October 21st, 2013 - Letter

O_O That's my face of, holy cow! This week has been crazy! I don't even know where to start! I guess at this point I'm not really sure the feelings I have towards this all yet...but let me just say, never give dad crap for his driving, or for the fact that he hated it for 6 months...cuz you'd understand if you were here too! I'm surprised there are not more car accidents then there really are, because there are pretty much NO rules for the road here. But also, I feel you dad, I keep thinking, how am I going to live like this for two years! I guess, the only thing that keeps me going is that fact that I know we are missionaries, and will be kept safe and protected because of that.

Like one of the first things we saw coming into Mexico was a sign that said, Jardín de niños, which literally translated is garden of kids, but I guess it actually means kindergarten....but yeah that freaked me out a little. And yeah, I am just always watching what I eat, and what I do so as to not get sick, and not to get hurt, but yeah......it is crazy!!!

My Spanish is coming along pretty good though. But so get this, in the MTC I could understand so much more than I could talk, cuz that makes sense right, but in the field, here in Mexico, complete opposite! I feel like they are speaking a different language! The way they speak is really fast, slurred, and they say words weird, so yeah, I can't really understand everything. Like sometimes they'll ask where I'm from, and the way they say it, I just am like.....what did you say? But I'm learning to understand better! Yesterday, we taught a woman, Zoriah, who recently had a divorce, and she is so willing to change, and so I almost understood like everything, so it's coming along, but yeah! Oh, and I'm in this area for 3 months, because that is the time for new missionaries. The area we are in is actually called Camargo, it is about 2 hours from the mission home in Chihuahua, but I guess Camargo is a really poor area compared to the other areas, and I can tell, because all of the houses look like little boxes that are painted. But yeah.

So Yeah, a little bit of a breakdown

Monday: Monday was pretty crazy, and that is just because that is the day I got there, and since I had only 3 hours of sleep, I felt super sick, and I was super pale, and I thought I was gonna die at that point, but then after we got sleep, I woke up and was normal again! So yeah, very crazy day.

The rest of the days really weren't too crazy, except for the fact that I had to travel to Chihuahua mutiple times to figure stuff out, and I still have to go back to Chihuahua to finish my immigration paperwork, but yeah. We plan and study and prepare in the morning until 11-12 ish, and then we go out and work. We Always have food with a member at 2:00, and those are the best! The homemade food is the best food here! I have had stuff from this rice, milk, coconut dessert stuff, all the way to stuffed peppers, and then also those little corn things I like, a soup with those in it! But yeah, the food is amazing, no doubt about it!

So our investigators are good, but they also have a hard time staying active. There is a rule that they need to go to church 5 times before baptism, but all of them pretty much, don't have cars, and don't have money for the bus, and it's like an hour walk to the church, so that's the hardest part. We have several investigators that are at the baptism step, but can't because they won't/can't go to church! One of our investigators that is awesome, his name is Hipolito, and he always gives us churros, cuz that's what he does for his job, is sells churros everyday, but yeah, his churros are the best!!! We also have an investigator, the one I talked about earlier, she says that when she talks to us she can feel a good feeling, and so she calls us her angeles!!! So yeah, that's pretty cool!

So the last two days, Saturday and Sunday, we had stake conference, which was cool! One of the Seventy came and talked to the Stake. I don't remember his name, but of course he spoke Spanish, so that was really cool.....at least how much I could get out of it.

Q.A. -So send packages to the Texas address. I haven't got it yet, but should get it soon. We only have the chance to get mail a few times a month, because it goes to the mission home. But you can't send other mail to me. Send handwritten mail to this address (this is the new mission offices):

Elder Zachary Daren Loveless

Calle Huancune #1801-B
Colonia - Panoramico
Código Postal 31110
Chihuahua, Chihuahua México

-I do have a bottle with a filter. I got it from the MTC.

-So there's four of us in our house, me and Elder Whitney, and then two other elders, Elder Cooper (our district leader), and Elder Conklin, so we are all Americans, haha, it's interesting. Camargo has only white missionaries right now.

-I don't know what to do with the pictures, but I guess that's just up to you.

-And in the history of the Chihuahua Mission, none of the missionaries have every got robbed, but right now I don't have to worry about getting robbed. We are all from the US, so they're not going to worry about that.(it is safe enough that all of us even carry our cameras with us everywhere) But I had to get a little bit of money out of my account already. This week I had to travel to Chihuahua like 3 times, which was 76 pesos each time, and we get reimbursed for it, but not till in a few days, so I had no choice but to get my own money. I will be able to live in my means, but I did have to get some of my own money because of that fact that I traveled so much. It is hard for us in Camargo because we are so far away from everyone else, so we have to travel a lot, and they don't give us extra money, only reimburse us. So all in all, I have the same amount of money that all of the Mexican companions have too. But don't worry, I have prayed and prayed about figuring out the money situation, and I feel peace, so all is well.

-Also if you ever send a package, send American food.......and could you send a knee brace. From my knee injury during soccer, when I walk a lot it hurts my knee.

-Another cool fact: Elder Ellis And Elder Hiskey are in my district! They are in a place called Saucio, I think, like 30 minutes from our area, so yeah! Sweet!!!

I'm excited to be serving the Lord, and I know I'm supposed to be here for a reason so that is what keeps me going. All will be well, I know that for a fact! Trials come. It is a trial here in Mexico, and sometimes I get scared because it is so different, but it will prepare me for life! Always count your blessings for living in the US! I love you all, and I hope all is well!!! Oh, and this Sunday we are all talking in Church......haha, oh and just barely a guy that's on the computer next to me tapped me on the shoulder, and showed me a picture. I guess his son is on a mission in Mexico. You don't see very many Mormons here.....that's funny! haha, well yeah, Love you all!!!! Have a great week!!!

-Elder Sinamor

:)