Weekly Letter: December 7-13, 2010

Another week, another cambio, another companion, and another experience in the mission field. Yeah, today we have changes again. I can hardly believe that Elder Mendoza and I already have had a month and a half together. I seems like the time has just flown by. However, I'm incredibly excited, because we've seen the area grow quite a bit while we were working together. However, Elder Mendoza got changed to Mexico, to the Zone Tacubaya(where I was the first six months in the field.) I get to stay here in Toluca-Centro. It's pretty interesting, it seems like neither one of my mission presidents is in any hurry to change me from area to area. I was in my first area for six months, and now I have about 3 months in this area....and at least another month and a half more...

Maybe I'll end up the same way as Elder Leavitt, who started his mission in Plateros about a year before I did, six months later, he came to Centro, and was there for another six months. Who knows? I know it's pretty weird that I'm going to be in my second area in the mission for Christmas and my birthday....and maybe when I complete a year too! Wow, a year in the mission, and two areas? I didn't think that would happen.

Here in Centro, I'm going to receive an Elder.....something. He's an American, but because my Mexican companion received the changes by phone from my Mexican District Leader, they didn't get the last name of my new companion very well. Oh well, so I have no idea if I know my companion or not. My companion told me about 7 last names that could be my companion's last name, but to spare you guys all the drama and everything of which of the seven(if any of them) is indeed my companion, I will just send it in the email next week.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited, I don't know how it'll be working with a "gringo," all of my other companions have been Mexican....except Elder Childers, but he's half Peruvian, and had almost finished his mission, so in all aspects: culture, language, hair color, everyone always thought he was Mexican. Anyway, I'm excited, but nervous. However, I think it will be a good experience.

So yeah, we also had a baptism yesterday. Elder Mendoza baptized Javier, a sixteen year-old who is a cousin of some of the members in our ward. His mom and nephew are also coming to church, and they both want to be baptized, but the mom wants to wait until January, and we haven't really talked to the nephew outside of church because he's always with his mom because he's only 8. But, yeah, we're starting to have some work here in Centro. We just have to find more. That's the thing with missionary work, you can never be too pleased with everything that has happened in an area, or else, the area begins to die. I think I learned that too late in Plateros, but I´ve learned that we have to focus every week in the area, as if we were opening the area, because the majority of the people you find aren't going to progress really fast, or they aren't going to want to listen after a while. Like the mission president says, you have to be constantly filling the tank, and if we do that, the fruits will come on their own.

So, we finished the change on a good note with the baptism. The only thing that Elder Mendoza doesn´t like about leaving right now is that he never got to activate his family. We visited them a lot...maybe too much, but they don't seem to be motivated to go to church. I'll see what I can do with my other companion, but I think that if a family member-missionary couldn't do it, I better not waste too much time going with them day after day. But, I can't just leave them either. So we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I've got to go to Metepec in like thirty minutes.

Thanks for everything! See you all next week!(not literally, but in email format)

Cariños,

Elder Blackham