11-16-13

Hi Mom,

Sorry but I feel like every week our emails have been getting shorter and shorter. I have been hitting some serious writers block whenever I sit down to email, plus I dont want to think too much about home. The Wisconsin pictures look really cool. I am sure that was awesome. The stadium looks huge though, I think it would be really cool if BYU filled in the corners on the feild and had the seats go all the way around like that. Its too bad they lost, but still, losing to Wisconsin at home by only ten isnt too bad. Always good for recruiting too. It was funny this week we were talking with our Mission President about football, and he is from Minnesota. He was joking saying that it is so cool that Minnesota is in the Big Ten because then they get to watch all the really good big name teams, but the only problem is they always pound Minnesota. But it is still cool at least seeing all the big name teams if nothing else. He said the Big Ten should change their name to the Big Nine and Minnesota. 

This week was changes, that always leads to chaos but its nice because we stay really busy here in the office. Its hard sometimes in the middle of the changes and we have to search for things to do. The mission is kind of preparing for when my group finishes. There are about twenty missionaries in my group leaving and only about five coming, so they will have to close some areas and do some different things. So they started a little early and closed some of the areas that they could, so that means this last week and probably into the next week we will be running around the mission and taking the stuff out of the houses. The mission has gotten more normal now since the influx of new missionaries. Before there were tons of people waiting on visas going to other countries and stuff. At some point the mission had like forty temporary missionaries, but now there are only two, so we are back down to normal. On Sunday we had something really cool happen. We were in church and all the sudden we see this huge gringo walk in to the chapel and sit down. He had a Bible in English in his hand and he didnt really look like he understood what was being said. After the meeting I went over to talk to him, and it is a man that if from Texas, and he just retired and doesnt live with any family, so he just randomly moved down here. He doesnt speak any Spanish and he doesnt really know why he picked Xela, but he is here for now and he really likes it. He had thought our church was a 7th day Adventist church though, and saw that it was open so he decided to go in and check it out (although I am not sure why he thought the Adventist church would be open on a Sunday if they go to church on Saturday). But either way he was really interested and seemed to like it. We ran after sacrament meeting to the mission office where we have a box of Book of Mormons stowed away and got one for him in English. Then on Wednesday we had an appointment with him and we had such an awesome lesson with him. He had actually read a lot of the book and had lots of really good questions. Elder Funk and I absolutely loved it too because we can actually teach him in English. Its so weird having a gringo investigator but seriously it makes me feel like such a good teacher, because I can perfectly convey all the thoughts and ideas that I have, and I dont have to worry about him not understanding me or thinking I am crazy because I dont say anything wrong. It was so cool though, we are really really excited about teaching him, he said he wants to come to church again tomorrow so we will see how it all goes. Like I said I got a new suit, so that kind of wiped out my personal money. I dont need a whole lot more, but it would be nice if I could have a little payday at least so I can buy a few souvenirs before I leave. I am trying to see if I can get all my stuff into just one of my suitcases. I really do not have that many things, and what I still have I wont bring hardly anything home. There is a forty dollar fee for the second bag, so I am trying to see if I can do it with just one. I sold my guitar to another elder this week too. I dont think it would be possible or likely for me to have gotten it home in one piece, plus it would have been forty dollars to check it like I said. Not worth it, I can maybe try and snag one of KSL or something in the future. But thats all the news I have for this week.

Things are all really good here though, we are trying to keep working hard. Its been really fun in the office. We all took an office Christmas card photo today so we are going to get those printed out this week and send them in the mail. I hope you are all doing well, I love you and miss you all. 

Adam