No I didn't play the piano this Sunday in church. I practiced, but I can only remember how to play 3 songs... and I can't play the same three songs every week. So yes, one of those little simple hymn books would be nice.
Our church building is like a prison, surrounded by a metal fence. All of the buildings here are like that with all of the windows barred and locked.
All of our mail gets delivered to the mission office because we can't receive mail at home. Once a month or so we pick it up. Our house is ghetto and only a small room, but the more houses I visit, the more grateful I am for our little room. A lot of people only have running water in one place in their house and they use a hose or buckets to get water to the bathroom or kitchen. We always offer to wash dishes for people after a meal, but washing here is really hard because they don't have running water. My house has a shower and a sink with running water so it is really nice.
Last Monday we had to go to the office so that I could get a year long visa. You would not believe the metro here! It is like a subway system. We went in the morning, rush hour. There are different sections for the men and the women because it is so crazy... but it was also scary. The metro cars are packed super full with people... more full then you can imagine, but at every stop, 5 more people manage to get in. They push and smash, and others help push them in. The doors close right on the people, but keep closing until somehow the people manage to morph in with the others. Even the police help push and smash people into the cars. It was the craziest thing! Finally my comp and I got the guts to squeeze ourselves into one of the cars. t was super funny because it is like sardines being compressed into a can.... but they were all shorter than my shoulders. I haven't really felt tall until I was on the metro. It the thing crashed, I don't think anyone would have died because we were all packed so tight that we couldn't move.
But then someone in the middle needs to get off! They fight and wiggle to reach the door, they crawl between everyone's legs, all while more people are trying to get ON! It was defying the rules of science, like a cup full of water yet they keep adding more water. Then suddenly, everyone gets off and it is an ocean of people ascending these stairs at the station and going their different ways. It is crazy!
We offer service at every house we go to, such as washing dishes or giving their dog a bath. Some people actually took us up on this offer this week and we washed 3 huge dogs! It was nasty.
Everywhere I go, I am the only white person. It is super funny because there are the same ten people that know English and whenever they see me they say" Hello, good morning or how are you today?" But this is all they know. Even the police when they drive by say it to me. Super funny!
We have our first baptism coming up this week. It is a man that we met my first day here in Mexico. He really wants to serve a mission, but has a child, so he can't. We explained to him that every member is a missionary and now every night that he is available, he puts on a button up shirt with a sweater (he even carries a backpack with nothing in it) to go with us on visits as a member missionary. After he is baptized we could have the best stats for lessons taught with a member in the mission!
This was also a bad week for dogs. My comp likes to run from them because they chase you. He likes the adrenaline rush and thinks its funny.... but he always goes running first and they get ME because I am behind him. Three little white poodles chased me this week! It was scary, but it is really scary when a big, nasty dog is chasing you! I did get nipped by a dog hiding under a car, but it didn't break the skin. So don't worry, Mom. I am safe.
Love Elder Shumway
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