Week 59 - 5 for 5

Hi,

Guess what!  I got to go to all 5 sessions of General Conference!!  Yeah baby!  It seems like a bit is lost in translation but it was still pretty awesome.  I was able to re-translate a couple of things and capture the humor - ex. Deiter: I´ve fallen and I can´t get up.  And I caught The Great Gatsby quote too.  Also Elder Dube has the sweetest accent ever!  ha.  A couple of the speakers made their own translation in Spanish: Elder Scott, Elder Valenzuela and Elder Ochoa.  It's cooler when it's actually them speaking, not a translator, but it's all cool.

I really like Elder Valenzuela´s talk (BTW he came to reorganize our stake a month ago. When he got up to speak there was a general reaction similar to Buddy the elf´s famous "I KNOW him!" ha).  But anyway, he spoke of the power of small and simple things - like one song from a visiting teacher softening the heart of her visiting teachee.  :)  I have a testimony of small and simple things.  The Lord has permitted me to see many mighty miracles worked by simple means.  I also liked Elder Uchtdorf's Saturday morning talk.  Its just what our ward needs to hear (unfortunately pretty much no one showed up...).  But patience is good. 

Dad - Sounds like a good movie.  Jackie Robinson was awesome.  If I´m not mistaken 42 was retired universally in the major leagues right?  haha  It's awesome to hear that Dan Uggla didn´t make the cut ha.  It still bugs me that the Braves traded several players including a batting champion candidate for a sub-Mendoza hitter.  It kills me.  I miss Omar.  ha.  Your notes where cool, thanks for sending them to me.  I still remember when you made the excel spreadsheet for the topics the speakers addressed. Classic Richard Roth.  haha, my arm always kills after battleball as well. But I´m glad to hear you joined in the mayhem.  :)  I miss my Jax Beach ward sometimes. 

Question time (several people have commented on your curious ability to ask tons of questions, BTW. Everyone is jealous):

1.  Tell us about your trip to TXG this week. Bus ride, food, reason for going, what you did, etc.  Whatever.

1. The trip to Tuxtla was good.  We rode on an Aexa bus with a crazy driver that would have made you so sick.  Luckily I´m the kind of guy that likes flying in turbulence and riding with terrible drivers, so its all good.  We went for a mission leaders council.  It was a bit crazy.  7 hour bus ride up, sleep 4 hours on the ground in the mission offices, 6 hour meeting, 7 hour bus ride back.  It was fun though.  I´ll probably go back to Tuxtla this week for my immigration papers. 

2.  Did you get the package we sent you?  Did you get everything that was in it?  There was a letter that said what we packed.  I hope you got it and that you like it.

2.Yes, I got the package, complete with peanut butter, hot tamales, Tinactin, gum, mints and letters.  The mints made me laugh because I used to buy them by the gross.  I sucked on them during sacrament meetings early in my mission because otherwise I would fall asleep ha.  A lot has changed since then.  Thanks for the letters.  They were my favorite part. 

3.  Do you get help from the members in your current ward?

3. A little bit.  Our biggest support is a young woman that we baptized named Itzayana.  She has given us about 485548 referrals.  She just wants everyone to listen to us.  She´s awesome. 

4.  You said your area is 10 x 10 blocks.  How far is that in distance?  How long to walk from one side to another?

4. Its about a 20 minute walk from one corner of my area to the other. Probably about a mile. 

5.  With the area so geographically small, is there definitive different areas?  Or is it all pretty much the same?

5. I´m not sure I understood the question but here´s a possible answer. The small area is different in that we spend very little time traveling.  More time talking to people.  That's a good thing.  The bad thing is that there really aren´t all that many people that live here, and after a while you feel like you´ve talked to everyone. 

Thanks for your email.  Keep on rockin'.

Mom - I thought of Brett when I heard Elder Hollands talk.  Make sure he listens to it.  NOOO!!!  You can´t sell the M5!  Haha.  Just kidding, not my will but thine be done. (is that blasphemous? - sorry if it is. I have a thing for quoting scriptures out of context as often as possible.)  I hope things go well for you at the women´s conference  (ha I know you disdain stuff like that :)).  Is it for church members or everyone?  I´m assuming church members, given that the theme comes from Psalms 46:10 - Be still and know.  An interesting phrase.  I´ve been thinking about it a bit.  Both verbs are commands.  1. calm down, 2. know.  I think those 2 things are very intricately related.  One who is ´´still´´ is calm, faith-filled, patient, reverent, and indeed will, with time, come to ´´know´´.  One who knows is capable of working miracles (Mothers Who Know comes to mind).  And the phrase doesn´t just end at know.  It's: know that I am God.  If we are still, patient, and full of faith we will know God.  BTW that reminds me of something I read that I am going to misquote here.  One of the most surprising things when we abandon this life and return to that God who gave it, will be how well we know God and how familiar his face is to us.  I think that was Ezra Taft Benson, but I´m not sure. (Here's the actual quote, it was by President Benson:  “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” in Speeches of the Year, 1974, Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1975, p. 313.) Pretty sweet though, eh?  I hope you're doing well.  So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.  Love you!  P.S. thanks for Kel's blog post, it made me LOL out loud hahaha. 

Andee - NO!  I put my heart and soul into carrying that TV!  ha.  Thanks for the greeting from Ingrid. (Ingrid is the name of Roy and Andee-Dawn's car)  Tell her hi for me ha.   Life is going wonderfully for me!  I hope you dominate those remaining midterms, show them who's boss.  (Did I ever tell you that I watched pump up videos on YouTube before I took my tests?...because I did.  :) )  Paul is a beast for sure.  I find new inspiration in his words every week.  Roy and I aren´t exactly what you would call ´´handymen´´ when it comes to watching kids.  I once changed Ryan´s diaper, it was a scaring experience  haha.  I don´t blame him at all.  haha what a delk. Good Spanish, BTW.  Se ve que si sabe!  ha. 

Roy- Life down south is pretty awesome.  Did you find your mission extremely funny or is it just me?  I mean, I take it super seriously but when you talk with dozens of drunks in the street everyday, you can´t help but laugh.  I like the Spanish Bible a lot.  I was surprised by how similar the translation is to what it says in English.  We do indeed use the Reina Valera. The KJV is better in my opinion, but the RV is good too.  I haven´t heard of the NRSV but I´ll give it a look see when I get back.  Tell me your favorite moments from conference!  Mine was looking at Dieter´s hair. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 haha. jk. I´ll never stop working don´t you worry.  Love you bro. 

Well, it's been a joy to hear from you this week.  I hope all is well in Zion. ha 2 Nephi 28:21-25.  But seriously, I hope things are well.  I look forward to hearing from you next week.

Elder Roth

Recognize him?  

My second companion, Elder Martinez. 

He´s a zone leader in Tuxtla now.