1-16-17

*Tara here...it has surprised me how emotional I get every time I get an email! I'm so grateful that Kyle is out serving the Lord, but it doesn't change the fact that I miss him terribly! He's such a great son!!! :) In his personal email to me, he said he hasn't had a 'real' pday yet because his companion has been going to the dentist. I replied, and then I got this sweet email*:

I hope the time flies cause i miss you a ton. and the family too. yeah, i guess youre right. next pday i will appreciate more haha. i love you tons. remember that all the people i teach and impact is because you taught me the right things. youre the reason 5 people are getting baptized. love you

 Isn't he the sweetest? I sure love him! 💙

I was hit on by a Jehovas Witness
Please pardon my spelling, and grammar. The computers here are in an internet cafe and the keys are broken and I cant find out how to use most punctuation. But that is alright! I will do my best! As the subject line says, this week was very interesting. I have been hit on 4 or 5 times by ladies in the street. The most memorable was when my comp and I were walking down the sidewalk, and noticed a pair of JW sisters street contacting. One of them paused her sentence, looked me dead in the eyes and took off her scarf and swung it at me while winking. Great experience. The others have just proved that girls from Mexico City like white skinned people I guess. Or at least, that is what my comp says. I think its because they think i have money. Its a good time, we just smile and walk away quickly.

Along the lines of Americans, i get yelled at a lot cause of Trump. They all hate me because for some reason they think I was the deciding vote for President. And they also blame Trump for all of their problems. They also make fun of me because im tall. but seriously, it is difficult to walk here because nothing is tall enough for me to pass by safely. I have a constant kink in my neck from tilting my head to fit. But other than that, I have been widely accepted here. I just have to get used to being the super odd person. Maybe i can use it to my advantage.

 The work in Mexico is great! We have 5 people with a baptismal date (Karlos, Liz, Adrian, Kate, Delia) and expect to have 2 or 3 more by the end of this week! People are accepting the Gospel! It is awesome to see the change in their lives as they let the spirit in. You can see it in their countenance. We would have more with baptismal dates, but you have to be married to your spouse to be baptized and literally no one here is married. They call each other husband and wife but dont have a document to prove it so we cant invite them to be baptized.

I am having a good time with the investigators and members, but I cant really understand them. Our ward had 45 people this week, so we are going to find some less actives and see if we cant bump up church attendance. The members are very nice and feed us lunch every day. I have tried guajalotas, gorditas, quesadillas, tortas, pambazo, tacos of longaniza, suadadero, pastor, carnitas, plantano, fried plantano, pazole, atole, and much more. and I like it all! Mexico City knows how to cook! I dont really know how I am not sick, because i havent seen someone prepare food with gloves once. But its all good, its the culture and i just pray daily that i dont get a tapeworm.

 The city is unique because unlike the USA, if you want something, you can buy it from a vender on the sidewalk! food, clothes, toys, groceries, bread, sweets, jewelry, everything. And everything is under 200 pesos, or 10 bucks. I enjoy the atmosphere of mexico city, its unique and unlike the US. We take the metro every day, its a super ghetto subway but i love it. We cram in like sardines and you hold your bag with one hand for theft protection and the other is for a hand hold cause the metros are bumpy and they stop really fast. there are awesome VW busses that drive around all day for transportation and they are all decked out with lights, spoilers, rims, everything. the transportation here is unique and its super cheap, because there is a rule that you can only use your car on certain days of the week, and on the days you cant use your car, you take public transportation. its all awesome here, if youre okay with run down dirty taxis, vans and subway cars.

 My companion is awesome, he helps me every day and in the mornings and nights when i cant understand he tries to speak english for me. hes really patient and okay with taking the lead in every lesson. he is a really good trainer and i cant thank him enough for these past 2 weeks. and i have 10 more with him! He wants to attend byu when he returns from his mission so i am teaching him english also. We have a great time together and really get along. Im glad I have a good trainer.

 Well, in other news.... gasoline hasnt gone back down so more riots and more police, but it hasnt reached our area yet so we have been safe so far. I have been approached by several extremely drunk and drugged up people, I saw a truck full of porcelain dolls, i think it was like a moving store. super creepy. The dollar is at 22 pesos right now so that means i get a ton of stuff for one dollar haha. Seriously, everything on the street is dirt cheap. probably illegal, but still dirt cheap.

 Im safe, im happy, im good, im working really hard, i love my area, members, investigators and my comp, im always tired and i cant understand much. But its all good. This is pretty fun, when you look past the extreme poverty, hatred and the endless PDA i see on a regular basis. Im really glad im in mexico because the food is sublime.

I have to go, but i will email next week with a really good nice email. I forgot my camera and i have to run to an appointment so i cant show you guys pictures. but next week i will send lots!