“DOS, TRES, OCHOOOOOO!!!!!”

Week 2 brings trial, joy, confirmation and caution:

This was a good week. It was still hard, and not a lot has changed, but yesterday and today I’ve received some instruction on how to proceed with my difficulties. Thanks for your prayers and your support.

Dad, I’m really really hungry, and this computer is programmed to spell check in Spanish, so you can edit for grammar.

Could you guys please send me my line of authority? I’d love something I can carry with me. We’ve had like 3 lessons just this week where I wish I had it, I don’t know why I didn’t bring it.

I was thinking about it, and I realized why I have been assigned to Elder S. He is exactly the person I can learn the most from. We heard all the time in the MTC that “there’s no growth in the comfort zone.” This has never been more true for me. This perspective has been helping me compromise some of my issues. I know I’m supposed to be here, doing what I’m doing, so I’m just going to do what I can. 

Our investigators are great. La familia Santos Trejo, Raúl y Yadira parents of the Yetzabely, 6, and Yadira is the mother of Nailea, 15. Nailea is the only one eligible for baptism right now, because Raúl y Yadira aren’t married, but they’re all progressing well, but differently. The sisters have been to church twice, and Raúl enjoys reading and praying with the family. Also, my favorite food so far was at family home evening at their house this week. Basically, they’re just deep-fried tortillas covered in sugar, so yeah. We ate a lot. My companion threw up.

Mari, the girlfriend of Carlos, our recent convert (from before my time) is struggling, she had a lot of questions about baptism. After talking for a while she said, “I’m going to ask a straight question, and I want a straight answer. Was my baptism valid?” We had to say no, and I told that I hated saying no, because I wish that it had been. She seemed hurt, and I asked if she had a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She said she wasn’t sure, so I told her to read and pray about it, because if she knows it’s true, she would know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the priesthood was restored through him, and that we have the correct authority to baptize and confirm. Apparently my testimony struck her, because she said she would read and pray about it to know, because she wanted to know like I know. Our testimonies are powerful and have the potential to save lives.

My best friend here is a 5-yr-old named Airerossel. (I think I’m spelling that right, she doesn’t write very well yet.) She’s hilarious. She took a bunch of pictures with my camera, which for some reason aren’t showing up. I’ll try to get them on again. We shared an orange the other day, but she wanted her sister’s half. When I said “You already have one”, she shoved her entire half into her mouth! Then she tried to take mine, still trying to chew hers. When I held it above her reach, she climbed me to get to it. I haven’t laughed so hard since I’ve been here. She’s the best.

Another buddy, Tote, is Mari’s son. He’s about 4, and was counting marbles the other day, and I wanted to let you know that kids counting is just as cute in Spanish. It went something like this: “uno, dos, tres, cinco, seis, siete, dos, tres, OCHOOOOOO!!!!!” but there were actually like 14 marbles.

It’s like a different country here! A quick word on seatbelts, crosswalks, and stop signs: there are none. They literally cut out the seatbelts, you cross where you can, and technically there are stop signs, but as long as there’s not a stray dog in the way (and sometimes, even if there is) you just plow through. I have felt your prayers and your strength, and things have been better.

It’s amazing how perfectly I was prepared to be here. If I had seen pictures of the wild dogs missing eyes, or the trash in the streets, where I would be living, or the uncircumcized babies before my mission, I would have said “Nope. Not for me”. But now that I’m here, it’s just how it is, and I’m able to focus on the work.

Viva México

Love, 

Elder Webb

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