2nd Area

I had transfers Monday and I am now serving in the Barrio Chappingo (Chappingo Ward). My area is enormous! I am the district leader of four companionships, but the distance of my district is so huge that I still haven't met my elders in person. My companion is from Torreon Coahuila and his name is Elder Hernandez. He also doesn't speak any English and we have been on our missions for the same time. 

You would not believe how big my area is (22 Miles long). I think I went from the smallest area to the biggest in the mission (new and old areas outlined in yellow. Tanner’s new area is ⅓ of the whole mission area. The Red outlines are the Missions in Mexico City).

It’s pretty funny because my first day we went to work and I asked my companion a little about the boundaries. He said, ¨Look where ever you want, to the mountains and everything, that is all yours and more. Just go where you want and baptize because it is all your area.´´
On Thursday we walked for an hour to eat dinner with members, and then we walked an hour back to where there are actually people to teach. We wasted three hours just for food, but we did get to know each other pretty well. My comp has a horrible memory so he doesn't remember anybody he has met, or any of the little pueblos (towns) in our area. We are doing a lot of asking around but in one week I've gotten to know the area pretty well. (Actually only 5% OF THE AREA BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN THE OTHER 95%!)

We spend most of our day either walking or in a combi (a combi is a little van that does circles in a route) and we take these to go to little pueblos or towns in the mountains. I love it here! I can go where ever I want in the mountains to look for people to teach,... but its also very expensive to pay for all of the combi rides. We are also learning how to work with strategy. We can’t just plan lessons wherever we want because it’s an hour to each pueblo, so we work in one little city or two each day depending on where we are going to eat that day.

The area is super cool because there are springs of water in the mountains and a lot of history about the king of the Texcocans, Nezahualcoyotl. When I get home I can tell you all about who he is.

Mt Tlalok

The streets are almost all cobblestone, resembling little walkways in the mountains. However, there is also a huge plaza three blocks from my house with McDonalds and Walmart. The only problem is that we are super pobre (poor) because we use all of our money in the combis.

This week I will take some pictures and send them to you so you can see where I am living right now. It is awesome. In this ward they are strong and the converts are awesome and there is even an active ward mission leader so I am excited to work here.

Love,

Elder Shumway

1st Transfer

I just found out last night that I have transfers tomorrow morning so I packed my bags and sadly,  the trio will come to an end tomorrow. The people here have become my little Mexican family. In my little branch here we didn't have very much success but I do have one convert who is super strong and her family is also starting to show interest in the church. Her name is Veronica and she just got baptized last month but yesterday in church she signed up to feed the missionaries this week. I will miss it here.  

After 6 months of hard work, this area is just starting to progress. We set 9 baptismal dates in the last 2 weeks and the investigadores are muy potentes, (i don't know what potente is in english so you will have to google translate it - potente is powerful or strong) It is a little sad to leave the converts and investigators that you come to love, but the Lord needs me in another part of the mission right now.

Meet the Mormons just came out in Spanish. We gathered at a Zone Conference to watch it. It's a pretty good movie!

Enjoy the fresh air and green mountains for me.

Love Elder Shumway

p.s. the photo is of us cooking a type of taco called carnitas or tacos of every part of the pig that you can imagine. It kinda looks like garbage in the picture but it all tastes pretty good.... except for the pig ear, pig skin and nipples. But the nose is absolutely the worst part! One day I’ll cook carnitas for thanksgiving so you can try it. :)

6 Months!

 I feel like I am new here in the mission because I am still in my first area training my comp but I am actually coming up on 6 months. That's a fourth of my mission gone super fast! I am determined to make the last year and a half really count. Spiritually, I'll look like this body builder when I get home!

We had a pretty good week here in Mexico. I started offering English classes and I had 15 people show up for the first one. It was actually pretty fun. I don't think that anyone will actually learn how to speak English from my classes, but we do have a lot of fun. We have candy and everyone speaks in English,..... not very well but sometimes you can understand them.

The hot season is starting right now and it is SUPER HOT! The difference in the heat here and in Oregon is that the sun here hurts really bad! The sun is MUCH stronger here, and if you aren't in the shade it just kills you! (I've got some sweet tan lines from my white shirt!)  My expensive shoes are already pretty destroyed. From the outside they look pretty good, but on the inside I can feel all of the holes and rocks that are in them. But at least they look good on the outside.

Tell JoJo that yes I am still handing out candy to the little kids, but the bouncy balls ran out a while ago. I keep buying candy and the little kids love it. (My comp also likes to eat it.) Having been in this area for 4 months, I have gotten to know everybody. I have officially knocked on every door of my area, except for the buildings in the south of because they have security. All of the people here know me. I can talk to every street vendor and hobo that lives around here by name. There is one little old lady that is always hanging out by a fresh orange juice stand who calls me "her white boy." In Spanish it is natural because they have a word, guerro, that means white person. Every time we pass by she tells her friends or the people close to her that I am her guerro because one time I helped her carry her groceries. It's pretty fun to know everybody in this area, but I think I need a transfer.

Tell Miss Daisy that I say hi and that everything is ok. When I get some stamps I will write her a letter but I can't send anything right now without stamps. Everything is ok here and I love you Mom. 

Elder Shumway