Emergency Transfers....Again!

3 de Diciembre, 2012

    I've got transfers! Pretty crazy. I haven't gone through a single transfer in the mission without an emergency transfer happening in between. I'm staying here in Jardines 1, and Elder Garfias is going to arrive in Elder Mullenbach's place. The craziest part of it all is that Elder Garfias has already been my companion before! In my first area (Guadalupe) he arrived as my second companion in the field after Elder Lopez left, and now he's with me here in Durango again. That pretty much never happens in the mission, so I'm thinking they're gonna move me too in 2 weeks. We'll see what happens.

    All of my companions have told me that they have had the funniest experience with me as their companion. I'm pretty sure the world revolves around me for that very reason, and things are always happens to me that never happen to others haha. I'll just share a few of them that happened with Elder Mullenbach:

1. A drunk dude on a bicycle came over in the street and started talking to my companion, when he suddenly snorted long and hard like a pig and asked "¿què hacen ustedes?" (which means "what do you guys do?"). My companion explained to him that we're missionaries, and this guy interrupted him by snorting even harder and longer and said "horriblemente guapo" (which means "horribly handsome"). I just started laughing and my companion got up and walked away really freaked out haha. I walked with him, laughing for the next 10 minutes.

2. One time we were looking for an inactive member, and E. Mullenbach knocked on their door. This really weird lady answered and started laughing when she saw him. But her laugh was freakish, like a mix between a horse's neigh and an elephant's roar. He asked if this inactive member lived there, and she (all the while laughing in that strange manner) said yes, but that he wasn't there. My companion shook her said and said see you later, and she wouldn't let go of his hand. She then pulled on his and said (in a really creepy, whalish voice) "hablame en Ingles" (which means "talk to me in Inglès".) He pretty much freaked out and jerked his hand away and just left haha. I laughed about that for about 20 minutes.

    So a white pit bull attacked us the other day. It was pretty funny. It just came out of nowhere and bit the heel of my shoe. I didn't know what it was at the time, until it started barking at E.Mullenback. It ran at him until E. Mullenback ran away, and then it came after me. I just stood my ground and cocked my fist back ready to punch it, and it shut up and ran away. All bark, no bite in these Mexican dogs.

    I'm still having problems with all the girls here. They won't leave me alone. And the house owner's son isn't helping lol. One day we went into the store and E. Mullenback was talking to his mom (the owner) about the Restoration, and this guy (Jorge's his name) says (in Spanish) "hey, Mister Riggs, it's true you speak Spanish, huh?". I look over and he's with a girl, pretty good looking, too. I responded "yeah, why?" and he looks at her with a face that said "told ya so.". So then he started to tell me that she was available, and looking, and I pretty much said "uhu...... so...what do you want me to do about it?" And then he just got uncomfortable and stopped trying haha. That is, until he tried for a second time last week when I was on exchanges with Elder Harrison. Haha. And this morning the owner of the house gave us a curtain for the big window we have in the house. Apparently a ton of the girls have been getting together every night and watch me as I take my shirt off and walk around the house without it (as a normal guy does when he's at home, as it's more comfortable in the natural form). So yeah, the girls here are pretty crazy. It explains why they always stare at me and laugh when we get home at night haha.

    We're in the beginning of December here, and all the Mexicans are freezing, even with their parkas and huge coats on. I feel like the weather is perfect! I can just walk around in my normal short-sleeved white shirt without anything over it and I'm fine. I am guessing that by the reactions of the people here, it doesn't snow at all. I'm gonna miss Utah snow for 2 years haha.

    I had an interesting Sunday this last week. E. Mullenbach got sick and was puking all day and night and wouldn't let me sleep, and the Mission President's wife said we couldn't go to church, so Elder Olvera and Elder Harrison from Jardines 2 brought us the sacrament bread and cups.... unfortunately they didn't bring water, and we had completely ran out. I ended up taking the sacrament with some blessed chocolate milk! Pretty awesome. Best sacrament ever! haha

    Martina and Esteban (our investigator couple) are progressing like crazy! They have already committed to get married by next Monday, and have accepted all of the commandments and lessons very well. They have completely dropped everything that is against the word of wisdom and have accepted a baptismal date for the 15th of December! They can't wait to get sealed in the temple a year after that, and I am most excited about how they have so easily accepted that principle of the gospel.

    Well I gotta go, but I am pretty excited to get to work and start baptizing again. Elder Garfias is already here (I picked him up in the middle of writing this letter), and we have already gotten reacquainted, for the second time as companions. Until next week!