THIS WEEK IN THE MISSION OFFICES...

 ...Elder Newman learned that JavaScript is just about the worst option out there.

"What does that have to do with missionary work," you ask? Well, it has to do with how missionaries get reimbursements. We used to have an online form in which they submitted their reimbursement, and now the form is broken. So, who's job is it to fix the thing? Mine. So, I begin looking for various options and learn that, to my current knowledge, the only viable option is Google Apps Script, which, according to Google itself, is an implementation of the JavaScript programming language.

Well, I'm fed up, but I can't leave that project sitting there, because it's worse than the other option: Scrolling through about 100 different emails each week, all on Monday after 6:00, opening individual image files and trying to decipher what they bought, how much it was, and "is this really reimbursable?"

So that's what I've been working on. 

And here's my desk, if anyone's (not) interested:

It looks slightly better right now. And the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's channel is fantastic. And it looks like, by that pile of papers to the left, that I took this picture last week.

And such is life. But back to Rita - her daughter gave a talk about baptism at the service. It was a fantastic message - you could hear (and see) how joy-filled she was that her mother, who, a few months ago wouldn't even let her go to Church, was getting baptized. She's a fantastic convert.

So yeah. Things are fantastic out here; I love the mission and the Church and I know without a single doubt that this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and this because I have prayed about the Book of Mormon and each time I hear Joseph Smith's account of the first vision, I fill the Holy Ghost testify to me that it's true.

Any doubts? Well, for me, none whatsoever. And that is why I love the mission.

Thank you all for your support and love,

Elder Newman

Well then, what have we here?‏

For those of you wondering and that know about it, no, I didn't feel the massive 7.2 earthquake over in Guadalajara. I'm not happy about it, either. The only people that felt it were the Assistants to the President, and nobody else. Not President Whitehead, not me, not my companions, not the Sellers (a senior couple that works here in the mission offices), just the assistants.

And the other millions of people that live here in Mexico city. And the millions-ish that live in Toluca, Pachuca, Morelia, and many other places super far away from here. So... that made me upset. Mostly because I didn't feel it.

So, in other news, I love being an office missionary. Helping out the other missionaries with their finances is really nice; and with an interview I had with President Whitehead the other day, I've got some ideas as to how to change around a lot of stuff, to make things a little easier and so on and so forth.

And then what else do we got going on? Well, the best of it is a baptism tomorrow! Her name is Rita, and wow is here testimony strong. Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, everything - she's got a strong testimony of it, and she's super ready and willing to be baptized tomorrow at seven at night. Before, she was "enojona" - someone that gets mad easily - but now, she's super calm and happy, and is just a great person to be around. Her daughters were baptized about 2 months ago.

Well, that's it for now.

Love you all!

Elder Newman

Post-Hospital Update

I'm alive and back at work, so don't worry about me.

Although my stomach is super sore and bruised up.

So, you remember that umbilical cord that I was born with? Well, as it turns out, in (almost) everybody's body in the world, there's a remnant of that tube in your body that closes shortly after birth. Well, mine opened up, which is what caused the abscess due to infection, as well as pain. In addition, that tube opening up has been identified as a cause for cancer.

So I got that removed. I've got three red marks on my side, a yellow-bruised stomach, and that's about how my weekend went.

Also, because I didn't know I couldn't eat anything before the surgery, I'm famous in that hospital and I got the surgery on Sunday. So that means I missed all of General Conference, but hey, I'm in the offices and so I'll be able to see it all again soon. Also, I did get permission to write y'all right now, so don't you worry about that.

Well, that's about it. Not much interesting happened last week (aside from the surgery) (that I can remember, anyways).

Well, I'll write to you again on Saturday since it's so late over here.