Life in DF

Maria and Diana

Querido Familia,

Well I will try to answer the questions primero. The whole area is concrete and there isn’t a single empty lot that I have seen. There are people everywhere because there are lots of apartment complexes. I finally got transferred to the "big city." But it isn’t the most dangerous part, it is pretty calm here.

I don´t know where you are seeing thunderstorms but we are in the northern part of DF and it hasn’t rained a single day since I got here. Everyone says that this is really weird and it should have already started to rain. Maybe we are going to have a drought here that will cause everyone to repent and be baptized like in the Book of Mormon. We will pray that it will happen. It actually has been pretty hot because it isn’t raining so I have been getting nice and tan. The goal is that people will stop thinking that I am guedo, but I´m going to have to get more tan and get better Spanish first.

The house we live in is really fresa (I know that that means strawberry, but in Mexico it also means that something is really nice). It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a big living room and a kitchen with a stove where we can make grilled cheese sandwiches. We also have a microwave which is the first time I have seen one in a mission apartment. We live in an apartment complex, and we have to use 4 keys to get into the house. I will try to take pictures and send them...but there is a little problem. I lost my charger in Pachuca, I searched everywhere for it but it´s gone. So I don´t know what I´m going to do. I think I´m going to try and find a charger here, but if you guys can find one let me know. My camara is a Kodak Easyshare...don´t remember the model number or anything so I will have to pass it to you next week. We wash our clothes in a lavandería, we leave it there Mondays and pick it up Wednesdays.

We still eat with members everyday. The food was better in Pachuca...but there was also more money there. We cook for ourselves breakfast and when we get back to the apartment at night. But I just make PBJ sandwiches and eat cereal and drink chocolate milk. Life is good.

We go to President´s house when the new missionaries get here and when we have to go to Pachuca or Tulancingo or somewhere far away for a zone conference or leadership training, or once or twice a month. We sleep there the night before and leave early with President and his wife in their van. I see Presidente Hicken once or twice a week, but it all depends on what we do in the month. If it is a month of Zone Conferences, two or 3 times a week. As for what an AP does, well, a lot of things. We receive the key indicator reports from all the zone leaders for their zone every Sunday in the night and report to President Monday morning. We help president train in the zone conferences and leadership trainings, we have a counsel with the zone leaders once a month. It will be easier to tell you about things as we do them. The quick summary is that we do a lot of training and administrative work of the mission, we have to be the examples of this mission. That is a very daunting thought, and sometimes I wonder why President chose a missionary with 10 months and very little experience to be his assistant, but I just have to think that the Lord is in control and knows what He is doing.

I use the bug spray everyday to go to sleep. The other day we left the window open because it is really hot at night because the sun hits our apartment the whole afternoon. I also forgot to put on bug spray and I woke up with 30 or 40 bites all up and down my arms and face. We still send our emails from an internet cafe, and I still print them off most of the time.

For the scripture for the plaque I have two that I would like...so you can choose between the two. Moroni 10:22-23, or Moroni 10:32. You could also put the quote from the introduction, “I told the Bretheren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct....I would like that too.

I sent the picture of María and Diana that were baptized this week and also the periodico de la misión. Lo siento pero no tengo tiempo para platicarles de María y Diana. Van a tener que recordarme para la proxima semana. Ellas son tan especiales and they have changed so much. The Book of Mormon, like Mom said, changes lives. I love this so much. I love the Book of Mormon, and I love my Savior.

Cameron did you send my letters? Love ya´ll.

Love,

Elder Nelson