"We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe..."

Hola Familia! So the subject line really has nothing to do with this past week...ha! The grocery store here is called Santa Fe though, so everytime we go there or pass by that song always comes into my head. Most of you will not know what song, but that's okay! This is more for my enjoyment and my nerdíness...oh musical theatre references in everyday life! I love them! They happen often...anyway.... Where has this week gone? It went by surprisingly quite quickily! First off, I need to correct a fact. I said in my last email that 1 peso is equal to $12 American dollars, however, it is the other way around. $1 American Dolar is equal to 12 pesos. So we get about $1,400 pesos a month, plus since we live in a pueblo or little town and not a city, we get an extra $300 in the middle of the month. So that equals out to about $157 American dollars a month? If I remembe correctly? :) IT IS HOT!!!! Ah! I'm dying! My body needs to get used to this! And apparently this isn't the worst. June, July, and August are coming...yikes! This week...well, the past few days, starting around Thursday or so.....my stomach/digestive system and I have been at war with one another! Oh it has been not fun! This continued and finally today Hermana Velez, the president's wife, told us to go to the doctor. So we go to the doctor here in Peñasco. He speaks some English luckily and takes me back. He sticks me with some needle and says that I will feel a little tingling in my head, but the symptoms will go away. And it did a few minutes later I felt better! He gave me this big perscription that requires taking multiple pills a day for the next 10 days or so. One is supposed to be for parasites in case of someting...I don't know. So we will see how that goes... We were sad to find out upon returning to Sonoyta from our P-day in Peñasco last week that the Martinez family that we were teaching--the one sister who had the dream...remember?-- Had up and left without telling anyone. They were out of work and staying at the Branch President's motel until they could find work, and we were teaching them there. But when we went to teach them, the weren't there and the Branch President said he found their room empty and they just up and left without telling anyone. Who knows, maybe they found work. That was disappointing, I was excited to work with them and they seemed ready! Hopefully they will run into missionaries else where. We do have a baptism planned, though, for this coming Saturday the 28th. Hermana Eva, who is in her 70s has a baptism date. That is super exciting! There is an obstacle though. When she was younger she had a bad experience with water and now has a phoebia of water. So we are going to have to work something out. We plan on have a small chair in the font she can sit in and then just dunk her head forward and back up. It is the same symbolism motion of being born again, just a different and more comfortable way for her needs. I don't know if I told you about the family named Gaitan. One day while we were waitng outside a store for our food to cook, this man in his car was parked at he side of the road and honked and wanted to talk to us. He noticed we were dressed up in missionary attire and wanted to know who we were. He also noticed that I was not Mexican of course... ha! We explained who we were and I explained what I was doing in Mexico. He was impressed and we took down his address to go visit him. What a way to contact! They come to us! Ha! Well, addresses, really don't mean anything in Mexico. It is just a general description of the area they live in. We tried finding them, but couldn't. Luckily, when we were walking home one night we saw a place that was more like the man described. We stopped and it was them! That is super exciting! We told them we would visit them later this week. This week we also had a really great experience. Well, I had a really great experience. We watched the "The Restoration" video with one of our investigator families. Even though it was in Spanish, I could really feel the Spirit there testifying of Joseph Smith. It greatly strengthen my testimony and reminded me why I am here and what I am doing! I loved it! On Thursday we had a Zone Conference. Appartenly they aren't very common? But it was nice to be with the President and his wife! Ah! I just love them so much! They are really the greatest! The best thing was, my comp and I got to spend an extra 4 or so hours with them eating lunch and shopping for new beds! It was a grand time! It was be sad to see them go in July. And we have new beds! Ah! So nice! So much more comfortable than what I had, where I could feel the springs in my back! Ha! I have been thinking this week about how much we take for granted in the US. Like beds, and houses, and just everything! Basically all the homes here, since it is a small town and not a major city, are super small and have concrete floors, or dirt if they are really poor. We are lucky enough to have tile! It is crazy! I meant to take a picture, but our water is heated by electricity. So there are 2 electric wires leading up to the shower head. Appartenly if you get too close you will get a shock. I haven't had the desire to test that theory...ha! Oh! We received mail at our Zone conference too! So Holly had sent a dearelder to me back in February and she selected "Mexico Hermosillo" instead of "Provo MTC". So I just now got that dearelder! Ha! So to answer your question we don't get mail very often. Only like zone conferences, which we never have, or if we go to Hermosillo maybe? I'm not exactly sure. We may get mail at the beginning of every transfer? I really have no clue? That is why email is better because I get it faster and can respond faster. There is a little post office in town and I guess all I need are US stamps to mail and I'm good. I have a bit, but maybe I should have stocked up more before I left. Oh well! I'm not sure I will be "snail mailing" too often...but yeah, we don't get mail too often at all I believe. We don't have local addresses because...I don't know? No one has mailboxes and I guess they just don't have a need. So everything goes to the Mission Home. What else, what else, what else.....OH!!! Remember when we talked on the phone and I was like I'll talk to you in a month. I didn't know that it would literally be a month. Mother's day is a different day here in Mexico, so we will be calling in 2 and 1/2 weeks or so on the 10TH OF MAY! It is a Thursday, not a Sunday, so mark your calendars and get ready! Maybe I will have more info later? :) I attached some pictures. I meant to take some during the week of the landscape of Sonoyta and where we are working and more of my apartment, but didn't get around to it. Here, we have a little view of the Casa de Oracion or our "chapel". Except it isn't a chapel...I'm attaching the kitchen area and the back with the soccer field. I didn't know if it had been properly dedicated, so I didn't take any pictures of the chapel area just in case it wasn't appropriate. Also, there are pictures of an activity we did last week that I told you about with the family whose mom is a catholic leader in the church. Apparently she will be done teaching some class she is teaching to kids about baptism in June, and that is when we are going to try and snatch her! When her obligation is over! They really need to get baptized and go to the temple and be sealed! They are such a great family. Lastily, Me and my comp and some of the boys in the branch after church. Enjoy! Well, I hope I haven't left anything out and that you have enjoyed this novel...HA! I write too much! Sorry everyone, except mom! I know she loves it, and the rest of you are probably saying "I wish he would hurry up and end this" or are just skimming! Ha! I know, I write too much and like to explain a lot of things....like now for instance...I'm rambling....This is a problem with journal writing: I pour out my soul and feelings and take up a lot of paper. I think I would make all 2 years on the special paper I have...I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this...I should stop now.... Well, it sounds like you all have had a good week! Thanks for all the emails and keep them coming! They lift me and make me feel closer to home! I love and miss you all tons! Just 2 and 1/2 weeks or so and I can hear your voices once more! ¡Yo sé que vive mi Señor! Con Mucho Amor, Elder Joyner