Regalo Week 20

Presidente and La Hermana went to a mission presidents seminar this week so they were out of town. They came back Saturday night and they had bought these key chain surf boards for us! I felt like it was mom and dad just going on another vacation and coming back with the goods!

Elder Brown cut my hair last night... it was pretty exciting!

Elder Brown cut my hair last night! He is my best friend!

(McKay has been so busy, we had a lot of questions he had not had time to get to.  Here he answers many of our questions)

Okay so here is the run down:

 I would like to hear more about your mission.  Are all those new districts within that 20 mile mission area of the Mexico Mexico city south mission in the city.  And you have how many missionaries in that area?  How do they not step on each other.  Tell me more about opening these new areas, had there not been missionaries in them before?

 We have about 143 missionaries in the Mission, every companionship is assigned to a ward. Every square inch of the Mission is occupied by missionaries. There are usually two missionaries in each ward, but to open a new area we usually put two more missionaries in an existing ward so there are 4 missionaries in the ward. But it isn't just that easy because we have to find them a new house, buy everything for the house, and get them all set up and ready to work. Maybe it doesn't sound like that much work... but it is! And it is going to continue because between now and July we only have 16 missionaries leaving but we are going to receive 80! That means we are going to have 40 new companionships, 40 new houses... 40 more of everything! So we are busy and it isn't going to stop. We also are receiving 4 new American sisters the end of November so we are doing a lot to prepare for them, their living conditions are going to have to be nicer, and they will have to be in ´´safer´´ areas. So this is what occupies a lot of my time, preparing for 80 new missionaries!

 

 I'd also like to hear about the couple missionaries serving in your mission, how many and what they are doing?  Do any of them help in the office?

We have one Native couple that I see about once a week that helps find new houses and does reparations on the existing houses. And we have another American couple that arrived about two months ago that are in charge of helping Latino missionaries learn English, and they also train missionaries how to use family history as a teaching recourse. They are an older couple from Kansas City Missouri, and are taking some time to adjust to the fast paced city life of Mexico city. They were pretty shocked when they first arrived, I think they are doing pretty well now. They have an office here in the offices to teach Spanish and we see them about three times a week, but we don't work too closely with them, just to answer questions, translate, or help them get to places like zone conferences.

 

Wow, that was a lot of questions?  It may take you a few letters to answer all those:)  Oh one more, do you ever listen to music and is your music sufficient that you took

We can only listen to music on P day and I love the music I listen to! It is awesome! It helps me so much. I have always been easily affected by music, and I love the spirit it brings! Here in the offices I have the privileged to be on the computer everyday and I can use all of LDS.org so I have already listened to all of conference again, and I am now starting to listen to Jesus the Christ.

 

Ana at her Bauptism!

Mostly I want to know more about Laura, Ana, and Serafin that you sent photos of last week???  So awesome!!  Tell me about Laura, does Serafin have Downs Syndrome, how old is he.  Has Ana already been baptized?  How did they learn about the gospel? 

Laura and Ana are both members now, and Serafin has Downs syndrome pretty seriously so he is innocent, and doesn't need to baptized. They were references that we contacted and so ready for the Gospel! We taught them everything (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and they were ready to be baptized in 6 weeks! That is about as fast as it can happen here in Mexico because we have a norm that every investigator has to attend church 5 times before baptism! It is awesome because it helps with their retention of the gospel. Anyways, the three of them live in a little room about 10X15 and that is where we taught them. It has been so great! They have had some tender mercies in their lives with school, and a job. Laura was so prepared to accept the gospel. We taught tithing and she was so excited she wanted to know how she could pay it the next Sunday, but we explained that she needed to wait until she was a member. they are great!

 

 (Yes Elder Patey (a young man from Midway) is serving here in this area, he cannot work right now because he has a gnarly infection on the bottom of his foot that prohibits him from walking, but he should be back out working 100% this next week.)

 

We were telling him about the broadcast, tribute to 100 years of scouting.

100 years of scouting broadcast was amazing! The broadcast was AMAZING! Made me cry like a baby... I learned so much from scouting! I loved the broadcast  (I could watch it because I am here in the office's!!!)

 I have 100% access to lds.org everyday so I watch and listen to EVERYthing!!! yes two of the main boys were in Savior of the World with me! One was a soldier, and the other was Nathaniel! And the middle age guy at the beginning that told the story was a director for savior. Also the old guy that builds the bridge was Christ for the other cast! It was so awesome to see that broadcast! I was thinking about you guys, dad and Aaron especially!

 

We asked if he were tired of eating Mexican food yet.

I love Mexican food! It is different that what you think of Mexican food, but I love it! It is so so so good. I haven't yet eaten anything that I didn't like :) (fingers crossed)

 

Enjoying a little bit of Park City fall in Mexico! Thank you so much for the letters, I love them all!!! Fruit for a bedtime snack :) (Note my blue cell phone.... I am on the phone non stop! #thelifeofamissionsecratary

 

I love you mom, sorry I didn't have much time to write this week I am just been ocupado here in the offices! It is so fun and this is the Lords work! I love your cards that I receive all the time! I love you all so much! Thanks

Oh, I am going to the airport right now to pick up a new elder! I love you, see you next week!!!