Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Cow Stomach...Blah!

What up Fam,

So the other day we were over at a members house and were talking with them and asking if we can wash our clothes there the next day. My comp and the Hermano play little dumb games to get each other ether wet or  jacked in the nutz, luckily it was just trying to get each other wet this time. After a few minutes I joined and tried to get the Hermano wet and after 15 to 20 minutes everyone was soaked from head to toe. It was a ton of fun other than I walked home dripping. Ok so I herd that France was attacked and a ton of people died what is up with that? Also I heard that America was attacked too, do you know anything about that? Oh my the other day we had lunch at this Hermanas house and she normally has pretty good food, but this time was different. When we walked in it smelled super good and I was starving at this time of day because they don't eat lunch until 2 in the afternoon. She brings out soup first then something I did not recognize, my comp looks at me and says, ¨That's cow stomach.¨ ok well that's alright. It tasted pretty good, but the texture is what hit me the most because I felt like I was chewing on a raw tongue or something. First off Nancy you are an angel sent from our Heavenly Father thank you so much for doing that, you didn't have to. Today I got to go to the temple which was pretty cool because it was all in Spanish and it was cool to go inside a temple outside of Utah. It's very big, but there was not a ton of people there when we went. After that we went to a museum that had a boatload of cool stuff in it about Ancient Mexico and about the temples that are in Teotihuacan and the best part is a member is taking my comp and I next week so that is going to be the highlight of that day. I took a ton of pictures and hopefully I can send you them. I love you all so much and will talk to you later.

- Elder Wolford

Monday, November 9, 2015

Street Tacos

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness this time of my life is full of adventure and mystery's at every corner. This last Thursday I had to go to the offices because my comp needed to renew his visa so I got to hang out there for awhile. Some of the Elders asked me if I wanted to go through the Tiangis with them and look around. They are like a bunch of little shops down one street. Anyways and they said we can get tacos too. I was warned before don't eat from those places until you have hit a year in the mission. Oh how I wish I did. So I got a taco and it was super good and only 20 minutes after I ate it my stomach was being a little weird and I didn't think much of it. Then the second we got back to the offices I had to go pretty bad so I speed walked to the bathroom and let it go. Little did I know that I would be in butt pain for the next two days. Now I'm all good and feel totally better. Well Christmas is coming up and I know that there is not much I can do with the money I have, but I have been getting little treats and things that my comp really likes for him. I just thought it would be nice to do and it makes me feel super good even better than getting something. Ok so I'm singing in the choir that they have for this next Sunday because it is stake conference and I have to because my comp plays the piano. They said that these people in the choir are the best out of the stake and to be honest I think a group of cats and dogs could make prettier sounds than these people do. If you were to get survivors from the Titanic to listen it would bring back the memories of that awful day. That's a little mean, but it's true. Earlier today we went to the center of Mexico City and looked at some really cool cathedrals around there and while we were sitting on a bench with a member in the only park in Mexico City a guy walked by and looked at me and I said, ¨Good afternoon.¨ and he said it back. Then the member that we were with said that guy was gay and I was like how do you know. I know because he looked back at you five times already since we started talking. Oh that's a little weird. Then I just lost it because I thought it was super funny. I was talking with Pres and his wife the other day and they said that it looks like you will have the new Pres and his wife for about 10 days before you go home. Oh yeah and my return date says July 22nd 2017 it is really two weeks earlier than that because they want to make sure that no one has problems going home so I'm really only going to be out 23 1/2 months. My Book of Mormon reading has been totally fantastic because every time I have read I get a question answered and it is blowing my mind. The blessings I see now because of the knowledge that is coming while I read is just out of this world. It reminds me of the time when I was really young and the missionaries were sharing the stories that are in it and how cool they are and now it brings back those times and I'm loving it. We are doing good with the people we are teaching and we had 11 less actives at church this last Sunday. They want us to work more with the less actives in order to strengthen the members because they baptize a lot every year, but the people that come to church remains the same so that is what we are working on and it is great even though I don't understand what is going on half the time. The words I probably say the most to my comp is, ¨What did they say and what is going on?¨ Apparently I can renew my green card when I turn 21 and it stays valid for the rest of my life and I can technically buy property down here cool huh. I'm going through about as much milk here as I was at home it's to dang good and for some reason it is apart of me. I love you all so very much and love hearing the stories back at home. Keep reading and listening to the Spirit because he has some pretty cool things he wants you to do. Love you and have an amazing week.
-Elder Wolford

Monday, November 2, 2015

Day of the Dead

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness so much has been happening here in Mexico and I can't believe that I have been here for three weeks. So last Friday I was not feeling so good like my allergies were being very dumb and I was sneezing all day for some reason and there was no way I could stop it. No joke I sneezed about 235 times it was awful. Everywhere I went I would sneeze and the people here would say bless you our salud. Later that same day I was looking out of the window in our apartment and I see a guy only in his boxers on top of a garbage truck that was super weird, but hey that's Mexico. Last Wednesday the whole mission got to listen to Elder Neilson from the 70 and he is in charge of the missionaries, it was really good because he spoke English so they had a translator for Spanish so I was super blessed because I'm still pretty bad at it. He talked a lot about how we can improve the way we work and what ways are more effective. I really learned a ton and can't wait to actually apply it to my teaching when I will finally be able to. The day before Halloween my comp and I were invited to a little kid party with members and they asked if we could help with decorations and other stuff and my comp and I thought it would be cool to have costumes too. So he went as Clark Cent and I went as Captain America. We had the super hero shirts under our white dress shirts it was super awesome and the member asked if I would show the little kids how to dance like an American, so I did and it was really funny because they thought I was from out of this world. Everybody now calls me Gigantic. On Halloween day though we could only be outside till 2:00 p.m. because Pres said that it can get a little crazy at night, so we stayed inside for most of the day and he said that if it gets crazy Sunday go inside. We celebrate Halloween on the 31st they do to, but on November 1st they celebrate the day of the dead and apparently that's when people decide it is a great idea to get really drunk or high. 
On Sunday after church we were walking getting ready to go to someones house and that's when  someone threw a cup of coke at me and my comp.  Luckily we were talking about the Book of Mormon so we were protected because it landed right in front of me and behind my comp, but he had to jump a little to get out of the way, but there was no harm done. Ok so after my mission I'm totally coming back to buy something super cool. They have the Nacho Libre bikes down here and almost everyone has them because they use them to sell food. They are not motorized though, but I think I could get someone to help me build it haha. A ton  of stuff here is really cheep so it's super easy to get stuff, but somethings are just plane expensive and to much for the budget of a missionary. I really wanted a jump rope so I could use it in the morning for my workout, but of course they are not great quality and pricey so I bought 10 m of rope for about 50  pesos and made myself one and it works pretty well. Alright I want to say Happy birthday to Eli and hope you get that room the way you want it bub, have a good one and wow 14 already man that's  crazy now you're going to be a teacher now. Time  is going by so fast. Also Happy birthday to my awesome grandpa that has been in a ton of important parts of my life and has taught me so amazing things. He really is one of my biggest examples because the love he has for others is unbelievable and I hope one day I can love people as much as he does. I love you Eli and Paps and wish you both a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I don't know why they are getting home so late, but this one will for sure because I didn't get time to write until 8:00. The weather here is really consistent and my comp says it never really changes even in the winter. Oh and it doesn't snow so have fun with the snow up there. So just a little about my comp Elder Millar he is 19 and has been out for 13 months, he is from Murray Utah and went to Hillcrest High, he loves to play golf, climb, and mountain bike. He is flipping awesome and we know some of the same people which is pretty cool and we get along super well. So we are teaching a couple of people right now and working on  getting them ready for baptism, but it is a little difficult because my comp is the only one teaching because I can't do very much other than give a little prayer and testimony with my broken Spanish. That is probably the thing 'm dreading the most because I want to talk so bad and help teach too, but I don't know enough yet to do that and that's killing me sometimes. I know it will come because I have the faith that it will and the desire to learn. I won't lie it is hard, but we were made to do hard things. I'm pretty sure by mother's day I will have a pretty good grasp on it. I love you all so so much and pray for you. Continue to study the Doctrines of Christ and read in the Book of Mormon because this is were we find the answers to our questions and desires. As well as it will be our guide on the path of truth and righteousness. Again I love you all and can't wait to hear from you.

- Elder Wolford 

Friday, October 30, 2015

Grasshoppers and Hurricanes!

Dear Familia,

Oh my goodness this place is so cool because I can get anything I need just a couple of blocks away from my house in every direction and the food has been super good so far. I have been really blessed with not getting super sick yet and the people are really nice. Where do I begin...well we didn't get any rain from the storm and we were getting ready for it by getting extra water, food, etc. Thankfully though it died out pretty quickly. Yesterday I got the chance to eat some grasshoppers and they were pretty good because they tasted like peppers and lime and I have some pictures I will try to send. Ok so every Sunday they have choir practice after church because they are getting ready for stake conference and they want me to be in the choir because my comp plays the piano and they need more guys, so I joined and I'm telling you they are really bad. Remember at Kyall's farewell the church choir was pretty bad and Kate looked at you and said,"Oh my gosh they were absolutely terrible." It is a thousand times worse than that day. My  comp  and I for Halloween are going to wear super hero shirts under our white dress shirts and it's going to look super cool because he is going to be Clark Kent and I'm going to be Captain America. It is going to be super cool. Here  in Mexico we have competition for teaching people. The Jehovah's Witnesses tell people that the Book of Mormon has weird stuff and that none of it is true, but the really funny part is that they talk to people about my comp and I. They say we are really handsome and strong and they might see us walking around sometime to try and talk to them. The best part is they gave me a nickname and some of the people here call me that. They call me Goliath because they think that I am huge and strong, but can be slain  by a rock haha. No seriously though they call me that and others because they can not say Wolford they call me Waffles, Gigantic, Lobo, and  a few others. My Spanish is coming along everyday, but I still can't say a whole lot. I can understand a little bit more though which is good because now I can tell if they are making fun of me or if they try to trick me as well as when they say,'' Oh you don't understand do you? Anyways my comp is awesome and my area is really great because the members here are really helpful and they always have food for us and to be honest I might gain weight here rather than lose weight. We had an awesome lesson with an inactive member and it was super cool to see the change of heart he had during the lesson. You could even  see it in his eyes. I did't say much, but my comp said exactly what needed to be said it was so cool. Well I love you all so much and can't wait to bring you here someday it is so flipping awesome.
-Elder  Wolford 


Tuesday, October 20, 2015

First Letter from Mexico

Dear Familia,

Finally the time has come for me to be where I was called to be and so far it is so much better than I thought it would be. Before I got here there was so many people that told me there would be no milk, nesquik, clean water, and tons of other stuff. So far I have been to Wal-mart and got milk, peanutbutter, yogurt, and bread and I got Little Ceasers today. I think Mexico has more nesquik products than America. Everyone here is pretty short, but I'm not the tallest elder here and the stores they have here have bars that are probably 6ft tall so I have to duck a ton. Yes I have already hit my head a couple of times. The food is so good and I had a cow tongue taco the other night with some members that took us. It's pretty crazy because nomally you would look forward while you walk, but here you need to look at the ground the whole time or you will step in dog crap, trip on metal sticking out of the ground, or fall into a man hole it keeps me light on my toes. The spanish is coming, but to be honest I'm still pretty bad and I can't understand what people are sayng all the time so by the end of the day my brain is shot and I fall asleep in the blink of an eye. Thanks for the last package it was great and Dad thanks again for the fan some days it will be cold and others it will get pretty warm. Isaiah HAPPY BIRTHDAY man I hope it was awesome and fun and Eli yours is coming up fast. Most of the missionaries that are here are from Utah like I mean 85% of them are. My comp Elder Millar is super cool and we get along really well he went to Hillcrest High which is only 30 minutes away from our house. So for packages and stuff my comp said that his mom uses UPS and so far everything has gotten to him even a credit card. He told me if you use UPS or FEDEX that they will get here fine, but sometimes it can get a little pricey. the address is

Av. del Taller No. 540
Col. Jardin Balbuena
Delag. Venustiano Carranza
15900 Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Mexico

I love you all so much and can't wait to hear from you. Today had to be a short one because we had a ton of stuff to do.
Love you will all my heart 
-Elder Wolford  

Monday, October 5, 2015

B-Dubs and General Conference

Mi familia loca,

Can I just say WOW this General Conference weekend was so amazing and full of the Spirit, I was lucky enough to see it in English for the last time because by the next one I will be fluent in the beautiful language of Spanish. My testimony has been strengthened tremendously over these past few days by the many talks and testimonies given by worthy and humble men and women around the world as well as being able to listen to our living Prophet and his Apostles. I know without a doubt that they have been called by God and have witnessed our Savior and Redeemer. I want you all to print off your favorite talk from this last Conference and read it again. Find what sticks out to you and what the main message is and the blessings promised if we follow it.I can't believe we have four Apostles that are still in their sixties. 

Can you believe that I'm going to be in Mexico in 7 days because I can't. It feels so weird to me because so far my mission has only been Utah and it's really funny when we go places people always ask us where we are from and of course I tell them I'm from Pleasant Grove Utah. They look at me and say, " Well you didn't come very far." You could not count on your hands how many times I hear that a day. The other day I was doing some service and there were some ladies there that were from Ecuador and they started talking with my comp and he told them I was going to Mexico in a week and they looked at me and said, " Mexico is crazy good luck." I thought it was really funny. I think when I get down there they are going to treat me just like I was fresh from the MTC and I will start training all over again which is good because I need it. Anyways it has been awesome down here and my excitement for Mexico is growing everyday I hope that you are all having a ton of fun and doing well.

Love Elder Wolford



Blood Moons and Money

Mi bonita familia,

Ok so it looks like I'm flying out on the 12th and I will send a picture of the flight plans. So I fly from here to Salt Lake and sit there for a few hours then I have a straight flight from Salt Lake to Mexico and I was super blessed because if I would have left two days later I would have had four connecting flights and that would have been an absolute nightmare. This week has been really good because I went and got my hair cut last Monday and a gut gave my companion and I 100 bucks and then I went on exchanges with Elder Daines last Tuesday and we went to Cafe Rio for lunch and a guy handed us a twenty, then another guy gave us a twenty. Finally we got to the front of the line and someone already took care of our order crazy right then we sat down and started to eat and that is when a lady came up and dropped a hundred dollars on the table. So within two days I got 240 dollars. Did you al see the blood moon yesterday it was so cool looking. Spanish work is pretty slow here and it's hard because we have a few really awesome investigators, but they struggle with working on Sunday's and giving it up and some say they will be able to come in a month or so, but by that time my companion will already be home and I will be in Mexico. It's ok though because it will be nothing but Spanish work haha. So this Sunday the bishop in the Pine view Spanish branch was talking to me for awhile  and he was like, man your tall, you are going to stick out really bad. Awesome can't wait cause then I will be able to teach them the gospel.  So two days ago my comp and I remodeled our zone leaders house with two other missionaries it was so much fun because I put a mattress in the shower and we just totally moved everything good thing I'm going to Mexico. So that's what has been happening and I hope you all have a wonderful week and start getting ready for conference because will are going to have three new apostles. I love you so

- Elder Wolford