Time of our lives!

Wow sounds like you guys are having the time of your lives back at home meeting with the VP, Church leaders, the Secret Service, new jobs, and Pro basketball games. And it's all happening after I left oh well. I'm pretty sure I will have changes on the 29th of March because this is my first area and I have been here almost 6 months and Pres doesn't like to keep missionaries in the same area for more than 6 months, but we will see how that goes. Ok a little story about my comp. The first day we were together and got to the house he pulled out a rubix cube and started to play with it. Later he asked if I knew how to solve it and of course I didn't so he taught me. Apparently there is a place down here that sells every cube known to man and over the past few weeks he has bought a ton because he really likes them and I bought a few just for fun. That's so cool with Kyall and her job and really she has a bigger office and she gets to go to Indiana how lucky is she. Dad to getting to talk to the Secret Service guys and some of them are in the Air-force and of course I know dad got a big kick out of that. Congrats dad with your reward that is super cool. I'm still trying to learn the guitar and it's going alright the problem I have is moving my fingers fast enough and with ease because right now it's like I have claw síndrome. 

Ok mom apparently when you send packages they have certain qualifications because if they don't meet the Presidents wife has to pay for the package to get here. Continue with the USPS, but it needs to be $49 or less to be free for the mission because if it is more the mission has to pay and they don't want to do that so it will come all the way here to Mexico and go back to the US. I love you all and well it looks like your week has just been a blast and awesome.

-Elder Wolford      

Baptism!!!

Oh my goodness what a week and Eli really that's how you break your wrist jumping over one of your friends at school I thought you would have broken it playing volleyball or something. Well this week was good we got some new people to teach and I had my first baptism last Saturday and it was super awesome because he is the boyfriend of a less active and she brought him to church one day and said that he is interested in learning about the church and how she wants to come to church more often as well, but I got to baptize him on Saturday. They have plans to get married and get married in the temple so that's super cool. My comp and I are doing really well in our area and we are starting to have a lot of success and finding people that are interested in learning more. I was talking with another missionary in my zone yesterday about missionary work and living up to your potential and seeing where you were before and where you are now. It was awesome talking to this Elder because I have known him since I've been here and he is a great example to me, but as we were talking we got on the subject of how difficult it is to see your own progress. He told me that he still feels the same and he has 5 months left, but his family keeps telling him that he is totally different and that's when I thought to my self a little bit. It really is true you can't really see your progress until after someone tells you or you take the time to evaluate. I meet a guy in the street the other night and he asked where I was from in some what English and I told him Utah. He smiled and said, "I live there for 10 years." and yes he said live, but after talking with him for awhile I realized that I could speak better Spanish only having 5 months in Mexico than his English for being in the US for 10. I am truly being blessed. With the same Elder we talked about the importance of reading the scriptures. Honestly before the mission I hardly read the scriptures in fact I hardly read because I wasn't a big fan. I would rather watch tv, play video games, hangout with my friend, etc than read in the scriptures. I want to tell you now that the scriptures should be and are the #1 priority before anything else. It gives us the protection we need throughout the day and here in the mission it is one of my favorite things to do because I learn so much more and I love reading because I find things I can use for me and for my investigators. I enjoy the scriptures and it helps me to know who Jesus Christ is so that when he comes I will be able to recognize him. It is important to read everyday and apply it to your lives to help you become better. As I was reading the other day a chapter in the Book of Mormon really helped me a ton in was 2 Nephi 4  I really liked verses 30-33. Anyways nothing to crazy happened here this week except today while my comp and I were walking a semi-truck drove right past us and one of the tires popped and it sounded like a gun shot so I jumped a little and my comp and I were laughing pretty hard about it. I love you guys and hope that all is well except Eli breaking his wrist like a dill-weed.

-Elder Wolford  

Tarzan and Nintendo 64

Hey what's going on?

Sorry I haven't written in a long time it's because last Monday we got back late from a place called the Baños de Neza and by the time we got back we went straight to our meeting which was with Pres because he wanted to interview everybody. This week has been crazy too because they are reopening one of our areas and putting two new missionaries here  so we had to find an apartment for them before Tuesday and our leaders told us to cancel all our appointments until we find one. It took almost 1 whole day to find one that was not out of budget. We also had a bunch of lessons and service this week, like my comp and had to clean the baptismal font because we had our first baptism this last Saturday it was a little girl named Cora and she is the granddaughter of a member so we got permission from her parents to get baptized. I did get my package I got it last Monday and it was super awesome especially in the letter that Maddy sent that said I want you to have a crappy birthday because I want you to miss me and also that she said her volleyball team wants to date me when I get back that should be fun. Last Monday as well we were in a little bus on our way home and there was a ton of police cars and an ambulance in the street next to us and that's when I say two people dead in the middle of the street because the cops were taking pictures and looking around the scene, so that was no cool, but I saw it. I'm staying in my area still with Elder Martinez and we have some people that are looking like they will enter into the waters of baptism, but we are still working with them and now this cycle our area is becoming smaller again which cuts off some of our investigators, but not all. I meet a missionary here that is going to the St. George mission he had some problems with his visa as well. Other than that not much is happening here other than today I found the Tarzan game for the Nintendo 64. I love you all and hope that this week will be a good one for you.

-Elder Wolford

I can't make dirty pudding

So this week has been a little different because Pres gave us three days out of the week to go to the temple and do a session, but we had to work on Monday because the three days we could go where yesterday today and tomorrow. Anyways a lot has happened like I was in the hospital for 24 with another Elder because he had something wrong with his brain and Pres needed someone to spend the night because his comp had slept there the night before so I happily volunteered. I can kinda play one song now on the guitar and I will try to send you a video of me playing when I get it down a little bit better. That's so cool that you got to meet Cody and go to a Jazz game it seems that the blessings are coming now that I'm out of the house. Tell Kyall that one of my friends from high school is going to Calgary Canada Feb 17th and I told her to get in contact with her. We have a baptism not this Saturday, but the next one and it's a little girl and she is 9 years old has a boyfriend and likes to drink coffee so we had to teach her a little bit about that. We are also teaching a family that is very similar to our family they have two older daughters and three younger brothers and they are super cool. One day in Gospel Principals our investigator was in the class with us and the teacher started to teach a little apostasy and she made a commit and told this guy what was right. It was pretty funny. Oh yeah the other day my comp and I were in a micro which is pretty much a bus, but anyway as we were on our way home I looked out the window and saw a man up ahead, but he looked funny for some reason. As we got closer it became more clear he was bending over and his pants were on the ground with his butt facing the bus and my comp and I looked at each other and started to laugh. So I got some Christmas cards this week from the Day family, Gradma-B, Aunt Ashley as well as the birthday card from them and the package from the Wilsons which had everything inside and was super awesome because it had a bunch of goodies a boss book and a byu t-shirt. I still don't know if I have the package waiting in the offices or if it hasn't come yet, but I think my comp and I are going to check soon. Spanish is coming and I still can't find pudding so that blows because I can't make dirty pudding yet. Well that's pretty much it I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful week.

-Elder Wolford

I bought a guitar!

This week was pretty good because today I bought a guitar because it was super cheep and my comp said it would be cooler. I bought it really cheap and I'm trying to learn and I need some good easy songs to practice. On Sunday I had a talk about service and of course that is one of the easiest talks to give, but the only problem I had was that it was in Spanish so it took me awhile to put it together, but I think it went pretty good because I felt good giving it. So I think I got my package because my old comp went to the offices and dropped it off at a members house for me because I was in Centro buying the guitar, but he said it was from someone with the last name Wilson. So I don't know if they sent me stuff or if you sent it with them. Oh and a member wants a Chili recipe and I told her I can get one that is out of this world so I'm going to need that from you mom.

I still need to burn my tie.This week has been pretty good and we got some people that could easily in the future get baptized so we will see how that goes. Having a comp that only speaks Spanish helps a lot because he can correct me and help me pronounce everything correctly. Yea we got a few people to teach and we have a new and his wife is a member and he was born in California so he knows English, but he had a really rough past like he has been in jail and in a gang and other stuff. The cool thing

-Elder Wolford

A bad time to need the baño

What's going on fam,

Wow a lot has happened this last week and I got a bunch of little stories to share about things that happened that I thought was funny. The first story is called "A bad time to need the baño" Well I just finished eating at a members house and really needed to go to the bathroom. So after a few minutes of talking and all that I asked if I could use their bathroom and like always they say for sure. Anyways when I got in there my mouth about dropped to the floor because I was about to relieve myself, but the toilet didn't have any water in it and didn't have a seat. Great now I have to squat above the toilet and hope nothing bad happens. A few minutes pass and I thought all was well until I noticed the bucket next to me full of used paper, are you flipping kidding me. I wish I could have held it because this bathroom was pretty bad and to add to all this the sink was broken too. 

"Who wants a Tamale?" My comp and I just got back to the house when a Tamale vender was right outside our window. We live on the top floor so he told me to turn off the lights so I did. He cracked the window open just a little bit. The Tamale venders in Mexico ride the Nacho Libre bikes around and have horns on the front the yell TAMALES!!! To get there attention you whistle. So my comp cracked the window open and whistled so the guy got off his bike and looked around, but there was no one there. My comp did it like 5 times it was super funny. 

"Watch your step." My comp and I were at the church with one of our investigators to play soccer with the young men of the ward and my comp and I sat on the side. Anyways this little boy about 12 years old was walking in the little patch of grass we have at the church talking to another kid and I noticed a mountain of dog crap in the grass. Honestly it would be almost imposible to miss it, but this kid wasn't looking at the ground and stepped 1 inch away. No way I told my comp to look because this kid almost destroyed his shoe and as I said that he moved his foot right on top of the mountain of dog crap and his friend started to laugh because it seriously almost went into his shoe.

"Baby I'm worth it." This last Sunday right after sacrament someones ringtone started going off and we have a sign before you enter that says turn all phones off, but you know how that goes. Anyways this ringtone was the song Baby I'm worth it and it was going off for about 10-15 seconds the member I was sitting with couldn't keep a straight face and it made things worse that I couldn't either. 

Happy Birthday Mom I hope it was supper awesome and I love you so much and am so thankful that you made the choice to join the church so that I could be here in Mexico teaching others about what truly matters in life. Being here makes it more clear to me that what truly matters is the gospel and family. Love you with all my heart.

-Elder Wolford

Belated Christmas

What's going on family,

Alright this week has been pretty awesome and there is a lot that is about to happen. So this last week I got to talk with you guys and that was super fun and it felt like I was at home and never left, but I wont lie I felt a little weird after because it felt like I left home again. Yeah, but the power kept going out and the I-pad I was using was being super dumb so that kicked my butt a little and was a little frustrating, but all is well.  I loved seeing everybody and Grandmas package got here and the socks were made in China and my comp said that I should get everything alright except the jerky because a while ago he got a package and they only took the jerky. He told me that the people there are just being dumb and to just talk more to his mom because she ships thing all of the time around the world. This week we have permission to watch Disney cartoon movies on the New year because everyone and there dog gets drunk so going out and working is pretty much a huge waste and is a little dangerous. I think the other Elders want to watch Atlantis and some other movies. We will also play some card games to pass the time. Today I asked a guy how much he is selling the Nintendo 64's for and he said he would for about 800 pesos which is literally nothing so I will definitely buy one before I go home.  

Ok so this Saturday I will find out if I'm leaving my area and if I have changes with bags or not and on Tuesday I will find out where I'm going if I have changes so that is going to be super fun and exciting to find out what is going to happen next in the mission. Finally I will finish my training after 18 weeks and honestly I thing I broke the record for the longest time being trained and it was almost 1/4th of my mission. What was everybody's favorite present they got for Christmas? I can't believe that I'm going to be 19 in a few weeks it's my last year as a teenager for the rest of my life oh my word time just flies by so fast. It just keeps getting faster and faster every year. I love all of you so much and hope you had a wonderful Christmas and will have an awesome New Year. 

Love, 

-Elder Wolford