Hey Dad! The swine flu really isn´t that bad like everyone is saying. A ton of people here are alarmists. I was kind of worried this last week, on Wednesday. Before lunch I started to feel kind of weird in my head. I couldn´t see very clearly. I felt like my eyes were kind of weird. And then my head started to hurt really bad. I don´t think I´ve ever had such a headache in my life. It hurt! And that made me sick to the stomach. I threw up a couple times, but when I did it was pretty violent. I was kind of worried because I had heard on the radio that one of the symptoms of this flu thing was severe head pain. I was actually at a member´s house when I was throwing up and they were kind of worried too. We decided to call President Gardner just to check with him. When I told him I was sick and mentioned that this flu thing was a problem here, he just laughed. He reassured me that I did NOT have the swine flu. I felt kind of dumb, but it´s better to be safe than sorry! I really think I had a migraine, because my head hurt pretty bad. That´s great Sterl´s working in the MTC. He´ll do great there. So you´re the secretary to an area seventy again? To Elder Dave LeSueur. Have I ever met him before? I don´t remember!
Tell Sister Young sorry for me, and send her my love. How´s she doing now without her husband? Is she gonna have to work extra now to provide?
We had two baptisms yesterday. Benito Vega Coronel was baptized, and also Elia Vazquez Barba. Benito and Elia have decided to split up for a while. They were going to be married, but they´ve decided it would be better to split up. I think a lot of people here get married just to get married and have kids, and have a ¨mujer¨. So I think with their baptism they´ll re-evaluate their lives a little. Some time apart may make them see that they really do love each other, or that it´s just better that they go their own ways. I think in time they´ll do what´s best for them, and what the Lord wants. But now they are baptized and are keeping the commandments. Their baptismal service was simple and good. The leaders here are a little insensitive. They don´t try too hard to make the service calm and spiritual. I think they´ve had so many baptisms that it´s become routine to them. They´ll learn in time I guess.
This week, we are going to have the baptisms of a little boy named Julio, and his mom Yuliana. She wants to change, and wants to be better. She wants to be closer to God, and change her family. She´s a good and faithful person. We haven´t met her husband yet. But we´re going to invite him to the baptism and everything. He´s been abusive physically in the past, but is still vocally abusive. It´s so hard here in Mexico, and I´m sure in every other part of the world. The people here believe in God, but they don´t really believe in what He wants and is. They just believe and ¨try to be a good person.¨ The majority of the people here really don´t exercise their faith. It´s the challenge is getting people to strengthen their faith and have them act on it.
We´re trying to find more people every week. This area is going to grow slowly. It´s already kind of slow, but it´s okay. We´re going to find and teach the people that really want to change and be better.
I didn´t get an e-mail from Mom! I´m not sure why but I have the number that you guys are gonna call on Sunday.
I´m not sure if you need to put some code before the number or you need international cards right? But this is the number IN JOJUTLA that you´re going to call:
So you´re going to call like you did in December right? Did you have cards last time? If we find out that you need something more in the number we´ll e-mail you again during the week sometime, so if you have questions e-mail me before tomorrow. There might be a 01 or something before the number. Okay, so Elder Collins´ family is going to call at 5:00 MEXICO TIME. You guys are going to call at 6:00 MEXICO TIME. I´m not sure if the Arizona schedule coincides with Mexico´s. This number is of a sister in the ward named Norberta. We might e-mail throughout the week if we find out more about the number! Thanks Dad! I love you
Russell
Elder West
