Dear Mom, Dad, Emilie,
Riley, EMAIL: Sept 17, 2012
Hey! I{m back. Same english
keyboard with Spanish configuration...but at least I can use Enter! Ha ha ha.
Wow, what a first week.
Lots of things are so different here. Where do I begin? Well, I guess with some
pictures. I have like one million of them so I will send as much as I can as I
write.
Well lets see here. There
is so much to say. Ummmm......Ok. I met President and Sister Watts Wednesday,
and they are great. They will take care of us out here, so you don{t need to
worry about that. Ummmm....what else
what else? Oh, my companionS. I am part
of a trio. My trainer is Elder T, and we are paired up with Elder H. Also, I am in the city. And having lots of
adventures.
Before I started, I saw
Hermano Vasquez (my MTC teacher) again. We traded ties (its a tradition with
his students). I gave him a light blue paisely tie, and he gave me a copy of
the tie he wore at his wedding. It is white and green stripes. That was cool. I
am going to miss him, but I am pretty sure I will see him several more times
while I am here.
This is Elder T{s last
transfer. So I am his last {son{. There
is a kind of genealogy thing here out in the field. Trainer is the father,
second trainer is mother, etc... ha ha ha. They are both really cool. Elder T
especially works really hard and is the district leader too. He{s got a lot of
responsibilities.
Ok, So yeah. We went to our areas, and our
new apartment. It isn{t exactly a 5, 4,
or even 3 star, but I{m used to it now. Truthfully, that was the thing that
scared me the most when I first got here. I saw the apartment, took a cold
shower (I figured out how to take a warm one now, the shower head itself heats
up the water, so I can{t turn up the water very high. Ha ha ha), and thought I
was going to die out here. I kind of wanted to go home the first Wednesday and
Thursday morning. But I am over it now. I love the area. I love the work. I
love my companions. I love the Spirit I feel out here. The Spirit really did
console my heart out here.
Anyways yes, the apartment
scared me at first, but I{m good now. Elder Barton who is only one change ahead
of me has said that my apartment is actually pretty good. (he has the worst one
ha ha ha). Today, we played futbol, and basketball. You know how President Shaw
said that a few of my other talents would come out here in the mission. Those
might be a part of it. I wasn{t too bad. Ha ha ha. We ate pizza and ice cream
here at the Atlantico Mall. It is a pretty empty mall, but its way cool. And
the ice cream I ate had a doughnut on top! How cool is that? Ha ha ha. The ice
cream has got a different taste here, they love bubble gum here, and sometimes
I think there is a hint of that in every ice cream here. Hah aha.
What else, what else?
Ummmm. The city. Imagine a microchip. How complicated the circuitry is and how
compact they are. That is kind of how the city is. People are squished together
here, and if I thought my apartment wasn{t the greatest, turns out, it is one
of the better ones here. The people here don{t have much. Tile, sometimes stone
floors, corrugated tin fences and roofs, and some of the ally ways are so
steep! But they are the warmest, most friendly people here. I love this
country!
The people are so kind. So
willing to listen, and REALLY talkative. They all love us here. Even me, the
ONLY Gringo within a mile radius. I show
some of the members pictures of my family and friends, and they all call you
guys Barbie Dolls. Hahaha. They are all willing to listen, and even though most
are evangelical or catholic, they really love to talk to us, discuss religion,
and they all love Jesus! They are some of the most spiritually enlightened
people I have ever seen. They accept most of everything we say about families
being together forever, and God loving them, about trials being for our good,
about receiving answers to their prayers, about repentance, about faith, about
everything.
Apparently, my area is one
of the rougher areas in the city with crime and stuff, but the missionaries
here the criminals leave alone. I talked to my first drunk man yesterday. It
was an interesting experience, and don{t worry mom, Elder T, and Elder H were
there the whole time! Ha ha ha.
I cook for myself. I actually usually team up with
Elder T. We eat Spaguetti, and ham
sandwhiches. There is a little restaurant that Elder T says is ok too. NO BEANS
YET!!!!
I am meeting the people here. The ward
has like 400 members, but the activity rate is about 50. Apparently, even the
bishop is so busy or something that he hasn{t been to church in the past six
weeks. We met him yesterday at church, discussed goals, etc... We also met with
the Ward Mission Leader, Nefi, and he isn{t exactly too optomistic about the
situation either. He is also inactive but is willing to give us advice, have us
over, etc... Good guys, but the ward has been through much.
I believe that we can turn it around. I believe that the key to changing this ward
is to begin with one, and slowly bring men back. Also, to instill in the
leadership more faith. More hope that the ward will improve. Alma 31 something
says that the word of god is stronger than the sword, so I will preach the Word
of god with all my might.
I wanted to tell you about the research
I have made on Teancum, and the characteristics I want to adapt from him, but I
don{t have the time now. Like eight minutes left.
I got your first dear elder Mom. I hear
that Dear Elders have a two week lapse here more or less. So emails are faster,
but I like letters!!!! Ha ha ha. Send handwritten letters to
mission home is best.... I get mail every monday. Don{t think there are any exceptions.
I am trying my hardest to be obedient,
healthy, safe, and do everything you told me to do. But I can{t wear my
contacts. There isn{t a clean place to apply them here.
Gotta go. Love you!
Love Elder Taylor Max
Welker
Love you!!!
PS Who
won? BYU or U of U? (NIKKI:
I told him what he didn’t want to hear, he was bummed…)
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