He has also moved since he has been there. His new address on the Contact Info page. I have also added a new "Blog Help" page to hopefully answer any questions you may have about how to subscribe and/or post a comment.
If you want to send Haden a note you have four options:
- Post a comment on a blog post. I will forward all comments to him. Information on how to post a comment is located on the Blog Help page.
- Write him an email directly. His email address is located on the Contact Info page.
- Use Dearelder.com.
- Send him a physical letter.
Also, please know that even if he does not reply to you, he does get all of your notes and appreciates them. He only has a limited amount of time on the computer each week so he can't reply to everyone. But he does appreciate all the support via comments and emails that he gets. Please keep reaching out to him with little words of encouragement, he is doing great now and I know it is because of all the support he has received thus far.
Now...without further ado....the letter.
Dear America,
What to say??? There are so many things to tell you. If you don't have much time, don’t start reading because you won't be able to finish.
I absolutely love it here. When I was on the plane coming here, I was seriously freaking out because I didn't know what it was going to be like. All I have to say is, it is not what I was expecting at all. It is amazing. My first day here we were driving to the mission president's home and it took us 3 hours to go 20 miles. So I took a nap.
I am surprised I have been able to sleep and I really haven't been freaking out that much. The hard times are at night or in the morning. Really when I have time to think is when it really gets hard. But I don't really have time to think all day. We study all morning until about noon...which isn’t as bad as it sounds. There are so many people that we are teaching and so many of them need different things. So we study to find things for them and we always have something to study.
It's hard to teach. It's not that I don't know what to say, it's just that I don't know how to answer their questions because I can't understand their questions. I thought my Spanish was pretty good, but then I got here and I don't understand crap. My favorite word is "como" or "mande"...haha. But it is slowly coming to me. My companion and I made a goal for me to understand everything and to speak perfectly in one month. So that means August 16th. That would be a good early birthday present for me...haha.
My companion's name is Elder Rios. He is from Veracruz and he is about 5´4". He is way chill. He tries to speak to me in English and it's funny because he has a really hard accent, but he actually knows quite a lot. I am so glad he is my companion because he has so much patience with me. He repeats everything 3 times before I can get it, but I have already been understanding more. He is an awesome person and we are really alike. Both laid back, but still want to work hard.
We have had a couple rough days knocking. One day we probably taught one lesson all day and they didn't even let us in their house. It was horrible. We were both so done and so disappointed by the end of the day that we just wanted to give up. But I guess that is why we have companions. He kept me going and I kept him going.
The people here are awesome. Everyone is nice even if they don't want to hear your message. Instead of just telling you no, they just lie to you and say they are eating. How sweet huh? haha. But one day we were knocking on doors and we knocked on a door, a lady answered and we said our spill. She ended up inviting us in. Her family was eating at that time, but they cleared off their table and they all sat down and listened to our message. I'm not gunna lie, it was a great feeling. There were five of them: a mom, her two daughters, her daughter in law and her nephew. They were awesome and we will see them again tomorrow. It is a great feeling to know that the Lord has prepared people to hear us. After you talk to them and you know who He has prepared and who hasn't been prepared.
One of the main issues we have to deal with is that people here are married, but not legally. So it is a problem because they can't get baptized. Another thing is getting people to actually go to church. Another problem we have is that they tell us to come back and talk to them and when we do, they aren't there. Kinda sucks. There are times where the day seems to be so unsuccessful, but at the end of the day when we look back at it and it wasn't that bad.
Yesterday was my first Sunday. The people are pretty bad singers here, haha. It's just that they all want to sing so loud, but all of them are converts, so none of them really know the songs. It's funny, at the end of every sacrament meeting they learn a song. It totally threw me off...haha funny stuff. So during church I was sitting there and like forty five minutes in I realized, "wow, I have no idea what has been said the last 45 minutes." It was rough.
But along with my first Sunday was my first baptism. What an experience. It was with a lady named Veronica Nacaret and her daughter Roxana Gomez. It was awesome to experience and I am stoked cause one week in and I already have two baptisms. And next week we have a baptism scheduled for a family of five. I am excited.
First baptism in Mexico The weather here is not bad at all. Actually sometimes it's cold. I got here right in the middle of the rainy season, which is kind of a bummer. My first night we were walking around and it felt like we were walking through the middle of a fountain. There was SO much water. By the time we got back to our "apartment," my shoes, shirt, and pants were soaked. My pants were wet up to my thighs...haha. It was crazy.
It's amazing how much different this place is. I can't even explain it. No matter what I say, it won't do it justice. It's amazing and I absolutely love it. I know that me loving it here is just another confirmation that this is where I am supposed to be. It is so much different than anything I have ever known, and in my short time here it has given me a completely different and better outlook on life. Some places are sketchy, but it is not because there are sketchy people, but it's the biggest city in the world it’s kinda hard to keep it clean. But I just think that they are just people living like any other place.
I don't know how I am going to lose weight here. They feed me so freakin much. A full plate of rice, food and then soup of some sort. I swear, after every meal I feel like I am going to die. But it's good because I only have to eat once a day.
I love the members of the church. Right now my companion and I are serving in two areas named Granjas and Alculco. Alculco is new for both of us so we try to spend a lot of time there to meet people. The only sucky thing about having two areas is the walking. Not only is it two areas, but they also aren't small areas. We walk...and walk...and walk...and walk. By the end of the day we smell and we're tired.
The food here is amazing. They have fruits that I haven't seen in the US and every one has fruit. So far I have had cabeza de puerco (pig head), barbacoa (sheep stomach), and chicharones (fried pork rinds) and it was all so good. Actually, I'm pretty sure I could live without the texture of the chicharones.
It is amazing how different it is to walk around as a missionary. I feel like if I was just a regular person walking around here I would be scared, but as a missionary, I am not. Of course some people are sketchy and stare at us, but they know who we are. I am sure that won't stop some people from giving us a hard time so you can’t be stupid but I know I don't have to worry. I know I am supposed to be here. I love it. I just can't wait until I can understand people and be able to communicate what I want to them. It will be the best thing ever.
Anyway, I love it here. Not much more to say. Everything and everyone is amazing. I only wish I could share this experience and place with my family. One day I will be able to.
I love you all and miss you all.
Love,
Haden
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