But hey things here are going great. We actually had another tough week, but church here is sooo cool. Sundays are seriously the best day of the year. I wish everyday was sunday. We had a whopping 5 at the capilla (chapel), our record is 6 but 3 of them we thought we were losing because of schedule conflicts, but it was awesome. The classes of english are going good. The famiy now know how to say "I want pizza" and "he wants pizza". haha... no but I'm so happy with our numbers. No baptisms, actually we've had like 5 fall through which is really hard on a missionary to see all your work and then have them say that they don't feel ready.
We had like 7 lessons with members this week which is really good because members only like to help the missionaries by giving them food. (way to much food) I'm finally used to 2:00 dinners it was hard in the begging but I've learned to harness my hunger for good and focus it on teaching haha. not true. I also got super burnt this week, but it turned into a nice tan. My skin is becoming mexican. I'm so stoked to come back to Eugene and beat everyone in a tan off, because I've always been the most pale. Next to beloved Harrison Jones (who still needs to cut his hair) naw, but I've definitely felt the Lord's love this week. I actually had to give another talk. I was supposed to give it last 3 weeks ago, but the bishop kept pushing it back which in the beginning was annoying, but being a missionary you're filled with christlike attributes, I gave an awesome talk about forgiving others. Something people here in mexico have a lot of trouble with. I got a load of compliments and it was the first time ever that I didn't write the talk, but instead wrote notes and just spoke from the heart. In reality it's so much better, if you can just trust the spirit, he will guide every word, which he did. I was nervous to wing a talk, but it was super powerful. People normally talk and I learn nothing, but I've also learned the power of personal revelation, I received about half of the revelation from God for my talk during a law of chastity lesson, I had to write these thoughts and ideas down.
Also this week we had changes!!!! dun dun dun!!!! I was so nervous, because my area is really big and our map is absolutely terrible I wasn't sure if I was going to move or stay, especially it being my first changes, I couldn't wait. We find out at 10:00 that all 4 of us in ouir ward are staying to dominate a bit longer, but this change is only 4 weeks long. I've talked about how my comp is sometimes pridefull and hard to be with, I was just joking. He's a stud and I've finally seen the spirit of patience and humility inside him. He's been here for 16 months and had all mexican companions and is moved every 12 weeks (which is short time) but he's never complained about it once. He's last comp too was terrible. naw, but the food is good. I tried pig tongue and pig nose and its really hard, it's like chewing through a bone. It wasn't for me, but someone (and ive no idea how) I said to the family that it was my favorite food, there going to make it for us the next time we come....great....missionaries are so poor but everyone thinks we are rich, walking around in a tie and are actually clean, when everyone else is straight dirty, actually dirty, not well dirty in that sense,( but in that sense too) my shoes are holding up good. I need to buy a shoe shine kit. The Zone Leaders said that I better be shining my shoes.
How the food stands work Crystal is that at about 4 in the afternoon all of the ice cream and little garage sail people shut down and get replaced by food stands. They have portable fire places and like a half a pig or something and you just say I want tacos del pastor o carnitas and they chop it up and throw it in a taco, Tamali's are sold on the move, people on little bike things go around with a huge thing of tamalis of different flavors like mushroom, strawberry (yeah strawberry) and pineapple, red, green, mole, and they come by around 9 in the morning during studies, and everyone had their own tamali yell, for example every momring 4 people go by our house screaming TTTTTAAAAAmmmmmmmmaaaaaaLLLLLL
Let's see what else, the garbage trunk will come down every street and here they don't have recycling but they do have organic which you have to seperate, and you have to bring it out to him from inside your house, I have finally learned to enjoy tomatoes straight, with a little salt, it's wayyy good, but they say rico (yummy) here, like mmm gracious hermana todo fui tan rico( sister, everything was very good), and they always always always say, que bueno elder que le gusto ( Glad you like it, Elder). I'm just glad I'm in the best work in the world, although missionaries aren't perfect, they rip up the work. It makes so much sense now why they send 19 and 18 year olds, because everyone in the ward loves us but everyone else makes fun of us, which is funny because they have no idea what's written on their shirt (ohh I just went there)....I've been getting letters from everyone so don't worry about if it's not coming, it's coming alright.
Crystal don't worry about sending Tyler and Eric's emails, I get them already from dear old Susan and Jeff Robinson, but thanks for the thought.!!!!
Ashley, I hoped my letter arrived, hold in there and just a little advice if your reading this, doesn't matter who we are, all of us can have a personal revelation with our father, our dad, our Father in Heaven. I've grown so close to My Heavenly Father here in my mission. I've also learned to bear a powerful testimony now, before my spanish stopped me from bearing it but I've learned to bear it with power and authority that no one can deny. I'm sorry if I haven't answered any questions or something, keep sending them and sooner or later I'll answer them all.
Mexico is the best mission ever. It's not too successful and not to hard hearted but just right, the prophecy giving to nefi (Nephi) about the americas being a powerful house of the Gospel is so coming true, and I smile so much when I hear all the success that Eric is having with 20 investigators at church, that's so coooool. I wish I could be his companion and rip it up with him, but i love you all and if you haven't already heard, they are building another MTC here in Mexico City, so I highly suggest everyone to prepare themselves to serve the Lord in the best work ever done. I'm so proud of my family and all the work and school and trust in the Lord they have, like Eric said; I have the best friends ever and I smile all the time thinking that all of us are serving the Lord together in our respective countries and the Eugene 5th ward is the second coolest ward ever next to Contreras ward here in Mexico, jkjk no es cierto ( is not true). I love spanish and I'm so blessed to be speaking such a useful language, it only sucks that everyone else will be speaking Portuguese without me....:( jk. I love you all and will write soon
Love, Michael
P.s. I got kissed this last week, I'm not going into it though........................
Oh I also forgot:
A miracle happened this week!!! Well mas o menos (kind of)... We were menos activo hunting or less active hunting and We found a house that look familiar. We took out the menos activo address book ( less active address book) and right then the guy that lives there showed up, he's about 77 and he let us in. He said that he'd been a less active for years but he knew that when he saw us that we were looking for him. We taught him and then asked if he knew anyone that we could invite the next time we come, (which is law, you have to ask that question to everyone every lesson) he said ''yeah just one second'' left and got his grandaughter, we chatted for a couple minutes and then taught her too, the spirit was way strong and we applied it nice to her needs. She then told us that last night she had a dream that she was in a church and something else that I couldn't understand about her family. She said that in the dream she was told that she needed to acercarse a dio otravez, or i guess there really isn't a word for acercarse, but it means like grow closer to Christ again. We arrived that day and she said she knew that God was telling her something. She's going to churh this sunday with us!!!! I love miracles.
Love you all too, Elder Ordway
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