Week 18

Hey guys!

  I  really don't know how to start these emails anymore. It seems like I always start with hey guys...haha but this week was awesome. just so you guys know, I only have 1 comp...Elder Mathis...the other two are in our ward though, but they have a whole another area. 

   Me and Math have been contacting alot in the streets, taxis, busses, metrobus, and all that. We have a goal for 12 baptisms for march (what a coincidence with my birthday being the 12th) but I know we can do it. Our zone leaders said that we have the highest baptisms in the zone and the highest or one of the highest in the mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's so awesome, but I don't want it to get to my head because the Lord does everything for us. We had another 6 people at church yesterday and 2 confirmed. We only had 2 out of the 4 get baptised which is awesome believe me I'm so happy, and once again I got to baptize. I forgot her name for the first 20 seconds and didn't want to have to ask her again in the water, but all was good, she came up joking though. I didn't know what to do...but we baptised a lady and her 13 year old daughter.  
The service was awesome and my animo (encouragement)  goes up every time I get to witness a baptism, and it's so cool to have our zone meetings every sunday,  because I  get to see how this work is so perfectly put together,  to be able to see the Lord and all these missionaries working together.

  I love walking around the city at night; being able to just eat and do whatever you want. It's so lively. We watched the 2 mujeres( women) get confirmed and we have a load of investigators now with baptism dates. We have one lady this saturday and she is so chosen its ridiculous. She read all the way through the end of Mosiah in the week that we didn't see her. Normally we have to see these people and call the everyday to make sure they are doing good and that the devil hasn't gotten to them yet. It's like these are my little children and me and Elder Mathis are the parents taking care of them and teaching them everything they need to know about life. 

    A couple are going to get married on valentines day and then baptized 2 days later. His mom already did all the family history work for their family, so they will be sealed in the temple as a family for ever!!!. that Is the best feeling in the world, to know that the Lord has used me to help these people get sealed for time and all eternity. Missionary work is sooooo awesome. I wish my family and friends all moved here so I could do this for the rest of my life. I took pictures of our apartment and chapel so you guys can see it thanks to the advice of Christopher. The Lord is blessing us sooo much is too much really. I want to share these people with other missionaries so that we can all feel on the same level. The other elders in our district have the biggest area in the mission and struggle with their members and investigators, but our ward has had 10 baptisms in 2 months and 2 more this saturday. 

   I've learned again just how much Satan is attacking these people, those who aren't members couldn't see this, which really is a testimony builder of how much Satan is trying to destroy humankind, the super catholics seem to fight against us too. They will talk with our investigators and tell them terrible things about us and then we have to fight back. It really is just a big war that we are in. There is no other way of describing it as a battle of souls, but the Lord is increasing his troops and forces. I have so much a better understanding of how to help people progress and fend for themselves. I'm trying to be super humble. I've learned that the only person that can destroy a missionary is himself, and his pride. I've seen a bit of pride in me and maybe a little in Elder Mathis too and it's no good. This work would destroy itself from the inside with pride being the cause. One of our investigators named Carlos can't move or leave a bed, he's old and had a hip surgery. We taught him the first two lessons but then he got really really sick, he can't talk, swallow, move, or do anything. he can't open his eyes and we gave him another blessing. Actually that night I had a dream about him, that he was healed and we were playing frisbee, I have never been talked to through dreams before, but I think the Lord is telling me that everything will be alright if I have the faith sufficient. (or if I practice frisbee, one of the two)

  I had to write a talk for church yesterday, I spent 3 hours preparing this boss talk and then they didn't have me give it because there wasn't enough  time. I'm loving the dear elders and emails from all of you guys, keep it up really your helping me so much keep my spirits high. Although I make it sound all fun and baptisms, its still depressing a lot of times in the big city with all the crime and pornography everywhere, as far as the city goes. I felt pretty good this last week with the language. now that I've gotten through stage two of language I can understand cuss words and slang, I liked it before though that I knew them. 

  Some guy in a micro  dropped a coke and it splattered all over me all over my tie and white shirt, at first I was mad, but then I was filled with the spirit of love and it didn't bother me at all. We talked and I accepted a baptism date!! just joking!! I wish, it's not that easy to get baptism dates. We also have another investigator with a million and a half questions. I've never seen anything like her. She is 20 ;) and reads everything that we give her. She even said she knew it was all true without even praying or anything. She is scheduled for the 2nd of marzo (March) . 

   I'm glad to hear that everyone is keeping busy. Keep up the good work mom with the ortho and all that and I hope dad finds the fun that's is there with the scouts I know Jeff did. This next monday we should be going to the centro (downtown), which is the center part of the city with broken ruins and shops everywhere. I'm still slowly getting used to nopal (cactus ) and mole, which is chile chocolate stuff, luckily I didn't throw up in the baptismal fount because I felt sick after we ate enmoladas or enchiladas de mole. I sent a picture of it. Things really are amazing here. I have the best ward (second best) in the world and my bishop is finally content with our work, having one of the highest baptismal count in the whole D.F I would love to see some pictures or have some sent to me. I've been looking at the the pass out cards too long and the folletos (pamphlets) that I have all the pages memorized. Keep up the good work there in Eugene and I'll do the same here. Remember that God exists and all we need to do is trust every prompting of the spirit ever and we will be living the best life ever. I don't know if that made any sense. I  love you all and will be writing soon, hopefully I can write a few more letter today. i love you again.

 love Michael

Week 17

   OH man, the best week ever no joke, just like the last one and the one before that; but my mission only gets better which then makes me miss home more though. 

  Our apartment is freezing every morning. Yeah,  I'm in mexico but that doesn't mean anything compared to how high we are. Our gas ran out so we had to take freezing cold showers and our power has been out for a while. So there is nothing to eat but cereal which then makes you even more cold, but everything in our fridge is done for  I wasn't very thrifty this month. I only have 40 pesos for the next week, which is enough to buy some floss no joke, but this has been the week of miracles. 

  So first two of our investigators cancelled their baptism because the mom had to work. We fasted and she went to her boss for the third time to ask for the time off and she got it!!!!! with that, her son that didn't want to meet with us joined us at church with his wife (actually their not married, but everyone in mexico counts them as married) he loved it and wants to get baptized with his family in a week. He's already gone twice now so its totally possible. Also...another one of our investigators that we have only met with once wants to get baptized this Saturday. She's gone 4 times and knows better than me that the church is true ( just joking, but basically) We had a 2 hour lesson with her and taught her everything before church sunday, then she had the interview after church. that's 2 in 1 week baptisms.

   I have never ever seen such faith and desire to make a covenet with the Lord, but after this week we should have 5 more baptisms, but I believe were going to have to push 1 back a week or two because her husband doesn't want her to get baptized untill after she had her baby which is in 3 months.. no way.. not going to happen esposo (husband),  but we had a calm week with the dogs. nothing to say, except I saw another dead dog in the street. We had 5 investigators show up at church and 7 less actives come. I had a feeling( vision if you will) that one of my investigators had the preisthood and blessed his baby girl. we will see what he has in store. all i know is that the Lord is in charge completely of his work and that I'm nothing but a tool that's broken.  The Lord is watching over us and I can't see the blessings of being exactly obedient. I feel like samuel the lamanite in zarahemla and I have to preach the gospel to a huge city.

   I hope you guys could see on the google maps where I live. I wasn't actually allowed to do that I believe I could be wrong, but I got some dear elders from Christopher, Ashley and Dad,  and a letter from the bishop that was super nice to read,  and here about how much harder Erick's mission is than mine. I have a new testimony of electricity and how nice it is. I also miss warmth, peanut butter again, chase village, soccer (yeah soccer were not allowed to play it) but it's like my new favorite sport. I really enjoy how lively this city is all night and day, people are always in the streets and music is playing everywhere you go, and on the micros we have a new idea of preaching to everyone on there, but that takes more courage than I have.

   I learned a new cuss word today. I actually learned it from a native missionary that says it but really shouldn't. We had a nice zone conference again this week and I learned a lot about planning ahead. I wrote two letter and am going to send them home this sunday. One to Christopher and Ellie and one to Christopher Strub. I realized that this is the best mission in the world, but I think I knew it the whole time. People here are so ready , all we need is 5000 more elders to work because the city is so big. The language was actaully harder than normal this week, but I'm getting there.

   Things are said very weirdly and it's hard to think that way. l for example the verb to realize like I realized translates to spanish as I gave myself account. Even weirder stuff that my mind doesn't permit me to think about right now. My journal is so cool. It's like I'm writing a book and it's going to be published when I get home. I'm so happy to be on my mission with all of my friends and that the Eugene 5th ward can represent. 

 Congratz to Mckenna, she's going to return before I do...hahaha..... but that's ok. A less active started talking about Jehovas witnesses in church today and totally ruined the spirit in gopel doctrine class. Lucky Elder Jones in our ward "shut him up with a boss testimony about Joseph Smith" anyways I am wanting to write more but I don't know what you guys want to hear. I took a bucket shower for the first time and it was terrible,  but I really need to humble myself I  realized that even in my letters I'm way to prideful and it's not good,  but I love everyone of you and think about home all the time which I  shouldn't but I do anyways.

   I  love sundays and it's the best day of the week,  being able to renew my covenants is the best thing ever. really the Lord is so merciful. I also stated to realize how different our message is to the world, from Joseph Smith, to a prophet who talks with God, to baptisms for the dead , to 19 year old  guerros (warriors) in mexico, but that's what makes it so perfect. All I know is that God lives and works miracles in my work, I'm just glad to be apart of it. I feel bad that I'm not a better example and representaive of him. I love you all and will talk to you next week. 

love,  Michael

Week 16- 3 picture and a Link

Michael has shared a link with us. You can see exactly where he is. He was joking when he said he is right next to the jungle.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=2883+Bailey+Lane,+Eugene,+OR,+United+States&daddr=R%C3%ADo+Papaloapan&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=22.917923,-69.433594&spn=95.917539,186.152344&sll=19.308273,-99.268443&sspn=0.003362,0.005681&geocode=FSKNoAIdczWq-CnTemwkHuLAVDFf6A7v6lQ2gA%3BFdqiJgEd20QV-g&oq=rio+pa&t=h&mra=ls&z=3


Here are more pictures:

Week 16

Hey guys!!! Im back!!!

   I had a wonderful week, one of the fastest that has passed by yet. We had wonderful weather all week and actually me and elder Mathis fell asleep in the sun during language study. I'm so lucky to have such a sick mission. Really the best mission in the world. The only thing is I'm still not the biggest fan of big cities seriously, everyone gots to experience this city once. I've decided that when I'm back from my mission, after a certain time I'm going to return in car and visit all the hot spots of the country. Maybe even another road trip with the old gang or the old family. 

   We normally can handle the dogs here, but we got chased by a straight wolf, at like 9:25 we were running back home to make it in in time. We have a bad habit of spending to much time with our investigators, because we teach and then after everyone pulls out all the food. It was way dark and a straight wolf was all barking and holding its ground. It then chased us I actually got it on camera. I really want to get some dog videos I think you guys would love them. Luckily it just ran right by us. Speaking of dogs, there is a wild dog in the midle of this intershop laying next to me. Me and elder Mathis have been arguing whether or not the book of mormons title is "the book of mormon" or the "book of mormon" either way it was so stereotypical missionary argument. 

  On sundays the city comes alive which makes the day of rest a hard commandment for people to follow. There are "tiagnis" which are those small food shops all over the streets and taco shops every three feet. This sacrament meeting was crazy. First we had 4 investigators show up.  They ran out of water in the cups and so some people just didn't get to take it. 

So mexico... then a wild dog ran into the middle of the foyer and was running wild, people were trying to grab it. Us, 4 elder were cracking up. Then an hermano (brother) gave a talk about temple recomends. He actually made people raise their hand if they didn't have their recomend valid. He starting to planch them or chew them out. The Bishop had to get up and tell him to change the topic. Babies cry all the time because there are tons of babies here and the parents never ever ever take them out. You guys might not believe me but while walking home from comida (Food)  one day we saw a guy in the middle of a road crapping in the street. Straight taking a dumb with kids and everyone around. Stepping in human crap is twice as worse as dog crap. 

   One of our investigators kept talking about reincarnation. While her granddaughter wants to kill herself or something. It was a weird lesson but I still think she is a chosen investigator. We put a date with the daughter of the lady that we baptized, at first she didn't want anything to do with her, but she saw her moms baptism and accepted a date for the 26, that's 3 more this month for the 26th and more lined up for next month. I'm so blessed to be in a mission where you can physically see your success it makes me humble myself when I think of some of those euro missions that are rough. There are a lot of beggars that see us and think we are rich but really as missionaries your pretty poor.  I think that is  to keep you humble and thrifty!!   

  We got some dominos pizza and it was the best thing I've ever tasted. The spanish too is coming along nicely. I just sent two letters today to Ashley and Harrison, speaking of Harrison. I received a package yesterday from him that he sent a month ago. I opened it in the back of a taxi. I got some candy, a cookie in a tin can thing and a nutcracker that tells 4 really cheesing jokes. I gave the taxi's  some of my sour patch kids and he wanted a bit more. So when I offered him more he took 3 fourths the bag...hahaha... he then saw my cookies and literally wanted them from me. He was really interested in us guerros  and our purpose the city. It being sunday and I couldn't actually sell him it. We agreed on the cost of the taxi, at first I would have gave it to him free if he went to the capilla (Chapel) this sunday. Harrison could have been part of saving someone's soul, but he didn't want to. 50 pesos. I thought it was a good deal. I'm sorry though Harrison for selling your cookie to a taxist. He liked us so much that We took some pictures at the end. I'll send that one home. 

  I've learned this week just how much we are in a war zone here against  Satan. I say that all the time, but we are literally fighting a war here with our pens as our swords. No actually, the libro (book) and the spiritu (spirit) as our weapons. We worked really hard this week and we have seen success every day. I'm not looking forward to the day when I'm put through the slow phase of my mission, because its all action all day long. We went to a restaurant and I had no idea what I order but it was good. We got agua (water) de melon which is my favorite drink here. You guys should make it. It's just water, sugar, and cantaloupe. It's the best thing that's ever gone through my mouth. Things I miss this week though are good sleep, lemon juice, Harry Potter again, and the Prince of Egypt. 

  We have a zone conference this wednesday and I'm going to get my hair cut again today. I love hearing from you and I'm curios about the old blog. People say that they are reading it and like it. I hope Ellie is getting all of my photos, but were going to buy some more food for the house, We are out again and I'm already running low on pesos again. I weighed myself and I dropped 10 pounds. AHHH yeyh!! I've never lost pounds ever in my life. One of our investigators that "had" a baptismal date we found drunk. It's really hard to get these people to stop drinking and smoking weed, because everyone does it. I haven't seen or heard anything crazy (at least that i haven't seen before) in a while, no guns or dogs, except for one. A huge mother dog as big as the one on the sand lot. Me and elder Mathis had that exact scene in that movie where we are hoping fences and running through theaters and the dog on our tail. (not really, but kinda) another contact dogs almost got my leg. I got a video of it after. I'm always laughing at dogs here, it's really indescribable how many there are and I literally saw a dog wait for cars to pass and walk across after looking both ways. 

  We heard some thunder a couple nights ago, the night that it rained. Belen one of our investigators is pregnant with her third child, she 19 and her two kids are crazy wild, they were drawing and ripping everything I had, while teaching a lesson I fought off the kids and elder Mathis taught. We kind of had the spirit there, but I got punched in the nose during the prayer. Things are going great here and the package from Harry helped enlighten my days even more. I love you all and expect I will be writing sooner than you or I think ;) 

Love,  Elder Ordway, qué Dios les bendiga!!! ( God's Bless)

Week 15

Hey guys!!! I'm back!! 

  This week was so awesome like normal. I got to talk to my mission President just one on one for a while which doesn't happen because there are so many missionaries in this mission. Mexico City is really calmed down. People are so drunk all the time and it's been a while since I've seen someone passes out right outside our door. 

   We got paid money for this month which was lucky because I was running out. haha still I'm not the best at watching my money, but we get 1400 pesos a month which really isn't that much, luckily the members help us out a ton with dinners and stuff. Other wise we would burn through money fast than this city burns through alcohol haha.

  I'm stoked to start this new cambio (change). This next 6 weeks we have the same elders in our ward and I still got elder Mathis to hang on to, but we have a lot of investigators. Like all day We are packed with people and we have to burn a lot of money on taxis and busses to fit them all in. Not to mention meetings all week long. Some elders that I really like in my district are leaving to another part of the city Istapalapa; which is one of the most dirtiest dangerous parts of the city and the baptismal water there is green. I'm going to try to get a leather case for my scriptures made here in a little leather shop. I'm thinking of the tree of life ( the one here in mexico ) for my Book of Mormon and the aztec calender for my bible but I'm not sure yet. 

   I got to be a part of three confirmations of our three converts. The spirit was thick like smoke and I wasn't even giving the blessing and I was shaking, I felt it so strong. I really learned this week to rely on prayer too.  I  been doing things my own way and not relying on the Lord but I have repented and am really going to try hard now to always rely on prayer. 

 Here in Mexico, Christmas really isn't that big. They believe in all the same things but they like here what is called Dia de los Reyes Magos (Wise Man Day), which is the day of the three wise men from the story of jesuss birth. How it works is on the 5th i think people and kids put their wish list in balloons and send them off into the air. The next morning the three wise men somehow gets inside their protected homes and leaves gifts for them. It's way cool and I think it's just as cool as Christmas, I love the idea of the balloons,  but also they eat here what is called a Rosca which is just a really big circular bread thing, but inside are little muñecas (dolls). That if you bite into you have to buy tamales on the 2nd of Febuary. It's completely random,  but I think it's hilarious. So I have to buy two on the 2nd because I bite into two. 

  Also their new year here is interesting. They wait till 12:10 and they have a Thanksgiving dinner size dinner. After which they eat 12 uvas(grapes) and a piece of cheese for luck or something. So we ate some good chicken ( as usual ) and celebrated that. Me and Elder Mathis are working really hard. We have two baptism lined up for the 19th and these people are muy escogido (chosen). They do all the commitments and have a huge testimony already. It's so true that if the members like you, they give you more references which means more work and more baptisms, haha, but I also have a new found testimony for fasting. I had one the hardest fasts of my life but it paid off. We are fasting for an investigator that we have. We gave him a blessing because he is on his death bed and can't walk, he said that if he was healed he would join our church. Which is good and bad, it means that if God has mercy on him, we have a new convert, but he's waiting till after a miracle to have a testimony, so were going to try and fix that attitude but still keep his promise. The lady that we taught, she got  baptized and confirmed now with two of her 3 daughters, the other one is 19 and didn't want anything to do with the church. She has two kids, one is 4 almost 5 and the other is 3. yeah I know that's crazy,  but she accepted to have us come over and teach her after she saw the baptism of her mom. I think the spirit really chaged her heart, but I  know you guys love to hear about the city instead of the mission. 

  Let's see.... well it's dark here at like 6 so for a couple of hours we are walking around the streets at night in the dark alleys which is where all the weirdos live,  and come out. Also the freaking wolfs. The huge black dogs that hate everything living... come out, but like I said earlier, we are protect from God himself. So I never worry. It reminds me of a story of George Albert Smith, when he was sleeping one night and the mob came and threatened them that if he didn't come out they would come in and kill them all. George felt that everything would be alright. The mob fired 5 rounds into the house from all directions while he was still in bed. Destroyed everything in the house but the people in it. That is a miracle that I know everyone can have if they have enough faith. 

    School started again here so there are kids all over the streets again in their school uniforms. We have investigators coming to church regularly now and I absolutely love it. When I got here things were not good for the ward for investigators they didn't have a baptism in a long time and Mathis barely had investigators, in fact the only one he had we had to drop. He's a hard core drug addict that we taught everything to and he won't change or I come to church but ¨has a testimony¨ yeah whatever Raul. 

  Anyways the language is coming better and better. I can understand a lot,  but when people have long stories I start to lose it. One lady said that she was lost from her whole family and the day that she finally found one of her long lost sisters, we showed up and taught her whole family. It was a big lesson, with like 15 people in this one room all cramped, and we taught the first lesson. I really miss butterfingers, McDonalds fries, Harry Potter and Lost this week, in case anyone is interested, but I would love to hear from more of you guys. So please send me dear elders. not emails. I literally have to pay to read them, but the more that you learn how to handle the city, the less scary and cool things become, like you can always tell when people are straight lying and as a missionary you really have a higher, I don't know, power or authority to find the needs of people and know what to say always. 

 I  bore my testimony and had not a clue what I was going to say, but I got tons of thanks for it.  Our ward is learning how to do family history because it's not really big here. I also missed everyone, I started writing this memory book of all the cool memories I have before my mission because I didn't write a journal, and  can't speak for my friends but I had like the best childhood ever so it need to be written. Our toilets still busted and we deep cleaned our bathroom. We got all the mold out from our shower and cloroxed everything. Stuff like that is expensive but I wouldn't trust anything else to clean our bathroom. It ALWAYS SMELLS  terrible. I don't even know what to say. 

   I got a new agenda brand new, without all the drawings in it,  like everyone her between the ages 18 and 30 have a ton of kids; so whenever we teach them, they grab all my stuff and start ripping things in half and my Libro de Mormon (Book of Mormon)  is trashed I'm a bit mad but I really love it because it reminds me of how mexican this city is and how I can always look at that, so I let them draw with my scripture markers in my agenda it's really no big deal. I'lll send home the rest of the pictures I hope you got all of them mom I sent home ton it took me forever because the internet here sucks. 

  We'll they also have this drink here that is called Ponche and it's all over the place. Every house that we go into they give us their own version of Ponche because you really can't buy it in stores. Sometimes it's rico (yummy) but others it tastes bad bad bad, and we get to eat it with sugar cane, which is cool. Sometimes we eat so much food that I can barely make it back to the house without exploding, but also a lady in the ward made us a pumpkin pie, of course it was the day that we were fasting so the whole day we carried around this pie with us that we couldn't eat. We fasted for 26 hours which was hardddddd, simply because we had to go to meetings. We really have to do a ton of paperwork too. We are to teach the whole ward and all menos activos (less active) the first three lessons and report it every week. So We plan for 30 minutes every night and we use every minutes of it. I'm going to send home more pictures, for those of you who don't get them hassle my mom she should have them all. I would love for you guys to see them too. oh and Susan Eggleston I would love to keep getting everyone's letters if its not to hard. I love you all and can't wait to write you again next week. 

  I think, I should give my testimony because I haven't in a while. Let's see. 

yo sé qué tenemos una profeta hoy que no dirigi y que él es un hombre de dios. yo sé qué el saucerdocio dedios realmente funciona y que tenemos el poder de dios para actuar en su nombre y que con suficiente fé en él. vamos a ver milagros en nuestros vidss. yo sé con todo mui corazon que josé smith era un profeta y que jesucristo realmente restauro su ilgesia yque tenemos la p´lentidus del eveangleiop hoy en dia. estoy muy agredecido por mi familia y amigos y tengo mucho consuelo con la facto que voy a entrar en el templio con cada uno de ellos. estoy muy agradecido por mi papa, siemple siendo digno a darme un bendicion. mi mama es todo a mi en mi vida y deseo que yo tenia mas tiempo con ella antes de mi mission. yo sé que somos misioneros de dios y que tenemos su nombre y tenemos que actuar como el. les ama todo.
( I know that we have a Prophet, that gives us, and he is a man of God. I know that God's priesthood really works and that we have the power of God to act in his name, and that we have enough faith in him we can see miracles in our own lives. I know with all my heart that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Jesus Christ really restored the church and that we have the gospel today. I'm very grateful for my family and friends, and I find much comfort to know I will walk into the temple with each one of them. I'm very grateful about my dad, always worthy and willing to give me a blessing. My mom is everything to me, and I wish I could had spent more time with her before my mission. I know that messengers of God, and that we need to behave after him and act like him. He loves us all.)

   I love you all and I'll see you next week!!! 

- Elder Ordway. Don't forget dear elders!!!

Week 14

Hey Guys!!!

 Man it was nice to be able to talk to everyone. I loved how everyone could hear me kind of and that Christopher was on the line too. That was the fastest 40 minutes of my life I swear but it was great to hear everyone's voices and just to talk in English. 

  My English sucks now though and it's only getting worse, I don't blame the keyboard anymore for the bad typing, it's all me. I use weird words like what does that signify and should we get in the automobile haha.  I'm going to send home a ton of pictures to you guys all that I have, but man the more and more that I grow up and lose weight the more I realize how much I look like dad. 

  I finally saw it in the mirror of a miembros (members) bathroom. I saw my face and saw dad, I laughed. but this last two weeks were awesome. I don't know if I said anything but about 2 weeks ago we met a family of 3 and yesterday we baptized them, that's how fast you can prepare people for baptism. I feel bad because we really shoved the gospel down their throats fast, but it was all out of love and they were escogido (chosen) for sure. I got to baptize a 15 year old girl named Wendy and Elder Mathis her sister and a hermano (brother) in our ward baptized the mom. The experience to teach them was awesome and I have a new desire to work as hard as I can to "harvest more souls".  I still think that is a really weird frase people say haha, but I'm learning Spanish real well. 

  Like I said earlier the dificult stuff is left and there are so many verbs I don't know yet. I probably won't be able to type as long as I would like to because I Ieft my journal in the apartment and that really has all. I can't think of everything because there is so much to describe and talk about. I don't have problems with dogs anymore because we figured out a way to scare them off. The really don't stand a chance at a servant of the Lord. I heard a couple more gun shots this morning but that's usual. Sometimes they are fireworks and sometimes guns usually  you can tell the difference.

 I've gotten really good at blessing people in spanish, I gave my third one the other day and have participated in a ton. Everyone has the respect for the church they just don't show their faith. " faith without works is dead" ni modo (no way), but I really have a new found testimony for alot of things. Like how people can be my own age but have a totally different maturity level. Adults here are ridiculous, especially the catholics. They are really all babies in my opinion. They have to sense of respect for anything and an investigator that we were teaching got planched after our discussion with her, so she said that we couldn't come over anymore and that her children weren't allowed to go to church with her brother and his wife.

   We teach a ton of menos activos (less active) because it's as if I'm cleaning up other missionarie's mess. Every one we talk to says " when I said that I would be baptized I didn't commit going to church" which is retarted because baptism is a commitment with God.  Kids here talk terribly and it's hard to understand them but I love to play with them. The kids here are so entertained by natural things like the brothers and sister and a crayon and a wall. haha there is a lot of paperwork to do and meetings all over the city, one would never know the life of a missionary until being one. I haven't knocked a sinlge door, nor will I have to. We get enough references becasue the members love us. That's what is really all about is working hard and be friendly the members a ton, which means that you have to ask for seconds even if your stuffed into your brain. I have never known the meening of stuffed until I got here. It's really cold in our house always and our gas tank is running out so I have to take cold showers sometimes. I always have to wash my garments in the shower with me. It's weird but there is nothing else we can do. There is no food in our house, so every monring me and Elder mathis eat christmas candy for breakfast. haha. Alright well I'm going to send the rest of my pictures and if I have time I will write you guys some more.

I love you all and remember to send me dear elders not emails. I get them more often then I do emails and I get the time to read them in the apartment.   

Love , Elder Michael Ordway

P.S: So on christmas we went to this river and took a bunch of sweet pics, We ate tons and tons of food and had to work on christmas eve. We gave gifts to people on christmas so I really didn't have a christmas to myself, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. When I baptized Wendy the water was freezing but a ton of people showed up and they almost didn't make it to the sacrament meeting that they had to go to tho be baptize that day. We have a bunch of other investigators that have dates too but now that I've baptized I'm happy and I'll let the ward baptize the rest of all my investigators but Adela and her kids insisted that me and Elder mathis baptize. My laundry bill was a lot this month with all the baptism clothes and p-day clothes from christmas. me and elder mathis are really tight now and we work really hard. Our bishop is the one that wants a lot of baptism. he's a good guy but he just wants his numbers. but I think he's happy now. well i got to go i love you !!