Happy New Year!

Hey there neighbors, can you do the otter dance?

Aww, the holiday season is over.....I'm actually really happy about that! Now, everybody can return from there family's house and can either a. start helping us bring investigators to church or b. start being investigators again. Yup, missionary life has, in fact, changed me that much.   New years has always been one of my least favorite holidays. I don't like resolutions, I won't lie. I've never really made them. Before my mission, I didn't like resolutions because I was lazy. Now, I don't like resolutions because year long goals don't really motivate me. I like to motivate myself. Daily, weekly, and monthly goals help me to work harder and eventually add up to big changes by the end of the year, but yearly goals are forgotten quickly. Also, New Years just means that I have to waite 358 days more until Christmas again. Not cool in my book. But, I did REALLY enjoy New Year's here.

In Mexico, they do what they always seem to do for holidays: blow things up, eat really big meals really late at night, break piñatas, get drunk. However, we spent New Years with Andres, who is one of my favorite people ever. Andres lives in Huayapam and if I could choose a place to live in Mexico, I would live in Huayapam. Huayapam is up high and really peaceful, with a big, pretty park and a big, pretty Catholic church. Also, Andres lives there and he has an American house. The house in and of itself is not very American, as far as design or style goes, but inside it is completely and totally bedecked with pictures and posters of the United States and United States' pop culture. Also, Andres buys and makes the most delicious desserts on the face of the planet. Many people are still waiting desperately for a famous Andres flan or cake. He is nineteen years old and a convert of one year. He met with the missionaries, went to Church, and got baptized before his mother did the same. He is awesome. And on New Years, he delivered. He made a delicious leg of pig, glazed and to die for. He made an awesome cake for us, which I devoured. He ordered us a taxi to take us home on time. Best of all, he gave my companion and I ties for the New Year, which I love. I had a great New Year. My companion, not so much, mostly because he is not used to living in Bosque and could not sleep through all the fireworks.

So, a few weeks ago I told you the story of me "dropping" a man in the baptismal font.  Well, here's another baptism story:

 Elder Edwards baptized a little girl in his last area. He was determined to do it right. He did not want to have to do it again. She was a little scared of the water. So when they did it, everything was going smoothly until her dress start floating out of the water. Elder Edwards, determined to get it right in one try, push her farther down. That's when he noticed that she had started to struggle, so he promptly let her back up. She was sobbing; some scary white missionary had ruined her baptism by trying to drown her!

Anyway, I should probably tell you a little bit about my new companion. His name is Elder Bridgeraj and nobody will ever be able to pronounce his name correctly for two years. He is from Canada. But his family is from Guayana. But his name is from India. Yeah, I know, pretty cool. He is my hijo. As they say, I was born in Bosque, I was raised in Bosque, and now I have reproduced in Bosque. Missionary lingo is disturbing sometimes. Anyways, Elder Bridgeraj likes spicy food, doesn't conjugate verbs, says hi to everyone, borrachos included, on the street, wears a lot of cologne (I say he is fighting a losing battle. When you live in Mexico, you just end up smelling like Mexico after a while), like Kobe Bryant (blech), and loves everything about Mexico. He is pretty cool. He is totally willing to learn, and is teaching me to be a more enthusiastic missionary. I already know that it is going to be a good transfer.

Well, I accidentally had to write my weekly letter to the Presidente twice (dang aplication error!) and I'm already out of time. Love you and miss you all and have a very happy new year!

Love,

Elder Johnson