Jilotepec

June 20, 2022

So it's been a week in a new area. I cant believe I’m already in my 4th one. I was able to recover most of the emails that I wasn’t able to find on the last phone I was using, so if your randomly here again after like 12 weeks of not getting the letters, that’s why.

Anyways. I got to the area Monday night. The areas pure farmland and open country, with corn fields and mountains forests and hills. It's also big. Sometimes we have to take buses 30-45 minutes to go see someone in the area, for this mission its insane. Also im quite grateful to not have to smell Mexico City/Ecatepec every time I walk out the door.

I realized as it was too late, that I had left my dang backpack in my last area with all my scriptures and journals and my copy of Jesus the Christ (a book I’d highly recommend). It really sucked to have left the thing. My comp luckily lent me a large backpack that I've been using until I can somehow get my old one back and I've been using different scriptures (well different copies of the same standard, canonized works that is). Anyways. My companion. Elder Ornelas. From Monterrey. He’s a young dude. 6 weeks in the mission field. He’s got quite a bit of energy and just talks and talks and talks, which at times bugs me, but he’s also always in a happy mood which is a really good thing

Our phone wasn’t working well. It was a new one from the mission but the chip was busted or something so we couldn’t make calls or send or receive messages of any kind. The secretaries knew and President knew at transfers but sent us on our merry little way like it was "our problem". The ride to the area is about 1 and a half to 2 hours.

Like I mentioned, everything’s a lot farther here. Like to go to District Council we were on a bus for 1 and a half hours. Wednesday we had to return all the way to the Mission Offices because by then, the secretaries and President realized it probably was a problem we couldn't communicate with anyone. That little excursion took a while. At least the buses here are really cool and have TVs and movies and stuff. (Not that we watch them or anything).

Theres a lot of people to teach here. A lot of lessons with recent converts and part member families and a lot of kids. Teaching kids is not my favorite or easiest thing to do. We've met some good people though and they always give us a lot to eat. The only thing is that EVERYONE especially the members and recent converts do is talk about how great the last elder who was here was and it makes me feel really awkward just sitting there listening there praises and alleluias to the guy.

This week though we met some cool people. We were walking through some rural farmland after having knocked a few doors and saw a couple digging a hole for a water pipe. We offered to help and they accepted. We helped then for over and hour and talked a while. Then they gave us tortillas, eggs, salsa and chicharron to eat which was cool. They're named Gustavo and Arcelia (something like that) and they said we could return the next Saturday.

The ward here is a branch so they just meet on the second floor in a building over a bank or something. About 50 or 60 people came which is about the same amount that came to my last ward. Only 1 person we’re teaching came. Concepcion. She’s an old lady who’s apparently come to church like 9 times but doesn’t want to get baptized cause she "doesn't have enough knowledge'" yet. I was trying to get to know some members but for some reason getting to know and connecting with people has been a lot harder here than it was for me in my last area. It wasn’t a bad week though. There are a lot of things to see and explore in the area (we might go visit a 300 year old church on top of a hill today) and there's a lot of people to teach and good food. And rain. Theres so much rain and the temperature is super nice. Anyways that all from me. Bye.

1. Me and Elder Ornelas