week 78- I mean the 16th of September is my release day

   Well this week was really good, where to begin. Well last week, we got a presidency in the mission, President Valadez, 1st counsler Pres. Villanueva, and 2nd counselor  Pres Brailsford. Pres Villanueva came to our house last week and fixed up almost all of the problems that we had. He's really handy, and he sent us to the street stores to buy some tools.

   We did a lot of work this week, we still have been able to teach 40 lesson but this week were going to do it, today we have 7 lessons planned in 3 hours, so were commited to doing it this week. W've been contacting a lot and We have some good investigators going. Martin has been fighting off his addictions and now has 2 weeks without smoking, he's been smoking his whole life, 25 years of smoking  and he's going strong, our fast really helped him out a lot.

   I had a good birthday. I really didn't do anything new. My comp didn't even remember haha, but I almost forgot too. We just got together with the president with the sister training leaders and other zone leaders and we re-did the study plan that we have as a mission, it was literally like a counsil where we all made up new ideas and it went well. Then we worked for the rest of the day. 

   I got my pants back from a sister in the ward that sewed it up,. now they look really sweet. Oh yeah, I looked for top ramen and that's what I had for my birthday dinner. It was awesome. Yesterday Elder Hernandez and I called up 3 jumbo pizzas and enjoyed our night as we ate pizza, when I woke up I was sick. You really can't even trust the pizza here in mexico, even the pizza gets you sick.

   We went the the police store to buy Elder Hernandez a bag, I ended up buying a sweet belt that iI attached to my bag that now support all the weight on my hips, it was the best idea I ever had. Now I don't feel dead when I get to the house. In the bus my drink exploded all over me and the bus driver was furious, some lady gave me a little napkin, but we got off as soon as possible. I saw a member from my second ward over by the mission offices which was sweet.

    I gave a talk in church sunday, and for some reason I  was really really nervous, the talk was good but my voice was soo shaky, I  think that is the only talent that I  dont have, is talk in public, speaking of which we have a Zone training this week and Elder Hernandez and I are going to give it. 

 Love 

           Elder Ordway

Week 77- Well I'm 21 now!!!!

    Well my mission is being hastened faster than missionary work. haha I feel like every week is like a day. We had a lot of success this week. oh yeah before getting into the details....I will be 21 years old!! To celebrate it, we are going to make a new training plan with the president and we have a lot of lessons planned, let's see if my comp remembers that it's my birthday. Honestly you just stop thinking about birthdays and holidays in the mission. If feels like a couple weeks ago that I completed 20. 

   We had interchanges and I went with elder Marsh who is one of my favorite missionaries in the mission. He's brand new and doesn't speak spanish still, but it's like working with Jesus Christ as your comp, he's soo humble and christlike. I honestly learned a lot about him. I was remembered when I didn't speak spansih and just relied pruely on the Lord and my comp. 

   The Disobedience has almost been 100% eliminated in the zone. A few elderes that get up late that's all, but our president seriously has such good control over his missionaries, or better said, the Lord has such good control over his children.  I don't remember if I told you guys, but my disobediente comp a few months ago that went to the argentina mission , and who had a hugeeee change in atitude, is now a district leader training and is about to baptize a big family, I still have good comunication with him. 

   Elder Hernandez and I are teaching a lady who live in a chemical warehouse, I seriously want to throw up every time I enter that house, it's like acid to my nose, I hope I don't get cancer or anything like that. But she told us that she prayed and received an answer about the book of mormon,!!! We bought some new pants from an outlet store in our area really really cheap. We sent them in to get fitted. There are sister in our ward that have soo much talent with a sewing maching. I seriously would like to see who would win in a sewing fight between Hermana Solano and Ivanna Nebeker. It would be close. I sent my suit into the hermana and she is fixing every all the whole and ripps free!!! basically all my clothes are ripped and torn, but I wouldn't have it any other way. it shows hard work!! and its pretty hot right now here in mexico city!!

   Today I bought some Rootbeer from an american store, and the sister that fed us today loaded up the plate like never before, I thought I was going to die after the first plate, and then she filled it up again without asking!!! I still feel like I want to die, if there is anything I've learned. is you always have to clean your plate without fail. That's not the first time though. And especially after a fast that we did yesterday for Marting who is trying to quit smoking, he needs all the help he can get!! I found out my return date and its the 10th of september I will be home again in Eugene.

                               Loves Elder Ordway

Week 76

    Well  Elder Hernandez and I are rolling in the area. We are helping a lot of people to get prepared for baptism within the next few weeks.

   I forgot to say but we had a awesome Zone training and we talked about how the Lord is accelerating the work and has called forth his best missionaries to serve at this time and we taught a lot about how to better our studies to have a personal testimony and learn the doctrine better. It was a really awesome Zone training, it latest 3 hours and we are to have another zone training in a couple weeks.

   This thrusday we are going to meet up with the Iztapalapa Zone and watch the opening of the Mtc here in Mexico, and listen to the talks that were given. I'm really stoked for that. Im still having trouble believing that I got to shake hands with Elder Oaks. Basically everything he taught us in the conference a couple weeks ago, are being put into practice and workin' like never before. 

    My camera is working decently, there are still some features that I  haven't been able to figure out yet, because the pictures still come out a little blurry sometimes, but it's a nice camera.  I'm trying to take more pictures of everything I see, there are some things here that I think the people would kill me for taking pictures of it; like  the super old catholic churches here that look awesome, but are really protected by people. haha... Elder Hernandez and I bought soo much fruit last week and we've been making smoothies every night. The latest invention is the mango, strawberry, quava, lime smoothie. The pineapple, apple smoothie is really good too. But if there is anything that I've learned here is that the apples are soo much better in the US. 

   Elder Hernandez and I as we have been working out a lot more, I lost an arm wrestle to an elder 2 weeks ago and I swore to him that I would win this change that comes up, so we go running every other morning and we do workouts every other day. My goal is to get ripped in mexico. 

   I've lost all hope of getting tan here, sadly my first few weeks in Mexico  i got tan, but since then my skin stays the same, I can't even get burn anymore. No matter how long I stay in the sun, my skin doesn't change. 

   We had interchanges this week with one of the district leaders, Elder Rivera and I wasn't a pleasant sight, he is maybe the Elder that is struggling most in the mission, with his comp, his district, and his area, he was on the verge of crying, actually at night, when we had our evaluation, he was crying. He told me a lot of things that were happening to him. I listen for hours and used the scriptures to the best of my ability to satisfy his needs, I grew really close to Elder Rivera that day, and the last time we reported he told me he was going a lot better.

 I bought a cell phone hodler in the tiangis for really cheap and a mexican bandanda too. 

   My hair is pretty long right now, same with Elder Hernandez, who by the way has the same type of hair that I have, but just black haha, so we are going to get it cut today.  Things in the mission are really good, I wrote this letter really fast , so there might be a lot of mistakes, but with love,

            Elder Ordway