Friday, September 16, 2016
Hello Everyone,
So in case anyone didn't know, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. No, Cinco de Mayo is kind of just an excuse for Americans to eat tacos and drink taquilla. Those things are great and fun (not that I would know much about drinking taquilla), but Mexican Independence Day (or I guess "days" because apparently they won twice) is September 15 & 16, and they DO NOT mess around. The comedor (cafeteria) served ACTUAL food and it was fantastic, we had a huge fiesta last night instead of language study, which was super cool, and Mexico City sounds like warzone, which is annoying because my apartment is right up against The Wall, so I did not sleep last night. Like at all. But I guess Mexicans and Americans aren't so different after all. I mean, nothing says FREEDOM like blowin crap up, right?
On Monday and Tuesday, we had a district in our zone leave the CCM and head off to their missions, and the Zone Leaders were in that district, so we got new Zone Leaders. They're Elder Paul Sr. (my companion's brother) and Elder Scott, but since Elder Paul was the District Leader, we got a new one of those too. The new DL is NOT me (cue sigh of relief). It's Elder Vogrinec, which is cool because Elder Vogrinec and I have gotten to be friends. ALSO since the old district left we got a new district. You see, all the districts in our Zone have names. There's the MEATHEADS, because they act like a bunch of meatheads. Then there's the HIVE because they work harder than any district we've ever seen. Then there's the CLOSET, because their classroom is literally a closet, and we're the GIGANTES (giants) because the majority of our district is 6' 2" or taller, or the DEACONS QUORUM, depending on how obnoxious the district is on any given day. We wanted to name the new guys the MARSHMALLOWS because they all have these adorable little cheeks, but we decided that we didn't want the new guys to hate us.
So on the packing list for a mission, it says to bring 5 to 6 ties. I look at that, laughed, laughed some more, and brought 26 ties with me. I have gone the entire CCM so far without wearing a single tie twice, but on Sunday, the cycle restarts, and I will have to wear a tie for the second time. Please keep me in your prayers as I endure this trying experience.
This week, we were able to listen to Elders M. Russel Ballard and Quentin L. Cook from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in live broadcasts from the Provo MTC. Elder Ballard talked about how Christ himself wishes that He could be there in all the lesson, teaching the people, but He can't, so He sends us. That's a lot of pressure, right? My teacher, Hermano Sanchez, said that if it were up to him, he would not trust 18 to 25 year old young adults to represent the Savior, but fortunately, we have the Spirit. If we allow ourselves to be guided and directed for what we should say and do, we will be able to teach and act as the Savior would if He were here. I think that's really cool, because I'll never be perfect like the Savior is, but my hope is to be as much like Him as I can be.
Elder Cook talked about the 4 LOVES of a successful missionary. The first is love your companion; to understand that there's always something to learn from them and that you'll be most successful when you work WITH him, not just around him. The second is love the people. This means A) respect the language and the culture, and B) see them with their infinite worth as children of God, and their infinite potential of what they can become through the atonement. The third is love your mission president. Elder Cook talked about how sometimes when they are assigning mission calls, they receive inspiration not for the mission they need to serve in, but the mission president they need to serve under. I hadn't realized that before, but I'm definitely excited for all the things I can learn from my mission president. The fourth is to love the Savior; to truly come to understand the atonement and apply it in you life so that you can effectively help others apply it in theirs.
GUYS. I seriously love being a missionary. It's the greatest thing I have ever experienced. Thanks for the love, the support, the prayers (I can definitely feel them), and the emails. Haha
I love all y'all!
-Elder Tyler Steven "Swag Daddy" Aldrich
