Sunday, August 12, 2007
Where to begin? This is my first blog entry anywhere, because I never thought I’d ever have to resort to a blog. Well I guess there is a first time for almost everything.
We have been here in Mexico city for 3 going on 4 months now, and it has been a very memorable experience. Just in case our memories become unreliable we are both writing in our journals almost every day. Our first week here was a little scary, and closer to what we had thought it would be like before we left home than what it is now. To explain this let me take you on a little journey.
We landed about 4 hours late at the Mexico city airport. ( 9pm instead of 5pm May 11th) It took almost 3 hours to get through customs and immigration. When we finally emerged into the International greeting area, we were so relieved to see President Castillo’s smiling face. He was soon joined by his wonderful wife, and we proceeded to retrieve our luggage. Then we took our luggage carts to the parking area and loaded them into their SUV. Sister Castillo had prepared us a nice warm supper to eat on the return two hour trip to our apartment.
The drive was more like an amusement park ride than a drive. Even at midnight on a Friday night in Mexico City the traffic is dense and wild. I honestly think that there are no rules of the road for Mexican drivers. President Castillo said, “Mexican drivers are not polite, so if I want to get anywhere in this traffic, I can not be polite either.”
When we got to Cuatitlan we met up with another SUV driven by the assistants to the President. We arrived at our apartment, and they got us settled for the night. The apartment was stark, bare bones, furnished by the good sister castillo, four walls, a bed, two folding chairs, three tables (1 to eat off – and 2 to study on), a small refrigerator, a two burner hot plate, some kitchen utensils – pots – pans - plates etc., and an ironing board and iron. There were no curtains on the windows, and no shower curtain and only cold water, so sister Castillo said they would pick us at 7 am in the morning so we could shower before our orientation meeting at the Mission home.
We had a hard time sleeping the first night and when morning came we were in a strange land with strange sounds all around us and we were very tired, but ready to start our work as missionaries. At the mission home we showered and met the office staff, and assistants to the President. Our zone leaders were there, and also the other senior missionary couple, who are in another zone, but we sneak in a monthly visit with them anyway. The meeting was all in Spanish, and we understood only a small part of it. As the weeks go by we understand a little more each week, but we rely heavily on the English speaking elders to help us. We have also found a few members who speak a little English and they are very helpful. All the other English speaking missionaries are paired up with Spanish speakers as companions, and this allows them to get their Spanish faster.
At first our apartment seemed very stark, and we were not very comfortable, the toilet leaked and the boiler, whom I named Rudio, was very difficult to get along with. I had to start to light him at least 45 minutes to an hour before we wanted to shower. 1st turn on the gas, then in 5 or 10 minutes light the pilot light, then in 15 or 20 minutes light the boiler itself. Then in 30 minutes there was enough hot water to start our showering, Marjorie took a 7-1/2 minute shower and I took what ever hot water was left. We also discovered that when it rained really hard, about every other day, the roof leaked. It wasn’t too bad, just annoying. Nothing critical was located under the leaks. The mission home paid for our first months rent and then after a month we paid our rent on June 11th.
As time passed we began to feel comfortable in our apartment and decided that we would spend the money to furnish it with more comfortable seating and dinning arrangements. The neighbors were very friendly, and we met our landlords, who were members of the church, and very nice. They fixed the toilet, and we decided that this apartment would be just fine for as long as we were here. We wanted to baptize all of our neighbors, and we just needed to adjust our life style and learn to get along with much less than we had become accustomed to thinking were necessities.
At first we just walked around the colony greeting the people and talking to those we found who wanted to talk to us. I guess we were somewhat of a novelty. We had learned after our first Sacrament meeting that there was no way we would be able to understand any of the responses we might get if we just knocked on peoples doors. The first time we went tracting with the elders, on our third door, the man invited us into his house. WOW! What an experience. This was a golden moment of missionary work, and it only gets better as time goes on. His house was exactly like our house, except it was furnished, simply, but comfortably. This was an absolutely golden couple. Six weeks later, after several dozen mini visits, and at least 12 or 14 lessons, I baptized Eduardo Alanis, and elder Rubio baptized Angelica Ordaz (Mexican women retain their maiden names when they marry). What a thrill. This was not our first baptism in Mexico, but it was the first one in which we had been active participants in the teaching experience. The actual first baptism was a 14 year old girl, Alejandra, who had not wanted to get baptized when her family was in January. I’m not sure if she actually wanted to do it, or if her parents restricted her freedom until she was baptized. She seems rebellious, but she said if I would baptize her she would do it. She asked for a private baptism on a Friday afternoon, and would only allow her family and the witnesses to see the baptism. Then it took three weeks to get her to church for the confirmation, and she hasn’t been back since. We visit her and her family weekly, and we see the mother and her brother in church each week. The father has been ill and is unable to attend. I hope someday when Alejandra has grown up a little that she appreciates what an amazing gift she has received from her Heavenly Father, and that it will make a big difference in her life.
Just before we were supposed to pay our July rent, the sister, Luci, who lived behind us, and who has been so kind and helpful to us, came over across the roof to give Marjie her monthly B-12 shot (Luci is a nurse, and we love her). She noticed that there was a lot of mold growing on our ceilings and walls. She was quite concerned about this. She asked us what we were paying for rent, when we told here she was shocked. A day or two later she told us that her next door neighbor wanted to rent their apartment, completely furnished and much more comfortable for the same price as we were paying. We looked at the apartment, and were very impressed with how much better it was. To make a long story short we signed papers, with the help of the zone leaders, and moved the day our rent was due.
We have been in our new digs for about 5 weeks now, and we love it. We have had a family home evening for some new members here, and the zone leaders come here on Sunday evening to receive their reports. The Perez family have become more endeared to us, and the work is going along quite well. I had to take 3 weeks off for an infected gland at the tip of my spine. I didn't know what it was at first and thought it would just go away, but it continued to get worse for a little over a week. Then on the 22nd I finally asked the elders for a blessing, and that night around 3 or 4 in the morning it ruptured, and the intense pain began to subside. We called the mission doctor and he diagnosed it over the phone and told us how to treat it. I was beginning to think that I had a dreaded Mexican parasite, but was told by the good doctor that this is a common human ailment that could affect anyone anywhere. It has left me with a hole at the base of my spine about the size of a quarter and at least an inch deep. This will take some time to heal, but I can live with it until it does.
This week we took up our tracting in search of investigators once more. We have become much more proficient with our door approach and inviting people to attend church with us. We came up with 3 possibly 4 new investigator families to teach. Oddly enough one of the couples who showed up at church today, we found are named Eduardo and Angelica. Mom thinks that we were called here to baptize all the Eduardo’s and Angellica’s in Mexico.
We want you all to know how much we love and appreciate all your love support and prayers. We love being missionaries in Mexico, and we love these special people who are truly God’s chosen people. Those who have been prepared to receive the gospel are so humble and teachable, and the are such kind, generous, and loving spirits, we can’t help but open our hearts and our arms to embrace them and welcome them into God’s kingdom on earth.
After I become more accustomed to the blog site I will be enclosing pictures of the old and the new digs, and also a couple of shots of us so you know we are still alive and kicking.
Love Mom and Dad
Dinner at VIP´s with Dad and Mom and Elder Mortensen, the Zone Leader
The Zone at dinner before they opened their gifts.
Dad and Mom with Elder Farnworth, our other Zone Leader.
This is the Zone´s official Christmas Card to all of our families and friends. It was taken 12/24/07.
President and Sister Castillo during their visit to our home in November, 2007.
