh yeah, about the mountains of difficulty. BRING THEM ON! its probably going in my homecoming talk--no I'm not thinking about that yet at all, but its homecoming talk material ha, turning points in the mish. so look forward to it, it was definately the biggest turning point in my mish

GO LISA! 3:29!! so awesome. REPEAT in 2 years, with me! well I definately have tons of fotos i want to send but the dumb 25 MB limit is withholding me ha. so I will send what I can.  Whatev doesn't make it, you´ll see in 2 years. in the mean time, just wish you could be where I am, cause its too cool ;) love you all! laterrrr