Last week when Braxton was writing home he lost everything on the computor and his time ran out so we got: "Well I just wrote a huge letter and went to sent in but it got deleted and I'm now out of time, so I'm alive and all is well. I'll try to write it all again next week. Love ya'll and I love being a missionary!"
This week we got a letter with an update for the last two weeks. Elder Ropelato said that on his forth day in the mission it rained all day ("like no other") The Elders live with members on the bottom floor of their house. It rained so hard that the drains couldn't keep up and it flooded over the front step and flooded the apartment. Braxton was living out of his suitcase because the apartment was so small and because it was on the floor everything got soaked, books, clothes, everything. He did have his scriptures with him and had just put his pictures on the desk the night before. :) He said it was miserable at the time. They had to get the water out with buckets and it wasn't fun having everything soaked, but he did say it was funny now and just part of the mission experience. He also opted for the floor instead of the couch. He said the floor was just more comfortable.
Braxton says the food is okay and they have a sweet bread that is amazing. For all that know Braxton, bread is a favorite food of his. He'd eat it all the time as a snack.
The mormon standard time is a little different in Mexico. Braxton says you take mormon standard time and and then double it and then you are in Mexico. He say's that the Mexicans are never on time, but they get mad if the missionaries are late for lunch. :) LOL (he's said they're still cool about it though)
They have small buses called micros and the drivers pimp them out with black lights and crazy sound systems but the buses themselves are crappy as can be. Braxton thinks it's awesome though.
Braxton has played the piano in sacrament (happy moment for mom) and said that the sad thing about it was that it was the best sound there was. The members sing really loud and off key. But even that is cool to Brax. :) (at least the members sing)
Braxton got really sick one night and the next day Jeffery Holland was coming to speak. So Braxton tried to hurry and shower and have his comp, Elder Robinson, give him a blessing. Then he gave Elder Robinson a blessing, but had to make it quick because he got sick and as soon as he ended he turned his head and lost everything. Elder Robinson cleaned up the mess for Braxton (what a great Elder) . Braxton wasn't able to go listen to Elder Holland, he stayed with the member upstairs. Braxton has learned that the only working medicine is "Coke". If he eats on the streets he needs to drink a coke with it and that seems to help him from getting sick. (funny, he didn't drink coke before his mission)
Funny stuff: People just steal electricity and the wires are everywhere in a big mess and hanging down like head level. Probably not the safest thing, but oh well, it's Mexico.
Braxton claims he is a pro now at crossing the streets. He says: "you just have to time it right. It's just bad when cars slow down, because it messes up your rythmn and you have to like suck in."
Elder Ropelato is now in Ticoman. Braxton said that Ticoman has the biggest hill he has ever seen. His comp takes the longest route to where ever they are going. Braxton doesn't say anything of course because he doesn't know where they are going or how to get any where but when they do get to where they need be he can tell they have went in big circles to get there. He thinks his companion is great though. He is 27 and lives in Southern Mexico just above Guatamala. His name is Elder Cruz and Braxton says he is good.
This week we got a letter with an update for the last two weeks. Elder Ropelato said that on his forth day in the mission it rained all day ("like no other") The Elders live with members on the bottom floor of their house. It rained so hard that the drains couldn't keep up and it flooded over the front step and flooded the apartment. Braxton was living out of his suitcase because the apartment was so small and because it was on the floor everything got soaked, books, clothes, everything. He did have his scriptures with him and had just put his pictures on the desk the night before. :) He said it was miserable at the time. They had to get the water out with buckets and it wasn't fun having everything soaked, but he did say it was funny now and just part of the mission experience. He also opted for the floor instead of the couch. He said the floor was just more comfortable.
Braxton says the food is okay and they have a sweet bread that is amazing. For all that know Braxton, bread is a favorite food of his. He'd eat it all the time as a snack.
The mormon standard time is a little different in Mexico. Braxton says you take mormon standard time and and then double it and then you are in Mexico. He say's that the Mexicans are never on time, but they get mad if the missionaries are late for lunch. :) LOL (he's said they're still cool about it though)
They have small buses called micros and the drivers pimp them out with black lights and crazy sound systems but the buses themselves are crappy as can be. Braxton thinks it's awesome though.
Braxton has played the piano in sacrament (happy moment for mom) and said that the sad thing about it was that it was the best sound there was. The members sing really loud and off key. But even that is cool to Brax. :) (at least the members sing)
Braxton got really sick one night and the next day Jeffery Holland was coming to speak. So Braxton tried to hurry and shower and have his comp, Elder Robinson, give him a blessing. Then he gave Elder Robinson a blessing, but had to make it quick because he got sick and as soon as he ended he turned his head and lost everything. Elder Robinson cleaned up the mess for Braxton (what a great Elder) . Braxton wasn't able to go listen to Elder Holland, he stayed with the member upstairs. Braxton has learned that the only working medicine is "Coke". If he eats on the streets he needs to drink a coke with it and that seems to help him from getting sick. (funny, he didn't drink coke before his mission)
Funny stuff: People just steal electricity and the wires are everywhere in a big mess and hanging down like head level. Probably not the safest thing, but oh well, it's Mexico.
Braxton claims he is a pro now at crossing the streets. He says: "you just have to time it right. It's just bad when cars slow down, because it messes up your rythmn and you have to like suck in."
Elder Ropelato is now in Ticoman. Braxton said that Ticoman has the biggest hill he has ever seen. His comp takes the longest route to where ever they are going. Braxton doesn't say anything of course because he doesn't know where they are going or how to get any where but when they do get to where they need be he can tell they have went in big circles to get there. He thinks his companion is great though. He is 27 and lives in Southern Mexico just above Guatamala. His name is Elder Cruz and Braxton says he is good.
(this is Elder Cruz)They use cement for everything in Mexico. Even the telephone poles are made of cement and they don't even use cement trucks. Everything is done by hand.
Braxton saw a newspaper the other day for the first time since being in Mexico. In the paper was a picture of four decapitated bodies. It was pretty gross. Braxton's new zone leader was actually reassigned to Braxtons mission because the mission he was suppose to go to had like 4 or 5 white peoples heads washed up on the beach and the mission President said that only natives should go there. (ya think?) Braxton said not to worry though because we would be able to identify him by his thumb. :) (good thing he has a crooked thumb) Then he reassures us that the mission really is safe and there is nothing to worry about. :) (okay)
They have English classes every Saturday and Braxton is in the advanced class teaching with Elder Cook. Basically they just practice talking and so the Elders have given the class the English Pamphlets of the Gospel that they got in the MTC. The class reads them and then they talk about the Gospel.
Braxton ends with: "I love being a missionary, but it is flippin hard"
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