Clean Sidewalks

Tlaxiaco, the other area in my district, baptized on Saturday. So now it's our turn. We should be baptizing __________ on Saturday. Only one problem: COPPEL IS THE DEVIL!!  Coppel, for our non-mexican readers, is a big store like unto Best Buy or something like that. We know five inactive members, including the first counselor in the Bishopric, who only don't go to Church because Coppel makes them work on Sundays. And _____________ just got a job there. And she didn't go to Church on Sunday. I'm REALLY worried. Especially because when we saw her this week she said that she had gotten her answer from God and she looked really happy. I don't want her to have this trial. But I guess it's not really about what I want, is it? It's about what the Lord wants. My job is just to support and help _______________ in whatever way I can. Let's all have faith that we can figure this out.

Other than that, this was like the first week where we didn't have any major blows to our work schedule - no divisions, no baptismal interviews, no sick days, nothing (actually, on Sunday, my comp did get sick, but it was just because he ate really spicy food really fast to end a fast and he hasn't gotten used to spicy food yet. So it wasn't like a sick sick. Just a temporary sick). We just got to work. We actually had to do divisions as well, but I was in charge of planning them and not the Zone Leaders so they went a lot smoother and wasted less time. I got to work with Elder Teig. He's a good elder with like 13 months in the mission. He's from Utah and is the youngest of nine children, and he looks like he's about eight. He just got that baby face still. He's kind of quiet, but he's a really hard worker and he gets along well with people, so he should be fine. I just hope his comp helps him with Spanish.

Funny thing happened to me this week, actually on Monday after I had already written you. We were walking in the street and here, in Mexico, just so you know, it is common to clean the sidewalk (yup) with a bucket of soapy water and a broom. We saw some lady doing that, but she appeared to be taking a break, since she was just sort of zoning off staring at the street with the bucket of soapy water in her hands. We, without thinking, kept walking. Right as I crossed her path, she turned and threw the bucket of water with all her might. I got drenched. I stood there in shock for like 10 seconds. She stood there in shock for like 15. THen, I just laughed and kept walking. I mean, what else was I going to do, get mad? It was accidental and there was nothing we could do about it at that point anyway. She, however, thought differently. She got mad at me for walking on the public sidewalk and for being in the way of her errantly thrown bucket of water. Yeah, I don't quite get that either. Luckily, some nice ladies who saw the whole thing backed me up and told me that bucket lady was a little bit insane for getting mad. I just thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

Just so you know, Huajuapan has the world's coolest mormon old ladies ever. THe Hermana Matamoros is like 80 and she just tells it like it is. SHe's a boss. The Hermana Morales is 70 and she gracefully planches testigos de Jehovah on a weekly basis (no, don't do that, show them love, say the laughing missionaries. But she just keeps on planching). And I have no idea how old the Hermana Chabelita is, but she's sweeter that boiled granola bar (which, for those of you outside the world of Taggart, David, and Spencer, BGB is a camping dish composed of granola bars, water, all remaining honey, and about 40 metric tons of sugar). I want to be one of them when I grow up.

I tried to give you some new pictures. Let's see if you get them. The one with my comp in front of the map is the picture of the batman drawing he did for me. That's right, that sucker is mine. Guess what's going up amidst all the jazz decorations in my future room? That baby.

I don't know if I've told you all this but I love the mission. When I'm walking and talking with my comp, I just get this happy feeling. The mission is honestly the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't want it to end any time soon. If we (especially me) could all just do things the way the Lord want them to be done, we would just be happy. The Lord has a perfect plan of happiness. If this is what we really want, why don't we follow it?

Anyways, sorry about the box price change. Honestly, though, thinking about it, you've probably only got one more box to send between now and next year, so it shouldn't affect you too much. Then again, I think I read that part of your email thinking pesos and not dollars. AS for DAniel, I'm glad to hear he is getting better. I'm also glad to know that Lora is using this trial to strengthen her faith and not weaken it. That's really what trials are for, the strengthening of our faith. There are many trials, and many things that I don't understand, but we should never, ever use them as an excuse to not do what the Lord wants. If we do, we are just denying ourselves the good part of a hard trial. 

Love you all. I love God and I love His commandments. The Church is true. Don't doubt that. I'll see you in a year!

Elder Johnson