A Solid Week

Hey how are you all?

Fantastic week this week!  I received Elder Vargas from Torreon Mexico on Monday in Tijuana and we came back down to Ensenada Tuesday morning.  I was super nervous Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because I had to plan everything and direct the work by myself while Elder Vargas is getting to know the area.  It was a rough couple of days with a lot of walking, trying to find people but since then it has been great!  He really knows a lot how to plan and how to set goals.  Not only for the week but for every 3 days we set goals for the number of lessons we will have taught.  I was glad he taught me how to do that – it’s so simple.  Just set goals and then plan your day around your goals so you can accomplish them.  I wish I had learned that a lot earlier in the mission but I guess there is a time for everything right?

Elder Vargas has been out 15 months now.  He is from Torreon, Mexico.  He has been a member his whole life.  Kinda chubby and none of his shirts fit him anymore but it’s all good!  He asked me Monday night if there were hills in our sector and I just laughed and nodded my head.  Ha he wasn’t too excited but he has survived until now.  I was worried he wasn’t going to want to work but he wants to work just takes a little while longer getting up the hills.  I am probably killing him because whenever we get to the top of a hill he is sweating a ton and I haven’t even broken a sweat yet...hahaha he told me that he needs to lose weight so I guess this is the way to do it.  Sometimes I get to the top of the hill and Elder Vargas is back 40 or 50 feet...I cruise up the hills!  Maybe I am just used to walking up hill now. He worked in a bakery before the mission so he knows how to cook quite well.  I still haven’t tried anything he has made just because of the lack of time but I am sure one day it will happen!  He talked with Hermana Dora - she got baptized two weeks ago - for an hour strictly about food!  Ha I just laugh.  I will have to get him into shape!

We have another baptismal date for this Friday with a lady named Yurina.  She is a friend living with a member here in the ward that was having problems and wanted to hear us.  She always tells us that she feels so clean when she takes the Sacrament so when we told her she can have that feeling for the rest of her life she was super interested.  She has a big problem with coffee but has resisted for 4 days now.  It’s funny because when we introduced the Word of Wisdom with her she said she could do it all minus the coffee.  After some discussion, she realized that in order to have the Holy Ghost with her, she has to give everything up so she agreed to do it for 24 hours.  We returned the next day and she agreed to do it for 24 more hours. Ha that’s how the mission is.  We are going to take away all the coffee she has on Wednesday so she doesn’t even have the temptation. Ha the stories and the people we meet here are amazing!

Oh and the assistants told me that Elder Castellan should have went home...he had his bags packed and everything.  The President let him stay though.  He got shipped to Mexicali and is in a trio with the zone leaders....pretty embarrassing that he was a zone leader and now he is getting babysat by the zone leaders.  With everything that happened with him I am glad to have experienced it when I did.  I sure learned a lot!

So the pictures of the castle...at the top of one of the hills here is this castle.  There have been rumors that cartels lived there, or members or no one really knew who it was.  We were passing by when the guy that lives there called our names.  Turns out it’s a member who hasn’t been to Church in years.  He has problems with drugs, alcohol and doesn’t really want much to do with the church now but it is still fun to say that we go to the castle to teach.  I thought you all might think that was funny :)  The castle is cool...super junky on the outside. I am sure I haven’t even seen half the house.  The member is super friendly though and told us whenever we are hungry just to stop by real fast.  They want us to teach their son who is 6 so we spend about 10 minutes every lesson with only him.  It’s kind of funny some of the stuff the kid says but oh well . . .

The picture of the cruise ship is from the top of the hill by the castle!  It was beautiful that day.  Who knows, maybe someday I’ll bring you all back here on a cruise!  You all would love it :)

This is Elder Vargas and I with a kid named Julio.  Julio got baptized in March with some other Elders but I have become pretty good friends with him.  He speaks really good English and wants to head to BYU...I tell him the U is better but the people here don’t understand the rivalry at all!  Elder Vargas asked me if I was going to go to BYU after the mish and I told him no because I don’t like BYU :) ha he started laughing and thought that was pretty weird.  Anyways Julio got ordained an Elder yesterday in Stake Conference so this is the picture with him afterwards!

I will keep an eye out for the packages this week!  We have zone conference Tuesday so hopefully the President has picked them up by then!    Summer has arrived here in Ensenada.  Not as hot as home and we always enjoy a nice ocean breeze.  This next transfer ends in July and I have a feeling I am headed to Mexicali and the hottest time of the year to burn...ha I am just enjoying the nice weather here while it lasts :)

We clean the apartment every Pday.  We can’t leave to write til we have cleaned.  We just have to wash the dishes, sweep, mop and clean the bathroom.  We got it all done pretty fast today.  We are headed to the blowhole later this afternoon...looking forward to that!

Well, I hope you are all doing well!  Looks like you all enjoyed Hayden’s party and saw Jenny off to the MTC!  

Thanks for the updates on the high school...best of luck to them!  Take care and have a good week! 

Love you and miss you all :)

Elder Roper