This week has been very interesting but very cool...
So, I'll start from experiences that I remember in the order they happened, and maybe that'll give me more order for once. Alright? Let's go!
So, when I found out I was going to Teziutlan, I had no idea what to expect, neither did I know where it was (ni sabía donde es, can somebody help me remember proper english please?^^), but I was excited. Kinda sad that I wouldn't get to see all the people that we had finally get to baptism, but they're in good hands with Elder Porter, so I have no worries about that.
Anyway, I found out from people and mentioned last week a lot of things they'd told me about how it'd be, but we'll get to how it really is later. All I can say now is GREEN. But yeah, so we went and said goodbye to a lot of people, which was hard because EVERYONE wanted me to pass by, especially Monday night, but I could only pass by most of my investigators/converts, and a couple members. But some people teared up at night, and I found out that these kids that we had in church last sunday, when they'd found out I was leaving, had all written little letters for me and put them in the church mailbox. So kind of cute and funny, but we don't have keys to that, and now I'm forever away, so Elder Porter is on it, but we'll see how long it'll take to get those. We luckily ran into them in the street though, which is where they told us. Haha fun little kids.
But yeah, then Monday ended, I finished packing, and the next morning I was off to ADO, the place with all the buses here. I said goodbye to Elder Porter, and we were on the bus by about 11 (which is about 3 hours late, thanks to an Elder whose name I won't mention, who was super late, but we love him) but anyway, so I hadn't had time for breakfast, nor for lunch or anything, and we were on that bus until about 1 pm to Xalapa, the capital city of Veracruz, which is a way cool place, by the way. So yeah, we got there, and had to take a cruddy bus because the nice faster one had already left about an hour before. So there were about 4 and a half more hours on that bus to Teziutlan.
That's where I met Elder Lyons, who is from Idaho. He's really cool and we already get along way well, by the way. But anyway, we went to our area, and everything is hills, greeen, and vegetation and junk. Our area has some city life, but it's super integrated with the whole old timey village feel. It's great though, and there is no humidity, neither is there heat. It's sweeeet. Except the showers in the morning that are freeezing, but we bought a tank of gas now, so we get hot water now.
So yeah, from there we went to eat, which I couldn't do much of, because I felt sick what with being on a bus for 6 and a half hours and not having eaten anything, pero asi es la misión, no se preocupen.
And from there we met a couple investigators here. One is just absolutely fantastic. I can't even describe it. When we go and teach her, she is absolutely the one that teaches us. I'm afraid she follows the spirit better than we do! I mean, honestly when we went to teach the 10 commandments, we basically named them, and had her go through each with her thoughts and understanding, and she literally taught us. She expresses herself (and does tear up a lot), and is just absolutely amazing. I can't explain how grateful I am to be in this area. I know that God has a hand in it. I worked hard in these last few weeks, knowing that I probably wouldn't be in the area for the baptisms, and I was sent to an area just as full of great people, and great potential.
So yeah, from there the next day, the food was up on this giant hill. It takes about 30 minutes to hike, and I'll attach a picture or two from that experience, but it is TIRING! There are pretty much no hills in the port, so I'd gotten used to flat. Imagine an area where everywhere you turn is that hill by Reams (those who know Springville well), except with no flat parts whatsoever. Then imagine you take about 100 of those and stack them on top of each other. Ha! Fun. But no, really I loved it, I think I've probably already lost more weight here for that. But yeah, we went to eat and visit some investigators, and might be starting a branch up there actually. Which would inevitably help out a lot of people, get church attendance way up, and a lot of people would be able to progress easier to baptism.
Hmm... From there, let's see... No sé, la verdad... Sometimes so much happens that I can only mention a few things, but I want you all to know that...
This area is really awesome, I am still super excited, loving the people, the Spanish, the food, etc. My companion is a hard worker and gets super excited, he's never negative, and I'm learning a lot from him, and hope he's learning a few things from me too. His companion before was Elder Galan, who came into the field at the same time as me, but from Mexico, and it's interesting that now I'm in his area, and by the way now he's in mine! They don't do that a lot, but sometimes Elders just switch areas. Pretty cool stuff though.
But yeah! That'll be it-ish for now, in a wee bit of a hurry. What the crud, I say that in English? No manchez^^
Alright though, I'll end there, even though there's a lot to comment on that's going on in your lives. I'll probably send a separate email or two for that, but I love you all!
Elder DeFreese
p.s. I'll send pictures separately too, but you should all get them, no worries.
1. On my way in the bus to Teziutlan, I swear the whole way was pure green and beautiful.
2. From our roof at the house (which, I'm sorry to report, I have not taken pictures of). But there's a big statue of Christ on one of the peaks, don't know if you can zoom in and see it on this picture, but it's pretty cool.
3. A sandwich at a nearby place, it's 35 pesos (like $2.85 or something) and has... Ham, sausage, avocado, sauce, mayonaise, and some more stuff I'm sure that I've forgotten, but it's huge and GOOD.
4. There's fog here!? Oh yeah, ps, it does get cold here. It's almost always probably around 60 or 70 degrees, but up on the hill, where I am here, it's colder. Can you find me!?^^
5. Ivonne, the investigator I talked about who is absolutely awesome, she'll be baptized this Saturday, and she's doing great. There's Elder Lyons too, by the way. Haha
And, now I have time to wait for pictures to load! What more, what more...
It rains about every day here, which is cool with me, the food has been good so far, and the area is a lot bigger than my last one, but I love it. Oh yeah! I wrote down a quote from our nightly planning yesterday with Elder Lyons!
So, we speak a lot of Spanglish, without even trying, and a lot of the time we just speak straight up Spanish, but here's an example of our accidental Spanglish, enjoy^^:
Elder Lyons - ''Nah, they won't do nothing!'' (double negative, because in Spanish it's, ''no van a hacer nada'', but it's correct in Spanish.)
Elder DeFreese - ''Dude, you're talking like a Mexican.''
Elder Lyons - ''Why?''
Elder DeFreese - ''Porque that's what they say!'' (accidentally throwing in the 'porque' instead of because^^)
And then we just laughed a lot.
But anyway, life is good. Up on the hill there are pigs everywhere, and shepherds with sheep and stuff. It really reminds me a lot of Washington, and makes me imagine what dad's mission was like in Ireland, because I imagine that hilly, green, and animals would be about right. Just the language change, and you got it!
Well, they're loaded now! Time to send. Love you all a ton, and I'm going to be writing you all, but it'll take a while to get to you from here, because it takes a while to even get to the offices, let alone be sent from there to all of your appropriate countries. So, point is, keep writing me and be patient please! Love!
Elder DeFreese
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