Spring

HOLA FAMILIA!

The new area is really interesting. Much more vegetation, in fact there is a National Park here, and we get to walk through it from time to time as a shortcut. It´s sweet, we go up to the guards, Hey, we have an appointment on the other side of this thing, and don´t want to have to walk all the way around, can we just walk through? Ya! Go on through! Something like that would never fly in America.

We are doing all we can to not knock on doors. The new way to do missionary work is working nearly exclusively through the Ward, getting referrals from them and helping others to have friends in the church they can turn to when we´re not around. We still contact people on the streets, but it isn´t the focus.

When we were contacting the other day, this lady in her 20´s stops us, "Hey, are you guys missionaries?" In English. I say, "Ya." "Can you guys meet with me?" "..." "I met with some other ones in Mexico City but I didn´t get it very well because they don´t speak English" "OH! Awesome, yes, we can absolutely meet with you!"

Turns out she is a student of religions and is fascinated with the Church. We explained the Book of Mormon to her and it´s origins and all the different peoples of the Americas, and how Lehi and his family were just one of the peoples there, and she says, "THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!" She said that it answered a question she had for a while now, and that she´ll tell us the next time we meet when she can put her question into words. It´s definitely a testimony to me of this work. Had this change not happened she would have had two spanish speakers again and wouldn´t really have been able to be taught.

Those pictures are awesome! Mom you have lost so much weight!

Sounds like the garden is having some fun times! I told Elder Tyler a while ago that Mom couldn´t live in Mexico, there is no such thing as a yard. Quail! That´s sweet! I've always loved Quail ever since the cartoon Doug, where this kid´s super hero alter ego was quail man and he tied a belt around his head so it went up and in front like a quail feather.

But all is well here in Mexico. These people love they´re fireworks. All day, all night, BAAAAAANG! Holy crap! Elder Mata, was that a gunsghot!? That? No, that was just some fireworks. It´s intense.

As far as appearances go...I am apparently a very handsome man down here in mexico. They´re standards must be very low, or they are just momentarily stunned by someone who is not latino. Every time we´re talking to teenage girls they always say, You have such beautiful eyes! Oh...uhmm...thanks...so here´s the number of our offices if you want missionaries to pass by your house, ADIOS! My favorite was yesterday at church, one of them shook my hand...and then didn´t let go. I completely let go, look at my companion, he shrugs, and like 10 seconds later she says, Oh, sorry, your hand! Here, and she puts it on my bag. There you go. I say, Ya...thanks. Elder Reichert (one of the Assisstants to the president) warned me about that the first day, I didn´t listen because I´m really ugly. But it´s really silly down here.

Seeing as I am in Uruapan, the farthest point from Guadalajara, we´re not going to get mail this transfer I think...so...thanks for writing letters! I hope you keep writing, just know that I´m not going to be getting mail for at least 3 more weeks probably.

Anyways, it seems like everything is going well up there in Utah, my best wishes to everyone, and I will talk to you all in a week!

ADIOS!

Elder Newell

PS; I keep a bookmark in my hymn book for En la Judea, whenever I get a little homesick I sing that hymn in my head, remember the good times, then move on with the work.