HOLA FAMILIA!!!!
Wow! Where to start...Well, I'm in Mexico! Today isn't my P-day. My P-day is still on Mondays, but my comp didn't get a chance to email his family on Monday because of dropping off his other comp and picking me up. But we get to email today. So I will try and tell you as much as I can and then the rest will be a continuation on Monday, yeah?
It was absolutely wonderful to talk to you all on Tuesday! It sounded like you had loads of fun! I'm quite jealous! So here is my story:
For those who didn't hear, we had to wake up at 2:30AM for our 7AM flight! It was brutal! At the airport I got to call the fam and we left for Phoenix, our layover till Hermosillo.
After we get off the phone in Phoenix, we start to load the plane and it was interesting because we came to find out that the plane was a REALLY REALLY SMALL plane! We had to walk onto the tar-matt and ascend stairs to get on it. You know, like you see in the movies! Ah! It was crazy! I counted: only 36 or 37 seats! And I was stuck in the very back. I unfortuately couldn't sleep much on that ride. Nerves/small plane/nerves/too hot...ect. As we fly over Mexico, I look out and see nothing but desert! How crazy! I can't really see any little towns or anything. Just desert! I think to myself: What have I gotten myself into?!
When we arrive in Hermosillo, it is a small little airport and we have to go through immigration and customs and all that good stuff! They have this button that you push that determines if they will random check you for customs. Luckily I didin't get checked. My bags were too heavy and too packed to get checked! After that, we walk through these doors into the main aiport area and who do I see? A Cute little Mexican Mission President couple looking at me! They had the biggest smiles on their faces and warmly welcomed us and gave us hugs (well, the president did, of course his wife couldn't). Ah! I just love them so much! They are so precious and cute and soo nice and just the greatest! You were right dad, they are leaving in like July or sometime. That will be sad! I want to have them my whole time. :( I would compare them to a spanish version of the Whitings! So great!
The assistants and secreataries load up our stuff in the mission van and we ride with President Velez and his wife to get something to eat! My first REAL Mexican food Experience! We go to this restaurant and President Velez orders for us. He orders Horchata which is the yummy drink made from Rice, milk, and cinnamon! Let me tell you what...it tastes even better when it is authentic and from Mexico! We have a big platter of tacos and quesadillas and steak and chicken! It was good stuff! I was getting full, but everyone else was still eating, so I kept eating just to be nice and get my fill, you know? I stuffed up! I got so full! But it was good!
We then traveled to the mission offices! The office is right by the temple and it is quite beautiful temple! I love it! We take pictures outside, which they said they were going to email to you, so hopefully you get them. And then we go inside and meet our trainers! My companion's name is Elder Melchor! He is from Mexico City! He is quite a funny guy! He knows the tiniest bit of English and it is from listening to American music! It is quite funny! He sings American songs all the time and his english cracks me up! He is a great guy though! It was time for a new companion!
Inside the offices we have a meeting for an hour and a half or so and discuss the mission and the new program we will be doing with our trainers. It is a 12 week program where we have an extra hour of companionship study everyday and supposedly at the end of those 12 weeks, We should know enough and be good enough to be trainers ourselves! How crazy is that!?!? After, we find out where we will be serving. One companionship is staying in Hermosillo, one is going to Obregon, and then us....well we are assigned to Sonoyta. Sonoyta is like the farthest north in the mission. Right smack close to the border! I see the border everday actually while walking around! It is crazy to think I am just yards away from the USA! Sonoyta is 8 hours away from Hermosillo, and so the other companionships leave for their areas and we stay the night at the offices with the assistants and secretaries! We sit around a bit and have nothing to do and my comp calls President Velez and he says we could go do a session at the temlple! Crazy! Well, the temple was absolutely beautiful inside! I love it! The Temple president was at the recommend desk and saw my name and I guess he said he knew Crandon. I asked to listen to the session in English of course! Ha! And after that...well, it didn't go too well, is all I have to say. You can probably think about what I am talking about! Ha!
We come back and someone has brought sushi for dinner. In Mexico, they usually don't eat breakfast or don't have much a breakfast, but they have a big lunch at like 2PM, and dinner at like 8ish. I don't really like sushi, but I ate it anyway just because it was food and I didn't want to be hungry. I think it had some Lengua in it... (cow tongue...) I don't know for sure though. We get to bed and the next morning, we load up all my luggage and take a taxi to the Bus Station. These two days were quite rough! I could barely understand anyone, even the assistants and everything was just different and strange...it was tough! Still is a bit, but a little better?
We take a charter bus to Puerto Peñasco, which is a town on the coast, an hour away from Sonoyta. We had to go there since there wasn't a direct bus to Sonoyta since it is quite smaller and yeah...Along the ride we have quite a few stops. One of which was a check point where we all had to get off the bus and run our bags through X-ray machines, looking for drugs I guess? We had 2 or 3 more along the way, but we didn't have to get off. Just National Guard looking people came on and walked around looking for suspicious people I guess?
When we finally arrive at our stop we wait for a bit for our zone leaders to come get us to go eat. This was about 3:30 in the afternoon. They got tied up and couln't come so we went across the street on our own, luggage and all, to a food truck type thing. We order Tacos! Carne Asada and Tacos Al Pastor! Que rica! They were soo good! The best tacos ever! I loved them! We then had to take another taxi to a different bus station that would take us to Sonoyta. We get on that bus around 5PM. Well, it isn't really a bus, more like a 8-14 passenger van. We have an hour drive and I just fall asleep. Upon arriving in Sonoyta, I wake up and start looking around and for the 1st time I think, maybe this won't be so bad! I still think "What I am I doing here?" and what have I gotten myself into, but I did feel some more comfort. When we arrive, we meet the branch mission leader (there is a branch of maybe 35-40 here and it there isn't a chapel, but a casa de oracion or house of prayer.) and he takes us to our house and then to the grocery store to pick up somethings. Luckily my companion has been in this area for quite a while so he knows everthing! The store was really nice! I found a lot of American things! :)
Afterwards, we go back to the house, I unpack my stuff and to bed we go! They next day, yesterday, we the first day working! Just from one day, I absolutley love the people here! They are great! We visited some great investigators and members! There is a laundry mat owned by a member directly across the street from our house, so luckily we get to do laundry there for free! Yay! None by hand! Yesterday we went and visited this family, where the Mother had had a dream a while back about heaven and St. John and talking with the Lord or something. It sounded interesting and inspired! This family is not from here and they are living at the Branch President's motel! We go and talk with them quickly and set-up return appt. for today. She was so sweet! So receptive! I bet so will get baptized no problem! She seemed like one of those who have been prepared for us to find and teach! I love it!
Yesterday we also had an encounter with Canadians who have a house down here....yeah...weird! It is 2 older gentlemen who are members. They don't speak Spanish so I was able to speak English! Ah! So great! But they weird thing was whenever they talked to me, I tried to reply in Spanish! Ha!
We had pizza for lunch yesterday and we are doing to a member's house today. Lunch is the big meal when we eat with members usually everday. Ah! So much to say, so little time. I will continue Monday.
It is super weird! My teacher said you have to become comfortable being uncomfortable on your mission. It is really hard, but getting better? I can't understand ANYONE!!! I can a little with my comp....enough at least! I am attaching some pictures. I should have taken more for you. Sorry, I will work on that. Well, yeah....hopefully it will get better soon. It is better when we are out working! The mornings when we study and I am left to myself and my own mind is when it is hard and I feel a little homesick. But, it will be okay.
I love and miss you all tons!
¡Yo Se que vive mi Señor!
Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Joyner
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