Mason's Letter -- 9-28-09

Hey fam what is up?

Everything is still great here!

Yeah the "dear elders" are all getting to me and I love them! They are sweet. So if you keep sending those so I dont have so much email to read that would be awesome.

My schedule is like this: Wake at 6:15 (not such a long line for the showers) then get ready and go to class at 7 for an hour of personal study. Then at 8 I have breakfast (which is usually pretty gross so I stick with cereal, the eggs here wreak havoc on my lower intestine). Then usually I have class taught by a teacher for like 3 hours then either companion study or MDT (missionary directed time: I can do whatever helps me best) then lunch at 1 (usually a hamburger) then class again for 3 more hours then MDT again or TRC (where I teach "fake" investigator volunteers) or RC (where I call or chat with real investigators on the phone) and then dinner at 6, and either class if I didnt have it in the morning (we have class twice a day for 3 hours each) or MDT and study study study. then in our room at 9:30 to study more and bed at 10:30. Hope that helps.

Anyways we went to the TRC and RC (referral center) for the first time today. We had to speak Spanish and get to know someone in the TRC and get them to invite us over to teach the first lesson (luckily in English). So I was surprised at how well I spoke!! The words that I did know seemed to just flow out of my mouth and I would understand what the person anserwered and asked me...but then I wouldnt know how to answer then so I would just sit there and smile and say something I did know!

Haha yeah pretty embarrasing but I was surprised at how much I could say and stuff. One time Elder Jackson was supposed to ask some questions and he forgot how to say it so we both sat there for like a minute with an awkward silence, then I just said "well we are missionaries of the church blah blah" in Spanish. It was funny.

We also went to the RC. the first time you go to the RC you do outgoing calls. You call people and ask them if they recieved their BOM or Bible or LDS DVD and ask them about it and try to get them talking about Chirst and try to baptize them basically. So I was nervous the first time just thinking "wow these are real people now not just "fake" investigators". But once I got the first answering machine I got pumped and just wanted to talk to some people.

To make a long story short, 500 answering machines later we ran out of time and not one person ansered the phone for me! Crappy! So me and E. Anderson got like addicted to it and we try to go back when we have free time. E. Jackson doesnt like it cause I think he's scared of talking to people over the phone cause they can be way mean sometimes when you call them. So we went back the other day during some extra time and made as many calls as we could. I kept getting machines or busy signals and I was praying way hard to get someone. So I was praying and praying and finally someone answered for me!! I asked if "Arthur" was home and the lady on the phone said to me in a thick grumbly southern accent, "Arthur is DEAD". so I just said, "oh umm well sorry to hear that, you have a great day mam!" haha and hung up, what else was I gonna say? haha so I kinda choked but whatever it was fun. haha next time I think we get to chat people online who actually WANT to talk about the gospel.

So Tuesday our roomate E. Chessmore went home. I'm not sure why but he said he would be back, it was really sad. So now we only have 3 in our room. and he only had like 2 weeks left here. so we tried to get E. Anderson and Rawson moved to our room cause they are exiled on the 3rd floor while we are on the 1st. it didnt work out, I told Blair all about it so if you want the details ask her :) Sorry its a long story and I'm running out of time on the computer.

Everything is awesome here, we are all getting along fine and I'm feeling the spirit basically 24/7. My testimony of Chirst and his atonement have really grown this week. I have been just studying everything about Christ and I love to learn about His life and sacrifice for us. Faith in Christ is the most important thing we can help someone to get. With faith they will keep commitments and be baptised.

E. Rawson has made some huge stides. we have really helped him to learn and to grow here and he seems now like he wants to stay. Some bad news: those notes about not needing a VISA to Honduras were not supposed to go to us. So yeah we still need VISAS, kind of a bummer.

Well I just got a warning from the computer saying my time is short, so I will just say I love you all and look up to you all so much. Keep up the "dear elders" and mom can you send me a package with like a small Spanish hymn book and maybe a few more pairs of regular socks? They are out of stock here of hymn books so send me a pocket one please!!

Thanks you all are awesome, I love you and I'm doing the right thing here. I feel so happy at night when I know I'm doing what I am meant to do here, it gives me great joy!!

Love Elder Mason Hanks Cardon

ps: All the elders and sisters pronounce my name CARDONE like in a Spanish tone, so thats how I say it now, I like it.