This week has been kinda crazy I have my new companion elder Lujan. Who is a Mexican I thought he was an American at first but it turns out he looks white because his mom if from Spain. Anyway Mexico is great, dad talked about being robbed and your right it’s just very needy beggars who are resorting to robbery no bigge! Anyway-- Water, we only drink the bottled water. Which is what everybody does everybody buys these big water jugs and keeps them in their house with these little teeter totter things so you can poor water out real easy. I was going to send you some pictures of our place but I didn’t bring my camera because I didn’t know we were coming here. I never really know where we are going I ask him then he will tell me but most of the time I don’t understand what the heck he is staying.

Anyway our place has 3 doors one that lets you in the front gate that is more like a door to the front yard and its totally cut off so know body can get over in then you have another cast iron door that looks kind of like a jail cell then you can just a normal door that goes in to the house the last 2 are right next to each other all the doors and windows are barred and so is our porch which isn’t much like a porch because you can’t see anything but the sky because its closed off with concrete walls so.....Safe! Yes! Have no worries! The place was pretty clean when I got there but you can tell it’s pretty worn down. At first I was like can I really live here for 2 years! That was my thoughts the first day. Then after 2 more days I was like oh this is totally fine it’s no big deal. So ya its pretty beat down but I don’t really care. We have hot water but it’s just a really small water heater that we turn on in the morning for showers we light the pilot light and everything turn it on super hot as how as it will go then when you hear the gas turn off because it’s done you hop in the shower it doesn’t last very long it gets cold after a while but if you just wait 3 min or so it gets better.

Anyway the Hickens are great super exciting and really optimistic people.

Ok now in to the work. So of course I can’t understand a word that comes out of Mexicans mouths my companion I’m getting better at and understanding him. And we are working...but I feel like we could do so much better we are meeting the goals for the mission with ease. So how do I phase this without sounding negative....we need to work harder. I don’t know what it is but I have never had a desire to work this hard in my life and if this where a business we would not be using our time to the best. anyway things have gotten better he keeps telling me we need to go over to this one members house for this or that or the other..Mostly to use the phone because we don’t have one. And more and more I just take the initiative and say to them. Hey thank you for letting us use you phone and thank you for everything but it’s time for us to go. And then walk out the door and without fail my comp follows but I need to do that more. I hate wasting time. Anyway some of the problem is the members or just Mexicans in general. I love the people they are great but sometimes I think...Do you have anything to do or do you just want to talk to us all day? They feed us all the time. Which is great I don’t complain but in reality we should only be eating once a day with members. Ok I will tell you what happened Sunday I will give you a good example. So we got up showered quick got to church a little late which I was disappointed about but then we go and this member gave us a ride home. Next thing I know where in their house eating! I hadn’t eaten anything so I was super hungry so I ate a ton and they still said. ‘wow for a American you sure don’t eat very much'' wow I ate 8 tacos I guess that’s not enough anyway then we are walking down the street and I asked my companion where were going, he tells me to a dinner appointment, (which is actually a lunch appointment dinner in the states is like lunch here). So it was at like 3 anyways I freaked I was like why are we going there when we just ate, and he said oh it’s alright are you full I will just tell them you are sick. Which I didn’t really want him to do because that’s kind of a lie. Anyways we get to the next house he doesn’t say anything. So I eat a bowl of rice and a fried egg on top which was really good. But at this point I am about to blow! then the lady says ''Todo es suyo'' Which is all of the food is ours I can still hear the words ringing in my ears I couldn’t believe it she expected us to eat all the food on the table and no one was eating with us  it was just us. So my comp starts shoveling it on to my plate! I was super ticked so I eat half of it and then I was toast if I ate anymore I was literally going to barf. So I asked her in my primitive Spanish. Can I take the food with me??? And I also told her I was sick... which at that point was not a lie-- I was sick. So I load it up as fast as I can because I’m scared I’m going to puke all over there kitchen. So there was some jello, some carne asada and some other vegetables or something so I shoved it in the Tupperware she gave me hurrying as fast as I can add then she asks me why I’m mixing Jell-O and the other food. at this point I didn’t really care so I said esta bein hermana no mas importe. Which is kind of like it doesn’t matter its fine kind of thing. Then I asked here where the bathroom was a booked it up to the bathroom. once I’m in the bathroom I thought do I try to puke or just go to the bathroom if you know what I mean so I kind of gagged a few times and then nothing came up so I just did the other. Anyway I walk out and my comps laughing he thought it was so funny and I’m not gonna lie it kinda was. So we go after and just gave the food to some dogs which there are so many stray dogs here.

Anyway we go to another lesson and we taught it had been about 2 hours since we left the other ladies house. Anyway we get done and I stand up to leave and turn around and there is more food! I couldn’t believe it. Just when it was getting better-- more food. So it was like a plate of macaroni and cheese so whatever cool I ate it real quick so we could leave than she takes my plate and puts more food on it. I was pretty full at this point she gives me more food and I was in disbelief and I can’t say no because I don’t really know how to. Any way it’s like this meat that I have never seen before and some pork chop. So I slowly put it down every bite I feel like I’m going to gag. Finally I get it all down and I am filled to the rafters. We leave that house and I’m just grateful nothing bad happened like puking or nothing. Any way we finally got home and I was so sick it took about and hour to feel better. Turns out the meat I had never seen before was pig brain. I thought it was something like that so I just didn’t ask them. It wasn't bad though.

Anyway I gota roll this was a way long letter thanks for all the support and letters. Don’t worry mom I haven’t been sick at all except for when I eat too much. And the food is super good. Thanks hopefully we can get more done this week it’s just a constant push to work harder I kind of feel like we are spending too much time at members houses but he is getting the picture that I don’t like it I just need to keep on keeping on so we can become then best we can be. I don’t want to feel like I have wasted my time in the mission field. Thanks guys later

Elder Hendricks

 

 

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