29 December 2008

(Red for the Utah Utes against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this Friday -

GO UTES!)

Elder Green sent us a nice e-mail today. He is excited for "Me voy!" he says. Which in translation means "I'm going". He is being transferred to a new area called Arboledas. His new Zone is called Tenayo. His new companion is Elder Nava. All J.J. has heard about Elder Nava is that "he is really short and little". We'll know more next week and hopefully have a photo of the two of them together. J.J. is "excited for my new area and companero". He says he hopes all goes well. We know it will as J.J. has such a great attitude on his mission.

Elder Green with Elder Leija a "cool missionary" who finished his mission in mid November.

He says last week was very busy and today (Monday 29 Dec.) is even more busy as well. J.J.'s old companion is getting a "kid". His 2nd companion is going to be a trainer again. So on Monday they went to the Mission office to pick him up and they ended up being in the Mission office all morning. J.J. then had to wash his clothes and then pack in the afternoon. We wonder if all his stuff still fits in the three suitcases he took with him?!Crazy glasses Elder Green found at a member's home.

He was able to play soccer again on a "really cool turf soccer field" in his area. Seems there is a very nice AstroTurf soccer field they have been able to play on a few times. He has really enjoyed playing soccer again. He stopped playing at around age 14 and focused on basketball. Nice he is able to play soccer again.

Dana "the cutest girl ever". She was eating cereal when J.J. took her picture. Then she wanted him to take more and more photos!

He says he has lots of photos to send us. We are really looking forward to receiving them. His Dad REALLY enjoys the photos he does send. J.J. said he took a lot of pics at Church this past Sunday wit the members because he was pretty sure that he was going to be transferred. J.J. said "I was sad to say goodbye to my district and ZL's and all the members as well. But it is what it is and I am ready for a change".

J.J. purchased this guitar for $ 20.00 from Elder Crispen - his first companion and trainer.

He is pleased he gets to attend the Temple every six months or so. J.J. said "The Temple was a great experience. I forgot how much I miss going there". They had a Zone activity on 24 December that he says was really fun. They played soccer and basketball and ate tons of food.

At a Ward member's home the night before Elder Crispen moved to a new area.

J.J. was happy for the Christmas care package we sent him. His Mom, Dad, brother and sister went to Macey's and bought all kinds of treats for him. His Dad also purchased a 2009 Beaches calendar for him. He said the package was "perfect - those were all my favorite candies - good choice whoever picked that" .

Morning of "changes". Last time with Elder Crispin.

Funny in that he stayed up until 12:05 AM on Christmas Eve (Christmas morning actually!) to open his package. We told him he could open it either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. But just like his sister he choose to wait until Christmas morning. His sister Amberlee did the exact same thing - waited until 12:01 AM to open her Christmas packages.

Elder Green with Elder Gutierrez his 2nd companion.

Christmas Day they Elders went out and sang Christmas hymns to converts and members. And all the missionaries wore the same time. I guess the whole Zone got the same neckties for Christmas. Now that will be a cool picture he needs to send us! J.J. said he has purchased a nice yellow tie and some zipper ties when he feels lazy to tie a tie.

On Christmas night they met as a District and "ate and stuff, that was fun". He also burned a tie that night - which he says is a tradition at the six month mark. He promised to send pictures of that too. His Dad never burned anything on the six month, one year, 18 months or two year dates. We didn't do that in the Thailand Bangkok Mission. But I had heard that other missions do it.

J.J. said it was a good day overall. He really enjoyed talking to his family and hearing our voices. We told him he had an accent already when he spoke English. He thought that was funny. He said it felt like he had talked to us on the phone like 3 weeks ago even though it was only 5 days ago. Time is really going fast for him. His parents think the same!

He had another baptism this past Saturday - 27 December. Sister Maria del Socorro Elizabeth Reyes Robles was baptized by J.J. He said it was tough to remember her full name in the font but he handled it fine. Her two children are members and she finally got baptized - a fairly old lady too he said. That is 11 baptisms in four month in Mexico City.

Turkey seems to be the food of choice for Christmas dinner in Mexico City. He said he has been eating lots of turkey this past week. "Some was really good, just like back at home, but others wasn't quite as good". He thinks he has a tie of every color now. I guess they buy them at a great price from a Chinese man the Elders call "Chino". J.J. says he now owns some sweet ties. He might count them sometime and send us a picture.

His Dad told him that his parents should plan to take him back to Mexico City soon after his Mission. J.J. can then show his parents all the places he stayed, meet the members and converts he helped come to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then maybe go to Cancun or somewhere. That would be WAY fun he said. His parents should plan on it!

He is also sending us "pics of my daughter". The young girl who calls him Papa. He also promised to send pictures of the combis he travels every day in. As he always says "Things are going great still, no worries here". He will let us know about his new area and his new comp next week once he gets to his new District.

25 December 2008

Merry Christmas Elder J.J. Green!!!
Last night we were able to speak with J.J. - Christmas Eve. What a treat it was. Too good actually as we talked for an hour and 45 minutes! And then we called his sister in Taiwan and she talked to him for over 20 minutes.
It was SO GOOD to speak to him! Wonderful to hear his voice after more four months. And his attitude is excellent. He is doing well and enjoying it. As we told him, the time has gone by fast. He too agreed. He is now 6 months in to his mission. How did that happen??? Today was exactly six months. We are SO PROUD of his service to the Lord and the people of Mexico City. Keep up the super job Elder Grin (correctly spelling in Spanish if you want the person to say green).
Here are my notes I took as we all talked to him on speaker phone:
Elder J.J. Green
Mexico, Mexico City West Mission
24 December 2008
Telephone call
011-52-1-55-5498-9520
Start: 4:50 PM
Finish: 6:35 PM
Christmas package from us arrived yesterday!
Received Christmas card from us as well as a postcard from Thailand today.
Received a card from Lhing today also.
“I’m getting fat, bald and white” was his first quote.
He is getting 800 Pesos per month on his debit card.
He gets an extra 400-500 Pesos every 5-6 weeks for travel needs on his debit card.
He is one of the best gringo soccer players.
We told him hello from Aunt Theo.
Amberlee will call him later – she is teaching now.
He gave us the 1st Principle of the Gospel in Spanish.
He gave us the 1st Vision in Spanish.
He sounds very good – excellent Spanish.
He had a bit of a Spanish accent when he spoke English.
He has a VERY small apartment.
Was newly opened apartment and area by J.J. and his first companion.
Members brought them mattress the second night.
AP’s brought them beds, table and two chairs after their first week in the new house.
Only two beds, small table and two chairs – nothing else!
What he has purchased so far:
Backpack $ 15.00
Rope $ 5.00
USA soccer jersey $ 15.00
Neckties (15) $ 30.00
1st companion’s guitar $ 20.00
TOTAL: $ 85.00
He has eaten out a few times as follows:
Burger King 5-10 times
Tony Roma’s -1 (for Thanksgiving)
Chili’s – 2 times
“All Americans having problems with not enough money they are given to live on”
They keep their apartment clean by sweeping. Nothing really to get dirty he said.
Toilet paper does NOT go down the toilet. They have to put it in a bag!
They then empty the bag every few days.
ZL’s haven’t done anything for them.
ZL’s did tell them to make a list of appliances they need and then they can get approval
to buy appliances.
Haven’t done this yet but should.
Went to the Mexico City Temple the other day.
It is a two hour trip by combi, subway and bus to the Temple.
They get to go every six months.
First time he has seen carpet since he has been in Mexico.
Lots of walking each day.
Take “combi” taxis – a pick-up with a tall shell on the back.
5.5 Pesos to take a combi ride.
(Need a photo of these!)
Tons of dogs everywhere.
No door handles.
They use a key or coin to knock on metal doors when tracting.
Doesn’t carry much money on him.
Keeps it all in his suitcase, under his bed, in his apartment.
The most ghetto area of his mission.
Would like to transfer this next “change” next week.
Mission President told them to focus on less active.
But J.J. was told Mission President changes his focus all the time.
Lots of pollution.
He has a runny nose a lot and sometimes a sore throat.
He had a cold last week.
Never really been sick.
His first comp tried to feed him unusual stuff but no problems.
Drinks lots of Coke – tastes really good he said.
Coke is 0.70 Peso a bottle.
Worried about gaining weight so now drinking more orange juice.
Only 0.40 Peso a bottle.
He really likes the Mexican treats.
He is now eating only one tortilla per meal.
Used to eat a lot more.
He likes spicy food more than his current 2nd companion.
Mexicans think this is really funny that J.J. eats more spicy than his companion.
They call him “wetto” which means whitey.
They call him gringo too.
He answers back to them “Moreno” which means browny.
He also calls them “chilango” which means city person.
One member kept calling him “hul” which means hulk.
To say Green right you have to spell it Grin – Elder Grin.
Language is coming along just fine.
The things to do as you go along on your mission:
6 months burn a tie
12 months burn a shirt
18 months burn a pair of pants
24 months burn a suit
His Dad didn’t know these things – was never done in the Thailand Bangkok Mission.
I told him not to burn anything but give it away to the needy members!
He said he would only burn a tie.
I told him to burn one of the US$ 0.25 ties I sent him!!!
He did purchase a zip on tie for the days he is lazy to tie a tie.
Had a hard time praying in English a week ago.
Not really strict on the rules in the mission.
Have sent missionaries home though.
This Mission President didn’t want to have to deal with unruly missionaries.
J.J. needs to be the example!
He says there are some not good missionaries.
A not very good missionary is called a “frito” which means fried or burnt out.
A bad missionary is called a “muerto” which means a dead missionary.
A bit of a challenge with his 2nd companion.
Don’t really get along at all.
He is REALLY hoping for a transfer!
The current DL (District Leader) is also the ZL (Zone Leader).
He really likes the ZL’s – especially Elder Acosta.
Really likes his District.
He lives in the “naco” which is ghetto.
We asked him to send more photos.
For sure a photo of the girl who calls him “papa” (father).
Not sad at all – glad to be serving the Lord.
Only got trunky a few weeks ago when the Christmas decorations went up.
It will go away once Christmas is over.
We miss him a lot but know he is doing the RIGHT thing in serving the Lord.
He said it was hard to believe 25% of his mission is completed already!!!
Time has gone by very fast he says.
It has gone by fast for his family too.
Keep up the great work!
Pray hard and work hard!
We love him so much!
What a wonderful attitude he has as he serves the Lord!!!

Notes taken by John the Dad

22 December 2008

Photos, photos and more photos. I asked that J.J. send us photos for Christmas and that's just what he did. He said he sent an e-mail too but I haven't received it yet. So I'll post the photos now and hope for the e-mail so I can post it. For sure he had a baptism yesterday. That is the first photo!

Connie Jo just forwarded me J.J.'s e-mail today. He forgot to cc me on the e-mail. Gee, that wasn't very nice of him. And he hasn't answered any of my questions I had for him last week. Oh well, I'm just the Dad...Sister Lorena Barragan Solano (Granddaughter or Sister Buillermina) with Elder Green and Elder Gutierrez.

J.J. says he is "doing great". He always says that. J.J. says the weather has been nice the past couple of weeks - perfect spring weather. He doesn't miss the snow shoveling at all. He is interested in moving to a new area. He has been in the same area now for four months. And he wants a new companion too. Let's hope he gets his Christmas wish - changes are next week.

J.J. said they had been teaching Sister Lorena Solano for quite a few months. Her Mom didn't want her to get baptized. But one day Lorena's attitude changed. They would teach her and ask her to ready a chapter in the Book of Mormon and pray. He didn't think she really did it. Then one day they visited her "She looked happier. I could tell she finally prayed and asked for an answer like we invite them to, and she received it. She wanted to get baptized and I could tell she had a testimony, it was awesome!" J.J. said he felt so good that day, especially when they talked to her. He said the "Spirit was so strong!".

Sad to say his Christmas package we sent on 3 December has not arrived yet. Let's hope it gets there in the next couple of days. Otherwise it will become a New Year's package. You would think three weeks was long enough from Sandy, Utah, USA to Mexico City, Mexico?!

Ward Choir singing at the Ward Christmas party.

Elder Green and Elder Acosta ready to sing for the Ward.

Elder Gutierrez, Elder Fajardo, Elder Acosta (Z.L.) and Elder Green ready to perform for the Ward.

He did receive his first Christmas gift! One of the members in the Ward gave all the missionaries a pair of socks and a tie. J.J. received a yellow tie which was just what he needed as he said he did not have a yellow tie. Nice of the Sister in the Ward to give the missionaries gifts. Very kind of her indeed.

The Ward Christmas party was this past Saturday night. They all sang, the kids broke pinatas, they ate, danced and watched a funny skit some members put on. J.J. said it was a really fun night.Elder Green on a "split" with his Z.L. Elder Acosta with a Christmas tree fountain in the background.

J.J. was pleased to hear that our new Bishop -Bishop Hansen had a missionary parents dinner at his home last Thursday. Eight missionary parents got together to talk and eat. It was a great evening though other parents are counting the days their son gets home. We know J.J. is doing the RIGHT thing and can't be happier for him serving a mission for the Lord. We are not counting the days. We just pray for his success, happiness and safety.

He says he sent a photo of his new companion a few weeks ago but we never received it. But you can see his new companion in the top photo above. J.J. says the time goes by so fast. He can't keep track of time there. He says "Time goes by so fast, but yet so slow. The weeks fly by but then so much happens in the week that one week ago feels like a month ago". He was pleased to get a beach scene postcard from Thailand that his Dad sent him.

The four Elders who serve in the Ward boundaries.

This past week he became an "official" resident of Mexico. It took four months to come through. He had to go to the office last week to sign the immigration papers. And last Wednesday they had another Zone Conference. They are doing two every change (six weeks) now. Which J.J. says is "one more than needed I think". It was extra long he said - 6 hours long. But he says that's the usual so he is "pretty used to it".

Last Friday they did a District activity in his area. All the Elders came to his area and worked an area they have never worked before. The Z.L.'s who they share the area with were there too. He really likes the Z.L.'s he says. The morning they went out knocking on doors, contacting and teaching. He went with another gringo Elder - Elder Richards who has six weeks more than J.J. in the mission. He was nervous but they "taught a lesson and everything and did great, big confidence booster for sure". After the activity they went to Carl's Jr. for lunch. He said he hadn't had that in more than six months.

Lunch at Carl's Jr. with his District including the Z.L.'s.Notice the "Phood.com" on the cup!

Tomorrow the Elders get to go through the newly refurbished Mexico City Temple. It should be a "great experience, my first time in Spanish". He said he is a little nervous for that. He also has a baptism date set up for this coming weekend. The Baeza Family who J.J. really loves.

J.J. is excited to be able to talk to his family this Christmas Eve. We have arranged to call his cell phone number at 5:00 PM his time. It is one hour earlier than us here in Sandy, Utah. We are pleased to have his cell phone number too! We will ask his older sister to give him a call from her place in Taiwan. I think it is only fair she gets a chance to talk with him also.

For Christmas Eve day they have a Zone Conference lunch. And later that evening they are going with the Z.L.'s to a member's house. He says he has "really grown to love my Zone Leaders".

We wish Elder Jaron John Green a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a successful and HAPPY NEW YEAR as he teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Mexico City. Will we miss him this first Christmas away from us? Yes! But we KNOW he is doing what the Lord would have him do at this point in his life.

15 December 2008

J.J. is doing well as he always says he is. His Dad told him about the snow we received this past weekend. J.J. said "that's cool to hear about the snow... I forgot what snow is." He wants his family to take lots of pictures of the Sugar Bowl (Utah vs. Alabama) so he can see what it was like.

He and his companion are now making plans to be at someones home on Christmas Eve around 7:00 or 8:00PM. He'll give us the telephone number then we can call and talk to him. He said "we can talk as long as we'd like to pay". So I am guessing it will be a half hour call for sure. I am going to have his sister call him from Taiwan too as she'll want to say hello.

He is excited to receive the Christmas package we have sent him. A bunch of goodies, a Christmas stocking, and more goodies. We told him he could open it on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Either one is fine by us. His Dad remembers the care package from home that were sent to him in Thailand. John's Mom and sister sent a few care packages. Man was it GREAT getting care packages from home in Thailand! Of course J.J.'s Dad didn't have a WalMart (still don't) in Thailand back then. J.J. has a WalMart in his Zone.

J.J. says "I'm excited for my package and to talk to you all, but then I want Christmas to pass. This month is hard because nobody wants to listen and lots of people go out of town and things like that." Seems the Lord's work has slowed down this month for them. Let's hope it picks up in January. J.J. will have been out on his mission six months on Christmas Day. 1/4 of the way completed. Where did the time go by???!!! Keep up the GREAT work Elder Green!!!

He still has no appliances whatsoever in the house. Well that's not really true. He has an iron that they plug into the wall to heat their water to take a bath. But other than that - two beds, a foldout table and two foldout chairs. Pretty sparse living conditions. But welcome to the missionary life! He doesn't think they'll ever get anymore appliances at this place. He says "that's ok I can survive no problem". He says he is glad his Mom doesn't worry about him. She told him so again in her e-mail again today. Because he says he worries that his Mom is worrying about him. But all is well. We know he is doing the work of the Lord and if he is faithful and true he will continue to be protected by the Lord.

He says he'd love to go back to Mexico one day after his mission. He said he would give his parents "a little tour of my mish". And then of course we would head to one of the beach cities such as Cancun or the like. What a fun trip that would be. Hopefully his Mom and Dad can arrange this soon after his mission.

He was able to get one of his investigators and her two year old daughter to Church this past Sunday. His comp and he were late (comp is always late J.J. says) for Church. As they walked into Sacrament meeting the two year old investigator's daughter called out really loud "Papa, Papa" to J.J. That's what she calls J.J So the whole Ward heard her. It was funny that it happened right at the start of Sacrament Meeting. The whole Ward laughed at "Papa J.J.".

He spoke in Sacrament this past Sunday too. It was on missionary work. He said it went really well. He was told Saturday night that he was to speak and they gave him a topic. He talked about how every member is a missionary and had some really good "scripts" from the Doctrine and Covenants that he used.

Last Thursday they did divisions with the Zone Leaders (ZL's). One Elder goes with one ZL and the other Elder goes with the other ZL. He was able to go teaching with Elder Acosta again. J.J. learns a lot from Elder Acosta and how he teaches. He says "I really love how he (Elder Acosta) teaches and I'll take any chance I get to do splits with anyone else, since my comp is... so-so". J.J really liked his first companion Elder Crispin. Seems he is not so pleased with his second comp Elder Gutierrez. But that is part of being a missionary...

And this past Friday morning they had a District activity where all the Elders from the District go to one companionship's area and tracts and teaches. He said it was pretty fun because they get to mix up the companionships. And Friday for the "comida" or meal at 2:00 PM they have each day, they ate with the ZL's since they share the area and speak English. He was asked to pray on the meal and they told him to pray in English. J.J. said "It was really, really hard. I was stuttering and couldn't remember how to do it really". He didn't think it would be so hard. But that is a good sign as he is getting fully engulfed in the Spanish language. Way to go Elder Green!

This past Friday was a big holiday in Mexico. It is called Fiesta of the Virgin Guadalupe. They believe that the Virgin Guadalupe came to visit a man in Mexico and that she is the Virgin Mary who came to the Americas to visit the people here. They had an excellent article in the Deseret News last Friday explaining all about this Mexican holiday.

J.J. says Thursday night the were "shooting of like huge cannons or something every five minutes. Not sure what they were but they were loud!" They did it until 2:00 AM so it was sure tough to sleep. A major holiday in Mexico for sure. Seems they worship the Virgin Guadalupe more than they worship God. He says "only in Mexico...".

He was pleased to receive a postcard from his Dad. He said "if you ever find postcards of the beach you should send those, I like hanging pictures of the beach up sometimes Hehe". Last Saturday they had a Ward activity that the Zone Leaders planned. The did a visual of the Plan of Salvation. Funny as J.J.'s father did this SAME thing on his mission. Things haven't changed much in 26 years have they?!

Anyway J.J. said it was really cool. Each room represented a different part and the members helped us and brought someone they knew who wasn't a member. So it was successful and he enjoyed it. They decorated the rooms and gave a short explanation in each one. He and his comp had the Spirit World.

He said "it was a good week, went by fast". Next week will be Christmas and then it will be "changes already". The ZL Elder Acosta thinks J.J. will be leaving. But you never know until the Sunday night phone call. But I can read in his e-mails that he is eager for a new area and a new companion. And maybe a house with some appliances in it!

J.J. was just going to look at the pictures his Dad sent him of our Christmas home decorations and all the Christmas lights on the house including the 10 foot tall block U (University of Utah!!!) on the garage roof made from red Christmas lights that has been a tradition for many years.

8 December 2008 e-mail from J.J.

J.J. starts off by saying "That is sweet that the Utes are going to a bowl game." He was excited that his Mom, Dad and two younger siblings are going to attend the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on 2 January. We'll also get to see J.J.'s grandparents (his Mom's parents) who are serving a mission in the Georgia Macon Mission since we'll be flying in/out of the Atlanta, Georgia airport.

He is looking forward to opening his Christmas care package his parents have sent him. He even said he would wait until Christmas Day to open it. We are now planning for the Christmas call to him. It will probably be on Christmas Eve. He and his companion will go to a family's home his companion knows well. He will give us that telephone number and we will call him. We are EXCITED to speak to him! He says we can "talk as long as you like since we are paying". I think it will be a fairly long call. I will also ask his older sister to call him from Taiwan to speak with him since she isn't at home now. We know she'll want to talk to him.

For Christmas Eve his Zone will all get together to eat. They aren't sure where yet. It will be his P-Day (Preparation Day where they get to take the "day off" until 5:00 PM) on Christmas Eve day. J.J. was excited his good friend Kory (Mortimer) in our Ward is getting his missionary papers ready.

Lately J.J. and his companion Elder Gutierrez are focusing on less active members. They are trying to get them to Church. This past Sunday they had a lot of success as 3-4 different less active families went to Church. They have also started working a new part of their area since his new companion arrived. J.J. said "so it's like we started over again that's why we haven't had many baptisms lately".

J.J. says the work is going well. He says "I've felt happier these past few weeks and I've studied harder and prayed harder and my patience is definitely growing". He did mention for the first time on his mission that he is having a bit of a "challenge" with his companion. But he says all is good. He says "The Lord is helping me so much lately. And I am really enjoying learning more about His life in the book Jesus the Christ". He said he has learned a lot he didn't know before now that he is reading Jesus the Christ.

I did ask him about finances again. We are NOT happy that the Mission Office is only giving them 800 Pesos per month and then another 200 Pesos every 2-3 weeks. We are paying $ 400.00 per month and they give him 800 Pesos (about US$ 60.00 at today's exchange rate) monthly and then another 200 Pesos (about US$ 14.75 at today's exchange rate) every few weeks for transportation. J.J.'s Dad spent more than that per month on his mission in Thailand 26 years ago! J.J. is spending over US$ 100.00 of his OWN money each month just to survive. We are going to look into this financial situation for sure. J.J. says all the gringo missionaries wonder why they get so little money...

Last week J.J. had another five hour Zone Conference. He said it wasn't that bad ("long and boring")this time as he was able to understand almost all that was said. They did lots of practices in small groups which helped also.

Still not one appliance in his house. Just the two beds, one fold out table and two folding chairs. He said "we need to talk to the ZL's (Zone Leaders) and see if we can get some". He hasn't taken any photos that his Dad asked for. His family is interested in seeing his new companion. Since he has been in the same area for over three months he says there is nothing to take pictures of. But his family WANTS more photos from him!

J.J. - PLEASE send them!

He and his companion had lunch at a member's house last week with the Zone Leaders since the ZL's are in their area too. They discussed the beautiful places in Mexico. J.J. saw some photos of Cancun and said it was so pretty. After he comes home from his mission his parents will have to take him back to Mexico City to see his areas where he has served and then go to Cancun together. Wouldn't that be fun?! We are planning to do this.

They are working with an investigator who has a two year old daughter. This little girl calls J.J. papa since her Dad doesn't live with them. J.J. says "It's pretty funny, the family gets a kick out of it". She is really cute. He said you have to get the accent right or papa can also mean potato. He says lots of words are like that but not a tonal language like his Dad's mission language - Thai in Thailand that has five tones. He says you just have to put an accent on the right vowel.

Last Saturday they went to visit a less active member and his family. His wife and family are not members so they are trying to work with them. The wife has been sick the past week. So after talking to them for a little while they offered her a Priesthood blessing. She said she would love one. J.J.'s comp asked the wife which Elder she would like to give her the Priesthood blessing. She asked J.J. to do it. J.J. said "Oh yikes. My heart was pounding! I don't know what to say or even how to do it in Spanish. I've never even given one in English ever!! But I did it and it went well. My first blessing ever!" He said he was nervous but he was okay and able to do it just fine. The wife said she understood him. J.J. said it wasn't way detailed of course but it was a good blessing. His companion said he did a fine job. So now he has his first one under his belt he said.

J.J. says he misses his family and prays for us all the time. "I'm doing great and learning more very day". We are so proud of Elder Green and the service he is giving to the Lord. Keep up the great work J.J.! And send us a photo of you and your companion together!!!

1 December e-mail from Elder Green

Unfortunately due to J.J.'s Mom and Dad getting stuck in Bangkok, Thailand (anti government protesters took over the international airport) J.J. did not get e-mails from his parents before he sent us his on Monday. So he says his e-mail will be short this week since he doesn't have anything to writ back to. Bad parents!!!

J.J. said Thanksgiving was pretty fun. Just a normal day. He even forgot it was Thanksgiving. But in the evening he and his companion met up with four other Elders in his District and they all went out to eat. The best part was they went out with the office secretaries so they drove them around in the Mission van. They went to Tony Roma's! J.J. said "it sure was good to eat some real American food. They didn't have turkey or anything. So I just got a hamburger but it was delicious". That was about it for Thanksgiving. Nothing like back at home he said.

The US dollar is up to 13 to 1 Mexican Pesos. That was nice he said. More money for him to spend. We are still VERY concerned on how little money they give him to survive on. He has had to draw at least $ 100.00 or more each month he has been in Mexico just to survive. This sure seems strange to his parents. We pay $ 400.00 per month for his mission. They are giving him like $ 75.00 to live off of per month. Heck his Dad spent $ 125.00 per month in Thailand and that was over 26 years ago. No way he can survive on so little money...

J.J. is starting to see Christmas lights up. and Christmas trees all over. But it still doesn't feel like Christmas at all there. He does smell the Christmas trees as he walks around and that reminds him of Christmas. "But with the weather and being on a mission it doesn't' feel like it really. Christmas is on a Thursday this year so the Pres. changed our P-day to Christmas eve."

He is allowed to call home either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Actually we have to call him. He'll send us his phone number. He was told he can talk as long as he would like - an hour or two if you like. His companion is going to call home on Christmas Eve. Either way is fine by us. We are EAGER to talk to him! I think we'll have his sister who is teaching in Taiwan also call him. She is eager to speak with him too.

He says he gets lots of compliments on his "beautiful blue eyes". Especially when he wears a blue tie. Everyone in Mexico has dark brown eyes. So they "think it's so cool to see something different".

He says nothing to exciting this week. He did finally get the full names of his four baptisms from the first week in September. His Dad has been bugging him to get their full names so his Dad could record them in J.J.'s journal. It was a mother and her three grown daughters. He went and visited them recently.

J.J. says he "misses you all but I'm doing great and enjoying my time here serving the Lord".

24 November e-mail from J.J.

(Sorry from his Dad the BlogMaster - his Mom and Dad got stuck in Thailand last week so his Dad is WAY behind in posting this...)

He starts off with stating that it is "awesome the Utes won this past week. What a year they've had!". He was excited to hear Shauna Mossman in our Ward had a baby. Elder Crispin gave J.J. one of his many blankets before he left for his new area. So J.J. says he is all set with another blanket to go along with his Utah Utes blanket he brought with him.

He asked for his iPod. I guess all the missionaries in his mission have them. We were not going to send it but he pleaded with us to do so. Not only did we think he shouldn't have it but that it probably would not get through the "famous" Mexican mail. The "five finger discount" would have swiped it before it got to him. However he said "Yes I did get my iPod, thank you very much. That honestly felt like Christmas for me. Unwrapping all the socks (I disguised everything in socks hoping that would help to get through the Mexican mail system - seemed to work!) and finding new things, that was a lot of fun".

J.J. said he loved getting all the American candy and food I stuffed in the package for him. He hasn't had American candy for a while. He said they have it there but it is a lot more expensive so he never buys it. He did say that if we are going to send a Christmas care package (which we did a few days ago!) that he'd like treats such as Twix candy bars and Pop Tarts. So that is what we sent him with lots of other goodies stuffed in a Christmas stocking and other food to fill up the box.

His full neighborhood did not have water for quite a few days. He says it happens randomly sometimes. He didn't have any water for a full week. And they still didn't have it in their actual apartment. They fill up buckets and use that for everything. As I told him, just another mission experience! But what a pain in the butt not to have water.

Think how many things you use with water!!!

He thinks in December he will be moving to a new hous

e. I hope they do because all they have are two beds, one table with two chairs and the toilet/shower. He is looking forward to at least having "a fridge and microwave and all that stuff that we don't have".

He has been so focused on the Lord's work that he wasn't even aware that last week was Thanksgiving. His new companion Elder Gutierrez "is really cool. He has 13 months in the mission. He's from Veracruz, Mexico. And his birthday is May 31, but the same year as mine! I'm a day older than him".

It seems the Elders in Mexico are allowed to go out on their mission at 18 as soon as they graduate from high school. He gets along really well with Elder Gutierrez who doesn't speak any English. But this will really help J.J. to fully understand Spanish. Glad his second companion is a native speaker! Great for J.J. to become fluent in Spanish.

His Spanish is coming along well. The Zone Leaders have told him how much his Spanish has improved the past three months. J.J. has now been out over five months. Where did all the time go?!

He explained how the "change" works. We were eager to hear how the details of his mission work, as they seem a lot different than his Dad's mission in Thailand 26+ years ago. J.J. says on Tuesday morning they go the the Chapel and have a little devotional and meeting with the Mission President. It takes about an hour or two. Missionaries who are going home share their testimony. Then they go find their new companion and head back to their area.

J.J. said it is fun to do changes because he can see some of the Elders from his MTC group. He was basically the senior companion for one week since his senior companion didn't know the area at all. He hasn't had any baptisms this past week. They are still finding new investigators so "hopefully we can work with them more and get a few more baptisms".

J.J. says he'll try to send pictures but we haven't received any lately. The photos are SO important to see how he looks and what his companion, investigators and members look like. Helps us to understand better how he is doing.

J.J. - send more photos!!!