July 17th picture

My district. 

Me in the front, then Elder Gardener, Elder Stevenson, 
Elder Brown, Elder Montgomery, Elder Kemp, 
then in the front Elder Cahoon, and Elder Cottel.

We were being serious. :)

July 17th, 2014

Dear Family,

Have fun at trek!  Even though it is super wimpy and girly!   That window washing stuff sounds sweet!  I’m impressed its working out so well!  The kids are going to be rollin in la mula! :)  

Thanks for the info! :)  So the missionary stuff is sweet!  The only thing is that my bag broke the first week.  I was able to fix it though - just annoyed at it.  And today in the morning someone walked off with my sweet laundry bag!  I’m kind of annoyed that someone would do that!  I mean come on we are all missionaries here but whatever...  Hopefully it will turn up and if not I only have one and a half weeks left.  

One more P day here!  I get to email you guys later on in the week next week or maybe even Monday.  I don’t really know what’s going on.  I only wear suits on Tuesdays and Sundays.  I have tied my tie spiffy and you wouldn’t believe how many compliments I get on it!  Lots of people want me to show them so I’ve showed them how to do it a whole bunch. :)  Fun stuff!  Pretty much everyone who works here is Mexican or has lived in Mexico for the last millennium.  I haven’t gotten any letters except one from grandma

Ok best thing and worst thing I’ve eaten.  This one is easy. :)  WORST thing this week was this morning actually!  Imagine that!  I got this plate and it had tortilla looking stuff on it with verde sauce.  I figured I would try it.  It tasted AWFUL I almost gagged after that bite.  It tasted like they dropped the tortillas on the ground and then thought hey lets wash these off in the sink!  So they put them in the dishwasher and let it soak for a couple weeks and then remembered it this morning threw some verde sauce on it and goat cheese and put it out for the poor missionaries to eat.  I actually don’t know what my best food I ate this week is. :)  Usually I’m pretty hungry so I just shovel everything down.

  

I am sick and tired of volleyball right now.  I’m playing a lot of ping pong and basketball though!

So on Friday I was invited to play soccer. :)  It was so much fun and I scored twice.  Once was a sweet volley where someone kicked it to me and in the air I kicked it into the goal off the goal post and the other was cool because I put a top spin on it and it actually rolled through the goalies hands. :)  However, like 5 minutes in I got hit in the face with the soccer ball and it broke my new plastic glasses!  It broke the frame and it hit about half an inch away from my right eye.  Cut up my skin there and everything.  I bought some super glue and glued them back together this morning but I lost some little plastic pieces so I don’t know if it will work...  I’ll let you guys know later!  (I fixed it this morning)

On Saturdays we had this awesome tie trade thing going on. :)  Saturdays are the worst because we are just holding on for Sunday and it’s hard so we decided to turn it into tie trade Saturday.  This other district in our zone who was leaving on Monday joined in. (We were pretty good friends with all of them. :)) and I traded a whole bunch of my ties.  I kept my favorite ones and the special ones though!  Don’t worry!  Just the ones I didn’t love as much or wanted a change.  Crazy thing happened that night though.  So I was wearing my pink tie that day and I would have traded it but I figured that I was wearing it so people couldn’t really tell if it was up for trade or something.  But what happened that night is we had a substitute teacher who is getting married sometime this week and after class he pulled me aside and said he was looking for a pink tie that’s the perfect shade and color and everything for his reception to match his wife’s dress and he said my tie I was wearing is the perfect color.  He then asked if we could trade on Monday and I was all like Heck yeah!  I would have given him the tie right then and there!  I took it back to the dorm and scrubbed it because it had some marks on it and ironed it and everything then on Monday we traded and I got a cute purple tie. Also I got a skinny tie!  I've never had a skinny tie before!  I'm not sure I like it yet. :) So yeah, that's pretty fun!

The language is coming good I almost automatically translate what people say in English to Spanish and I know it will come really soon.  Just lots and lots of practice! 

I am so excited to leave!  It feels like I’ve been here for an eternity.  Only a week and a half left then I’ll be in the new group again!  We got a new night teacher and she is mean.  No bueno. I don’t like her very much and she doesn’t like us either but its only for a little longer!  I bought a shirt yesterday with the CMM stuff on it.  I’m also getting used to those goofy sandals I bought the other day!  I don’t know if I told you but I bought these cheap sandal things that hang on to your feet by the little piece of plastic that goes over the top of your foot.  I like them though!  I’ve never really owned any sandals before and it’s fun to have a change from church shoes.

I really miss music.  I didn’t think it would be that bad but I pretty much think about it all the time and try to sing songs in my head and sometimes out loud if I feel it.  It’s the same with movies

It’s overcast like pretty much every day here. I bet every day double or nothing that it’s not going to rain.  I owe one guy 10000 pesos and Elder Brown 4000.  I’ll win sometime though. :)

We are going to play some soccer today and take a nap!  I’m way excited! :) 

I’m so glad we went camping before I left.  I was thinking the other night and there isn’t something I would have rather done as a senior trip thing. :)  All these people here talk about going to like Bermuda or something and Disneyland but that camping trip was amazing. :)  Just thought I would let you know. 

Anyway I’ll talk to you guys later! :)  Have fun! Love ya too!

Elder Passey

July 10th, 2014

Dear Family,

Holy cow that’s crazy about the river rafting thing!  Dang that’s scary!  I wish I could have been there to see and help but yeah I know you guys had help. Thanks for the long message - it’s really fun to read. :)  

Well the schedule is the same every day.  I get up at 6 to work out (I’m up to 65 push-ups and abs workouts) then I take a shower because I’m usually the first person up by that time.  Then we go to breakfast and class after that from 7:45 to 12:15.  We eat lunch then and then go do this technology language thing for an hour and then back to the class room from 2:15 to 4:45 when we go to gym for an hour. We then get dinner and after that if there isn’t a devotional we go back to the classroom from like 7:00 to 9:30.  In the morning and evening we have a teacher teaching us and we switch off mornings and evenings to teach them as a lesson because they’re pretend investigators for us.  But for the rest of the time we just study - although my district cannot focus...  It’s really hard to get studying done because they all are usually doing something loud which is fine every once in a while – but not all the time. I’m just so tired all the time that a lot the time I know it’s only the spirit keeping me awake and driving me forward to pay attention.  

I can feel myself going crazy very slowly.  I laugh at the most random things way too hard and the other day I drew a face on my hand so I could talk with someone sane. The other day we watched a part of a video on this woman called Ingrid who didn’t have legs and we were supposed to teach them.  I was paired up with Elder Brown (He’s the tall one with glasses going to Long Beach) and I was Ingrid but I said I should be Ingrod because its more manly.  So he started laughing and said you got an ingrod toenail?  After that we just lost it.  Our teacher was standing right next to us as we laughed for like 5 minutes straight.  Brown kept trying to talk but just started laughing again.  I was seriously crying.  :)  I find it easier to laugh here which is pretty fun. :)

Devotional days are the greatest ever.  I’m convinced that the General Authorities save their best talks for devotionals.  They are even better than General Conference talks! This last week on Sunday they showed a recorded talk from Elder Holland and it was so good.  It convinced me that I need to take my studying on a different path and study the life of Jesus Christ.  I know he has a spiritual gift to say what the Lord wishes him to say.  He spoke about the life of Jesus Christ and I know that I can’t teach people without loving Jesus as much or more as this gospel.  I am well on my way too.  It’s incredible how he put things with what he said and yeah...  I love his messages so much.  Then on Tuesday we had a devotional live from Elder Anderson who talked about unseen things.  The start I didn’t think was as great but when it got going I got the implications of what he was talking about.  The powers of unseen things sure are great - like testimonies, feelings, and especially the power of the Spirit.  It ended up being a really good talk.

They serve cheap fake Mexican food.  I’m way disappointed.  Nothing spicy at all!  The ice cream here is to die for.  I would seriously come here just for the ice cream.  It is way better than anything at all in America and I’m pretty sure they only give us the cheap stuff.  The one thing they do so well here better than anywhere else is the desserts and lunch.  I look forward to those every day.  We have had cake, pie, ice cream, Oreo stuff (possibly my favorite), and anything else you can think of.  They had this chocolate and caramel cake the other day where the caramel was like a custard and oh man it was so good.  They do try to keep us healthy though!  And I can get sugar cereal for breakfast or dinner which is fun. :) Feels just like home!  

I’m in a dorm room so it’s me and my companion in one room, then Elders Cahoon and Gardner in another room and then two Latino elders in another room.  It’s fun with them there. :) The schedule is so intense that it’s hard to keep awake all day and I’m always exhausted. But it’s all right.

I’m kind of in a rut with Spanish but I know it’ll come easier. I know I can get over it!  

I’m studying my scriptures in English most of the time and right now I’m studying the life of Jesus Christ.  This week I decided to read and study Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts by the end of Saturday.  I’m in the middle of Luke right now and it’s by far my most favorite book.  I love having the opportunity to learn more of the life of Christ.  

The weather is about 60 degrees as a high.  It’s really nice actually.  We kind of celebrated the 4^th of July.  During lunch they had red white and blue tablecloths and we had pie and barbeque sandwiches.  They tried which was nice. We sang the national anthem too which was fun!  

I love you guys! The days are flying by!  It feels like yesterday since I emailed last. This other district in our zone is leaving on Tuesday and when they leave we will be the oldest district in our zone!  It’s crazy to think that I’m more than halfway done with this place. It’s really not that bad and it’s beautiful!  I can’t wait to get to California though. :)  

Ok well see ya next week!

Love,

Elder Passey

July 3, 2014

Dear Family,

I haven't gotten any letters yet and the apprehension is killing me, but it's ok. :)  You probably shouldn't send letters coming up pretty soon because I might leave before I get them.  There are some people who have to wait for 4 weeks until they get theirs.  

I'm sleeping great!  Everything is fine!  We went to the temple visitors center today. :)  It was so awesome and sweet.  I got some legit mexican stuff for birthdays or just whenever.  I've decided my companion is just like that one elder something we had who talked about books and video games all day.  His name started with a W I think. Anyway he's so much like him so that gives you some idea.  He picks his nose and eats it.  The other people in my district have told me to talk to him about it but I don't know if I can. might have to though if it gets worse. 

Spanish is good.  So the language is tough.  I can kinda talk with natives though very slowly and with bad grammar and everything.  The whole experience is just really intense.  The investigator thing is so complicated.  We teach two pretend ones who are actually our teachers and then we do this weird thing with volunteers.  

My teachers are very different.  My morning teacher Hermano Hernandez is really nice and knows a lot of english, which is good.  He's not married and 26.  He's going to LDS Business College soonish I think.  My other one is Hermano Sanchez and he's like 21 and married.  He is probably rich, we think, and doesn't know as much english so he really pushes us to learn the stuff.  

Ask Mike about KD. :)  And we added some hashtags DFD BRB.  DFD stands for diarrhea for days and then be right back.  It's so funny. :)  Go inside jokes!  I have not suffered from KD though. :)  Just to let you know.  

Sundays are the days to live for though.  Best day of the week by far!  We have to prepare a talk every Sunday and they randomly pick the speakers.  I haven't had to give a talk yet but it'll come soon I think. :)  I'm ready!  There are lots of meetings but at the end of the day we have a devotional by apostles which are so good!  They aren't giving any more because it's July or something, but they're playing recorded ones.  Then we watch a movie after that and I love it all so much!  

We've decided this place is like spiritual prison.  12 foot walls with barbed wire and it just kinda drains you.  Then when we get out of here we'll be in spiritual paradise!  Yay!  Everything is so hard and intense but we have fun still as much as we can.  It's hard to keep from getting discouraged but its important to be patient!  I'm so ready and excited to get out of here though.

Yeah the food is fine!  I'm getting used to it but there's a stomach virus going on here.  We can't even shake hands or anything anymore.  

It's fun to workout in the morning by myself.  Nice peaceful time to myself.  Pretty much the only time I have so I enjoy it the best I can.  I went running with some people in my district and that was so much fun!  I raced them in a sprint and destroyed them. :) Kinda fun.  Elder Cahoon is about as fast as I am with Cross Country and Elder Gardner is a little slower, but still really close.  Elder Gardner is part of the team who won state for Cross Country so that's kinda fun to talk running with those two. :)  

I hope you have fun with Trek!  It's going to be so awesome!  I loved it.  

That sounds like so much fun with the park and the reservoir. :)  Too bad you didn't catch anything.  Crawdads aren't very good or fun anyway though.  

Have fun with the reunion stuff!  Yeah I know service is really great to help feel better and everything.  

I'm way excited to send some pesos to you guys. :)  Especially Dad.  I'll save my letters and send them one at a time so it's kinda like I sent them all when I wanted to. :)  

I am way over homesickness now,

just to let you know.  I still think about you guys but it's not sad anymore.  I'm just happy we are a family and that I can help bring others to this gospel so they can be as happy as we are! :)  I'm writing in my journal every night so maybe when I fill it up I'll send it to you guys.  That would be fun.  Anyway, bye!  Talk to you guys next week!  :)  Stay happy and eat lots of ice cream!  (the ice cream here by the way I've named celestial ice cream.  It's so good...)

Love you!  I'll email next week! :)

 (I think this is at the Mexico temple visitors center)

(The missionary in the center is wearing Brandon's glasses so he looks like Brandon, but Brandon must be taking the picture.)