This week was really good. We worked hard trying to find people to bring to church and that can progress. That is one thing that I love about this area. There are so so many people, so the number of people that are ready and prepared to progress is bigger too, and we hope to find some new people this week!
Trying to balance the work in the mission is much more of a trick than I thought it would be. I didn't realize before the mission just how many different factors went into a single day in the mission. Contacting, teaching investigators, menos activos, miembros, y despues todos los demas. Contactando y buscando referencias*. Working with the members to go do visits. Then realizing that we keep forgetting to eat in the morning and night cause there is just so much. Haha!
I have never been so busy in my life! I already feel like the time is flying. And it just gets faster and faster. The biggest challenge right now? Trying to avoid the friendly drunk guy who likes talking with us for extended periods of time who lives in our neighborhood. :)
The email for next week will contain much more, I promise! AAah! I love you all so much and thank you for your continued love and support. If you write to me and I don't answer please know that I still love you lots. It's just that I only have ten fingers that are accustomed to using the computer once a week. Hope that you make this the best week of your life, and learn something new every day. Hasta luego!
Elder Kennington
* " Contacting, teaching investigators, less actives, members, and then everyone else. Contacting and calling references."
Preguntas Bien Rapidito
Q: How does the 500 baptisms goal affect the focus of your work in Chamapa since the ward there has so many inactives on its rosters?
A: It is kind of interesting. This mission likes to baptize- A LOT. The thing I am struggling with is that many elders are under the impression that as soon as the investigators have gone to church enough, so many of the recent converts go immediately inactive, often without being confirmed. This is pretty common in Mexico right now. There are roughly 1,500,000 members total in Mexico, and according to Elder Ortiz, one of the area seventy, there are only 200,000 active members. I am still trying to figure out what to do there.
Q: Is your weekly shopping any different there from Toluca?
A: Yup! There was a WalMart five minutes away from the house in Toluca. Here the only thing is a tiny little Mercado in the area. I bought 1 kilogram of cereal today and milk, and just about bought the entire mercado itself doing so. :)
Q: What is it like getting a haircut there? How much does it cost?
A: Super easy. There are esthetics (literally, "aesthetic" but colloquially, "beauty shop") on every corner in the street. For example, Elder Taylor got one today and it cost about 35 pesos. (Mom Note: That's about $2.25 here)
Q: You’re looking so tan. Have you given up on sunscreen (wink wink)?
A: Haha... Haven't touched the stuff in about 4 months...
Q: What is your Chamapa ward like?
A: They are good. The members are very kind and very loving here, especially the recent converts. When they visit we have to be careful to not spend more than about half an hour to fifteen minutes though, because if the members could do it they would have us stay all day. And we are kind of missionaries, so we have a pretty loaded schedule.... :)
Q: Have you organized any choir practices yet?
A: No!!! I am super excited but bishop hasn't called me back yet! I can hardly way to see what teaching opportunities come from this.
Q: Is Elder Taylor fresh out of the MTC? Which MTC? Yup. He went to the Mexico City MTC.
The photos. The money is the Mexican money. I am missing the 20 peso bill, which is the smallest, blue, and has a picture of Benito Juarez on it. And the 5 peso coin. Which looks exactly like the two and the one coins, but a little bit bigger with a five on it. Another photo is me with the teachers quorum president here. And the other is of Elder Taylor.
A beautiful handmade leather scripture case made by a local member that Elder Kennington has his eyes on.
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