Hot

Hi family,

First off, it is unbelievably hot and I am dreading being here in the summer. I hope I leave before then just because of the heat. I am already skinny and don't have any more room to lose more weight. All the fat people in the world should move to Acapulco and try the weight-loss program I invented. Walk outside, up hills, and on dirt paths for hours and hours, and come back indoors to see how much skinnier you've become. It's magic!

Wow, so much to say but so little time. To generalize many points, the ward feels like it is at a stage where it will either remain the same if no action is taken, or explode like the ward did in Alpuyeca if we work hard. The ward here has existed for some 24 years, yet it still only brings in 90 people to church each Sunday. The bishop has been a member of the church for 6 years, and 5 of those as bishop! On top of that, he doesn't know how to read. There is no piano but the ward sings a lot better than the ward in Alpuyeca, haha.

My welcome into 2012 in Mexico was an interesting one. Suffice it to say New Year's is huge here. On New Year's Eve you eat twelve grapes and decide on twelve desires or wishes for the new year, one for every month. You hug everyone at midnight and set off every explosive you have while drinking as much beer possible. Because New Year's is a reason to celebrate it is huge. You turn up the already loud music you have playing, you drink more beer than you usually do, and eat some good food.

As for my personal introduction to 2012, firstly, our next door neighbor happened to be the mero mero pachanguero of Colonia Zapata and blasted his music until 7:30 a.m. There were a ton of fireworks shot off and guns fired in other parts of our area. We ate at three or four members' houses (including the 12 grape tradition) and ended the night listening to the musical and fiery explosions outside our window.

Secondly, I was introduced to the ward, but I never got to meet the bishop or his counselors. I realized that I will have to take the initiative in getting to know everyone, because, unlike Alpuyeca, they don't come to meet you. The culture in this ward is different and I am still getting used to it. You know it is interesting when a 15-year-old girl is married to a 68-year-old man. There are some very faithful members that we are working with. With motivation we can get things going in this ward.

After emailing you all last week I felt, after walking around town, that I would never see another guero [white person] or another person that spoke English ever again. The following day our first cita [lesson] was with a teenage girl named L__ that used to live in Anaheim. It was nice to realize God is looking out for me, even in the little things. L__ hasn't had any real guidance in her life and it looks like it is going to be a challenge to help her realize that all of the answers and happiness she is looking for lies in this gospel and nowhere else.

This past week we did more than the previous elders did during the entire month of December. E. Morales was paired up with an elder who apparently did nothing the final month of his mission. I can tell he didn't do much because he holds all of the positions in the high score charts on the little games on our cell phone. To get things going we have been holding family home evening lessons with the members. We have already gotten a few good investigators and have 5-7 more FHEs to go this week.

E. Morales is cool. I get along with him because he wants to work. He has experience so he doesn't freak out at changes. He is still recovering from being with a dead missionary but he has a good heart so I am not worried. We communicate well with each other.

I haven't taken any photos because I didn't know how dangerous the area would be. It is more dangerous than Alpuyeca and it is very feo [ugly], too. It is a lot dirtier and nastier here. My clothes will be destroyed by the end of my time here in Zapata, haha. We walk more and transportation is cheap, so it doesn't look like I will be spending nearly as much as I did before.

I know that this is the Lord's work we are doing and that I am supposed to be here in Mexico. I love learning the language (E. Morales is teaching me a bunch of slang, yesss) and I hope I can gain a stronger testimony and new language from my experience here. I am reading Jesus the Christ and can't put it down. Talmage is a Bible boss and I love taking a deeper look into the miracles and teachings of Christ. It has helped me come to realize the importance of the power of the priesthood and how it truly can cause miracles. Just the other day we gave a blessing to a man who had the worst fever I have ever seen in my life. He was lying on some old mattress moaning. His legs were trembling and his eyes refused to open. His head was soaked with sweat and it seemed like the heat wouldn't release from his tormented body. We gave him a blessing and in the blessing I told him to be healed. We haven't had a chance to go back and check up on him, but I hope that with my faith and God's will the man will feel better.

My apartment in Zapata is tiny. I now appreciate the mansion we had in Alpuyeca. We cleaned our apartment out today so it should be fine. There are a ton of dead cucarachas everywhere, haha.

That's all my news for this week.

I love you guys,

Elder Bosque