The day before I was to leave for home. We went to the mission home. They prepared a big feast for us and a party. I was too sick to even come down to the dinner. I went to bed early and tried to get strong enough to make the trip back to California the next day. The next day we were taken early out to the airport to make the trip back home. As I was waiting in the airport, I accidently dropped my ticket on the floor. After I noticed it missing I was scared but a nice airport employee found it and returned it to me.
The trip back home only took two hours. I sat next to Catholic Nun who was nice but not interested in my mission. I was also sitting across from the isle from another missionary. When we arrived at Los Angles, we had to make an abort our landing at the last second. It was a big surprise and the elder next to me, lost his lunch and threw up all over himself.
When I got down on the ground I quickly went through customs because I didn't have a lot of gifts or things with me. I then walked toward the gate and found my family. I nearly walked right past my mother because her hair was now all gray. I didn't reconize her at all and they didn't reconize me much either. I was a thin bean pole.
It was a great shock coming home. Everything and everyone was so rich and wealthy. I was used to the poorer people in Mexico. Plus I had a hard time with my English. English sounded so strange to me. I enjoyed the more melodic/romatic Spanish language. I came home and a Saturday. I was asked to give the prayer in Sacrament meeting the next day. I couldn't pray in English. I had to give the pray in Spanish because I couldn't remember the right words in English any more.
I didn't have any regular clothes that fit, so my sister took me to a mall and to buy my some good clothes. My mom was worried about how thin I was and sent me to the doctor first thing Monday morning. He gave me a complete physical and told me and my mother that I would be all right but I needed to rest and eat a lot.
I didn't get to rest much because I left for Provo, Utah just fourteen days after I came home to go back to school. This was great because I was going crazy resting at home.
I enjoyed my mission. I am very glad I went to Mexico. Things were not very easy their but it was worth it every bit. I encourage all to go on a mission.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
District Leader in Guadalajara
After serving three months as zone leader, I was released and called to be a district leader in Guadalajara. We had six elders in my district. We all lived together in an apartment located just south of downtown. It was on a hill. I remember living through a tropical storm and seeing it rained so bad that anything not chained down to one of the concrete telephone poles was washed away by the storm. After the storm passed on, there were certain parts of the city that the buses couldn't go to because the water more than six feet high in those areas.
One of the Elders in my District was Elder Butler who was now serving as a senior companion for the first time in his mission. We all worked hard and had several baptisms my last three months. I would soon be going home, but I didn't focus much on it. I wanted to end my mission on a high note. I was begining to wear out. I received a new elder from the states to by my companion. He wanted to go jogging in the morning with me. But I was too worn out and tired and he went with one of the other new missionaries in our district.
I remember teaching a family of a man who was an airforce officer. One P-Day he took us out to the air base and showed us all around. They never joined the church while I was with them, but I hope they did later. Just before I went home, I baptized the oldest daughter of Sister Carvajal back in Santiago Ixquitla. It was a very special baptism. Her mother and family all came to the baptism.
One of the Elders in my District was Elder Butler who was now serving as a senior companion for the first time in his mission. We all worked hard and had several baptisms my last three months. I would soon be going home, but I didn't focus much on it. I wanted to end my mission on a high note. I was begining to wear out. I received a new elder from the states to by my companion. He wanted to go jogging in the morning with me. But I was too worn out and tired and he went with one of the other new missionaries in our district.
I remember teaching a family of a man who was an airforce officer. One P-Day he took us out to the air base and showed us all around. They never joined the church while I was with them, but I hope they did later. Just before I went home, I baptized the oldest daughter of Sister Carvajal back in Santiago Ixquitla. It was a very special baptism. Her mother and family all came to the baptism.
Zone Leaders
My zone was 16 hours long and at least 6 hours long. It went from Mazatlan up north to Morelia and Colima down south. Our week began with meeting with the mission president on Sunday afternoon. Then we jumped on a bus and headed up north to Tepic, Santiago Izquintla, and Mazatlan. We ended the week by returning to Guadalajara. We then worked a few days in Guadalajara. Then we went south the next Sunday night to Ciudad Guzman and Colima, then on to Zamora, Uruampon, and Morelia. Then back to Guadalajara. We never slept the same place two nights in a row except when we were back in Guadalajara. I took a bedroll with me consisting of two blankets, a sheet and a pillow. The blankets went under me as we usually slept on the floor or in some places bare concrete. It wasn't easy but was rewarding to see all my elders and work with them.
Lost in Guadalajara
The first day, I arrived in Guadalajara to be a "Zone Leader" I was asked to go out to one of the places at the edge of the city to interview a family for baptism. The family was from one of my district leaders. He happened to be the same missionary I had for my first junior companion back in Zamora. He was now a district leader in Guadalajara and doing great. The family I interviewed lived in a multi-story appartment building. They lived in the second story in the middle of the apartment building. They joined the church, then the family that lived upstairs from them, then one of their downstairs neighbors, then a family across the street, then another family in their apartment building. The rate they were going they were going to have a ward right on their block.
I wasn't very familiar with Guadalajara at that time on my mission. I had worked everywhere else in the mission. I didn't have a companion yet because he hadn't arrived in the city yet. I was taken from the mission home by the district leader to where the family lived. We took one bus from the mission home, then a second to the center of town and then a third out to where the family lived. I was told to pay good attention to where I got off the first bus and took the second bus.
The interview and baptism went fine. Then it was getting late so I started back to the mission home. I took the first bus back to the center of town. Then I got on the second bus and headed out toward the mission home. I remembered where I was supposed to get off and I got off the bus at the right spot. But the third bus never came. I waited and waited and waited, but no bus. It was getting late and I was worried that I might be spending the night on that street corner. I didn't know the mission home telephone but that didn't matter because there wasn't any telephones nearby anyway. I began to pray and pray.
Finally about 10:00 PM a bus showed up. He was very late. He had, had engine troubles but had finally got his bus moving again. I was so glad that he finished his route. I jumped on and eventually got back to the mission home about 11:00 PM that night. No one asked me anything and I was too tired to say anything anyway.
I wasn't very familiar with Guadalajara at that time on my mission. I had worked everywhere else in the mission. I didn't have a companion yet because he hadn't arrived in the city yet. I was taken from the mission home by the district leader to where the family lived. We took one bus from the mission home, then a second to the center of town and then a third out to where the family lived. I was told to pay good attention to where I got off the first bus and took the second bus.
The interview and baptism went fine. Then it was getting late so I started back to the mission home. I took the first bus back to the center of town. Then I got on the second bus and headed out toward the mission home. I remembered where I was supposed to get off and I got off the bus at the right spot. But the third bus never came. I waited and waited and waited, but no bus. It was getting late and I was worried that I might be spending the night on that street corner. I didn't know the mission home telephone but that didn't matter because there wasn't any telephones nearby anyway. I began to pray and pray.
Finally about 10:00 PM a bus showed up. He was very late. He had, had engine troubles but had finally got his bus moving again. I was so glad that he finished his route. I jumped on and eventually got back to the mission home about 11:00 PM that night. No one asked me anything and I was too tired to say anything anyway.
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