President Derbez had to step out this
week for a Mission President Meeting they had in Puebla, he gets back
later today, just in time for the cycle transfers on Monday.
We have been getting everything ready for the new cycle this past week
and its been...crazy. I have to come to notice that I always describe
everything as crazy, and I am sorry for my lack of adjectives, but it
really is always crazy around the office. A good kind of crazy.
On Monday and Tuesday
I had to finalize contracts for the new houses opening up in the
mission. Elder Webster went and bought all the new materials for the new
houses (electronic stoves, fridges, beds, etc.)
Wednsday
was travel day for Elder Webster and I. Elder Webster had to go to
Ascencion, Chihuahua to get the house prepped for the new missionaries.
Ascencion is about 2 hours away from the city, and everyone calls it "La
Chona". In Spanish the nickname for everyone named "Concepcion" is
sometimes Chon, and since Ascencion sorta sounds like Concepcion,
everyone just calls it "La Chona". I hope that made sense to all of you.
Anyway, as we were getting everything planned to leave, the
missionaries in Benito Juarez call us and tell us that they need a
baptismal interview for their investigator. Since Elder Webster had to
travel to La Chona, and I had to travel to Benito (which is clear on the
other side of the desert), we had to banana split. Elder Allen
(the financial secretary) accompanied Elder Webster, and Elder Birchett
(the Referral Secretary) came along with me to Benito.
Upon arriving to Benito, we headed to the little house of prayer to meet the potential new member.
After
the interview, we headed back to Elder Chigüila and Elder Santoscoy's
house to bunk. When we arrived, we opened the door and a couple mice
scurried through the kitchen and the aroma of sweaty missionary filled
the room. There was no extra blankets or anything really so we decided
to stay at a little hotel nearby...Four Seasons At Ejido Benito Juarez.
(see pictures). It was no Buckingham Palace, but it was good enough.
We returned to Ciudad Juarez on Thursday and continued preparing for the changes.
This
week we met a new investigator, Claudia and her daughter, Fernanda.
Claudia is a single mom who owns a beauty parlor nearby. She was a
reference from our recent convert, Luz Elena. I just realized that for
some reason, we have been finding and teaching a lot of single parents
lately. I really admire these investigators because of all the hard work
they do to provide for their families and to hold everything together.
Claudia told us that our recent convert, Luz, had really sparked her
interest in the Church, and that she wanted to feel the peace that she
saw in Luz. As we taught her, she expressed to us that she really felt
the need to draw closer to God, and to set an example for her young
daughter.
That's all the time I have for now, sorry my letter was so late!
Elder Velazquez
Hotel Moreno
Classy floor design
Elder Birchett Chillin'
Visa Renovation Trip