Monday, October 26, 2009

Pepper Spray, Dog Bites and Lightening

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Nacho Libre. But that’s about what it looks like down here if you want to know. I was actually talking to some Mexican Elders about it the other day and asked if they felt offended by it because it makes fun of Mexico a lot. And they said that if it makes fun of Mexicans in the English version well it makes fun of Americans in the Spanish version. So yah when I get home I’m going to have to watch it in Spanish to see what they were talking about.

This week was a little hard. Last Thursday I had a division with one of the zone leaders for the day and well we took a bus home. While on the bus a couple wannabe cholos got on the bus. We were sitting right by the exit and as they got off they sprayed a can of pepper spray behind them right in our faces. It didn’t get into our eyes but we breathed in a ton of it. We got right off the bus and were just lying on the ground for ten minutes just trying to breath. It was like your nose and throat were burning and the only way to stop it was to not breathe. But I’m ok!

And then the next day me and my companion were knocking doors and I went up to this gate to knock. I pulled out a coin to knock with on the metal of the gate and right when I did, this dog that I didn’t see ran up, stuck its head through the gate and bit my stomach. It grabbed onto it pretty good so I had to knee it in the neck to make it let go. I thought it bit right through me because I was in pain. But no, no teeth marks or anything, just a bruise.

Then the next day we were walking through the pouring rain and lightning struck like four houses down from us. But I’m ok!

And then later that day I had to act, In Spanish. The stake was having a talent show and I guess someone bailed out of something and I was their next choice. Oh well it was fun.

Ha ha! I was reminded of the time when I tried to tell my companion about that part in the princess bride where the priest is talking about marriage. He didn’t think it was funny though because I was trying to do the accent in Spanish translating everything. Oh well!

In Nacho Libre, all the luchadors with the masks and stuff, that’s actually pretty big here. It’s called Lucha Libre. It’s a lot different from the WWE because it’s not acted.

Well that’s all for now. Never lose the faith and enjoy life!

Elder Whetten

Monday, October 19, 2009

It's getting cold!

Well I really don’t know what to say for this week. Elder Toutai was part of our companionship for three days this week because he was having special changes. So that was kind of fun. We had fun saying stuff in front of my companion that he couldn’t understand.

It’s a little cold now, and really windy. (I think your going to have to send me a sweater) I know, great thing to tell you right before you send my birthday package huh? Did you happen to get my photo card in there?

I’m not going to be able to send any photos again. We keep going to computers that don’t have a card slot so I asked my companion if I could use his cable for his camera, but it’s the wrong type. I’ll work something out.

Sounds like everyone had fun at the zoo. I actually saw some baboons yesterday. They were in the back of a truck just swinging around.

I can’t believe that I’m going to be 20. That’s like 10 times 2! (Brilliant, Jay!)

I really can’t think of anything else to tell. I’m guess that’s all. I think we are going to be here for a while so if I think of anything else I’ll send another E-mail.

Enjoy life.
Elder Whetten

Monday, October 12, 2009

I Ate Goat!

Well the computer isn’t recognizing my card so I cant upload pictures again. I sure would like a real hamburger sometime. The hamburgers here have a patty paper thin. At least their more conscious about their meat consumption.

Speaking of meat, I had the best taco ever the other day! It had goat’s meat in it! I never thought that goat would taste so good but like I couldn’t eat for another eight hours. (Which is good because it was fasting time right after that.)

Pam and Jim got married! They waited too long.

So yah that guy that we didn’t know if he was dead or not, he’s dead. Oh well!

My companion is from Reinosa de San Lipas. At least I think that’s what its called. He talks really fast. It’s on the border underneath Texas. Our house is the best house in Celaya but everyone tells us that we have the worst area to make up for it. It is really hard here. Especially when you come right from León. But we are working as hard as we can and involving the Lord in everything we do.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you. Good luck in the walk for autism. Tell Eric hi. I wonder if we would be able to understand each other when I come back.

Enjoy life!
Elder Whetten

Monday, October 5, 2009

I See Dead People???

I didn’t get to see the first session of conference. But all the others I got to see at least half of the sessions. Elder Holland’s was pretty crazy huh? But it was a great conference. (Thanks for not sending the cinnamon rolls)

I’ve learned a lot from this last conference. But one thing that I have learned in my mission is if you really want to learn something great. Don’t necessarily take notes on what the speaker says, but what you feel and what the spirit testifies to you while he is speaking. The speaker doesn’t necessarily have to be speaking on the subject you need to learn for you to learn something about that subject. That is what I call a miracle We had a pretty good week. We found this one guy on Tuesday who was really quiet. There were a bunch of dogs going in and out of his house and acting like he wasn’t there. The next day we went to his house and were knocking his door but he wasn’t coming out. This guy walked by and said that nobody lived there. We were like ¨what do you mean nobody lives here?" He said that ten years ago a guy died there and his wife moved to Mexico City and nobody has lived there since. It kind of freaked us out a little bit and it still does a little because we have been knocking his door all week and no answer. My companion said that we don’t know if we are going to have to baptize him in the church or the temple!

I’m trying to think what I want for my birthday or Christmas. I was thinking about the Institute teacher’s manual of the history of the church which I really want. But the one for the book of Mormon is probably more useful to me now, or the New Testament. Just something I can learn from.

The mission is going for 400 more baptisms this month. And I want to talk about something. You know, these baptisms, they really aren’t ours. We baptize so that more people can come into the glory of god and so god can receive his glory. This service is just that, service, and to our god. We gain no glory from this. It doesn’t matter if one missionary has two baptisms or another has a ton. We can’t know how well a missionary did by their number of baptisms. So I am asking everybody to refrain from asking me this question. It is incorrect data to measure a missionary by. And sure its fun to know, but really its unimportant. The Lord judges missionaries by their *willingness* to find baptize and bring people to their god. Not by their success.

I can’t think of anything else to talk about. Can’t upload pictures again. Everyone have fun and enjoy life!

Elder Whetten