Week 11 Still in Magdalena

Well this week was rough, We had many lessons fall through and we basically just aimlessly wander around trying to find people. It was hard.
My Spanish has improved, I can speak better than I can understand. It´s hard because many missionaries come up to me and say "oh after the first transfer I could pretty much understand everything" and I'm like I literally can't understand anyone and I'm 5 weeks in...so much for not trying to compare myself:):):):)
Anyways, I gotta look at the bright side and realize that my Spanish is getting better every week because "Comparison is the thief of joy"-Mark Twain.
We had a couple of good lessons. And this 16 year old girl we are teaching read the Book of Mormon when I made her pinky promise. Good to see that she is keeping her word! We have another dude named David who is progressing really well but struggles with the belief of a living prophet. We gave him some Liahonas (or Ensigns) so hopefully that'll help the more we teach him.

This week I can hang my hat on Sunday. That was the best Sunday yet.  And I don't really know when or what occured but I felt this peace that completely changed my attitude.  The rest of the day I just felt better. I bore my testimony in Spanish and the members came up and told me how much better my Spanish is. I am truly lucky the few members here show their love and support for me even though I can't understand them. 

Today we woke up at 4:30am to ride up to Nogales with a member (cause my comp and Imuris elders can't afford a bus ticket....oh well) and we had a zone activity at this zoo in the middle of nowhere and I didn't see any people or anything except these dangerous animals like Jaguars and Lions inside a cage they could probably break out of with ease....but I'm back so luckily nothing bad happened. 



And now some interesting Mexican things this week...
~on Wednesday and Thursday I had 2 of the worst foods I have ever had ever...BACK TO BACK. It was bound to happen. I had this soup called Menudo which is full of...COW INTESTINES and TESTICLES!!! LIKE WHAT?!?! I had a hard time trying to eat it. All I could think of was the story when Dad had that on his mission but slipped the pieces of cow intestine in his pocket. Unfortunately for me, I could not do the same and had to eat it. It was ROUGH.
Also, I had this Mexican drink called Champurrado...which I can't describe and when I think about it my stomach flips upside down. It literally is just warm chunky sludge from the sewer that they heat up....okay that's an exageration but basicially imagine trying to drink that. I threw up in my mouth a good 4 times before I had to stop drinking it
~I found this stand that sells food by the bus station in Nogales and they sell the best Chimichangas ever. Like they are completely different here than microwaved ones. And they're super cheap, one for 13 pesos. So if I'm hungry and nearby I'll buy 3 and it's basically 2 dollars.
~We hitch hiked probably about 5 or 6 times this week. It's a weird feeling standing on the side of the road wanting a ride. Just weird...but we get rides for free!

Thanks for the love and support as always.   I know all growing must come through trials first. There is no comfort in the growth zone and no growth in the comfort zone.

--
Elder Tyler Gregory
Mexico Hermosillo Mission

Comments

  1. CarolynDecember 4, 2018 at 7:46 PM

    Hang in there Elder Gregory! I had menudo on my mission at the end of fast Sunday. I was STARVING and it was a memory I can't erase trying to choke that nastiness down. Things WILL get better. It takes a while to develop an ear for the language. Don't be hard on yourself. You are always in our prayers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Traci GardnerDecember 4, 2018 at 8:23 PM

    So good to hear from you ... we miss and love you ! Ok so menudo.... no bueno brother!! My first marriage I married into a Spanish family .... they raved about how good menudo was and finally I tried it ... yuckO!!! Worst moment of my life and they made theirs with cow tongue ..... never again! Hopefully soon things will start to even out for you and you will get comfortable understanding and speaking and will find your niche and then you’ll be like “that was a fast two years” lol enjoy the scenery and animals but from afar .... lol
    We pray for you and hope things will start to turn around ... remember by the inch it’s a cinch but by the yard it’s hard
    Love
    The Gardner’s

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brianna MerrillDecember 5, 2018 at 5:01 AM

    Love reading your updates, sorry to hear about the rough parts, particularly the menudo, that is a hard dish to swallow for sure, in fact I can't even stand the smell of it. And remember to be patient with yourself tu español mejorará con el tiempo. The longer you are immersed in the language the more you'll understand and Mark Twain has it right, don't steal the joy of the experience away by comparing, you are doing the Lords work and he is pleased with all and any sincere efforts!

    ReplyDelete

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