June 23, 2009 (An e-mail two days in a row.)

HeY!!!!! I did have another chance to write! These last few days have been a little wierd. I just got brutally reminded why we don't watch tv, stupid commercial where this animated chick threw off her dress. ARGH! Now Im focused intently on the computer. Continuing these last few days have been a miniature hell for me. Sunday was fun, slow and ... uneffective but fun. Here's the lowdown. Our first week between Elder Oakes and I in Rio Verde we met a family of like 15 whose house was rundown and ... rather ghetto. Well we started talking and about 7 listened to us. This last Saturday 2 were baptized, the mom Rosio and her son Marcinillo. The rest are yet to come, lol. She wants to invite her husband/boyfriend when he comes around again to go to the church, that was awesome. Her daughter Luz was going to be baptized too, but backed down the day of/night before when we didn't know about it. SO it was a bitter sweet baptism, I felt great and I know they each felt it too. They're so funny cause if you ask them about it, like "How'd you feel?" Shell just say, "Mm...Good" with a little cheeky smile. you know she felt great and knows its true. All honesty theyre just a little lazy, their problem was just having to do stuff, have to go to church, get baptized and read ... pray. Her story was good though, we invited her to pray everyday for 3 weeks and never did it. Luz did though, and received her answer. However she did one night when we asked her to ask God if it was necessary to be baptized, she replied to me as follows "I asked God if it was something he wanted me to do or not, and well... now you see, here i am" Sitting in white baptismal clothes by the font. They{ll keep going, but I will say I{m anxious that they do. Lol. Sunday we went and visited them after church for... like 3 hours. Then we went with Gaby and Brenda, Dulce and their mom Maria. I felt good after that visit, I don{t really feel like I did a whole lot for that family, I got there and they were all ready to be baptized, I just got the date 3 weeks later and did it, but when we all went to shake their hand good bye that day (all women, no hugs there) she stopped me for a minute and commented on the blessings ive brought to their family. Dont really remember exactly how it went either. Like 2 seconds, but ... it made all the world's difference. Went home and chilled. Its been raining lately, and honestly if it wasn't I'd probably be miserable, explain later. It rained Sunday night and a few days last week, really light like a sprinkle, which is my favorite, just a little falling water and all dark, lazily rolling, sky. I just sat. Elder Moreno and I climbed onto the roof after that and looked at the city and at the sky, talking, complaining, giving advice. Monday we woke up and packed and then went to an amazing breakfast with the bishops wife, gorditas - two tortillas combined with beans or chorizo or cheese or something sealed in between - and then she made us pancakes, unfortunately I had like 6 gorditas and then could only pop 2 pancakes with that Eagle Brand Milk stuff and Syrup on top. Lol, they use that milk cream stuff for alot here. Elder Oakes continued conplaining throughout the duration of all events aforementioned. We then went and I wrote you that little pedaso, then grabbing our things signaled a taxi and headed to the Stake Center in Talaquepaque. We got there an early thanks to our Zone Leaders, but we had a quick simple conference on what{s going down and who we'll be with, and then had a quick pizza party and left on the 5 hour bus ride for Manzanillo, we all got on one elder from Guadalajara for one elder from Guadalajara Sur. Elder Garcia and I are here, Elder LeSueur from the MTC with me, and a few others youve probably heard of, my old companion Martinez came down too. He's in Colima, Colima. We got to Colima and dropped off the first half, in front of the church. Headed down again to Manzanillo for another 2 hours. We never even made it to Barra de Navidad, it was 10 when we got to the zone leaders house, so just stayed there, cause we were going to come back for district class anyway the next day. Slept on a foam sheet on the floor with Elder Pierce the old assistant and Elder Ruiz my old district leader. Woke up and played soccer at 6:30 or 7 in the morning and then, back at the house, sat for 2 and a half hours. Got ready preparing for District Class then we got a call from the South Mission President, with an advisory that we're going inland to Colima becuse of the coming hurricane. So we packed 2 days worth of clothes and headed to Colima, 80 pesos for a bus ticket. Woo-hoo....now we{re here. I feel sick to my stomach my head hurts and I'm mildly upset still from everything. I'm walking dead right now. I cant think straight I cant make decisions... Im just tired and sore. On the bus ride though I had chance to hear a little news. I was talking to Elder LeSueur whose first companion was ELder Oakes last companion. Elder LeSueur told me Natera would get home and say, man Im going to kill him. Everyday, then Elder Thornock asked me from a few rows back, Hey Taylor, how do you get along with Oakes? Well, were struggling a little, i respond. Why? Whats he do, he asks again, so I tell him the brief portion, "He's always demanding what to do...." etc. etc. THornock replied to me, yeah thats exactly what [Elder] Nateras problem was. He'd say lets go visit this person, and Elder Oakes would contest, no I dont want to we're going with this person. So... now I know I{m not the only one, I dont feel so bad anymore. Lol a little bad, but not as much. Im not NOT NOOOOOT looking forward to being with him again in a week. Anyway were all wrapping it up already, so Im outa here. I wish again a VERY HAPPPY FATHERS DAY AND I LOVE YOU DAD, YOU REALLY ARE AMAZING AND I WANT TO FOLLOW YOUR example when I get back, but first I want to follow it here, keep up the awesome work in every category, the church, the missionary work, and at home. I LOVE YOU DADDY! I love you too mom, I let you know when i get he packages, I think they're in the office.... ugh....Im off now, tell you about Barra later! -Jake----- <jacob.d.taylor.MG@myldsmail.net>