RACQUETBALL!‏

As the members of my District in the MTC will attest, I've been pining for a good match of racquetball for a very, very long time. Well, on Sunday (Happy late Father's Day everyone), I overheard a really nice member that works for Intel down here in Mexico talking about his apartment place, and about how they had stuff and a racquetball court. I only heard that last part. So, we talked with him, and then they pretty much signed up to let us play racquetball with their equipment in the court. It was incredibly fun, and a good way to excersize and relax and get out my frustrations. After about half an hour, I got a nice amount of skill back, and I left there saying, "WOW. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THIS SOONER?"

(Sorry, no pics - didn't get that done). But here's some ridiculousness:

This is at 9:00 pm, right outside the offices.

Of course, it was the same at 10:00 pm and almost 11:00 pm. That's the one reason I don't want to live in the city.

Well, I also finished the Book of Mormon and started it again, and it's a fantastic and true book and all of you need to read it more. Probably.

Love,

Elder Newman

These are Some Pretty Cool Pictures‏

​

​That was when we got soaked by walking in the rain. The streets were literally rivers. This was actually from a while ago.

This is from this week:

​I actually look like a secretary in this picture! And that was a crazy day. I will always remember that this was a crazy day because I had to bring my breakfast to the offices (as you can see by the peanut butter and jelly in the background and my sloppy desk - oh wait, that last part is normal...) I helped take President Whitehead's daughter to the airport, called Salt Lake City to talk about the problem we were having with IMOS and the missionary cards, and so on and so forth that day. And more!

And then today I made a true Mexico style quesadilla: tortilla, prepared the meat, everything!

​And it tasted really good, too, with good cheese, ¡chorizo [sausage], lechuga [lettuce], salsa verde que pica un poco [mildly spicy green salsa], y una tortilla de maíz bien [good corn tortilla] 

¿Ya soy mexicano? Pues, no, pero casí he llegado a este punto. Aunque yo sea güero. [Am I Mexican? Well, no, but I've gotten to this point. Even though I am a white guy.]

I'll just probably have to go find cheap shirts and whatnot around here soon - pants, rather. It'll probably be better than having to go get them sewed up and refitted - almost every pair of jeans I have now has at least a small hole in it or another, and my shirts... well, those are doing fine. It's the pants that I need more of.

Anyways, what else is new? Laura's baptism was fantastic - Elder Christensen, one of the assistants, and I did a trio singing "Nearer, My God, to Thee" with the first, fourth, and fifth verses, starting the fifth  a capella or however it's spelled. Supposedly, we did a very good job. So I guess I'll be joining the choir someday... you win. [Mom's only been trying to talk him into it for many years.]

Thanks for all your support!

Love,

Elder Newman

Evidently, That Costs Money‏

Elder Christensen and I decided to go see the Castle of Chapultepec today. There are some wonderful sights out there - like these:

​No idea who that weird kid is in that last one.

But yes, we were thinking, "Oh cool! Free, super-famous museum like the Smithsonian!"

Nope. That costs money.

Also, I've been wondering - why can't they make auto-fitting pants? I've lost 40 pounds here in the mission; none of my pants fit me anymore. I think I'm the only secretary in the past who knows how long that's lost weight - and I barely even do any push-ups in the mornings! And my shirts are huge, too. Everything I have (except for my new suit, my 15-month-old--but-still-running-strong shoes, and my 15-month-old-and-also-still-running-strong socks) is too big for me.

I kinda feel like that's one of those "first world issues" kind of problems.

That and I think I have only 2 or 3 pairs of jeans that don't have holes in them. Large, gaping holes, that is. All of them are slightly broken. That means I've lost count of how many pants I've ripped. It's more than 10.

Anyways, we've got a baptism planned tomorrow - her name is Laura - the one with whom we had the super amazing spiritual Restoration lesson so much time ago. One of the assistants told me that she bore her testimony for ten minutes, talking about Joseph Smith and the commandments and so on and so forth before he could even begin the interview. She's amazing - and I'm so glad she's taking this step, at long last. Does that mean our work here is done? ¡Para nada! (Not in the slightest!)

There're more people we've got to find, more brothers and sisters drifting in the world with a need to come to Christ. They need this light, we've got to find them, we've got to help them know that they need this light, and help them reach forth and take a hold to it. And then, when all is said and done, they bring others to the light, and in the end, they live as an eternal family in the kingdom of God.

That's pretty much what our job is out here.

I love the mission, I really do. I can't imagine where I'd be or what I'd be doing without it. I've learned so much; I wouldn't return to the beginning of the mission if I had to forget all I've learned. If I could remember it and return to the beginning... well, what am I waiting for? Sadly, that's not an option. Probably because timey-wimey wibbly wobbly stuff would break.

Well, I'm almost out of time, and hope that this email finds all of you well and happy!

Love,

Elder Newman

Wow. They do grow big potatoes in Idaho!‏

There was a new Elder that got to the mission last night, so we trained him this morning. And when he and his trainer left, the assistant (we only have one right now) and us went to play some ping pong in President Whitehead's house. After about half an hour, President came along and challenged his assistant (since he was destroying us - he won pretty much every single game). And then... well, you can imagine how it went with this picture:

Then we went to Zocalo again to see the fair, since it's the last day here.

And this happened:

You can see the "IDAHOAN" logo in the background. Interestingly enough, the USA booth has two stands for visas. I wonder why...

We also went to the North Korea booth. There wasn't much there. You could pay 15 pesos to get your name written in Korean... and look at pictures.

Life's been going pretty well. My scars hurt me again for a small amount of time today - weird, since the operation was 2 months ago and they almost never hurt anymore, even when I do stretch lying down - but otherwise, I'm feeling quite well. Not a problem to worry about here! ...Okay, that's a lie, but we've still got a lot of good stuff going on.

It's a good thing that I've finally come to be able to recognize the confidence people have in me - it helps me feel more confident in myself. There's still a lingering fear that I'll fall again into that deadly pit, but I came to the realization over the last week that I've I'm worthy, then I can draw strength from that. And it helped and helps me a TON.

With Christine's wedding, tell them congrats and I expect some leftover cake for when I come home. Just put it in the local TARDIS and I'll get it then. :D

Anyways, things have been going pretty well, as previously stated. We're looking for more investigators right now, but we're working on getting more. It's good.

And, if you're not confident in something, practice doing it, especially if it makes you uncomfortable, as that will give you the confidence needed.

Well, that's about it. Not much else happened.

Love you all and if you can, watch this. It's called Fantasy on Kingsfold, but it's really "If You Could Hie to Kolob."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGiZBV0saz4

Don't break rules, kids. Or adults. Especially adults.

Elder Newman

P.S. I crave a large vat of mashed potatoes for some reason...

From the Mission President

Dear Newman Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your son has been assigned to be District Leader. He is a great missionary and we are sure that he will fulfill his new assignment with great responsibility and diligence.

It is a great privilege to work here in the Mexico Mexico City West mission with your son. We thank you for all the prayers and support that has been given on behalf of your son, President Whitehead and his wife, and the mission.

Attached to this email, you will find a scanned copy of the letter that should arrive at your home within the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

IHOPe They Don't Ask that IHOP‏

Those were 204 well-spent pesos on IHOP's New York Cheesecake style pancakes and orange soda. We went to IHOP. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND PROOF THAT MY [credit] CARD WORKS (thank goodness, too - IHOP's pretty expensive down here. It's like... $40 to add two pancakes to the meal. I splurged today, but it was worth it. Really.) IT WAS SO DELICIOUS AND I'VE BEEN MAKING PANCAKES WRONG MY ENTIRE MISSION. [And yes, that's orange soda he's drinking with the pancakes.]

Now where can I get me some New York Cheesecake to bake into my pancakes...?

Anyways, how was this week? Well, one word sums it up: BUSY. RIDICULOUSLY SO. But that's okay; that made it more interesting. Running around, doing a [baptismal] interview (that was nerve-wracking, until it was clear that they weren't ready :( ), doing payments, trying to get the reimbursements page fixed, planning a District Meeting, getting some accidental payments arranged, and all sorts of interesting and fun stuff. I did get a blackberry tamale, however, so that made me happy.  The week was exhausting, and that's good. I learned quite a bit, did a lot, probably changed some amount. My shirts are way too big for me now, as you might be able to tell by the drooping nametag in the picture. And all the folds and how big my shirt looks. It still makes me laugh. I gave my first district meeting on Tuesday, and it went... pretty well. Nobody rebelled and brought out the torches and pitchforks, so that's gotta be good! I'm always ready to sleep and sleep well by the end of the day. I almost don't even have enough energy by the end of the day to eat! But, like I said, it's all fine and well.

So... in other news... stake conference was really good. I learned quite a bit. President Whitehead shared a story of a time where he was at a lunch with Elder Holland and his wife (did I mention that Pres. Whitehead is really good friends with Elder Holland - like to the point where, if necessary, President Whitehead has Elder Holland's personal cell phone number?), and Elder Holland was asked to give the prayer for the food. After about 30 seconds of silence, Elder Holland began to converse with the Lord - and I say converse, because that's pretty much how President described it. After hearing that - how a prayer, even though it be for food, should be a conversation with the Lord - I thought to myself, "Well... I've got something to work on." And then later I decided that I needed to do better actually getting new investigators (kinda difficult when you only work 4 hours a day in the field).

Well, I've already got to go.

JavaScript is a pain.

Love,

Elder Newman

I Did Bring My Camera This Time‏

So we went to Zocalo, because there's a multicultural festival over there at the moment. I say festival; I mean fair.

All those white tents are various countries, with a gigantic Mexican Flag flying over them, with the Zocalo - a giant and old cathedral - in the background. It was a pretty cool place. And there were some interesting experiences there, as well.

First has to do with us missionaries. We went there with the assistants, so we're three Americans and one Mexican and we're in Mexico. So, naturally, which booth do we go to to learn more about foreign cultures? The one labeled "Estados Unidos", or "United States."

..."We're the United States. Your argument is invalid."

...*ahem* There were cardboard cutouts of President Obama and his wife. (I almost wrote "Sister Obama" and then I thought "Wait...") I think I've seen more of him today than I have in my entire mission.

Second thing, before they even opened up. We were walking down the street, and they were having a little parade of all the countries. There was some pretty cool stuff there, and at the end, a mariachi band to represent Mexico. Everyone's pretty happy and excited with everything until the mariachis start playing their songs - and then everyone goes WILD. Cheering, whistling, etc, and I think to myself, "Huh... well, there goes THAT stereotype!"

It was pretty funny, though.

And last week I carved a turkey.

​Technique gets a 1.h, but hey, it was my first time.

And here's me eating a pupusa, a Salvadorian dish (You're going to have to look pretty hard to see it):

​...And there's the cathedral again. There were a lot of members over in the fair today, and they always wanted a picture with us. But that's okay.

Well, that's about it for right now. I'm exhausted, but that's good. This week was packed with things to do!

Finances, new missionaries, changes, running around doing errands, being a district leader over sisters, more finances, losing the mission card (oops), trying to get that replaced when Bank of America wants to know the 16 digits ("What do you not understand about I lost the card and don't know the number?") (I eventually got that resolved), trying to get payments setup correctly when IMOS doesn't work correctly, and so on and so forth. Busy week, but that's okay. I sleep fantastically at nights now. Which reminds me of something one of the Bank of America guys said - I basically said "There's been a lot of work, but that's okay. It helps me sleep well at night." He replied, "I wish it was that way for me," and then we stopped chatting because the problem got resolved or something like that. I don't remember. But it made me think afterwards - One, he could use the gospel in his life, and 2) Why would there be a difference? We both work hard at a desk, I sleep well, but he doesn't? Well, I came to the conclusion that it's got to be because of the peace that the Gospel brings to one's life. The peace and hope and joy; and when one goes to sleep, at least for me, that's when I reflect a bit. Without the gospel, I'm pretty sure those Reflection Sessions would be "DESPAIR BWAHAHAHAHA" Sessions, leading to sleepless nights and general worry and non-peace and non-joy. Whatever those words are in English.

I'll stick with the first and have a good night's rest.

And that's the end of my ramblings.

Love you all,

Elder Newman