Fellow Americans (I can say that because this doesn’t go to too many people)
Today, I again don’t have time, but I’ll do what I can. Well, as you all know I have felt many of the devil's tools for distracting missionaries. Let me testify that Satan is real and is hard at work on missionaries. This week has been a trial but has also been eye-opening in a lot of aspects; namely I’m a spoiled kid. I have been given so much it’s not even funny. And everything I do to pay God back doesn’t do anything because He blesses me the second I do something for him. I will forever be in dept. Think about that… forever. It blows my mind.
Ok, ok so this week has been a hill but on the decline; I’m gaining perspective. Not so many details this week--just some bullets points
• People that send me e-mails and letters are most likely going to the celestial kingdom so if you haven’t--repent and give me a shout out and say hi.
• I ate pig legs this week and yes they do taste worse than they sound
• I’ve learned to not trust Mexicans unless I can see them
• I went to the zoo here and got to play with a baby tiger, so be jealous
• I have not gotten sick yet and so I rock
• I was able to be a witness for our neighbors wedding
• I found out that my area is the hardest area in Mexico (but I make it look easy)
• And I have had 3 to 4 conversations in Spanish (all 10 min or more) all by myself, so God does love me
• More later I promise
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
usted es un santo?
Hello my loyal subjects!!!!
Alright, this week we are finishing my fourth week and are heading into the fifth. Wow I have made it pretty far; three months and a few days. Ok, before I go into all of my amazing experiences and stories that you all live for, I am going to talk about how I’ve been feeling… just to mix it up a little.
So this last week has been my first real mountain to climb, it has been mentally, physically, and spiritually draining. It has been the first time I have really questioned being here and if I’m cut out for this work. The devil knows his stuff and has been throwing me a few curveballs, he has made me question my faith, made me question my worthiness, question who I am and what I want in life. Well I’m glad to say I have over come my trial of faith and wondering about who I am (at least for now).
But when it comes to worthiness I need an outside opinion. I feel that I am worthy and have repented of all, but I need affirmation so I can have a clean conscious before the Lord and can stop worrying about it. This is going to be hard for all of you to hear but I’m not perfect :0) …not even close. So if worse comes to worse, and I am sent home, I would hope that before you judge me or give me that pep-talk about how I should of figured things out before I left… know that “I know”. I could go through my mission and never say a thing and say it’s between me and the Lord. But I promised myself that I was going to do this right or not do it at all. I will not be a liar; I will not be a fake, or a hypocrite. I will do anything to have a clean conscious. This is amazingly hard to write and know that people will read it, but like I said I will not lie about how I am feeling and what is happening in my life. This is what I write in my journal and this is all very personal so please handle with care.
This is some of the most important work that has or ever been. I am honored to work with the amazing people here. This is the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know this in my heart and in my soul. I will admit that I have my doubts and fears--but I know that all will be revealed to me in time and that I need to be patient . I have an unshakable testimony on family and how the members of our family were selected for a reason. I have a testimony of repentance and the power of change it brings in peoples lives. It heals the heart … ok ok ok I’m done with that.
I don’t have much time to write so I might not be as exciting as I’d like, but I’ll do my best. This week my companion and I have been working really hard to get our neighbors married and the dad baptized and we have been hitting a lot of road blocks but all in all it has worked out and they should be married and the dad baptized on Wednesday. I’m super excited and I hope he lets me baptize him.
While I have been here I have seen a lot of strange things and met some crazy crazy people. Like yesterday, my companion and I were walking to an appointment when this guy and his friend stopped us and started talking. So I did what I usually do... look at them, smile and nod my head like I understand, (which we all know I don’t) Well, then I was looking toward his friend (at this time I thought maybe he was a handicap, and was thinking I should keep an eye on him) and he looked and me and stopped every muscle in his body and said, “gahsdlmnaeri “ (ya, I don’t understand it either) I then resorted to my natural reaction and smiled and nodded… he saw my name tag and that it said “saint” on it then with a look of wonder asked me “Usted es un santo?” I was still nodding my head at this time so he thought I was saying yes to “Are you a saint?” He got all big-eyed and started freaking out so we had to leave. (I later found out he was just really drunk)
I found out some more crazy things about Mexico… They don’t have a dump, or at least I don’t think they do because they have trash everywhere. The only rule is if their is trash already there then you need to put it somewhere else. They want to evenly disperse it across all of Mexico. ...haha
Oh, and ladies breast feed out in the open!!! Like what the heck?!!! So when I’m in the city I usually just look at the ground just to make sure that I’m not caught off guard.
That is all I have time for I’m sorry if my spelling is bad, but this computer is all in Spanish and so I can’t spell check. (my entire letter is in red) Live long and prosper and remember to not judge me too harshly. Your humble servant and friend,
Elder Aaron Cranford
Alright, this week we are finishing my fourth week and are heading into the fifth. Wow I have made it pretty far; three months and a few days. Ok, before I go into all of my amazing experiences and stories that you all live for, I am going to talk about how I’ve been feeling… just to mix it up a little.
So this last week has been my first real mountain to climb, it has been mentally, physically, and spiritually draining. It has been the first time I have really questioned being here and if I’m cut out for this work. The devil knows his stuff and has been throwing me a few curveballs, he has made me question my faith, made me question my worthiness, question who I am and what I want in life. Well I’m glad to say I have over come my trial of faith and wondering about who I am (at least for now).
But when it comes to worthiness I need an outside opinion. I feel that I am worthy and have repented of all, but I need affirmation so I can have a clean conscious before the Lord and can stop worrying about it. This is going to be hard for all of you to hear but I’m not perfect :0) …not even close. So if worse comes to worse, and I am sent home, I would hope that before you judge me or give me that pep-talk about how I should of figured things out before I left… know that “I know”. I could go through my mission and never say a thing and say it’s between me and the Lord. But I promised myself that I was going to do this right or not do it at all. I will not be a liar; I will not be a fake, or a hypocrite. I will do anything to have a clean conscious. This is amazingly hard to write and know that people will read it, but like I said I will not lie about how I am feeling and what is happening in my life. This is what I write in my journal and this is all very personal so please handle with care.
This is some of the most important work that has or ever been. I am honored to work with the amazing people here. This is the restored church of Jesus Christ and I know this in my heart and in my soul. I will admit that I have my doubts and fears--but I know that all will be revealed to me in time and that I need to be patient . I have an unshakable testimony on family and how the members of our family were selected for a reason. I have a testimony of repentance and the power of change it brings in peoples lives. It heals the heart … ok ok ok I’m done with that.
I don’t have much time to write so I might not be as exciting as I’d like, but I’ll do my best. This week my companion and I have been working really hard to get our neighbors married and the dad baptized and we have been hitting a lot of road blocks but all in all it has worked out and they should be married and the dad baptized on Wednesday. I’m super excited and I hope he lets me baptize him.
While I have been here I have seen a lot of strange things and met some crazy crazy people. Like yesterday, my companion and I were walking to an appointment when this guy and his friend stopped us and started talking. So I did what I usually do... look at them, smile and nod my head like I understand, (which we all know I don’t) Well, then I was looking toward his friend (at this time I thought maybe he was a handicap, and was thinking I should keep an eye on him) and he looked and me and stopped every muscle in his body and said, “gahsdlmnaeri “ (ya, I don’t understand it either) I then resorted to my natural reaction and smiled and nodded… he saw my name tag and that it said “saint” on it then with a look of wonder asked me “Usted es un santo?” I was still nodding my head at this time so he thought I was saying yes to “Are you a saint?” He got all big-eyed and started freaking out so we had to leave. (I later found out he was just really drunk)
I found out some more crazy things about Mexico… They don’t have a dump, or at least I don’t think they do because they have trash everywhere. The only rule is if their is trash already there then you need to put it somewhere else. They want to evenly disperse it across all of Mexico. ...haha
Oh, and ladies breast feed out in the open!!! Like what the heck?!!! So when I’m in the city I usually just look at the ground just to make sure that I’m not caught off guard.
That is all I have time for I’m sorry if my spelling is bad, but this computer is all in Spanish and so I can’t spell check. (my entire letter is in red) Live long and prosper and remember to not judge me too harshly. Your humble servant and friend,
Elder Aaron Cranford
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
God qualifies the called
Hello people in a distant land!!!
It has already been three weeks and now I am working on my fourth. Wow! It has been crazy so far. Ok ok ok…the updates on how to lay low in Mexico ha ha…
So last time I left you was after we got our first baptismal date with our neighbor. And well, since then a lot has happened. I’m not sure where to start, but ok, this past week has been about going to a lot of meetings and finding new investigators. My companion is the district leader in our area of 200ish miles--and we have to have meetings a lot I guess. Once again when I say that… I mean “he” has meetings because all I do is read my scriptures (or draw ha ha they talk amazingly fast and it makes no sense to me so don’t judge).
We have now become seminary teachers for the next while, so as of now we teach both seminary and institute and two classes in church.
Well I do have a story for all of you. About a week and a half ago I met a man by the name of Gregorio (in English it is Gregory). The reason I met him is because I am the only white guy for probably 50 miles and am taller than everyone here. He of course saw me and came and talked to me. Luckily for me he spoke English!!! We talked and he is an illegal that crosses the border every other year for work. He is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met and is always trying to get me to take drinks from his store for free ha ha. Well, anyway we taught him the first lesson. We came back to him two days ago to give him the second lesson, give him a book of Mormon, and maybe ask about a baptismal date. But when we got there he told us his Pastor was there. Well he told us to talk to her and we were hesitant but he was persistent so we came back and saw her.
Well, we said “hi” and all the nice things then she started asking all the questions about what our message was about. I haven't been able to talk to kids let alone explain the church and defend it. So I did what I have been doing, have always done, and expect to do for a long time… I sat there smiled and nodded my head. Then came the time to testify and I tried my very best to tell how the Book of Mormon has changed my life. Ok, this is the cool part… after my horrible attempt to do my best at speaking the language, she told my companion that I spoke horribly but she understood me and felt my testimony!!!! Ok, that is the gift of tongues right there! We gave her a Book of Mormon and left. It was all in all pretty cool.
Ok, one more story that comes to mind… we were coming back from an appointment that fell through (which really stank because it takes us like 30 min on a bus to get there and 20 on foot up some pretty steep hills) and we felt like we had wasted a lot of time. But on our way back we met a guy that told us he had read the whole Book of Mormon and wanted us to teach him. I was super excited. We went back to his house and he got out his Book of Mormon and showed us. And guess what his bookmaker was… a pornographic image. I saw it and started laughing pretty hard because I’m super naive. He didn’t even notice. We told him we would come back in a day or so. My companion later told me that he was drunk. So a long story short we came back and had a lesson with him and he is going to be baptized at the end of the month hopefully. All in all, everything in Mexico is going at full speed, so thank you all for tuning in and listening.
Testimony time:
I was told something by a teacher in the MTC that has stuck with me it goes something like this. “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” I know that right now I am nothing, but going through the refiners fire or trials and life will be what I want to be. I will overcome my weakness as long as I count on the Lord and do all I can He will do the rest. (2 Nephi 25: 23)
Alright, thank you so much for sending me email/mail it helps a lot and it also means a lot to me. If you want to send me packages, and of course you do... this is the address:
Elder Aaron Paul Cranford
Mexico Puebla Mission
Calle 25 Sur #907
Col. La Paz
72160 Puebla, Puebla
Mexico
The champion of your hearts,
Elder Aaron Paul Cranford
It has already been three weeks and now I am working on my fourth. Wow! It has been crazy so far. Ok ok ok…the updates on how to lay low in Mexico ha ha…
So last time I left you was after we got our first baptismal date with our neighbor. And well, since then a lot has happened. I’m not sure where to start, but ok, this past week has been about going to a lot of meetings and finding new investigators. My companion is the district leader in our area of 200ish miles--and we have to have meetings a lot I guess. Once again when I say that… I mean “he” has meetings because all I do is read my scriptures (or draw ha ha they talk amazingly fast and it makes no sense to me so don’t judge).
We have now become seminary teachers for the next while, so as of now we teach both seminary and institute and two classes in church.
Well I do have a story for all of you. About a week and a half ago I met a man by the name of Gregorio (in English it is Gregory). The reason I met him is because I am the only white guy for probably 50 miles and am taller than everyone here. He of course saw me and came and talked to me. Luckily for me he spoke English!!! We talked and he is an illegal that crosses the border every other year for work. He is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met and is always trying to get me to take drinks from his store for free ha ha. Well, anyway we taught him the first lesson. We came back to him two days ago to give him the second lesson, give him a book of Mormon, and maybe ask about a baptismal date. But when we got there he told us his Pastor was there. Well he told us to talk to her and we were hesitant but he was persistent so we came back and saw her.
Well, we said “hi” and all the nice things then she started asking all the questions about what our message was about. I haven't been able to talk to kids let alone explain the church and defend it. So I did what I have been doing, have always done, and expect to do for a long time… I sat there smiled and nodded my head. Then came the time to testify and I tried my very best to tell how the Book of Mormon has changed my life. Ok, this is the cool part… after my horrible attempt to do my best at speaking the language, she told my companion that I spoke horribly but she understood me and felt my testimony!!!! Ok, that is the gift of tongues right there! We gave her a Book of Mormon and left. It was all in all pretty cool.
Ok, one more story that comes to mind… we were coming back from an appointment that fell through (which really stank because it takes us like 30 min on a bus to get there and 20 on foot up some pretty steep hills) and we felt like we had wasted a lot of time. But on our way back we met a guy that told us he had read the whole Book of Mormon and wanted us to teach him. I was super excited. We went back to his house and he got out his Book of Mormon and showed us. And guess what his bookmaker was… a pornographic image. I saw it and started laughing pretty hard because I’m super naive. He didn’t even notice. We told him we would come back in a day or so. My companion later told me that he was drunk. So a long story short we came back and had a lesson with him and he is going to be baptized at the end of the month hopefully. All in all, everything in Mexico is going at full speed, so thank you all for tuning in and listening.
Testimony time:
I was told something by a teacher in the MTC that has stuck with me it goes something like this. “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” I know that right now I am nothing, but going through the refiners fire or trials and life will be what I want to be. I will overcome my weakness as long as I count on the Lord and do all I can He will do the rest. (2 Nephi 25: 23)
Alright, thank you so much for sending me email/mail it helps a lot and it also means a lot to me. If you want to send me packages, and of course you do... this is the address:
Elder Aaron Paul Cranford
Mexico Puebla Mission
Calle 25 Sur #907
Col. La Paz
72160 Puebla, Puebla
Mexico
The champion of your hearts,
Elder Aaron Paul Cranford
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
roller coaster
Hello upper body of the world!!! (Only Nephi will get that),
So I’m hitting my 2 week mark this next Wednesday and I am alive and well!! I have so much to tell you all and so little time to share my experiences, thoughts and feelings!! Alright, lets get you up-to-date and go from there (but once again I am sorry for the craziness and the non-formal format of my letters ha ha I just say what jumps into my head first).
Ok, I left you at zone conference last time so… zone conference was probably super spiritual and just what I needed to hear to reignite my fire for the work, but… It was in spanish ha ha and spanish is the most ridiculous language there ever was (don’t even try to disagree with me) so what did I do during that time? yup.. slept and drew pictures!!! ha ha I know that’s not very missionary of me but I plan on being absolutely honest in all I write to the outside world. I will not exaggerate, lie, or change the facts to make myself look good (I might exaggerate a little haha) because I want you to know the what, how and why (and all the other descriptive words) on what’s going on with me--really. Anyway, after the 6 1/2ish hour long meetings we went home, slept and then the next day went to work.
I give the spiritual thought and butcher my way through my testimony then my companion takes it from there. Our numbers have been really low in our district but we are doing a lot better now and are hoping to see results soon.
Today was a pretty sad day; Elder Farr left for the home front. We have been through it all from the beginning. He was my roommate in the MTC and we had the awesome ability to see each other often and talk. I see "Nephi Farr" as one of my close friends and was sad to see him go. But I believe he is doing the right thing in leaving and I won’t go into too much detail because it’s not my place to say, but know that I am behind him 100% and that he is a good man and is the master of integrity ha ha.
What else? Oh ya, our neighbors next to us... the woman is a member but her boyfriend is not. We have been working with him and got him to commit to a baptismal date at the end of this month, so I am super excited to see how it woks out.
What else? ….Oh I noticed something here that blows my mind. Everyone here wears really nice clothes; I mean like back in the states $100 jeans and $40 shirts. Then I remembered they make all the clothes! But that is not what is so crazy, they wear shirts with english wording…. they don’t know what their shirt says!!! Elder Farr saw a lady and her shirt said (in really big letters) "I´M A DORK" ha ha ha. I laughed at that for awhile.
Alright, now for how I’m feeling... ha ha (the fun part…not) I am on an emotional rollercoaster! One moment I am so sure that this is where I´m supposed to be and I’m doing what’s right and the next moment I’m wondering how much a plane ticket is back home. I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss being lazy all the time and having my life handed to me haha. But at the same time I am excited to become strong with the Lord and become the man I really do want to be. I want to want to get up at 6:30 every day which is amazingly hard and want to grow up and take life by the throat and choke slam it it to submission (Colton that was for you ha ha). What I’m trying to say is I’m ready to change. I have been blessed so much (Matthew 11:28-30)! My burdens have been made light every day and I’m happy and willing to do my best. My companion is the most patient guy in the world. And I love the people here even if they make no sense to me yet. I have been studying integrity and it along with charity are what I´m striving for right now ha ha. I am going to start studying grace and the importance of works if any one wants to help out ha ha. I would love to get your insight and advice. Thank you to everyone that is writing me. I love to get mail and it really means a lot to me. I love all of you and you are all in my prayers. I’m excited to hear about your experiences while I’m gone and to see how you can all live without me because I’m pretty sure that life must stink without me ha ha.
So my testimony is small but it’s what keeps me going on everyday…I know that my family is the most important thing in my life, they are my teachers, my examples, my friends, and my everything. They pick me up when I am weak and push me to be better than I thought I could ever be. I know that God loves me even when I´m less than perfect. I find happiness in the gospel and the promises it give me. Not a lot can be said of me but I do my best and I know the Lord will bring me to my knees for my good and I thank Him everyday for giving me the opportunity to grow and become better (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Your soldier of the lord and the missing piece in your hearts,
Elder Aaron paul Cranford
P.S. Hey, if you guys could send me some pictures of you that would be cool!!!! I need them.
So I’m hitting my 2 week mark this next Wednesday and I am alive and well!! I have so much to tell you all and so little time to share my experiences, thoughts and feelings!! Alright, lets get you up-to-date and go from there (but once again I am sorry for the craziness and the non-formal format of my letters ha ha I just say what jumps into my head first).
Ok, I left you at zone conference last time so… zone conference was probably super spiritual and just what I needed to hear to reignite my fire for the work, but… It was in spanish ha ha and spanish is the most ridiculous language there ever was (don’t even try to disagree with me) so what did I do during that time? yup.. slept and drew pictures!!! ha ha I know that’s not very missionary of me but I plan on being absolutely honest in all I write to the outside world. I will not exaggerate, lie, or change the facts to make myself look good (I might exaggerate a little haha) because I want you to know the what, how and why (and all the other descriptive words) on what’s going on with me--really. Anyway, after the 6 1/2ish hour long meetings we went home, slept and then the next day went to work.
I give the spiritual thought and butcher my way through my testimony then my companion takes it from there. Our numbers have been really low in our district but we are doing a lot better now and are hoping to see results soon.
Today was a pretty sad day; Elder Farr left for the home front. We have been through it all from the beginning. He was my roommate in the MTC and we had the awesome ability to see each other often and talk. I see "Nephi Farr" as one of my close friends and was sad to see him go. But I believe he is doing the right thing in leaving and I won’t go into too much detail because it’s not my place to say, but know that I am behind him 100% and that he is a good man and is the master of integrity ha ha.
What else? Oh ya, our neighbors next to us... the woman is a member but her boyfriend is not. We have been working with him and got him to commit to a baptismal date at the end of this month, so I am super excited to see how it woks out.
What else? ….Oh I noticed something here that blows my mind. Everyone here wears really nice clothes; I mean like back in the states $100 jeans and $40 shirts. Then I remembered they make all the clothes! But that is not what is so crazy, they wear shirts with english wording…. they don’t know what their shirt says!!! Elder Farr saw a lady and her shirt said (in really big letters) "I´M A DORK" ha ha ha. I laughed at that for awhile.
Alright, now for how I’m feeling... ha ha (the fun part…not) I am on an emotional rollercoaster! One moment I am so sure that this is where I´m supposed to be and I’m doing what’s right and the next moment I’m wondering how much a plane ticket is back home. I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss being lazy all the time and having my life handed to me haha. But at the same time I am excited to become strong with the Lord and become the man I really do want to be. I want to want to get up at 6:30 every day which is amazingly hard and want to grow up and take life by the throat and choke slam it it to submission (Colton that was for you ha ha). What I’m trying to say is I’m ready to change. I have been blessed so much (Matthew 11:28-30)! My burdens have been made light every day and I’m happy and willing to do my best. My companion is the most patient guy in the world. And I love the people here even if they make no sense to me yet. I have been studying integrity and it along with charity are what I´m striving for right now ha ha. I am going to start studying grace and the importance of works if any one wants to help out ha ha. I would love to get your insight and advice. Thank you to everyone that is writing me. I love to get mail and it really means a lot to me. I love all of you and you are all in my prayers. I’m excited to hear about your experiences while I’m gone and to see how you can all live without me because I’m pretty sure that life must stink without me ha ha.
So my testimony is small but it’s what keeps me going on everyday…I know that my family is the most important thing in my life, they are my teachers, my examples, my friends, and my everything. They pick me up when I am weak and push me to be better than I thought I could ever be. I know that God loves me even when I´m less than perfect. I find happiness in the gospel and the promises it give me. Not a lot can be said of me but I do my best and I know the Lord will bring me to my knees for my good and I thank Him everyday for giving me the opportunity to grow and become better (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Your soldier of the lord and the missing piece in your hearts,
Elder Aaron paul Cranford
P.S. Hey, if you guys could send me some pictures of you that would be cool!!!! I need them.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
first letter from the field
Hola outside world!
So this is how it is going to work; I’m writing a basic letter on how I am doing to go out to everyone. And then for some of you I will write a personal message.
Alright so first things first ...HOLY SMOKES!! What have I gotten myself into?!! Mexico is straight up crazy! So I’ll explain what’s been going on since I landed:
We landed and I was one of the lucky ones and had all my luggage. We met our mission president and the AP’s (Assistant to the president) and they are all really nice. We then went to their home and ate dinner and stayed the night.
I won’t lie, on our way through Puebla to the house my only thoughts were…
#1 Wow, I am probably going to die in one of those streets, and
#2 Two years ... two years ... two years!
Ok, Mexico is the garbage can of the world; it is the nastiest place ever, not like all the pictures.
(Sorry if I jump around a lot) Then the next day we got our new companions and went to our new areas. My companion’s name is Elder Ortiz and he is a native to Mexico.... who doesn’t speak English very much. In the beginning he purposely spoke only Spanish and so I thought he didn’t speak any English...but he does. (He thought he was funny or something)
We then, went on a bus for 2 hours to drop off one set of companions (Elder Farr and his comp). Then once we dropped them off we went and took another bus for another hour to get to our area. My area is called Ajalpan (I think that is how you spell it) and then walked about a mile to get to our house. So in short, I live in the middle of nowhere. It is a mile or 2 to go anywhere.
I got settled in and went to work. The first day we went to the church (which is newish) and my companion taught the members something about how to talk to friends about the church. We have, like, 10 active people that come to church... with, like, 40-60 in-active. So I met almost the whole district (we are not big enough to be a ward). I didn’t understand a thing anyone was saying.....nothing. I just butchered my way through the language, smiled a lot, and used my hands to show them what I meant. They are all really nice and understanding about how I suck at Spanish.
We then went home and planned, went to bed. Oh, and by the way, my house is a dump. There have to be a 100,000 health code violations, but in Mexico I don’t think they care much about that, ha ha. I need a blanket because I don’t have one and I need a pillow because I don’t have one of those either.... but I have a mattress so I’m doing pretty good.I got up the next day and got ready (oh and the shower is messed... like first I have to turn on the boiler and wait for 20 minutes and then get in, but I have to be fast and careful because if I don’t turn the knobs just the right way I get 2 minutes of scorching hot water and then I have ice cold water for the rest of the shower. And then I need to be careful to watch all the corners because they all have holes and when I shower the spiders living in them like to come out to see if I’m paying attention and if I’m not they will attack.
Then we went to work.... we have taught 3 of 4 people so far. …and when I say we, I mean my companion because I don’t understand ANYTHING. So I just smile, say my testimony and pray (which I do them all wrong) oh and most of the words I learned in the MTC mean nothing out here ... I have to unlearn a lot of them at least... as they say in Spanish SOPLA (it blows).
Umm, what else? ... Oh and I figured that Mexico must be the soda capital of the world. That is all they drink, but the coke here is off the chain ha ha.WE WALK EVERYWHERE. When they told us that, all I thought about was how buff my legs would be--but now all I think about is how soon I am going to need another pair of shoes and how many blisters I got that day, ha ha.
Oh ya, and guess what? I’m learning a third language--it is another dialect here in my area. I forget what it’s called but I’ll let you all know later.
Right now I’m in Tuhuchan (or something like that) and we are staying the night because tomorrow is zone conference. Oh, and you know all of those jokes about how many Mexicans can fit in a car …they are all true. They are facts not jokes. In a car that is supposed to fit at max 7 people--I have been in one that have fit 17-20ish. And another amazing thing is a whole family of 6 can fit on one bike ... it blows my mind.
Oh, and so what they told me coming out here… is to stay away from the girls because they like the white meat... and they apparently greet everyone with a kiss, so I was supposed to watch out; what a joke. There is not a single attractive girl here they just don’t exist... so that will not be a trial out here ha ha.
Oh, and I love the food so far. I have thrown caution into the wind and eaten everythingthat has been put in front of me and I have lived. Don’t get me wrong I have prayed at every meal before we eat and ask to be able to eat the nasty things but all is well.Alright, now to talk about how things are going..... Not good. They pumped me up in the MTC and got me ready to baptize and be obedient but its different out here… don’t get me wrong, I am obedient to the max, but it feels like the missionaries are just getting lazy with the work. I have tried to talk to my companion about it but he doesn’t understand what I mean. (Luckily I was blessed with an obedient companion) but when we go to members all the time and when we are there and don’t share a message; it’s not right. But what do I know; I’ve only been doing this for 5 days?
Elder Farr, my friend, has it really bad. His companion is a joke and is super lazy. Elder Farr has already been having a hard time staying on a mission because he doesn’t want to really be here. He is scared that his family will be angry if he quits, so he is pushing through it. He is a good guy and I’m not sure how to help him except tell him I love him and that I’m not going to leave anytime…so at least he will have a friend. It goes deeper that what I’m writing here but it has affected me so I thought I would put it down.
Other than all the strange things I’ve talked about I can honestly say so far I am happy here. I’m keeping a good attitude about it all and laughing a ton at myself and the things I see. I hate not being able to speak Spanish and being the only white guy. (I now know what its like to be a minority) but the lord is blessing me with almost more than I can handle. My testimony is still small but it is pure and strong. I know that God loves me and is mindful of me, I know that when it looks like God kicks you when your down he is really only letting you grow and it’s because he loves you. I know that families can be together forever.
From the best looking missionary that will ever walk the face of the earth,
Elder Cranford
So this is how it is going to work; I’m writing a basic letter on how I am doing to go out to everyone. And then for some of you I will write a personal message.
Alright so first things first ...HOLY SMOKES!! What have I gotten myself into?!! Mexico is straight up crazy! So I’ll explain what’s been going on since I landed:
We landed and I was one of the lucky ones and had all my luggage. We met our mission president and the AP’s (Assistant to the president) and they are all really nice. We then went to their home and ate dinner and stayed the night.
I won’t lie, on our way through Puebla to the house my only thoughts were…
#1 Wow, I am probably going to die in one of those streets, and
#2 Two years ... two years ... two years!
Ok, Mexico is the garbage can of the world; it is the nastiest place ever, not like all the pictures.
(Sorry if I jump around a lot) Then the next day we got our new companions and went to our new areas. My companion’s name is Elder Ortiz and he is a native to Mexico.... who doesn’t speak English very much. In the beginning he purposely spoke only Spanish and so I thought he didn’t speak any English...but he does. (He thought he was funny or something)
We then, went on a bus for 2 hours to drop off one set of companions (Elder Farr and his comp). Then once we dropped them off we went and took another bus for another hour to get to our area. My area is called Ajalpan (I think that is how you spell it) and then walked about a mile to get to our house. So in short, I live in the middle of nowhere. It is a mile or 2 to go anywhere.
I got settled in and went to work. The first day we went to the church (which is newish) and my companion taught the members something about how to talk to friends about the church. We have, like, 10 active people that come to church... with, like, 40-60 in-active. So I met almost the whole district (we are not big enough to be a ward). I didn’t understand a thing anyone was saying.....nothing. I just butchered my way through the language, smiled a lot, and used my hands to show them what I meant. They are all really nice and understanding about how I suck at Spanish.
We then went home and planned, went to bed. Oh, and by the way, my house is a dump. There have to be a 100,000 health code violations, but in Mexico I don’t think they care much about that, ha ha. I need a blanket because I don’t have one and I need a pillow because I don’t have one of those either.... but I have a mattress so I’m doing pretty good.I got up the next day and got ready (oh and the shower is messed... like first I have to turn on the boiler and wait for 20 minutes and then get in, but I have to be fast and careful because if I don’t turn the knobs just the right way I get 2 minutes of scorching hot water and then I have ice cold water for the rest of the shower. And then I need to be careful to watch all the corners because they all have holes and when I shower the spiders living in them like to come out to see if I’m paying attention and if I’m not they will attack.
Then we went to work.... we have taught 3 of 4 people so far. …and when I say we, I mean my companion because I don’t understand ANYTHING. So I just smile, say my testimony and pray (which I do them all wrong) oh and most of the words I learned in the MTC mean nothing out here ... I have to unlearn a lot of them at least... as they say in Spanish SOPLA (it blows).
Umm, what else? ... Oh and I figured that Mexico must be the soda capital of the world. That is all they drink, but the coke here is off the chain ha ha.WE WALK EVERYWHERE. When they told us that, all I thought about was how buff my legs would be--but now all I think about is how soon I am going to need another pair of shoes and how many blisters I got that day, ha ha.
Oh ya, and guess what? I’m learning a third language--it is another dialect here in my area. I forget what it’s called but I’ll let you all know later.
Right now I’m in Tuhuchan (or something like that) and we are staying the night because tomorrow is zone conference. Oh, and you know all of those jokes about how many Mexicans can fit in a car …they are all true. They are facts not jokes. In a car that is supposed to fit at max 7 people--I have been in one that have fit 17-20ish. And another amazing thing is a whole family of 6 can fit on one bike ... it blows my mind.
Oh, and so what they told me coming out here… is to stay away from the girls because they like the white meat... and they apparently greet everyone with a kiss, so I was supposed to watch out; what a joke. There is not a single attractive girl here they just don’t exist... so that will not be a trial out here ha ha.
Oh, and I love the food so far. I have thrown caution into the wind and eaten everythingthat has been put in front of me and I have lived. Don’t get me wrong I have prayed at every meal before we eat and ask to be able to eat the nasty things but all is well.Alright, now to talk about how things are going..... Not good. They pumped me up in the MTC and got me ready to baptize and be obedient but its different out here… don’t get me wrong, I am obedient to the max, but it feels like the missionaries are just getting lazy with the work. I have tried to talk to my companion about it but he doesn’t understand what I mean. (Luckily I was blessed with an obedient companion) but when we go to members all the time and when we are there and don’t share a message; it’s not right. But what do I know; I’ve only been doing this for 5 days?
Elder Farr, my friend, has it really bad. His companion is a joke and is super lazy. Elder Farr has already been having a hard time staying on a mission because he doesn’t want to really be here. He is scared that his family will be angry if he quits, so he is pushing through it. He is a good guy and I’m not sure how to help him except tell him I love him and that I’m not going to leave anytime…so at least he will have a friend. It goes deeper that what I’m writing here but it has affected me so I thought I would put it down.
Other than all the strange things I’ve talked about I can honestly say so far I am happy here. I’m keeping a good attitude about it all and laughing a ton at myself and the things I see. I hate not being able to speak Spanish and being the only white guy. (I now know what its like to be a minority) but the lord is blessing me with almost more than I can handle. My testimony is still small but it is pure and strong. I know that God loves me and is mindful of me, I know that when it looks like God kicks you when your down he is really only letting you grow and it’s because he loves you. I know that families can be together forever.
From the best looking missionary that will ever walk the face of the earth,
Elder Cranford
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