dear: week five.

sounds like this week was full of "blow ups".

both literally and figuratively.

first "blow up" with the companion paired with thunder!

"This week I had the worst day on my mission, but I learned soooo much that day. I think all the little things over time just built up and during companion study, I couldnt take it anymore, and I had a little blow up. But, all is well!  I will write you about it in a letter! This week I had a lot of spiritual experiences. We are dealing with a lot of people that have drug problems and I told them the experiences I have had with my brothers. I was a baby and couldn't stop crying. It was great.  I now can pretty much understand everything now and I am doing well in the lessons!! My testimony is getting stronger and stronger each week! When I got here, the President and his Wife told me that June and July are the rainy months.... First day of June rain! second day of June rain... so on and so forth! it has rainded everyday so far in June but, I LOVE IT! My Northface jacket is the BOBM!  The Thunder here is soooo loud it is crazy! Elder Castro and I were walking along the street and a crack of Thunder went off. All the cars alarms on the street went off! It scared me soooo bad! Today we played soccer, Zone vs Zone, and that was really fun! It was kind of like indoor soccer. They have a bunch of soccer fields in the middle of 2 busy streets and the fields are surrounded by fences. It was really fun! After that, we went to the center of the city- It is unbelievable!! The catholic church and all the buildings around it are amazing! Wait tell you see the photos! Oh, and I bought 12 ties for 30 dollars they are sooooo cheap here!" -Elder Carlson 

if i could tell crew something right now, i would say:

"blow ups" are advantageous; 

having opposition helps us realize the happy, good, and joyous moments of life.

 we must get through the rocky bumps on the road, 

so we can look back and realize they only made us stronger.  

days: 91

weeks: 13

area: Tezozomoc Camarones

dear: week four

remember last week, when crew said time was going so slow?

well, take a look this week:

"One month under the belt and 3 in total! This last week went soooo fast.. As each day goes on, the time gets going faster and faster... it is insane! Right before I fall asleep, is when I think about home, but that only last for about 5 min because Im soooo tired... There are days I could fall asleep walking! Tonight we are having another noche de hogar (family home evening) with my favorite family! The familia Ortiz. I gave the dad one of my ties because he is a new member and didnt have one!  Their daughter wants to marry me. She is 13 and she wont get baptized, so I told her if she got baptized that I would take her back to America with me! ha ha. This week went really well. I had over 70 contacts and Im speaking more and more in every lesson. However, some days I just dont have my spanish and that was yesterday- I dont know what my problem was, but I couldnt understand anyone or speak that well. But, today is a new day! Today I bought my companion and I subway- it ended up being 25 dollars... Sorry about that- I must of thought it was my birthday or something! We fasted saturday night to sunday night and the whole time I was thinking about the chocolate banana shake I had with Greg at the club in AZ.  I'm still craving one of those they are amazing. It is really hard to fast as a missionary; we walk so much and it is so hot here right now I get burned everyday.  I put lots of sunblock on everyday!  It takes all the water out of your system!  This week we got the ERTERNAL INVESTIGATOR to commit to a baptism date this weekend. She has been taking lessons form the missionaries for over a year and has attend church a million times, but wont get baptized... I think this is the week! Everything is going well. The spanish is coming along but I just have to be patient. It is going to take 2 or 3 more months- Elder Castro thinks in 2 months! So hopefully that is the case!!!!  I only have Elder Castro for 2 more months... Im going to miss him. We play basketball every morning at 6:30 to see who buys the cokes for the day- so far the series is 5-2 for me! I'm not going easy on him because he pushes me had with the work! ha ha." -Elder Carlson

sounds like he is working hard, playing hard 

and eating delicious food!

days: 84

weeks: 12

area: Tezozomoc Camarones 

dear: week three

 week three. wow! 

time is going so quickly yet so slowly.

Here's what elder calrson has to say about time and his third week in Mexico:

"Time is the funniest thing when you are a missionary..... The weeks go so fast and then you look at how much time you still have, and it seems like there is no progress.  This week was my hardest working week. This week I contacted around 65 people! Im going to try and do better this next week.  I think contacting helps my spanish the most. When I talk with the natives, each person has a differnt response to what I say.  It is really difficult understanding when they talk to me, but during a lesson when Elder Castro is teaching, I can understand everything! I think im thinking too much when people talk to me, but I'm working hard! Spanish is coming along great. I actually taught my first lesson by myself for 10 or 15 minutes and then Elder Castro had to clear up some things that I didnt explain that well.  But, he was really proud of me- so I think I did a good job. It is so weird to think that I can speak another language!!!!!"- Elder Carlson

we're so happy that crew is adjusting to time- 

a new time, the Lord's time, and time as a missionary. 

take a peak at how crew's been spending all that time:

days: 77

weeks: 11

area: Tezozomoc Camarones 

dear: week two.

week two in mexico, already! 

{week 11 if you count the entire time.}

do I dare say, time is going fast?

being mother's day on sunday,

we were able to see Crew {formally known as elder carlson} via Skype!

he called home to my family in utah,

and they called me via their iPhone/facetime so I could see him too.

as complicated as it was, seeing him through two screens, 

it was well worth it!

he is one happy missionary. 

Monday for Crew: P-DAY!!

Monday for us: best day of the week- simply because we get an email from him. 

he sen't home some precious words to my mother,

which are just to mushy to share on here.

he also, sent me a special little note wishing me a happy birthday.

so thoughtful, I tell you! 

lastly, he sent a bunch of pictures showing us

the low down of his living situations, his baptism, and favorite meal.

take a look:

yummy! he loves how cheap and "good"the coke is.

  we told him it's real can sugar- that's why.

 Crew with Elder Castro!

 Baptism! being where he is, we are expecting many more to come. 

typical Crew: being so proud of his desk. aka: organization skills.

 comfy? you be the judge. He currently doesn't own a pillow. He's crazy! 

"don't forget to flush dump a bucket of water down the toilet!"

wouldn't you say it's time for a new shower current? 

after talking to crew on Sunday,

we couldn't feel more at peace about his decision to serve a mission.

he was simply beaming.

we love and miss you Crew!

days: 70

weeks: 10

area: Tezozomoc Camarones 

dear: week one.

good news! elder carlson has officially landed in 

mexico city!

hip hip hooray!

after an interesting two months in the beloved MTC,

he has described flying into mexico city as "the most breath taking moment of his life up to date."

his journey in the MTC was one he will always remember.

speaking for crew, 

i think he would describe his stay with these ten words/phrases:

1. "I was loved". I received so many thoughtful packages. 

2. three-some companionship. this pretty much sums it all up.

3. exhausting.

4. best part: being with best friends and learning spanish.

5.sickness all around. "i lucked out!"

6. unknown.

7. worst part: hours upon hours of personal study.

(I didn't hate it, I just wasn't used to studying that hard for that long.)

8. beyond spiritual and uplifting.

thanks to all the devotionals. 

I especially loved all the ones form the Apostles. 

9. homesickness (just slightly)

biggest moment of homesickness: bus ride to slc to get my visa.

10. "dear elders."

again, that is me speaking for crew- it will be interesting to see

his own list and how it differs when he gets home. 

from here on out,

 i will mainly post bits and pieces of his emails home,

pictures of his adventures,

and anything else he sends our way.

(I will try to keep it mainly in his words or from his perspective)

here you have it: 

words and pictures from his first email home! 

"Where do I begin? It is amazing here but sooooo dirty..... my companion's name is ELDER CASTRO. He is the best- I love him! He is a native and knows little english- so I am teaching him english as he teaches me the way of the mexicans. We get along really well, he pushes me really hard and we have a lot of fun! Our Area is Tezozomoc Camarones. MEXICO is CRAZY! I love it- the only bad part is how dirty it is.... but I still love it.  I see close to 25 stray dogs everyday, a few cats, pet turtles... hahah anything you name- they have it here!  The food is great- I havent gotten sick yet!!!! I take a super cold shower every morning and their is about 10 or 12 flys in the shower with me every morning. They come up the vent in the bathroom. Our toliet doesn't flush so we poor a bucket of water down the toliet every time we use the bathroom. We can't put the toliet paper down the toliet or else it will get cloged... hahaha! I dont have a pillow- I use my clothes and put them in my pillow case. But I have never been happier!!! I never thought the field would be so much fun!!! I love learning spanish- but, it is super hard at times.  OH, GUESS WHAT!!! I baptized Luz Maria Savala Navarro. She is my favorite person in all of Mexico City. She is 8 years old and the cutest thing i have every seen in my life. The food is amazing we eat at a different members house for lunch each day and those meals are almost 5 corse meals. I'm sooooo full each day I don't eat breakfast in order to finish all the food they give me. If i don't finish it they kinda get mad... Im having an amazing time. The flight in to the city was amazing, the people are amazing, spanish is amazing, and coke has never tasted soooooo goood!!! This last week we had 2 baptisims and we have 1 set up already for next week! Hopefully we get a few more- our goal is 15 this month. A mission rule is contacting 140 people in 1 week, so my companion and I have to get 23 a day!!! It is really hard, because for a contact to count, you have to teach them the doctrine- and most of them say they are catholic and don't want to listen... It is fun adapting to the culture!!!  These people are amazing!!!! Hope all is well at home. " - Elder Carlson

adios!

days: 68
weeks: 9
area: Tezozomoc Camarones 
{but who is counting?- obviously his favorite sister}