First Week in the Cama

What happened this week? I don't know if I could even tell you, because the majority of my time was spent smiling, nodding, and saying sí. I don't really understand anything that isn't directly related to the principles in Preach my Gospel. I especially don't understand my trainer (Elder Tarrega) because he doesn't talk very loud, so most days I just follow him around and have no clue what is next. He also walks super fast and I swear he is half camel. I never see him drink water or go the bathroom.

We've been knocking a lot of doors this week, but a lot of people either don't answer or aren't home. We've taught some lessons, but not that many. I also don't know the names of most of my investigators because I don't understand when they say it so I just think of them as "the person who lives far away." We had one lesson this week where I was super tired and I kept nodding off, but I was trying so hard not to. Whenever I try to focus really hard on what someone is saying, I just get tired and the words lull me to sleep. It is really cool seeing the Holy Ghost affect the investigators and being a missionary its a lot easier to tell when people are feeling the Holy Ghost. 

We get fed by the members every day and it is usually soup followed by rice followed by soup. The food is good and when we get variety it is even better.

A couple funny things from life in mexico: On my first day here, the bishop told me to work like a black man and every where I go i'm referred to as Guerro which means white boy. I've also gotten hijo of trump a couple of times. Also whenever there is singing here, everyone is way out of tune and off key. On Sunday they didn't have a pianist at first, so the chorister sings the intro and during the song they sing above the whole congregation, so it is very different than at home.

Adios

Elder Warburton

Day One in Puebla (day two now)

Surprise we email today!  Looks like you guys had a good week. Happy Birthday dad. I found out today that emailing back and forth and chatting is prohibited in the mission, so no more of that I guess. 

Day one in Puebla went really well. We had to wake up at 3am in the CCM and we left the CCM at 4am. We had to change buses a couple of times, but we made it to Puebla around 9am. After that we had interviews with Presidente and had some training and orientation. After all of that was all said and done around 4pm we hit the field. 

We all got new companions for that afternoon/night. My companions name was Elder Vosi and he is an amazing missionary.

We left the mission office and started proselyting on the street. We knocked some doors and we got some return appointments. We visited a members house where the husband had died about a year ago, so it was just a mom and her two boys. The older boy is preparing to leave on a mission and we helped them paint and we gave him a blessing (I did the annointing, elder Vosi did the blessing). We kept knocking doors and visited a Puebla market where some less actives had a stand and they gave us some free drinks. 

After that we visited the home of a chiropractor whose wife is so sick she cant move or speak. We read the Book of Mormon to his wife and after that we talked to him for a little bit. After we were done talking to him, he popped both of our backs and mine sounded like a machine gun, but it felt so good. Then we went and contacted some security guards outside of a drug dealers (narco) house and got pictures and return appointments with them.

After that Elder Vosi and I got tacos al pastor (muy bien) and met back up with his permanent companion and one of the members from my district in the CCM to stay at their house. 

Today we went to a chapel by the mission office where we got more training and got our new companions and areas. My companion (elder Tarrega) is a Latino, so communicating is a bit difficult when we dont speak the same language. My new area is called Morelos and it is about an hour and a half away from the main city of Puebla. We got here and took some clothes to the laundry mat and then went to the bishops house for dinner. The dinner was good, but I mostly sat there with a confused look on my face because I had no idea what was going on. 

Adios

Elder Warburton

Made it to Puebla

Made it to Puebla. I go out and proselyte tonight, get my trainer tomorrow, and I don't know when my p-day is, but I think it will be next Monday.

I run the CCM

This week we discovered the gift of tongues is real. Our instructor was telling us about his mission for an hour only in Spanish and we all understood everything he said. I've found out that i'm much better at listening to Spanish than speaking Spanish. I can understand most of the latinos here, but once I hit the field in five days I can tell its going to be a rude awakening.

We started our last week, so we got our stickers that say we are in charge (pictures included). Now everyone knows that I run the CCM and if they have any problems, they talk to me first.

We had a random room check this week and somehow we failed it. Our room wasn't even the dirtiest in the house, but I think Presidente Eves didn't like my star wars posters that I hung up (pictures also included). However, he didn't say anything about them being up, so they are staying up.

The days blend together, so once I hit the field, there should be more things to talk about. 

Our district has a joke that we use on all the Latinos here. Our instructors play fake investigators for us and one of them chose the name Juan Gabriel. It turns out that Juan Gabriel is very famous singer in Mexico and hes also gay. So, we go up to the Latinos and pretend that we don't know any Spanish and that we are reading off of a paper and say "Mi novio es Juan Gabriel." All the Latinos either die laughing or try to explain to us what it means. Its a pretty good prank.

I leave the CCM Monday morning, so hopefully I can survive out in the real world of Mexico.

Adios

Elder Warburton

Hacky Sacks and Frisbees

Hola everyone. 
Another week down at the CCM. The weeks are flying by here. All the missionaries say the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days and that is exactly true.

On Saturday we had our first TRC, so we got to teach a real member and not another fake investigator. We taught him about prayer and then talked with him about his jobs and joked around with him. 

Later, on Saturday I had the miracle of all miracles. I heard some real music coming from outside the wall. So of course, I had to study outside for the next couple of hours. They played some great classics like Bob Dylan and even the new stuff on the radio that I don't usually like sounded like angels singing.

Today was our first Pday where we didn't go to the temple or immigration, so we have been able to hang out. We went to a little grove of trees and we threw around a frisbee and kicked some hacky sack. We were doing normal people things for once.

I only have a week and a half left in the CCM and the thing i'm going to miss most is the Tuesday night devotionals when an Apostle talks. Last night Russell M. Nelson spoke to us and he answered a bunch of questions that I have had, so the devotionals are great to receive inspiration. 

Attached is a picture of me with one of our Latino companions that looks like Obama.

Thats all for this week.

Elder Warburton

The Birds

¿Hola como estan?

Despite an excellent first sentence, my español is still unfortunately coming along slowly, but that's ok because I can just say "si" or "no say" and basically be good for two years.

Not much has happened since Friday. On Monday, the water machine in our building was missing, so we had to go "borrow" a new one. We asked the zone leaders if we could raid a different building for their water machine and they said go for it because they didn't think we would do it. Five minutes later when they came out of our building they saw us walking on the side walk with our brand new "borrowed" water machine and the looks on their faces were priceless. Later we had a fiesta around the new water cooler.

One of the most annoying things here is the birds. There are birds everywhere. I feel like I am in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Whenever we go outside to study, we can barely hear each other over all the birds. Its like they know the CCM is the only place in Mexico City with trees. The birds are even louder than the constant explosions and that is saying something.

Today we went to the temple and on the drive there and back we saw some people celebrating Dia de Los Muertos. I took a couple pictures of the shrines, but it was hard to get a good picture with the bus moving.

 

My district is part of a new thing the CCM is trying where each companionship gets paired up with a Latino missionary and we have to plan and teach a lesson with them all in Spanish. Usually Elder Mackey and I plan our lessons in English then deliver them in Spanish, but now when we have to do it in Spanish it is crazy hard. Luckily all the Latinos are really nice, otherwise I don't know what I would do.

Last night we had a devotional on miracles. Its a good thing we have these devotionals because they always get us hyped up to be missionaries because we slowly get more downtrodden as the week goes on.

Also on Sunday we watched Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration. I love movies, so it was good to be able to finally sit and watch one again. It was as powerful as ever and made me realize if Joseph Smith can give up his entire life for the gospel, two years is easy.

Adios

Elder Warburton