Hey dad! Thanks for your letter. That is so awesome that you are spending so much time with Elder Andersen. I´ll bet President Gardner knows him. President Gardner told me that if there is anyone that he respects and admires in this world, it is you. He spoke very highly of you Dad. He just walked by me and asked me if I was Steve West´s son. He says we look quite a bit alike.
The first day in Mexico was a little crazy. Mexico City is huge and insane. It was fun to be with my district and walk around the airport, none of us knowing English! Now I´m in Chilpancingo. It is really nice here. Mexico is pretty much what I expected it to be. I like it alot. Americans need to be more Mexican. Seriously the people here are the nicest people I have ever met. We taught a family lesson three in Preach my Gospel about the gospel and they were really receptive and great but in the end they decided to stay with their catholic religion. They all stopped what they were doing for fifteen minutes and just listened to us. They were so awesome. Even though they didn´t want to listen, they gave us fruit and took us out back and cooked us breakfast. I think alot of families here live together, as in Grandparents, parents and children. There was this old lady in the lesson that we taught to the family that couldn´t hear at all. In the middle of the lesson she would start talking really loud, and even though I couldn´t understand what she was saying, I knew it wasn´t about the Gospel. It was hilarious. Truly humor, smiles and laughter are the same in any language. She also wanted to dance with us! She was the quinticential example of a Mexican true heritage woman! Alot of people here have very little. We ate at a member´s home that was pretty poor. They are all really short. Anyways, her house was very small was made of wood, had dirt floors, a tin roof, she just did not have much. She is so awesome though! There is a lady in our ward named Hermana Laura. She already is my hero. She is such a wonderful lady. She´s confined to a wheelchair and is the relief society president. What a good example of being turning lemons into lemonade. She is so great and is a strong member of the church.
I love our ward. It´s pretty small but it´s so good. I played the piano during church. I have the feeling I´m going to be doing that alot! My bishop is a strong member and such a great person.
Everyone here believes in God and Jesus Christ. EVERYONE. I think that is why they are all so kind and positive and full of love. They live life the simple way. I think I have a few lessons to learn here about learning how to hang loose and love life.
The weather is perfect. It´s a little warm in the afternoon, but in the evening and morning it´s great. The people here drive like crazymen. They have little VW bugs that they use as ¨taxis¨. They drive so fast and definitely do not follow traffic rules. Actually I don´t know if they exist. It´s kind of a lawless land! It´s funny. The food here is really good. They use tortillas in every meal. There are always little shops on the corners where you can buy tortillas and fruit and other stuff. They have alot of ¨refrescas¨ or soda. It was good to go to church and feel the spirit of the ward. I really enjoyed Sunday.
We live above members of our ward. There are about three other small apartments on the same floor as us, and we all share 2 bathrooms and 2 showers. It´s not that bad, some elders here have to use a bucket and water. Chilpancingo has some very nice houses here, and we have everything we need!
We are teaching a family of four right now. They are really interested and love the message of the Gospel. Her name is Viviana, and her husband´s name is Miguel. Both really nice and very receptive and teachable. Viviana is going to be baptized on Sunday this week. It is insane how fast everything goes here. Pretty much we challenge the people to be baptized here in the first fifteen minutes, and the amazing thing is that people actually accept the invitation to be baptized! So different from America!
Another person we are teaching is Francisco. He is a nice man who is pretty mentally slow. But I think he understand s what´s going on. He lives alone and doesn´t really change is clothes or bathe very often!
It hasn´t taken that long for me to get used to Mexico! Some parts actually remind me of Arizona! The music, some of the same smells. And hey, the Mexicans in Arizona... Don´t judge them. It´s just the way they live. Americans actually have alot of lessons they can learn from the Mexican people. They are so open and extremely friendly. So, no more dissin´on them.
So how are the plans for Argentina going? Sometime Sterling will have to take me there and show me around!
Oh I forgot, my companion and I had an interesting experience the other night. We had made an appointment to teach a woman and were coming to do so. Her husband came out and was just a touch drunk. Actually he was wasted, and told us he was going to shoot us and to go away. He started screaming and I think I heard the word ¨pistola¨. Elder Workman and I sprinted away. I was laughing but it was kinda scary! I just had this vision of this drunk mexican guy screaming in a little VW car coming after us with his ¨pistola¨! It made me laugh! There are tons of dogs here, many of them pregnant. It´s kind of sad, but it´s just kinda the way things go here!
Yeah Elder Workman is from Farmington Utah. He´s a great guy and a good example. We´re both pretty tall and we probably look like gigantes to the people in Mexico!
My testimony is definitely a process. This week was tough just getting used to a new country sights and smells, but I think I´ve got the hang of it. I just need to humble myself and have faith like a child. I have learned so much that I have the power to be happy, and I have power over my mind and my emotions. All we have to do sometimes when we are down or feeling bad is change our thought process and think of something else. Sometimes we have to force our minds to think certain ways, but it´s just the way it goes. There´s always something that you can do to bring yourself out of emotional or mental funks. I love the fruit they have here. Here alot of people take any fruit and just juice it. I have tried Strawberry juice, guava juice, pineapple juice, and I´m sure there are others. Guavas are really good. If they have any in Arizona you should get some. The Mexicans have figured out how to make something really good out of simple ingredients. I learned today that Chilpancingo is not that far from the sea. It´s about thirty minutes from Acapulco. I didn´t realze I was down that far.
Really life is good. I think sometimes, actually all the time, Satan doesn´t want us to have the full picture, the full perspective. Sometimes our heads hang down and we just look at our feet, figuratively speaking. I think that´s why it says in the Scriptures to ¨lift up your heads and recieve the pleasing word of God¨. We have to be the ones to lift up our heads and recieve it. Well, what a crazy place! You will like it so much if you decide to come get me. It´s a little insane, but fun at the same time. Life is always just a ´buzzin´along here.
Thanks for everything. I am extremely lucky to have parents as wonderful as you are. I love you both so much.
I think I can get a CD made of pictures so it´ll be good.
Love you
Russell
Elder West
