Mason's Letter -- July 16, 2011

Hola familia,

Hey first normal pday in awhile! And it has been a good one. The new secretaries like to play bball (not like that last ones) so we went early this morning to play a bit. I'm really rusty but it was awesome. Then we just got back from a service activity in our branch. Today is the day of service in all the stakes here in the mission in celebration of the welfare program. So we painted a school in the colony that is super whack and dirty. It looks brand new almost now. 

Well this week has also been pretty boring for me as well. We are now in the weeks of the interviews...BORING!!! All I have to do all day is revise area books. That's like 10 area books a day...all day. So I really don't have any cool stories this week. We have taken advantage of it and have gone to work a little in our branch. We had some really cool families that we were teaching. One family that is progressing right now has had to overcome some struggles. Every time that we go over to their house, the evangelical pastor goes over right after us and tells them a bunch of lies about us. But the dad of the family said that he knows that what the pastor says is a lie. I asked him how did he feel when he was with us, and how did he feel when the pastor went over. He said he felt calm with us and peaceful and he liked what we were preaching, but with the other dude he didn't feel any of that. so really it shouldn't be a problem, and he will be going to church tomorrow.

Also one day we went over to their house, I think on Monday, and the wife's aunt and cousin were there (also evangelicals). Well we walked in and immediately they started making jokes about polygamy and other stuff and were laughing super hard and trying to make us mad or something. The husband got mad at them and told us to tell her off, but we just stayed calm and I just kinda smiled the whole time. Well I don't remember exactly what I said, but I also made some kind of joke back to the lady, not a mean joke or anything, just a funny thing. And she started laughing and started joking around with me and they opened up a bit. So we sat down and had a good conversation about the church, they obviously had a ton of questions and we just answered questions the whole time. Then we gave them a Liahona that I had and the cousin wanted to read a little bit more about the Book of Mormon, so we gave her one as well. So it ended up really good and felt the spirit. The lady was just a big joker and you had to understand her a bit. At the end she said jokingly to me "you were really mad at me huh?", and I just said sarcastically "yeah I was about to punch you". hahaaha she thought that was way funny, maybe a bit inappropriate, but funny.

I was thinking the other day about how lucky I am to have been able to come to this country. I feel like I really was foreordained to come here. The people fit my personality so well. I remember in the MTC, and before getting here, being so nervous about if the people were going to understand me or not and if they would get my sense of humor and personality or if I just wouldn't fit in. But the people here are so like me and I feel like just another one of them, and it's really one of the only places where I feel I can be myself 100 %. I feel like even in the states I can't be myself sometimes, but here it's different. I just get along with the people so well and love them so much. its a huge blessing for me.

Well I hope you have fun watching Harry Potter and other fun movies. I will be here... revising carpetas! haha jk I love doing it.

Love Elder Mason Cardon