¡Hola!
This week has been incredible. I think the past week has been the best week of my entire life. As a matter of fact, I am certain that it was the best. We were working so hard, and getting so many things done. I will highlight some of the events that have occurred today.
District Meeting -
This meeting is a time for each individual district to have a class. A district consists of about 6 to 12 missionaries. Mine has 7. We get together and learn about a lot of things. We have these every Tuesday with some exceptions. The people in my district are...
Elder Anderson (Hey, that's me!)
Elder Loveland
Elder Long (District Leader)
Elder Alva
Hermana Garcia
Hermana Tagle
Hermana Barraza
You may have noticed that there are three sisters. That is because it is a trio. Sister Garcia and I are the only people that were in this district since March. The others have been transferred at different periods of time into our district. All of these people are incredible. Elder Long is a humble, funny, and spiritually powerful missionary. Elder Alva is from Mexico, and is a very funny and energetic missionary. And he is great at soccer. Sister Garcia will be going to Argentina soon...she is currently waiting for her visa. Sister Tagle and Barraza are relatively new, so I am still getting to know them. But so far they are great.
Soccer -
For P-Day today, we went and played soccer. There were about 7 of us there, and not all were missionaries. As we were walking to the fields, a man approached us and asked if some of us wanted to join a soccer game that he and his friends were having. We agreed. We all went. After seeing their jerseys, the referee, and the size of the field, I realized that these people were probably near-professionals. I started to get a little scared, because they just invited us, and some of us are Gueros (Do you remember this word? It means "white boy".) So, I realized that me, a Gringo, would probably fail in a game with very skilled Latinos. My companion and I joined in. The field was very, very muddy in one area. I began to realize even more that these people were very, very good at soccer. They had positions and rules all figured out, and they were quite serious about the game. The game eventually started. I had no idea what I was doing. I kept running back of forth trying to do something useful. But these people were good! I couldn't really do anything. Once, I found myself running very fast toward the ball, which another person had in his possession. And soon, I realized that I was running on mud. I think I tried to slow down, but it was too late. I slipped and fell into the mud, dirtying my face, shirt, shorts, name tag, watch, legs, and shoes. The right side of all of these things was generally dirtier because that is the side I fell on. So I was dirty. It is a good thing that I was in normal clothes and not a white shirt and tie. The game continued. My companion did very well, but he fell probably 3 times! We eventually went to some basketball courts and played there, and it was very, very fun.
I am getting better at soccer. I find success when I play like I play in basketball, but using my feet instead!
The ward has had a huge boost. My companion and I have worked hard, and the ward is very active in spreading the gospel...with less actives, recent converts, and sometimes non-members.
Luis
I have seen an incredible growth in this man. I will miss him dearly when I leave. He is almost fully active now, and is actively magnifying his calling as ward missionary. Times like these, when you see men and women change, are times that testify to me that miracles truly exist.
Freddy
Freddy is very good at reading the scriptures. I have asked him what he is learning from the Book of Mormon, and he has laid out the story of what he has read, almost perfectly. He is doing very well in his progression.
Leonor
She is doing very good as well. She has family home evenings with other members so often. The ward members invite her so many times to participate in these activities, so she is very busy with things like that.
Julio Cesar
I dont think I have talked much about this man. Julio is a spiritually powerful, caring, rock star-type person who plays the drums. He is also a ward missionary and is doing very well.
Brother Sadot
Brother Sadot went to church 2 Sundays ago! I think that is the first I have ever seen that in my time here. He didn't come yesterday, but I see a spark of hope for him.
Hey, Mom and Dad? Do you remember how you would tell me to not eat very fast? I now have a testimony of that. This happened about 2 weeks ago, but I forgot to mention it in the other letter. I was eating French toast that my companion and I had made. And I was eating very fast. Well, soon, I bit down very hard and immediately felt a cracking sound. I bit the fork. I went to the bathroom, in a little bit of pain, and realized I moved one of my front teeth. But dont worry. It is almost nothing. It hurt a little, but it is fine. It is a little tiny bit loose, and it is a little more forward that before, but all is well. My companion says the root will grab hold of it again and it will be solidified soon. My mouth has adjusted to the change. I just thought that I would mention this. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way when I don't learn them the first time!
I love Spanish. It is so much fun to speak. I am learning to adjust the way I speak so that it is more Mexican. Because as an English speaker, there are some things that I would say certain ways. But I am trying to mimic more what others would say, so that I can speak more fluently. I am not fluent yet. I still have moments where I think...¿QUÉ DIJO? (What did you say?). I feel I am getting close. Rolling my Rs is getting easier. My vocabulary is expanding, slowly, but it is progressing nonetheless. I even feel (I could totally be wrong, but I dont know) that my accent is getting better. I really have no idea. I probably sound more gringo the more I try!
By the way Mom, I remember that you always used the phrase Ay! Chihuahua! I dont know if that is spelled right. But people here say it all the time!
I love you all. Sigan adelante, y el Señor los bendecirá con cosas que sus imaginaciones no pueden comprender ahora. (Go forward, and the Lord will bless you with things that your imaginations cannot comprehend right now.)
I know that God loves us and cares for us. If we do our best, He will take care of the rest. I know it.
DIOS VIVE
Elder Anderson
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