First week in Mexico

Here is an email chain that we had this morning.

It's killing me not hearing from you for so long.  I want to know details. 

Tate and Gages games went ok this weekend.  Tate's team won pretty easily.  I messed up and caused the other team to get a TD based on my play call.  Man that was a mistake.  Tate had 3 TD passes.  Gage's team played a really big team. Almost everyone was over 100 lbs. and 10 or 11.  We aren't anywhere that big.  Gage got hurt and had to sit out a series on offense.  The ended up losing 26-7.  First lost in 3 seasons, so pretty good overall.  The line is what killed us. 

I sent an email with lots of questions to hopefully help you send us info.  Steph Efnor got her mission call to SLC East mission, leaves in Jan.  Justin had his interview yesterday morning and is now waiting on his.

Other than this nothing exciting is happening.  O Wait, I did get release from YM President finally.  Someone asked if it was bitter sweet to be released.  I told him no, just bitter.  I was called to be the Ward Financial Clerk.  So exciting huh. (Sarcasm)

Ok, I hope you are working hard and doing what is right.  Can you understand your companion?  Give me details.

Love you,

Papa

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I talked to my Mission president and he changed me to a new trainer which I already did a split with and we really got along well. He’s American from Utah, but he’s really nice. His name is Elder Hanks from around Salt Lake.  I just changed companions probably 40 minutes ago, right before I emailed you. But I went on splits with him on Saturday and he’s really cool. I learned more that day than I had all week.

We walk around the city and just talk with inactive members and try to reactivate them. Then we get referrals from them and members.

The members here help a lot.

We wake up at 6:30 and get ready, then do personal study at 8:00 personal, 9:00 is companion study till 11:00. 11:00 till 12:00 is language study. After that work until 2:00 when we eat. Then work until 9:00 and go home and eat dinner. 

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Wow, so different than mine.  We had to be out of the apartment by 10 am and get all that done except language of course.  I hope this week works better than last.  

Do you do daily planning?  

Do you tract or are you to busy?  They are really focusing on inactive here as well.  

Are you typing up another email or is our chat back and forth it?  

How are you getting internet?

What are your plans on P-Day?

Is there anything cool to see there?

Can you send the correct spelling of the town?

Does your companion know Spanish and how long has he been out?

Love you

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I’m sending another email.

We do our daily planning at night

No tracting here but a lot of walking

We go to an internet cafe but right now I’m in the mission office because i just talked to the President

Nothing really that cool to see, they sell a lot of cowboy boots and hats here though

It’s Cuauhtemoc 

And he knows a lot of Spanish been out for 4 months

Love you 

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Do you like the food there? Is it mainly Mexican or can you get other stuff?

Have you eaten anything strange or anything you don't know what it was?

Am I taking up all your time?

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The hats here are probably like $600 in pesos which is like $45 dollars in the USA. The Dollar is worth like 12 or 13 pesos 

Yeah it’s like an hour west of Chihuahua.

The food is good a lot of chicken and rice and beans but it is good

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So, how do you get your monthly money? 

Does the mission give you a check, deposit in an account?

Lucky, on the chicken, do the member feed you or have you had to learn to cook? heeheehee

Have you had to do laundry or anything?  Clothes working ok?

Whats the weather like?  

Is this way to many questions?

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No good questions

We have a Debit card

Members have feed us every day so far

Haven’t done laundry yet so I don’t know haha 

Weather is cold in morning and night but hot in the day

Everything is working good

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OK, so the Mission gives you a debit card, what did you do with yours?

Have you gotten a coat yet or do you just wear one of those Mexican rug coats?  heee heehee

I sent your email to Sedina with the new address for packages. That sure is nice of the guy to do that.

So this may be a dumb question, but a lot of Mexicans?  Any whites?

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I kept my card and bought a coat. The other elders said it was a good price and good quality. 

A ton of Mexicans no white people, except there is clan of Germans that are here and they like started their own church based off the Book of Mormon but that’s it for white people 

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Germans wow, what are they called?  Not Mennonites?

Looks like you’re about done with your time.  Love you and we are praying for you every night.  It's pretty neat that the boys are praying for you.

3-6 lessons are a ton a day.  Our missionaries don't really teach at all.

I love you and am proud of you, cannot wait to hear from you after a week with a normal companion.

Love papa

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Love, you yeah they’re called Mennonites. Why? Have you heard of them?

We get a ton of help from the ward here it is really cool.

Love you, tell the boys I love them too, and miss you all

Love, Elder Dayley

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I looked it up on Wikipedia:

The Cuauhtémoc area is the home of around 50,000 Mennonite people divided into various colonies that surround the city.

The Mennonites settled in the San Antonio Valley, as far as 120 km (75 mi.) to the north of the town. There was a General Conference Mennonite Church in the town composed almost entirely of Mennonite refugees who came to Mexico after World War I. The growth of the Mennonite population due to natural increase and to additional immigration from Canada stimulated its economic activities. A small cereal factory was established by non-Mennonites, while a large cheese factory, slaughterhouse, and ice plant were erected by Mennonites (the Redekops) in the town. In 1947 the Mennonite Central Committee established a service unit in Cuauhtémoc to provide health services, recreational direction, and assistance in educational activities of German-speaking children

Although the city, formerly called San Antonio de los Arenales, developed only after the arrival of the Old Colony Mennonites in 1922, it has practically no Mennonites living in it. However, the streets and the numerous banks teem with them, especially on Monday mornings. Cuauhtémoc is the most important commercial center for Old Colony Mennonites in Chihuahua.

In the early 1930s the recent Mennonite immigrants from the Soviet Union (Rußländer) formed a Mennonite congregation in the town, but by 1987, it had disintegrated completely. The few Mennonite families and General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Central Committee workers living in the city in 1986 (5 families and 5 singles) worshipped mostly at the General Conference congregation at Kilometro 11. Cuauhtémoc was the first city to erect a senior citizens home under public or government jurisdiction. Its first matron was a Mennonite, Maria Giesbrecht, from the Santa Rita Colony (Nord Colony).

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Hmmm cool, I don’t know the city well enough to know where any of that stuff is at but that’s some cool info. 

I forgot in the big letter that on November 16 Dallin H Oaks is coming to speak to the missionaries in Chihuahua. That’s really cool!