Elder Justin Powell's Mission to Mexico: November 11, 2013

Hola Everybody,

How are you all doing? I am doing really well. This past week was a pretty good week especially yesterday with the events that we had. There have been a lot of good things going on and I love the mission. I cannot believe that this will be my third to last letter to my home. A lot of my companions from the MTC and stuff are already home or are going home this week, but I will be the last one. But I will be home the day before thanksgiving haha. I am excited to see all the family and friends! I am not excited for the snow and cold though. Now that I am Mexican, who knows if I will be able to handle the cold over there, haha. Believe it or not, it’s still hot over here. Not like that much but you can still work up a sweat. And in the nights it gets pretty cold, so a lot of people are getting sick. It’s just a bad time to get sick and all...that’s all. I don’t know why I get sick, I always wonder if I am normal or no because the other day it’s cold, it was raining and we are dripping wet. I didn’t get sick, haha. Not like I want to get sick, but who knows why I am not.

Soaking wet in the rain

Today is going to be interesting because all the office missionaries and us are going bowling! It should be fun, I have never gone bowling on the mission and I have always wanted to with my buddies in the offices so it should be fun. I am excited; we are going to leave at like 4.

Well this week was very good; on Tuesday was a normal day. Nothing too special, just that this sister in our ward has been struggling with life and she is very good at putting on a mask because she is very happy always. Well on Tuesday we felt this impression in going to this sister´s house for some reason. Well we went and we sat down with her and her 2 kids, we winged a lesson because we didn’t know what to really say due to not planning much, but we confided in the spirit and taught a good lesson. At the end, after her being happy and all, she starts crying and the kids got serious as well. I kind of started worrying a bit and then she said that we came at the precise moment because she was thinking about doing something drastic and life changing in those very moments. She shared that if we wouldn’t have gone to her house in time, something could have happened. Wow big testimony builder again for me!! We gave her a blessing and she felt better, every day we have been going by to see how she is doing and she is doing a lot better. The family is a great family and pray for them please.

Teachers and missionaries at an Open House

On Wednesday, we had interchanges with the missionaries in Rio Bravo. It was interesting in the morning because this one elder had his birthday and President wanted to take him to breakfast, so we had a really good American breakfast on Wednesday morning. Afterward was one of the weirdest experiences that I have ever experienced in the mission with the weather. It started raining and then it rained hard for like 4 hours straight. And we were outside for all of it. We helped this guy get his truck out of a hole in the road because the roads were like rivers, oh we were all wet! We were just walking through rivers and floods. It was quite the experience. We got to the church for the ward counsel and went to the bathroom to dry off; we used the electric hand dryer to dry a bit. It was pretty funny, Elder Gonzalez, Javier and I had a funny time drying off.

On Thursday I had another surgery on an ingrown toe nail again. Due to walking a ton, we can get several so I was due in again. Well going in, I was nervous because the last time I fainted while I watched my toenail get ripped out and everything without any feeling or pain. So this time I had my eyes closed. I swear I can handle blood and stuff, but not my own. I guess I just get super nervous, but it was an experience that my companion even took video. Haha

Yesterday was an awesome day. Cielo got baptized yesterday and she was very excited. The primary organization has been helping this girl in a part family get active in the church and we taught her and she got baptized. It was very neat because in her baptismal service she sang a hymn and it touched her mom´s heart. Now her mom is getting active and her brothers as well. It was a pretty neat experience. I am happy for that family. And yesterday was the open house; I will send you all a picture of us with the teachers in the open house activity.

Cielo and her family