28 December 2009

Hi family,

It was very nice to be able to talk to you all on the phone for a short time. The two youngest voices changed a lot, I didn't even recognize them. I hope you all had a great Christmas, seems like you got all and MORE than you wanted. Glad to hear that Amberlee is doing well and that she's happy.

I'm not sure what we're going to do on New Year's. It's not as big of holiday here. Lots of people already went out of town and don't come back until after New Year's. Some members invited us to eat dinner with them so we'll see if we end up going there or not. I'm not so sure that we'll be able to though. They're going to tell us tonight but I'm pretty sure the mission won't let us do anything like that, just like Christmas. But my DL wants to get together and maybe cook up some food, so we'll see what happens.

I got the mail yesterday, the Christmas card came (now I have 3 of them), I got Dad's Christmas letter (Thank you very much), and I also got the letter from Grandma and Grandpa. Please tell them thank you for that, it was very enjoyable.

Thanks for the blog info Mom. I don't have my camera cord on me so I can't send any pictures or upload any photos, but I'll do that soon for you. Today we went to those caves that are up here, remember when I went like 4 months ago? That was lots of fun. Took some videos of us jumping off these 12-15 foot cliffs, it was scary but lots of fun. I have lots of pics, of the Christmas gifts under the tree, the BBQ, the caves, lots of stuff. Sorry I can't send 'em right now.

Things were going fine until Saturday. My comp. and I got into another argument, but the biggest we've ever had. I'm going to talk to my Zone Leader tonight and tell him to change us this week, so hopefully he will. I already talked to my DL about it.

I hope Chez and Dad enjoy the NFL football game. Sounds like the stadium is really nice in Dallas, should be fun.

The Barajas' son is on his mission in southern Mexico I think, I can't remember. Somewhere near the coast I believe. Their other son has only been studying in BYU Idaho for two semesters, he came home from his mission about a year ago. So I'm sure that he doesn't know Am. But we talked to them on Saturday because it was our turn to eat with them, the son is a really cool guy. That family is really funny and very kind to us.

Well, not much this week since we talked on Friday.

I hope you all have a good New Year's.

Love ya tons.

Your son,

Elder Green

25 December 2009

Telephone call to J.J.

Start: 3:14 PM
Finish: 4:28
Call time: 1 hour 14 minutes

Notes taken of our Christmas telephone call:

Doing well, sounds happy
Sunny and warm in Mexico City today
Liked his Christmas presents from home
Comp liked the present we sent for him
Chez and Shantaye told him what they got for Christmas
REALLY liked the homemade chocolate chip cookies his Mom sent him!!!
They arrived just fine – no damage. He is slowly eating them
Getting along better with his comp
At about one year he felt he had Spanish down 100%
Really likes his current Bishop and Ward Mission Leader
He would love to visit this Ward on a Sunday when he comes back with his family to visit
This is a hard area to teach the Gospel = rich people not so interested in the Gospel
Working hard to find investigators

Dad told him to work HARD the last six months of his mission – no slacking off!

Notes taken by John the Dad.

21 December 2009

Hi Family,

Well Christmas is pretty much here, that's exciting. I still don't know when I want you guys to call though... On the 24th I guess we're going to have an activity with the zone all afternoon and then stay together that night. And I guess in the morning we're going to go sing carols somewhere? They haven't explained it to us very well. And you can't talk on Christmas Eve in the morning... I can talk in the evening but I'm not sure what we will be doing. Or I can talk the 25th in the afternoon, like after 4 o' clock my time. Not sure what will work best for you. How does the 25th in the afternoon sound? Or the 24th in the evening works fine too. Can you just send me a message the 24th in the morning and let me know when you're going to call?? That'd be easiest. My number is 044-55-54-98-95-20. Same as it's always been. Or write back to this email and I'll try to check it before the 24th.

Christmas J.J. bought for his apartment.

I got the cookies this week. Did Mom not get my message?? They turned out great, thank you. I will send you some pictures. I took a picture with all of my Christmas presents under my little Christmas tree. My comp. says thank you very much for the present you gave him. He hasn't opened it yet but he was very grateful. And also, the Barajas family says thanks for the gift. I gave it to them yesterday in the chapel but I'm not sure if they've opened it or not. But they are very grateful, so thank you.Elders with their Christmas tree.

Congrats to Tiffy and Mark! That's exciting. Please keep me updated on their situation. And thank you to Lhing and Khanh for the gift. The bag looks great, I can't wait to use it when I get home. Let's hope that the Utes can pull it out this year. Another bowl win would be really great.

House where they had "a ton of these little villages".

Yes, Elder Gil is from Mexico. Somewhere from the North, can't remember the name. The Barajas family has two sons, one who is studying in BYU Idaho, and the other is on a mission.

Elder Green on Missionary Street.

The piñatas are for the kids, but it's fun to watch. I don't need to do one, but thanks anyways.
So did we do a family Christmas card this year? Never heard anything from you... Elder Green with his Christmas packages from home under his tree.

Well this email isn't very long but we will be able to talk this week on the phone which is nice :) Will you please send me a text or something to let me know when? Christmas Eve in the night works, I just don't know what we're going to be doing. Or Christmas in the afternoon is fine too. They just barely told us about this last night and it screwed up all our plans. We were invited to go eat with a family and everything, now sounds like we'll just eat pizza or something lame for Christmas dinner. But oh well. So yes, please send me a message to my phone today or tomorrow letting me know when you want to call. And remember, YOU have to call me. Anytime you'd like will work fine.

Chocolate chip cookies his Mom sent him.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Can't wait to talk to you.

Love you all!!

Elder Green

Countdown to Christmas

14 December 2009

Hi Fam.

So my DL has my packages in his house. I'm going to go pick them up after the junta tonight. I also got 3 letters, one from Am, one from Kory, and I think the other is from Mom, not sure. Thanks a bunch. Glad the cookies made it to the offices. I hope my DL picks them up on Wednesday and then gets them to me soon. We'll see. I will be sure to take a picture of them first so you can see how they turned out.

I'm glad that Patrice is doing better now. I heard something in the email from Am last week... Is Tiffy pregnant??? And if she is, you didn't tell me? Punks. :) If that's true, I'd like the details please. I didn't even know Patrice was pregnant until after the baby was born. lol.

June 11th, first World Cup game. Thanks Mom. I might make it home for a part of the World Cup.

My new DL's name is Elder Gil (pronounced "hill") He's in my generation. I don't know why the leaders would keep us together if they knew that we weren't getting along well... but that's why they fall fat with me. But oh well. The mission president came out and said that we most likely won't have another chance to go to the temple, ever. That's what I've heard at least. So we'll see if we ever go again. A new mission president is coming in June, but I won't be here for him. The mission president ends the exact same time I do.

Thanks for adding something for the Barajas family. I'm really excited to give them the gift. We ate with them yesterday and on Saturday. They're a way funny family, always making me laugh. Especially the brother. He reminds me of Dad in a way, crazy, outgoing, funny, semi-rebelious? Maybe not the last one, but he's a good guy.

The zone conference was loooong. We were there before 7am and it ended at about 3:30pm. We didn't get back to our area until after 5 o' clock. Long long day.

This past Saturday we had the stake Christmas party. It was lots of fun. Lots of people showed up. There weren't piñatas this time. I've never participated in the piñatas, but it's fun to watch.

We haven't heard anything about the Christmas call yet. I will let you know next Monday which is the last Monday before Christmas. If there is a time that won't work, be sure to tell me before next Monday. If not, then I'll just let you know which time works best. Christmas Eve in the morning Mom said you that you will be busy, so I won't plan on that. Next week I'll let you know.

Dad can look into Oawaca for the vacation, but it's not a big deal. I'd prefer Cancun much more also, so let's just plan on that.

We just got done playing soccer in one of the churches. It was lots of fun. Got some nice sun rays. Never lost a match either ;) I got sick last Friday and I'm still sick. It's like a cold, runny nose, cough type thing. The Vicks helps a lot, I love that. Hopefully it'll go away soon.

I think that is about all from this week. Next Monday we'll plan the Christmas call. Only 11 days away :) I love you all. Thanks for the emails. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Green

7 December 2009

Hello again Family.

This week was a little bit better. Thanks for the encouragement Mom :) Really means a lot. How did you know that the packages are in the mission offices? They told me last Tuesday that they had arrived, but didn't bring them to me yet. Good thing you sent them early. It doesn't seem to be the mail that slows them down, but the missionaries that don't pick them up or bring them to me. But I'll get them before Christmas. Thank you very much.

Christmas tree in the mall.

My comp. and I bought a little 2 foot Christmas tree for our house. I'll send you some pictures of it. Then I bought some lights, put those on it. Then we bought some ornaments for it, and then we finally found a little star to go on top. We were just slowly adding to it all week. I turn it on every night and it reminds me of when I was home and I'd just sit on the living room couch and stare at the lights.

Elder Quintero and Elder Green - last Monday together...

Thanks for sending the cookies and stamps off. I will take a picture of them when I get it and let you know if they made it in one piece. How will I know what present is for my comp? Did you label them somehow? I'm sure he will love it. I don't think his family is sending him anything for Christmas so I will be sure to share some of mine with him.

That's scary about what happened to Patrice. I'll keep her in my prayers and hopefully she'll recover soon. Exciting about the Utes getting a bowl game. Texas is going to the championship game? Yes. That's my team. Tell Chez he better be cheerin' for them extra hard for me! When does the World Cup start? I know it starts in June sometime, but do you know when the first game is?

Yes, the leaders knew that my comp. and I were having a hard time. That's what the ZL told the assistant when he gave him the changes, but they still wouldn't do anything about it. The leaders have been helping me out some. Our new DL talked with my comp. a little which really helped us out. To answer Dad's question, yes all the leaders knew but they still didn't want to change us. Just takin' me to the dance, like usual. The clown is gonna carry me now. Haha. (Another slang translated to English) Our Christmas tree with lights.

Yes, Crispin's wife is short just like him. But they're from Oawaca and they are a lot shorter there. It's located in the south. I've heard it has really pretty beaches and all that. Maybe we could plan that into our trip next year, but if I had to choose then I'd choose Cancun and visiting Garcia.

I heard that they put up lights at the temple here as well. But we won't be able to see them this year. President said that we can't go to the temple this change. Luckily I got to go last change, but if it wasn't for that then it'd be almost 4 months without going. We never went last transfer as a zone either. But oh well. I think that's a big motivator for the missionaries, but I guess the Prez doesn't think so... Our Christmas tree on the microwave oven.

I'm glad that you got the package that was sent, and also the Christmas letter. I will be sure to give the Barajas family the gift you are sending, they will like that. The sister is kinda like Mom, she does tons of crafts and has her house full of them for each holiday. :) The exact same stuff that Mom does. Funny huh?

I really like the jersey that I bought, looks good. I never did buy those cool paintings that I saw last year. They were only there for like a day or two, and when you told me to buy one the guy was already gone. He just lays out a blanket on the street and starts working, so he's always moving around. But maybe this Easter season I'll find more like that. Tree with lights and ornaments.

Yes my comp. isn't the best at managing his money. He runs out so I have to loan him some, but then when the monthly money comes he pays me back. And then it'll happen again, and then he'll pay me back. So I just have to deal with it until changes, and then it's someone else's problem, not mine.

I liked the picture of the toilet under the Christmas tree. Haha. Too funny. Looks nice and white trashy :) Yes, I knew that Dad shaved his head. You sent me pictures remember? I don't think I'd go that far, that's a lot of work. Just a buzz is nice. But my hair already grew back out in just a few short weeks. Night time with the tree shinning bright.

Tomorrow is our Zone Conference again. The President wants to do them all early on in the transfer, so ours is tomorrow. It will be with another Zone in their stake center at 7am, so we'll have to leave at around 5:30am to get there. We'll see how it goes. Not very excited for it though to be honest. I've never liked the zone conferences.

We talked with Mary, Liza's sister this past week, but she said that we can't continue visiting her because it is causing problems with her husband. She was very excited and wanted to get baptized and everything, but the husband got upset and so we are no longer visiting her. Bummer there. "Our tree with the star on it - the final touch".

On Friday we had our ward Christmas activity. It was pretty fun. We sang Christmas hymns, some members shared the story of Christ's birth, ate tons of food, and then the kids and sister members broke some piñatas. Piñatas are very popular here in Mexico. Yesterday we were able to go to the Christmas devotional with the First Presidency. Did you guys watch it? They weren't able to put it in English which was a let down, it's not the same in Spanish. But it was still pretty good.

Also, I was wondering about the cologne that I wanted to buy. Should I wait a little bit and then buy it? What's your opinion there. I haven't heard anything from Garcia, so if that doesn't work then it'll cost 900 pesos. Or should I just wait and find one at home for a cheaper price? It's not that big of deal, I don't really need it right now. Just wanted your opinions. (Please don't include the face wash part in my blog. Thanks) "Even though the Utes couldn't pull it out last week against BYU last week, I still sport my U. of U. blanket and pride. This is a blanket that Calaigh made and sent to me a while ago."

So Christmas is coming up soon. Let me know how we're going to do the phone call. Which day and what time. Today I'm going to talk to the leaders to see when we're getting together as a zone. Last year we got together the 24th in the morning. They said that we'll get together one day and play sports in the chapel and maybe eat, but they don't know which day yet. They said it could be the 24th or 25th, or even the 25th in the evening. Who knows. Plus, several families have invited us to eat dinner with them on the 24th. They celebrate the 24th more than Christmas day itself. They usually have a big dinner or something. And dinner here is at like 8 or 9. Definitely different time schedule than home. So I'll need to start making plans there.

I'll send you some pictures from this past week. Thanks for the emails and packages. I love you all. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Green

30 November 2009

Dear Family,

Well, not really sure what to think right now. The changes came late last night and.... I'm staying here in Lomas Verdes for another month and a half. And, I'm staying with my same companion... Wow. I couldn't believe it when I heard it. So that's the news there.

This week was alright I guess. The wedding on Tuesday was really great. It was good to see Crispin and his new wife. They got married in Oawaca on Saturday and then came here to the city on Sunday. And then on Tuesday morning they got married. I don't know if their families aren't members or something, but they just came alone. So in the sealing it was just them, my comp. and I, and a member couple from one of Crispin's old Wards. The good part about that was that I got to be one of the witnesses! That was neat. I signed his wedding certificate and everything. It was exciting to see him. I'll send you a few pictures of us at the Temple.

The Crispin newlyweds with Elder Green - one of their marriage witnesses!

We weren't able to go to the Visitor's Center last week. Liza's car broke down and so we had to cancel it. Hopefully we can go sometime this week. We'll see.

Glad to hear you all had a good Thanksgiving. My Thanksgiving was really fun. We went to Chili's and ate there on Thursday night. Plus, the Texas-Texas A&M game was on so I got to watch my team win. Bummer the Utes lost in overtime.

Sister and Brother Crispin on their wedding day - 24 November 2009 coming out of the Mexico City Temple.

Yes, I had to take out quite a bit of money lately. Yes, I did buy my Mexico jersey. A new jersey came out but I don't like it as much, but it was good because the older one was on sale. So I bought it for 320 pesos. I really like it, it fits me well. My comp. was out of money for like 2 weeks so I had to loan him some money for transportation and stuff, so that's why I had to take out more money from my account. Mexicans don't know how to use their money wisely or save up, it's extremely frustrating.

Thanks for the pictures of the house and the tree. :) I really enjoyed looking at those. I almost forgot what our house looked like... Glad to hear business is going well for GSG. Hopefully it stays that way.

Sister and Brother Crispin.

The members who sent the package weren't going to call or anything. I just packed up the box, put the address on it, and they took it with them. So it should be sent off by now because they were getting home late last night. It is the Barajas family, the one in the picture I sent you last week. They are really kind to us. I'll be sure to thank them again because I don't think they are going to let me pay for it. I told them that I am going to pay for it, they just need to tell me how much it cost, but they said "don't worry about that." But I will send them many thanks from you, Mom.

I hope you can wait until Christmas Eve to open the letter. Just put it under the tree or something like the rest of the presents.

I'm with Dad on this one, I'm not impressed with my Mission Prez either, especially now. Never really have been anyways. I hope Am is doing great on her mission, getting along with her comp well.

The newlyweds.

That's funny you got TP'd. That hasn't happened to us for so long. I liked the pictures, they made me smile. They sure did a good job. But then again, it's not hard with all the trees we have and now that the leaves have fallen.

I sure hope you get a white Christmas. This will be my third year in a row with no white Christmas, but it is what it is. I want Christmas to come quickly just so it can be over with. Christmas is a tough time, especially my second one in the mission.

Brother Crispin and Elder Green.

Glad you liked the haircut pic Dad. I thought of you when I did it. I made sure to cut it the night after our zone conference, so that way the Prez won't see me for a little while and it can grow back out ;) It's sure easy to take care of.

About the cookies, I think some chocolate chip ones would be best. Don't really want candy cane cookies at the moment. So hopefully that's not too much hassle. Maybe you can freeze them before you send them? Could make them last longer, not sure. But thanks for doing that. We'll see if they make it in one piece. I think just the cookies and the stamps are all I need at the moment. Can't think of anything else. Thanks fam.

Well, I hope you have a great December. Wish me luck, I'll for sure need it to survive here.

I love you all.

Elder Green

23 November 2009

Hello again family,

Sounds like you all had a fun, busy week. Lots of sports and activities. My week went pretty well, still surviving my comp... barely. This Sunday they will tell us about changes and I'm almost positive we will get changes, been together for 3 months now. But since we both arrived here at the same time there is no saying in who will stay and who will go. Guess we'll find out next week.

Getting a haircut.

Congrats to Danny and Patrice on having their baby! That's very exciting. Glad to hear that all is going well with the mom and baby. Very exciting about Real Salt Lake as well. Sounds like we had a good team this year. Thanks Mom for the text last night. :)

Sure wish I could be there for the Thanksgiving meal at Grandma's house. I'm not sure what we are going to do here. Maybe go to some restaurant and eat like I did last year. It's not a very big holiday here at all.

"I saw this and I was 100% sure that it was Chez in the picture!! Do we really look that much alike? Wow."

Thank you for getting the packages sent off to me. I can't wait. I wrote back to the Relief Society letter and it'll go out this Wednesday in Pouch. I also wrote a family Christmas letter that goes out this week. But you can't open it until Christmas Eve! I wrote on the back of the letter: "Don't open until Dec. 24th" so you know which one it is. That will be my small gift to the family this year, so no opening presents before Christmas.

"Nice little reverse Mohawk"

I got the package all ready to go and gave it to the members yesterday. They are leaving Wednesday for Texas and are going to shop a ton on Friday morning. They are such a great family. It's the couple who has one son in the mission and another in BYU. The brother is our ward mission leader and they are always so kind to us. So I got a picture with them yesterday. We'll see when the package gets there. Please let me know when it arrives. It's just a small brown box. I only sent my big rain coat and the hammock. But please don't open the bag the hammock is in until I get home. There's a special way you have to take it out or it will get horribly tangled up. Thanks :)

Buzzed head...

It's crazy but exciting that I only have 5 changes left. The time goes by fast sometimes and really slow other times. I think this span of 6 months has gone by the slowest. The first 6 months passed by way fast, and then from 6 months to a year went by really quick also. But from a year to a year and a half has been pretty slow, and there's still a whole month left. Everyone says the second year goes by faster... but we'll see. "Ha..."

I'll let you two work out the details on the Mexico trip for next year. It doesn't matter to me who all goes, so you can decide. I'm also glad that I don't have Am's mission president, sounds rough.

I haven't bought my Mexico jersey yet. I will try to look for it today or sometime this week. I'd like to buy it in this area because there are lots of malls here with the shops where they sell them. I'll try to find it as soon as possible.

"Say cheese"

Glad you liked the lawn mowing pictures. And yes Dad, I guess that would make you super old fashioned :) Haha. Sorry Pops.

Thanks again for getting the packages out, I'm very excited. I'll be sure to wait until Christmas to open them, except for the cookie package. One thing that I will need in the next package is more stamps. I think I only have like 4 or 5 left... I wrote a bunch of letters this past week trying to get them out before Christmas. So if you could send a few more books of stamps in the next package. Can you send stamps with letters? I heard once that you can't, but if you can then in the next family letter that you send out. Thanks a bunch.

Elder Green and Elder Quintero.

The zone conference was pretty good. We were two zones that got together for this conference so there were more missionaries than normal. We did a whole lot of practicing and trying out a new way to contact and knock doors. It was interesting and a lot different, but we'll see how it works out. We are still working with the 9 year old boy, but there's nothing more we can do. He's ready and just waiting for his parents. We went this week but weren't able to find his parents, their work hours vary a lot. On Wednesday we are taking Liza, Mary, and Maria to the Visitor's Center, that should be a great experience. Hopefully that will help them with their baptism. We challenged them last week to pray and ask when they should get baptized, so we'll see how that went.

Missionary activity in Sacrament so all the Elders and Sisters received a flower arrangement for their missionary badges.

Could you send me some pictures of the house once you get all the lights up and the tree up and all that? Or maybe some pictures with snow and the house or anything like that. I like to see those, just like you did last year. You can email the photos, that’s just fine. Or any cute Christmas pics you can come up with. Thank you very much. :)

The Barajas family with Elder Green.

Tomorrow I get to go to Crispin's wedding! I'm so excited. We have to leave at like 6 am. to get there in time but it'll be great to see him again.

Barajas family and J.J.

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures with him. This week is week number 6, the last one of the change. We're pretty busy almost all week so I'm sure it'll go by fast. Then we'll see what's up with changes. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving day! I love you all very much. Oh yeah, one more thing.. I got a haircut last week ;) I'll send you some pictures of it. Elder Quintero and I decided to cut our hair together, good times.

Love you family! Have a great week. Eat lots and watch lots of football for me. :)

Love,

Elder Green

16 November 2009

Hola familia.

That's exciting about the snow storm that hit you guys. I sure do miss that. I even miss shoveling the driveway, believe it or not. It's been pretty warm here the past few days, doesn't feel like the holiday season at all. Except for all the Christmas stuff they are putting out everywhere.

I'll be sure to get everything set up with the members about sending my package. I should see them tomorrow night because the brother is our ward mission leader and we have a meeting. This week there is a holiday in Mexico so there were no classes held today and not many people are working. So we got together in the church and played some basketball with a few elders and several ward members. It was tons of fun. I'm way tired now but it was worth it. Most fun I've had in quite a while. It helped a lot to blow some steam off also, last night was a really rough night. But I won't get into that.

3+ story high Christmas tree in the shopping mall.

Elder Hoyt doesn't go home until May, one change, or 6 weeks, before I do. So he'll still be here with me for most of the time. Only 5 more changes left for me here in the mission, that's kinda exciting. Tomorrow we have our zone conference with our mission president, we'll see how that goes.

J.J.'s comp inside the shopping mall painted to look like you are outside.

I didn't know if the Mexico trip next year would be a family one or just me and the parents. Whatever you two decide is fine with me, I'm down for whatever. Seems like you two both had different plans in mind on that subject. :)

Elder Green doing service work.

The 9 year old boy, we were finally able to talk with his parents. They said that they want to baptize him in a different part of Mexico because they have a lot of family there, so I'm not sure if we'll be doing the baptism or not, doesn't seem like it.

I sure hope Amberlee is doing fine. Bummer that she couldn't even go buy a pillow. When I got to Mexico, the very first thing I had to do was buy a pillow, I think it was my second or third day. But I hope she is enjoying the mission.

Elder Green the missionary lawn maintenance man.

Elder Tenorio gave his talk in Spanish. But he did share an experience of how he had to learn English, it was pretty neat.

"Super old fashioned lawn mower".

Thanks for getting some ties for me, that's perfect. Basically all I really wear as a missionary so I always pick the bright, pretty looking ones. Hopefully the cookies will make it, this will be our first test. I can't think of anything else I would want for Christmas. So just whatever you come up with is fine. I will try to buy that Mexico jersey as soon as I can. Today I don't have much time because our meeting is now at 5pm, not 6. And it's in my last area so it takes us a little bit to get there. I'm getting sick of so many meetings, and they're SO long now, but I give the ZL's an ear full on it. The lawn cutting companionship.

Things have been going well with Liza. She is by far the best convert I've had. We are now teaching her sister and mom who went to her baptism. We went with them on Wednesday because they invited us over to eat breakfast, they had a ton of questions but we answered them all. Then we taught them the Plan of Salvation. Her sister, Mary, wants to get baptized already. But her husband isn't convinced yet so we will keep working with her and hopefully time and the Lord's help will open his heart. They've gone to church two weeks now and they absolutely loved it. They said they've never felt a spirit so strong or a feeling like that before. And plus, they are way way kind to us. This past week, they gave us a new jacket each because my comp. didn't have one, a tie each, a pair of socks each, they gave us a few blankets and pillows for the house, and we've eaten breakfast with them twice. On Thursday, we went over to Liza's house to help her cut her lawn, I'll send you some pictures of that. We used one of those super old fashioned lawn mowers that you push by hand, it was actually pretty fun. Hopefully we will be able to baptize Mary and her mom Maria before the change is up, only two more weeks left.

Elder Green and Elder Cerano.

That's pretty much the highlight of the week. Thanks again for the emails, they help a lot. And the letters. I got two this week, one from Shantaye and one from Am. I love you guys. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Green

9 November 2009

Hi Family!

Thanks for the emails, they were great as always. Dad, just for your information, oldest son is said Hijo mayor. :) Better start practicing up your Spanish for next August. Hehe. So Halloween came and went like that. And now November is a third of the way done. It's been really cold the last week with a cold breeze. I wore my sweater everyday I believe. I got a little cold but nothing serious, just a stuffy nose which is really annoying. It's almost gone now though. The cool fall weather makes me feel really trunky. Haha.

I am in the process of asking for permission to go to Crispin's wedding. I sure hope they let me. The last time I saw him I still didn't speak Spanish that well, so it would be cool to be able to see him and talk with him again. Fingers crossed there.

Elder Green, Sister Liza Garza Acosta, Elder Cerano.

Glad you were able to talk to Am for a little bit. I'm sure she's excited to be out in the field now, that's way exciting. I will email Amberlee a little bit, but she probably won't have time to email back. And yes, I realized that the Dear Elders won't go to her free in her mission, bummer. Not sure how I want to do it yet, but thanks for the address. Kory and I write letters but it takes forever in between. It's like a two month wait because the letter will get to him, then he'll write back, and then send it off to me and I have to wait for it.

Yes, Trevor seems to be doing "really great" in Argentina. I wouldn't say that Mexico is "really great" but it's going.. I talked to some members who have a son in BYU and asked them about the package. They said that for Thanksgiving they are going to Texas to shop. All the Christmas deals come out the day after Thanksgiving. And they said that they can take my package for me and then they'll send it from Texas. Said it'll be a lot safer and easier, and cheaper. :) Your thoughts? Dad's not planning on going to Texas around that time is he? haha. Just kidding.

Elder Green, Liza and Elder Cerano.

The Thursday conference was really great. It was Elder Tenorio from the Area Presidency. He is a really funny guy and the conference was great. It was a nice change from the Prez. always planching us. Do you understand that word? To planch? I'm not sure if it's a mission term here or if it's normal English. Ha. Oops. Planchar means to iron in Spanish, so if he "planches" us it's like he's.... how do you say it? Regañando? haha. Wow, how do you say this in English?? Ummm.. This is embarrassing... :) Like he scolds us? Is that the word. Hold on, I'm going to look it up on the Internet real quick. . . . . Hmmm. It says "scold". Guess that's the word you'd use. Anyways! It was a nice break from the Prez always getting mad at the mission. :) Tenorio was a really great guy, really funny too. I enjoyed the conference very much. The Mission Prez and his wife spoke to us, and then Elder Tenorio and his wife.

For Christmas, I'm not sure what kind of food I'd want. Nothing too fattening like before, I'm going to really cut down these last 6 months. Lots of Pop tarts, Jerky for Garcia is fine if you want. I'm not sure what else. Just whatever you find is OK. Homemade cookies? Can you send those?? Or will they not make it? I haven't had those since the MTC. You can send some good looking American ties :) If you ever ended up getting some of those... not sure. Pretty colors, nothing boring. I like pretty ties. I also want to buy an original Mexico jersey, they're really slick lookin'. They cost around 900 pesos I think. But that's something I want before I go home. Also, a new cologne. Garcia had this cologne that smelt really good, and I saw it the other day for 900 pesos. But then I was talking to him and he said he knows a place where it only costs like 300 pesos, 400 max. So he's going to help me out there. :)

The Bishop, Elder Green, Liza's Mom, Liza, Liza's sister, a recent convert and Elder Cerano.

I think the package will get here in time if you send it by the first of December, but not too sure. Because once it gets to the offices, then they have to take it out to the different zones, then if the DL forgets to grab it... lots can happen. The earliest you can is the safest. Elder Hoyt gave me his sweater because he knew I loved it and he's my Partner In Crime. I'm sure you'll meet him after the mission, he's from southern Utah. Love that cat.

Yes, put the pyramids on our list of things to visit in August. I'm asking around of cool things to visit here. Will it be a family trip? Or have you not decided that yet?

We had a baptism on Friday morning, it was really great. The most spiritual baptism I've ever had. Liza was a golden reference. We were all teary eyed most of the service. I will send you some pics of the baptism. Liza Garza Acosta is her full name.

"A really bad burn line after playing soccer last Monday. Not sure how I burnt my legs."

I'll be sure to write Aunt Theo another thank you letter. Very, very kind of her to donate some more. Yes, ingratitude is a huge pet peeve of mine, so I'll be sure to write her. One thing that my comp. never does and it drives me crazy. Never says Please or Thank You. Grrr.

Yes, I was able to find the razors in Walmart, thank you. Sorry about the iTunes. I bought a few Spanish CD’s, they really help me learn Spanish so much faster. I think that's the best way to learn, is listening to Spanish music and looking up the lyrics. I've learned a ton lately. I don't listen to CD’s because I don't have a CD player. So I have to put them onto my iPod first but that's quick.

I got a letter from the Relief Society last week. Do you want me to send the response to you Mom? I'm assuming so because you're the President, right? How is that calling going for you?

Well, I think that's about all for this week. The change is half way over already. I love you all. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Green

2 November 2009

Hi Family.

Funny how Mom and Dad put the same title in their emails. Was that on purpose? Yes, Halloween is now over. It went by fast but feels like October went by really slow for some reason. Halloween was just a normal day for me, I even forgot it was Halloween. But at night when we were walking home there were some kids out trick or treating and then I remembered. Not like last year when Crispin and I painted our faces as the Joker from Batman, that was lots of fun. I can't believe a whole year has passed now. Crispin is getting married in like 3 weeks I think. I'm going to try to attend because it'll be here in the Mexico City temple.

Very exciting that Amberlee is leaving the MTC! I'm sure she's happy about that. You don't have her mission address yet do you? I told her she has to send it to me so we can write. Can I send her emails? Maybe she won't be able to write back to them, but could she at least read them?? I can't believe you still have the messages I left when I went to the airport. I'd like to hear those when I get back. :)

I haven't bought the razors from Walmart yet, we haven't had a chance to go this week. I will try to go this week. I don't need more long sleeve shirts, I have 3 already. But if I need one I can find one here, thanks.

Yes I still talk to Trevor from Macey's. He's doing really great in Argentina. We email every few weeks. I will try to ask some members about sending a package. I'm sure they will know because several members have kids studying in BYU and the US. They have lana. (Slang for money)

There are always lots of meetings the first week of changes, that's nothing new. Yes, I agree that this church has way too many meetings and I've never been a fan of that. This week there is someone coming to talk to our whole mission, and my zone is going on Thursday. I can't remember his name, but I think he's a member of the area presidency or something important like that. Should be a good conference hearing from him.

Yes, I have played on the basketball court several times. I played there when I wasn't in this area, two changes ago. And we've played there a few times since I've been here. Today we went to play soccer at some park and it was really fun. Some members took us and we had a good time. I'm way out of shape. I'm exhausted now and my body hurts. Haha.

For Christmas, I'm thinking just some food maybe. Or maybe some more church videos. Like the new Joseph Smith one, well I guess it's not new anymore. But the longer one about his whole life. And not too much junk food, I'm going to try to cut back for my last 6 months. I love pop tarts and haven't had those for quite a while. You sent like 2 in the last package which was really great, so maybe more of those would be nice. I also need more hair gel. Mom knows what kind I use. It's the Got 2 Be Glued that comes in a yellow container. I think just one or two bottles at the most will be fine, thank you. :)

We got soaked in the rain this week. Thursday night I believe. It started raining at 3 and didn't stop til late at night. Not a big deal because I'm used to getting wet. You just deal with it, like Dad said.

The sweater I have isn't from a member. It's from Elder Hoyt, one of my best friends in the mission. He gave it to me. A member made me a scarf but never a sweater. Don't know if I'll ever be able to see the volcanoes, but I'd sure love to. The mission isn't letting us go places on Mondays anymore, it's very rare if they do. They're starting to be more strict and don't let us have much fun... The pyramids, I think we'll have to see those on our trip back next August. I didn't even notice the difference in the Dr. Pepper can. But then again, how long has it been since I've seen an American D.P.?

We might have a baptism this week, hopefully. It's a reference that we started working with about 2 weeks ago and she wants to get baptized. We still need to teach her the commandments but I think we'll do that tomorrow and then baptize her Wednesday possibly. We'll see how things go there. Keep praying for that. And the next week we should have another baptism. It's a 9 year old boy who's parent's are less active and he wants to get baptized. So hopefully everything works out okay there.

I think that's most of the big news this week. November is here, that's a happy day! :) I love you all! Have a great week. Thanks for all you do, it means so much to me.

Love ya!

Elder Green

26 October 2009

What's up Fam!

How are things going in Utah? Thanks for the emails again this week, they were great to read like always. Sounds like Dad is busy on travels, hope business goes well for him! I'm not sure that I miss raking leaves that much, but next fall I'll be there to help you all out.

Elder Green and Elder Garcia with his beef jerky sent to Elder Garcia from J.J.'s parents.

Yes Mom, Christmas time is coming up quickly. It's next transfer actually. This transfer will end the first day of December. I haven't thought of anything that I need at the moment. I thought of a few things, but then realized that I don't want them anymore. I'll try to think of something but nothing comes to mind at the moment.

Thanks again for the package, the socks are great. I gave the beef jerky to Elder Garcia at changes last Tuesday and he was so so excited. He wanted Dad's email so he could email you guys and say thanks, not sure if he wrote you yet or not? I took a picture of us two and I'll send it to you today. I love that guy, I really miss him. By far the best companion I've had and probably will ever have. Thanks for sending the jerky so I could give it to him. Also, I don't know if I ever told you about Sister Lopez? She was in my district when I was with Garcia, I'm sure you have pictures of her. Well, she's in my generation and they all wanted pictures at changes so we took some of us all together. That was such a great district, the best I've had by far.

Elder Garcia, Sister Lopez and Elder Green.

That is very exciting about Patrice's baby. Do they have a name picked out yet? I can't believe there will be 4 kids in that family now... Wow. :) I will be sure to forward the invitation to Elder Quintero and let him know that he's welcome at our house. He's from Northern Mexico, close to the border. But I don't remember what part exactly. I also don't know what part of Argentina my bishop is from, I've never asked him. One of my best buddies, Trevor, is in Argentina right now. We worked together at Macey's, I think Mom met him a few times.

The confirmation was a good experience. Nice to have done one and have a little experience under the belt. Not sure if it's a serious anxiety problem, but who knows. It happens over little things, more lately than ever. I remember when I had to have my Doc appointment before the mish, they took my blood pressure and it was high because I couldn't slow my heart beat down. Ha. Oops. That's why they took it like 3 times that day, not sure if Mom remembers or even noticed. But it's not a bad thing, I just get nervous I guess. But the power of prayer sure is incredible. Sister Missionary (J.J. doesn't know her name), Elder Garcia, Sister Lopez and J.J.

I will try to get the razor blades from Walmart this week. I haven't ever found envelopes in Mexico but there has to be some. Maybe in an Office Max or something, there's one of those in my area. My area isn't more humid than other's I've been in, just the house. The house is humid and it was the rain season which made it worse. It's been a little drier lately with some heat, but then it gets cold again. Who knows what's up with the weather, I sure don't. I just deal with whatever comes.

Now to answer Mom's questions. The sweater I have works great, it never gets too cold here. Just spring and all weather all the time for the most part. That big coat that I brought with me? I've used it several times in the mission but honestly not that much. I was actually thinking about sending some stuff home this past week, but it could be fairly expensive. Like that big coat that takes up lots of space, my hammock, and just other t-shirts that I don't need. I'm not even sure how to do it, I'll have to ask around for help. I haven't gone to the Mexico volcanoes yet, but I can see the big one from my area. It's clear on the other side of the city, but on a clear day you can see it. Yes, there are still some things I want to buy as "mementos" from Mexico. I've never heard that word before, mementos. Sounds like Mentos, the fresh maker. ;) I'll keep my eye open for more of those. (The souvenir stuff, not the mints. lol.)

J.J. stocked his fridge with Dr. Pepper from a "Sev-Run".

Picture sent especially for J.J.'s Dad.

That's cool a new Porsche came out. I actually saw one last week and wanted to take a picture but didn't have my camera on me. It was a silver 911 Turbo, fairly new also. Definitely made me think of Dad :) And I see Cayannes all the time here. (Not sure how to spell that, but the SUV one.) Those are fairly common in this area.

Glad you liked the pics I sent last week. I think the glass in front of the font is for safety reasons, yes Dad. But it fogs up when you put in hot water which is a pain. J.J.'s new velcro shoes bought in Mexico City.

This past week we had tons of meetings. Way too many. And they were way far away and we spent a bunch of money getting to the chapels and then coming back to our area. Sorry I've taken so much money out this past week or two, I'm honestly trying not too but we have no choice. The mission doesn't give us money until this upcoming Sunday or Monday, November. And also, we've had a few problems with the food appointments these past two weeks where the members have forgotten or weren't home, so we ate in the streets. It's not a big deal, except the mission doesn't give us money to eat on the streets so we're low on money. I'll probably have to take more out this week, sorry. Once again, the mission is "taking us to the dance."

How is Rosko doing? Is he behaving a little better now? Can't wait to meet that lil' guy. Sure looks cute. This weekend was our stake conference, Saturday and Sunday. We went to all 3 sessions, it was really good. There were some good messages and a lot of people. This stake is 5 wards and the stake center(my chapel) was filled all the way to the back stage. This is the probably the one and only church in Mexico that is designed like ours back home. It has a big basketball court and everything as a gym.

Oh yeah, I weighed myself this week.. just for you Dad ;) And I weigh 82 kilos, which is 180 lbs. If I remember right, when I entered the MTC I weighed 176 lbs, so I think I'm doing ok there. I might set a goal to lose a few kilos before I come home. I try to exercise at least every other day, in the mornings. We might go running some mornings as well.

Well, I think that's about all the news from this week. I love you Mom and Dad and kiddos! Have a great week. Try not to get sick. Love ya!

Love,

Elder Green