Week 66 (Carmago, Mexico)

I did get my package. And don’t worry it doesn’t have as much to do with when you send it because it goes from you guys to Texas.  And the guy there brings it over the boarder to our mission.  The place he drops the packages off at is far from the mission offices, where we go to collect our packages. So we have to wait until the elders from that other area bring all of the packages over to the offices.  And, trips aren’t made that often, so I think it has to do with that.

But I really liked the package it was great. The pants are a bit too big but apart from that everything is great. I love the little bag that you sent me it is perfect. The treats were all great too, my companion and I already downed almost all of them. The sweater is nice and warm. Thank you all for the letter. And the pens and little journals were great too. 

This week went really well. The second day I was with my companion we were contacting this lady on a bench in a park.  And after we got her information and had taught her a bit we got up and started to head out then this guy came over and contacted us. He said he had lost everything because of drugs…his house, wife, kids. He said he wanted help. We talked to him for a bit and put a time to meet him in the same spot the next day. The next day we went and he didn’t show up.

But the other day we were walking down the street and this guy started honking at us, passed us and said wait here as he drove by, he drove by too fast for us to see but he stopped up ahead. The guy that hopped out was the guy we had talked to. He told us that since that day he had talked with us he hadn’t fallen back and done drugs. He found us Saturday and asked us where the church was and we gave him the direction and he ended up coming the next day to church with us. The guy is really cool and we have a meeting with him again on Tuesday. So we will see what goes down.

Training is going great my companion Elder Heindel is really cool. He speaks really quite a bit already, he conjugates his verbs, speaks pretty clearly, and he learns really fast. We get along great and overall the training is going really well. I am still district leader too over the same district. Our district works crazy hard, or as we say here como negros, and we are doing really well.

Emily is growing up really fast and getting really big. That is cool you guys are looking for the missionaries when you are out and about.  Tell Emily that I miss her too. I only have  9 months left. before the mission that seemed like a lot  but now the time moves differently, a lot faster so I will be there before we know it.

I did hear that something went down in France but I wasn’t sure what. I heard someone say something about a bombing or something by terrorists on the Eiffel Tower, but I  didn’t know it was a bunch of shootings. I hear a bunch of gossip from the people we contact in the streets.

Someone told me that Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West and Donald trump are running for president and that Donald trump looks like he is going to win. I also was told that Obama left his wife for a singer or something like that. Everything sounds like it is really crazy but I have no idea how much is true.

Yes we do still get to eat with the members every day, but from what I know there is nothing planned for this day. We will see what happens, a lot of times the members just give us 50 pesos each. Who knows what we will do but I hope it involves a pumpkin pie.

As for stuff to stick in my Christmas package, I have only come up with some salted nuts so far, but I will try and come up with more ideas.

Week 65 (Carmago, Mexico)

I did get a new companion. The last cycle was split into two parts for me. First three weeks with Elder Aguilar, and the last three with Elder Crockett, after that cycle finished off then I got another new companion. The whole time I have stayed in the same area. Our house is really nice. We have a washing machine, we have two bathrooms one each companionship. We live with one other companionship. One from Bolivia and one from Guanajuato. In the house I am training and another elder is training, there are two new missionaries living with us. 

The weather down her is changing so during the days when the sun is out it is blazing hot, and when the sun goes down it is freezing cold. But it is slowly getting cooler during the days so that is nice. 

My new companion and I are doing great. Our first week together went well. We weren’t together a lot because on Thursday we had to do divisions until Saturday but the time we were together was good. He doesn’t understand most of what is said but he actually speaks pretty well. He is a hard worker and learns fast.

 

(As a zone in my last area we made t-shirts, this was the final product.)

I haven’t yet received the package that you guys sent but we will see if it gets here soon. As for a Christmas package I’m not sure exactly. I think some treats would be good, but I will have to think about it, to get some ideas I will start asking other missionaries to see what they are craving and see if any of that sounds good and I will let you know. 

Love Elder Blanchard

Week 64 (Carmago, Mexico)

Just a few picture this week to share:

This is the church or the house where we meet...

My Birthday!!!

They do what is called a mordita. You bend over and take a bit of the cake, and someone smashes your face into the cake...

Members bought a cake for my birthday, for the guy that was going to get baptized, and for Elder Bandala who finished his mission on Monday...

The family that bought the cake. The kid in front of me is Jesus. He works with us all the time and is preparing to go on a mission. The little girl in the blue pants wants to get baptized but her mom won’t let her. The lady to her right is her aunt and she is a member and always brings the little girl to church.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I did have a good birthday. My favorite part was when they smashed my face into the cake.

 

Love Elder Blanchard

 

Week 63 (Carmago, Mexico)

This week went by fast as they all do. We did divisions for several days so we could get some interviews done. This month of November as a mission we have a goal to achieve what the mission has never achieved before. So we will be all over the place this month. 

People always try to attack the Book of Mormon. They say all sorts of stuff. The way I deal with them is by trying to see if they actually want to know or just want to fight. If they want to fight then we just share the invitation to read it and then we head out because we have a lot to do and we wouldn’t be making it anywhere just debating. Dallin H. Oaks said in the Ensign from 1989 p37:

The ways that the Lord has established to acquire sacred knowledge are very different that the ways that we get info or knowledge studying. For example an often used method is debate, a method in which I have had a lot of experience. But the Lord has taught and counseled us in ancient and modern scriptures that we shouldn’t contend over points of his doctrine (3 Nephi 11:28-30, Dc 10:63). To those that teach the gospel are counseled to not preach with anger or contention.  (D&C 60.14, tim2:23-25), but with meekness and humility, not degrading those that degrade (dc19:30) the techniques that are used for debates aren’t effective to get a knowledge of the gospel. 

Sorry about the pictures this week my companion passed me the pictures onto my USB last week and I was going to send them this week but I forgot the USB. But thanks for the birthday wishes, I think we have a devotional or capicitation or training, whatever it is called, from president this week and they always bring packages so we will see if I get it. 

I will try and write a little more of what goes on in my week next week I have just been too lazy to think and write, easier to look for cool talks. Sorry.

Love

Elder Blanchard