Tacos de Cabeza

Buenas tardes

Lets start out with the good. On Tuesday the stake president bought the whole zone tacos. We had a zone meeting and we talked about miracles, but we were all just waiting for the tacos. There was also a crazy guy that just walked into the stake center that somehow knew a little about the Book of Mormon, but was a street performer and then we saw him the next day, so i think he is stalking me and planning to kill me (joking, but if i disappear you know why).

I didn't know if i was going to have changes this week (more on that in a sec), so we were going to all the places that i've always wanted to eat at just in case i had to go. So, we got some really good hamburgers, tacos de cabaze de res, grilled elotes, and some other tacos that are around here. All in all some really good food with some pictures.

We ate with a member from Argentina and i still find Argentinians way funny. He made us pizzas, media lunas, and we drank mate after. Then we got on the subject of the earth. He is a flat earther. He made some really good points, but then he said that the matrix is a prophecy and based on real events, so that was kind of where he lost some credibility. Then he said that he doesn't believe in the church anymore (he's a sunday school teacher so now i know why his classes are weird), so the moral of the story is: In your search for knowledge don't lose your testimony. Also: If you look for a conspiracy in everything you will go crazy. The highlight of the conversation was when he said the moon landing was faked then acted out the phone conversation in English; to be read in an Argentinian accent "Hello president how are you?" "I am good you?" OK, not so funny in type, but in the accent its hilarious.

On Sunday our baptism for this week fell through. She was going to have her interview yesterday morning, but she called us and canceled, so we went to go look for her and she said that basically her mom told her not to get baptized and made her doubt everything. My comp had been fuming and cussing since we got the first phone call, so i basically had to tell him to stuff it because he was going to start yelling at her. Long story short she doesn't want to get baptized now and my comp made a scene in the church when we went. 

And as for the changes, we are both staying here in the area. We switched roles, so now my comp is district leader and i'm here to help him out.

Adios

Elder Warburton

Get that corn out of my face. But this corn was roasted 

Tacos de cabeza

Las cabezas (the heads)

The Empire (Satan) Strikes Back

I jinxed myself with my last email.

Lets just say that over the course of the whole last week basically everything fell. Valentin our baptism for this Saturday that was basically 100% for sure, is not going to happen. Basically he has been stealing money from his family, so his mom doesn't want him to get baptized as his punishment. We tried telling her that an interview with the zone leaders and preparing for baptism will only help him, but she thinks the best way to go is making him stay away from the church as punishment. Oh parenting in Mexico. 

Also Jessica and Liliana suddenly lost all interest in listening to us. Basically Jessica's sister was filling their heads with a bunch of stuff not true about us and then Jessica got a boyfriend and decided that sin is cooler than the gospel. Things are still looking good for Lizeth's baptism though, so lets just hope that we can get that one done.

Other than that, not a lot has happened so i think this will be a pretty short letter. 

Some members made us a bunch of antojitos (basically anything that uses a tortilla: tacos, quesadillas, gorditas) and they gave us a ton and it was really good. 

Last night when we went to go look for a person that we had talked to before, they were having a party and they just invited us in to eat. They gave us mole de panza. Basically pig stomach soup that still has hair on it that actually wasn't too bad. They gave us cake and elotes too and told us to come back another day to teach them.

Not too much else happened this week. The new change is weird. Its going to be like i'm not even on a mission. 

Sorry for the short letter 

Adios

Elder Warburton

"GET THAT CORN OUTTA MY FACE" - Ignacio Libre 

Berlina

Ok this whole email is probably going to jinx the rest of my time here because we had a really good week and whenever i talk about how the people are progressing they stop progressing, but here we go.

On Monday night i contacted a mom and daughter in the street and they were really nice. I said "podríamos visitarles en estos dias?" and they said "por supuesto que si" and then i said "podemos pasas mañana?" and they said "si a mediodía esta bien?" then i said "si, podemos regalarle algo para leer?" and they said "si." Fast forward to the next day and we went and visited them. They are super awesome and were trying way hard to get us to go into their house but we couldn't because they don't live with any men. We taught them about the restoration and then we talked about baptism and they accepted to be baptized march 2nd. Fast forward to Friday and we visited them again and they had read the pamphlet and when we asked them what they were thinking about their baptism date they said that they already told everyone they know they are getting baptized that day and they aren't making any plans. Then we taught about the Book of Mormon and gave one to them and the rest of the lesson was hard to teach because they just wanted to read from the book.

On Wednesday and Thursday i had interchanges with the elders in my district and went to their area to see how they are working (there are some problems, but we wont go into that). We visited a family there that is super awesome though. Basically they all have tons of tattoos, smoke, drink, and live in union libre. Their son is 13 and his girlfriend is 24. However, it was probably one of the nicest families i've ever met. They were so nice and the dad plays guitar and they all sang a song for us. They are also really interested in the gospel. Then the next day one of the Elders i was working with got sick and had to go to the hospital. I think i must do something in the interchanges to make everyone get sick or hurt.

On Saturday we finally got to visit a 9 year old kid and his mom that we have been looking for for two weeks. They are active, but the kid, Valentin, isn't baptized. We finally got to teach them and he is getting baptized with his cousin the 23rd of this month.

Sunday we had stake conference and a 70 came. He shook my hand and i didn't realize it was him so i called him "brother" that was a little awkward.

And last, but not least, I've been teaching a girl named Lizeth for basically 3 months, since i got here. Her sister is a member and Lizeth has come to church a lot, she just never wants to accept a date because she didn't know if it was true. Over the past couple of weeks she's been sincerely praying and resolving her doubts and last night she said she wants to get baptized on march 9th. I was so happy i was jumping up and down after we left.

Basically we are finally seeing the beginning of the fruits of our labor and of course its all going to be in march and changes are in 2 weeks. I'm just praying that i don't get changed out because if i do that will be unbearable.

No funny stories sorry

Oh yeah and my title is a type of bread they make here which is basically just two sugar doughnuts with cream in the middle stuck together. so good.

Adios 

Elder Warburton

  

Elder Warburton

México Puebla Norte

Elder De Regil and i made atole de mazapán

 The valley of Zarahemla 

Uncle Rico Dynamite

The week started out with what i liked to call "The day of Lyles." Basically i made my comp do everything, so we switched roles for a day. It went pretty well id have to say. He lost a lot of steam towards the last half of the day, but hes made some improvements since.

We also had the zone conference this week. The zone conferences are always the best because the mission president just talks about missionary work, but uses a lot of scriptures and insights that makes it amazing. It was also my last day seeing Elder Barfuss because he goes home in a couple of weeks (pictures attached). Once he goes home ill basically have no really good friends in the mission who have more time than i do. Lots of missionaries have gone home due to health issues and others because its been their time, but now i just feel really old. There are no more cooler older missionaries. I am the cool older missionary.

In zone conference i shared an experience about the sacrifice of my great, great, great, great, great grandmother Marler (thanks mom for printing out those family history stories for me). Basically she left behind all of her wealth and on the journey to Utah lost 3 kids and her husband. I shared this story after everyone was complaining about some new rules we got, so i think it was timed perfectly. Also while i was reading my family history i found that a family named Barfuss helped another one of my ancestors from Switzerland cross into the US by saying that she was their daughter. I asked Elder Barfuss and his family is originally from Switzerland. So, i guess that basically makes us cousins.

On Saturday we had the missionary correlation. Not as good as lasts weeks. They got mad at us for never working with the members, but i was just trying to say "well when you actually want to work with us we will be here." But all's well that ends well. So, later that day we had a family home evening with a family we are teaching and some members. The members then told the family that they shouldn't get baptized. I just hope the promised blessings of working with members are true.

Well its been 2 months since my last major water/bathroom/gross/inconvenient/companion caused-Elder Warburton cleaned up catastrophe. On Sunday morning my comp was showering and i was in the other room studying. Then i realized my feet were getting wet. Then i realized that a literal river was coming out of the bathroom. My comp was oblivious to the fact that the bathroom and house were flooding. So, we had to go and borrow a squeegee (that water rake thing) from some members and i had to clean it all up. Everything was wet. Good times.

On the missionary work side of things: Azael is progressing really well again and wants to get baptized with his family. Only downside is that he still isn't married yet, so we got to help them get that done. He is really happy to talk to us again and is reading the Book of Mormon so maybe this time will go better.

That's all 

Elder Warburton

Elder Warburton

México Puebla Norte

Elder Barfuss and i

Captured in this photo is me wearing the original fanny pac of the Mexico Puebla North mission. It has been passed down until it got to Elder Barfuss. Elder Barfuss offered it to me, but based on the condition it was in i thought it was better to let him go home to retire it.

Me burning the trash (this time i didn't cut my foot. I put on tennis shoes)

The record collection