Transferred. And transferred again.

 Hi everyone!
So,  transfers are this week, a week early because otherwise they would be on Christmas day, but president said that no body was really getting transferred because its just right before Christmas. However, everyone in the Garden City zone got switched up. I'm being put in Arkansas City, in the Derby Zone, with Elder Garnett. I leave Wednesday. Haha If I knew anything more about my companion or area I would tell you, but I really don't know much. they are nothing more that names. I need to find a map to find out where Arkansas City is. It may be an English area. But

from what I've heard all Spanish speakers take their turn in an English area for two transfers, because there are not enough Spanish areas to go around. So I will just have to stick it out for a couple of months teaching the gueros this. But my companion is a Spanish speaking missionary, so who knows, it may be a both an English and Spanish area, and since we both speak, I don't think there will be any problem if we teach the Spanish people.

Its too bad me and Elder Gomez have had a lot of fun together, and I will be sad to leave my first area, but I'm really excited to get to know another.  

*******************************1 week  later**********************************
So this week was pretty crazy. I got on a bus on Wednesday and went to Wichita, 4 hour bus ride. Not kidding eastern Kansas is a whole different world. So Arkansas City is exactly one mile from the Oklahoma Border south of Wichita  It is really humid, and it is a really hilly. It is a ton prettier than west Kansas. There are a lot more trees, and natural streams everywhere. And a lot of hills. The town here is super cool too, almost all the building are clear back to the 1800s, and all the roads are red brick. It makes the place look really cool. I feel like im on the east coast. A lot of the houses look like old colonial houses, and old Victorian style houses that are really old.

My Companion Elder Garnett is awesome  He is from South Carolina. We have only been together for a week, but already feel like we are best friends. We get a long super well. On Friday, we got some freezing rain, and then after that sleet, and then it snowed all Saturday  So outside is about an inch of ice, and then two inches of snow on top. Everything has super big icicles on it. It looks really cool.

This map makes it look like Newton is the big city and Witchita is tiny. Au contraire...

So we went into an appointment with a part member family, and had a super awesome lesson, and had the cousin who wasn't a member commit to baptism the 11 of January, and Elder Neeley the AP called and told me that i was going to be transferred again. Me and Elder Garnett were pretty mad, because we get along super well, and I already like the area a ton. But there was some drama going on the mission  and president called us, and so Elder Garnett is getting a "special assignment" meaning he is being put with a companion who is going through a tough time and needs support. And he is staying here in Arkansas City, and I'm getting a transferred to Hutchinson with a "special assignment" as well. So they are opening a new Spanish branch out in Newton Kansas, (Hutchinson is part of that area), and so me and Elder Banderes, are going to be there opening the Spanish branch. All they need is two, tithe-paying, Melchizedek priesthood holders. And so that's what we are going to be doing down there. Good news is that they are not going to move me until Thursday so i will still get to Skype you and everything. We are going to pick up Elder Garnets new companion today in Wichita  and we will be in a threesome until Thursday, and then i will go to hutch. 

Its kinda sad that im getting transferred again, i really don't want to move again, but its all good. I look forward to being able to be there for the opening of the Spanish branch, and it sounds like everything is just exploding there so hopefully we will see success. I don't know where Hutch is, but I think its part of Wichita.

 

Thanksgiving in Kansas

Well your thanksgiving sounds great! I wish I could have been home with all the family, I miss them a lot too.

 This week was really cool. District Leaders have to do 24 hour exchanges with all the other elders in their districts. So in my district there (Other than the zone leaders and the sisters in Garden City) are Lindville and Elder Simmonds. They are in Scott City. So if you think that Garden City is small, think again. Garden City is actually decent size. I think....or maybe I am just desensitized from all the small towns here in the west size of Kansas. Scott City is tiny. I guess its probably a lot like that town that bishop Dahl is from,. On the border of California, and Arizona. If you blinked you would miss it. But its pretty small. So I went out there with Elder Lindville for a day. And elder Lindville is waiting for visa to Brazil. So he speaks some Portuguese. And Elder Simmons is English elder and didn't speak any Spanish. So I went down there, and we had an awesome day. We randomly knocked on the mayors door. and had a lesson with him and he committed to reading the book of Mormon,. So that was cool. But then than night we knocked into a Spanish family of five. And we had a short lesson with them, and they all accepted to be baptized next month. But the problem is that the elders in Scott don't speak Spanish. So they are having an emergency transfer to get a Spanish elder out there in Scott. Then president called me and told me to quit causing him problems. He he was joking.

 We had a big conference for our zones Garden City and Dodge City on Friday, and it was really good and uplifting. Sister Peat, I guess the equivalent to Sister Bambas here in Garden City. Her dog had six puppies 2 girls, 4 boys, and two of the boys are brown. So every one of the missionaries gets one named after them. And it worked out perfectly because elder Maki is Samoan and Gomez is from Guatemala, there are two white sisters, and us two white elders all here in Garden.

Hopefully we can get a dinner with some white people, so we have a traditional thanksgiving dinner.

There is a saying in Kansas " if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes". And it is right on. The weather here is always changing. You saw those pictures I sent you were exactly a week ago. Well I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt again. Its like a high of 60. Really nice weather. But tomorrow's high is apparently 31 and snow.  You can't trust the weather reports here on the west side of Kansas, because they are all too small to have their own weather system, so all of the reports come out of Wichita which is 4 hours away.

Thanksgiving started out all right. I really would have rather been home with all the family. But it couldn't have been better. We went to the wards turkey bowl in the morning, with elders Stopper and Maki. It was freezing, and windy, but it ended up super fun, and we played for 2 hours. Elder Maki played professional rugby for Barcelona and England, and I never realized how much of an athlete he was until we went. He is a huge guy, but faster than anyone else, and everyone just got out of his way when he began to run. But the turkey bowl was fun. 

Then we went to an investigators house to eat. His name is Ambrossio Valderez. He and his wife don't have a super big house, but they are super involved in an adoption program, where they take in kids that are under 18 and have committed a felony. The kids just stay at their house until their parole is up. So over they last few years they have taken in 53 kids. It's pretty cool, they are great people, and the kids that lived with them always come back to visit, so they're were just tons of people in and out of the house the whole time! It was tons of fun.

Me and Daniel in the Tiendita

Then we went to Daniel Gonzalez's "tiendita" to visit with him. He is a great guy. He has only been a member for just over a year, but he is easily one of the strongest members that exist.

Daniel and Elder Gomez

 But we just visited with him for a little bit, and then we went to the Familia Carrera. Also some great people. We walked just and they were about to begin dinner. And they invited us in and we ate a thanksgiving dinner with all of them. I honestly thought that none of the Latinos would celebrate thanksgiving, but some of them do, so we ended up getting a few really good meals.

Then after that we went to one last house to eat, a less active family the Romeros. They invited all 6 of us missionaries to eat with them. They are an awesome family. I guess I didn't share they story with you of how we found them...We were in the IBP trailer park one day, just visiting people, and looking through the ward roster of less active members we could visit, and there was a lady in there, but it said that she had moved, and i knew she had, because I know here, and know she lives in Scott city. But i have a feeling that we should try the house anyway, although i knew she had moved. So we went to the house and The same lady, sister Augilar opened the door. Apparently the family that lives there hadn't been to church in a year and never opend the door to missionaries because they had been offended by something at church. And the active Sister Augilar, was just visiting them from Scott City for a day. But since she opened the door she let us in and we got to talk with the family! we got to be really good friends with them, and they are coming back to church, and even invited all the missionaries over for dinner, although just 5 days before they never wanted anything to do with the church.Cool.

But anyway they had us over for our third and final full thanksgiving dinner, and we were all soooo full. It ended up being a great day.!

November post

English class continues to grow, and especially the soccer game afterward. We used to just barely have 8 people to play 4 on 4, but now we have 6 or 7 teams of 4. IT is awesome, it is a really good finding activity.

My spanish is getting alot better. A few members have commented that I can speak alot better, so that is good. Im excited hopefully I continue to speak better. At church, one of the less actives we have been working with was walking out of the chapel and I was smiling at her because this week, she has been to church enough time to be considered an active member, and she asked me something like "estas sonreindo a mi?", and I thought that she said are you smiling at me? so I said yes!. But I guess when they say "a mi" they really mean, are you mocking me? and I said yes.

I have been studying a lot out of Jacob chapter 5 this week. Its really interesting that throughout the chapter, the lord of the vineyard says to burn the bad trees and bad fruit, but the the Servant of the vineyard (the prophet) asks the Lord of the vineyard (God) for more time to continue pruning the olive trees so that they produce good fruit. And the very last time that they discuss working more on the olive trees, the servant rather than asking for more time, asks for more servants.

 I guess this week I really have grown in my testimony that these are the last days. I feel that the Lord's work is progressing super fast, and super effectively, but Satan's work is just the same.

Changes!

Well this week was crazy! A lot of changes happened!

Elder Banderas from Ecuador

 So this week there was a transfer and Elder Barclay was was transfered to Witchita and  I got a new companion, Elder Gomez. He is from Guatamala! He knew no English before he came on his mission, but he's been out a year, and speaks alright. So we are going to switch everyday from Spanish to English  so we can both learn. I am super excited!!! My Spanish has already gotten a ton better. 

Elder Gomez is from Ciche Guatemala  and has 4 siblings, and is the second youngest. He has a sister right now serving in temple square.  So if you are in Utah in the next year, look for sister Gomez, from Guatemala.  He is the first missionary in his family, and his sister is the second. They opened their calls the same day in their small branch in Guatemala  So this is a huge opportunity for me to learn Spanish.

Elder Banderas and Gomez (my new companion)

  The other cool thing is that Elder Gomez already served here in Garden City, three months ago. So we both have a completely different knowledge of the area, and combined, we have a ton of work to do. A lot of good stuff is going to happen! And all the Spanish members trust and like Elder Gomez a lot.

Another  cool thing is that president assigned me to be District Leader! So I have four companionships in my district. They are the Garden City Sisters, Garden City Spanish(us), Garden City English (Zone leaders) and the Scott City elders. It is all pretty exciting. I have to conduct an hour training every week, and just support, and motivate all the other elders and sisters.

I'm writing on Tuesday, because yesterday we had Zone Conference in Doge City. So it was us and the Doge City Zone. And it was all headed by Elder Nash, of the seventy. It was an awesome experience. We all got to know him, because we had the conference for 6 hours together. It was super spiritual, and very specific as to what we need to be doing better here in our zone.

Because of the conference i got to see all my friends, in the two zones, yes including Elder (Mark) McKellar. IT was really fun to see him, and just to spend the day with him. So since Mark is in the zone next to me I never get to see him, but our two zones make up the Garden City Stake, and since there was stake conference, Mark came down, all Saturday, and until after church on Sunday! He even slept at our house s\Saturday night, and on Saturday afternoon, us four, his companion and mine, went on splits. Me and mark got to go knock on some doors, and do some street contacting, in some trailer parks, for a few hours! It was a lot of fun to see him!

President is so funny, you ask him any question and he just can't deny you the answer. So Elder McKellar asked President where he would be next transfer, and President just told him he would be training a native Spanish speaker! He will stay in Liberal Kansas.

One of my best friends here in Garden City, Elder Neeley was transferred out though. its too bad, we were really tight. Transfers aren't even for another week, but Elder Neeley is the new AP, so he goes in a week early.

On Halloween we aren't allowed to proselyte unless we have an appointment, and us and the zone leaders had an appointment that canceled, so we were in by 7:30. So we went back to the apartment and just had ourselves a little party. 

Thanks for sending the ipod, i cant wait till it gets here. Im tired of listening to gay EFY music.

Missionary work is getting to be really fun, I'm really enjoying it!

Love you all,
Ethan

...6 weeks later.....

 Elder Packard's' new address:

2511 N. B Street # 4

Garden City Kansas 67846

You are totally right about conference. I thought it was super specific. Tithing. Women. Families. They were very bold talks. I enjoyed it. We watched 2 sessions with investigators in Spanish, which I surprisingly understood 

San Salvadorian papusa

 Saturday we went to the ward mission leaders house, Brother Benitez, for Papusa. Its a super good El Salvadorian thing. Like pancakes, with cheese and meat inside. I ate sooo many. We watched all the sessions at the church. General Conference was great. I think if there was a theme, it would be persevere. I don't know, it just seemed like there was a lot spoken about the atonement, and overcoming difficulties, and depression.

So this Tuesday because Elder Allen was leaving we borrowed some supplies from brother Estes in the ward, and bought a 11 pound pork shoulder and smoked it. We woke up early and cooked it for 7 hours, until lunch time. I've never had better meat!! we only had to check it every hour or so, so it didn't interfere with studies, and so it was our good bye lunch for elder Allen. We Elder Barclay went to grab the bone to pick up the meat, the bone just slipped out clean. It was super good.

Daniel's BIG CAR
  We have found a lot of people to teach this week, which was really good. Daniel just keeps on giving us names of his friends who are interested. Daniel owns the Tiendita and give Books of Mormon out generously. He is the greatest member missionary. 

Daniel's LITTLE TIENDA

They have us drivng a Ford Focus, and I don't like it much at all. It feels real cheap. But the 2013 ones are pretty nice. Super comfortable seats. But its just a giant car.

 I heard a couple of funny stories with sisters and cars this week. So a couple of weeks ago the sisters in Ulysses, Kansas traded us cars, because theirs  sometimes "wouldn't go over 20 miles an hour" They told us that when they pulled over to the side of the road, and parked it and then drove it again it worked fine. They even took it to the ford dealership twice and Ford couldn't find out what was wrong with it either. A couple of days after driving it, Elder Barclay accidentally put it into second gear, below drive, and it didn't go above 20MPH  We laughed for a while about that. Then Elder Stopper told me that in his last area there were two sisters who were nearly out of gas on a Sunday, and wanted to keep the Sabbath day holy, so they put water in the gas tank and prayed it would turn into gasoline.  Their car was totaled!

La Tiendita

 This Sunday church was in the gym because they are having the roof re done in the chapel. I was translating. And one of the stake presidency spoke, a weepy crying mom, and this guy that's got some type of speech impediment. So the translation was terrible! The Stake Presidency guy used a ton of quotes. It isn't that hard to translate normal talks anymore, but when people read scripture or quote General Authorities  it is nearly impossible  so you just spit out a few words. and it doesn't make any sense.

 Later this week we moved apartments. From Holcomb to Garden City is like 11 minutes, and it was just too far to be driving everyday. It wasn't worth staying in Holcomb. So now we are in this much smaller but better apartment, down the street from the church, and much nicer that the Holcomb House. Our new apartment has carpet, and the Holcomb House was just all wood hard floor. This apartment is much nicer.

Elder Packard and Elder Barclay and the beautiful view of....nothing.

I really miss mountains. Or just something to look at in the distance. To be honest, I really like Garden City, it pretty, none of the houses are the same. It just has a very practical, realistic feel to it. But there is nothing to look at in the distance. Just the next house.

So I've been teaching an English class 2/week since I got here, and its been going really well. We have at least ten people coming now, half members and half non members. Its a lot of fun and a good finding activity. We also have a soccer game once or 2 a week, that's really good for finding people as well.

This picture reminds me of Toy Story. Don't know why.

Elder Barclay

I've definitely felt all your prayers this week. A few weeks ago, I had been fasting, . But I didn't get any answers and i was really confused because nothing that the General Authority who spoke to us said stuck any chords at all. I just found that his talk was mediocre and I was not nearly spiritually full at all. 

Last week had a lesson with Enrique (who had a baptismal date) and we got to teach him the law of chastity, word of wisdom, and some of the other important laws. During the lesson he started throwing up. Crazy old man hadn't eaten anything in 3 days, and he is diabetic, and is taking medicine for his surgery that he had a month ago on his leg. Halfway through the lesson someone knocked on his door, and I got the door, and some small Latino guy, walked in, and came to Enrique's room, and handed him 2 dollars and left. he didn't say much, and Enrique didn't seem to know him. So then we finished our lesson and invited Enrique to pray. he prayed with both his hand over his head. but it was the best prayer I've heard. He asked for nothing, and just thanked God, for everything he had, and then began bawling during his prayer, because he had no money, and a man he doesn't even know came into his house and gave him 2 dollars. He is definitely is going to be baptized, its just a matter of getting him to church. He cant really walk very well, and he didn't make it yesterday because his legs are stiff in the morning, and he doesn't get around very well. It was funny how God answered my fast and prayers, not while a the President of the Quorum of the Seventy was speaking, but rather when I was standing, in this super hot dirty trailer, with a skinny small Mexican man, thanking God for 2 dollars.

Enrique on his baptism day with Elders Barclay, Packard, and Neeley

This week we had our first baptism, Enrique Rosas. He is from Mexico, and we had a baptismal service for him on Saturday and he was confirmed on Sunday. It was definitely cool to see all that happen! I kept on wishing that Sophia and mom were here to play some music at the service. No one in the ward does music!! But we are making the whole service in Spanish  so its pretty exciting. Not a lot of people came, but it didn't really matter because he is blind. 

(note from his mother: If you would have just listened to me and practiced the piano, there would be some music. Just sayin')

Harvesting corn and souls

Dear family,

Wow California sounds like a lot of fun! I wish I could have been there! Being with all that family sounds really nice.  I wish I could have been there for uncle Carlisle's talk, it sounds super interesting! I hope that I can dig as deep as he does into the gospel.

l already miss the mountains, and something to look at. Its Harvesting season so the air is pretty dirty here. The corn is harvested and now I have a better view of the nothing there is to look at. (click here for more)

Add caption

Look....nothing....

This week was pretty crazy. It went by super fast. On Saturday, I had my first interview with President Bell, and it went really well. It still Surprises me what a loving person he is! after our interview, we knelt and prayed, and after the prayer he kissed me on the cheek, and from what I hear, I should expect this more often. He just loves everyone so much, and he is always telling it to you, and how grateful he is for you. He can't keep any secrets. I went on splits with elder Allen, the zone leader that live right next to us, to pick up the president at the hotel, and he gets in the car and just starts telling us who and where all the missionaries will be transferred that next transfer. He is hilarious. And then he spoke yesterday in sacrament and I got to translate for him. At stake conference in two weeks, and member of the Seventy is coming to speak, and I think I will be translating that as well! I need to practice!

We are having a hard time getting all the Mexican people we teach to believe anything more that just the fact that God and Jesus exist. They keep on saying "Que Mas?" what we ask them what they believe in. They just think that they exist, and that if they read the bible once in a while and are nice to their neighbors they will be fine. They don't want to make any commitments.

This lady was riding a lawn mower across the  crosswalk in an intersection!

So your first question. My companion, Elder Barclay,  looks Mexican, and that is what everyone thinks. But hes not, so the next guess is that hes a Poly, because hes like 6 feet, but really strong. And that's not true either. He is half Taiwanese, at least he claims, but he is just to big to be Asian. We get along super well. He like to work out a lot, so I work out with him every morning, and I've been sore everyday for the past three weeks. But he played football for South Carolina, and apparently he is really good, because some guy stopped us on the street the other day and knew who he was. Apparently he got a really bad concussion the first season, so he didn't play for more than a year. He has 20 months here so he is going home soon.

 To be honest, the training, greenie thing doesn't really really exist. I mean of course it does, but in our companionship, we do a really good job of supporting each other in everything we do. I have extended all the baptism invitations so far. Missionary work is a lot different now I think. We invite people to be baptized at the end of the first lesson. We already have one guy on date. His name is Enrique, but he just had a serious surgery, so we have to wait till all the stitches are out of his leg before we baptize him.

The creeeeeeeeepy basement

Here are the stairs to the creepy basement, and that is the foundation of our house that is totally about to cave in.

Yes we eat in members homes. Half the time they are the English members, because there aren't that many Spanish members. But we eat pretty normal food. and its all really good. The Mexicans always serve tortillas rice, and some kind of "Carne". They never specify. 

But the weird thing is that they almost never eat with us. They prepare the meal and then sit with us and watch us eat. then we share a message and leave. I enjoy it a lot. Last night, we visited these people, and they had eight kids in this tiny house. The kids were all over the place, but their mother kept them disciplined a lot better that some of the families I've seen. She kept on yelling at them telling them she was going to get out the "belt" .

I got to play soccer in the MTC with David Warren for 5 weeks

I am in the zone right next to Mark McKellar, unfortunately. Everyone in my zone is new to me, no one from Mexico, and no one that I already know, but I enjoy meeting all the new people.

Thanks for you constant letters. Sometimes my companion does not get a letter for six weeks at a time, and I know its hard for him.

I am definitely praying all the time! don't feel bad for asking God for too many things, He wants to bless us and will as long as we remember Him!

Adios, Mexico, Hello Kansas!

 So I've left Mexico! Then I got off the plane the first thing President Bell does is gives me a huge hug! He is super loving. A lot more than I expected. I thought he would be a military man, having served in the forces for so long, but he is the kindest person I've met.

 We got to the mission home and ate a big dinner, and went to bed. The next morning we went back to the church and were packing our stuff onto the buses to go to our various areas, and I hear,
 "Hey grease ball!" and sure enough Elder McKeller was standing behind me!

Pre- mission grease balls

 He was only half way thorough his training and he was getting transferred because his companion is now with Elder Jones (from my MTC district). So we got to sit on the bus for  five hours together. He got transferred to Liberal Kansas. My first area is called Garden City/ Holcomb, and they are both very small towns in west Kansas, an hour and a Half outside of Dodge City. 

Look down and left to find Garden City
Liberal is on the Oklahoma line

Garden City and Holcomb, have a lot of Spanish speakers! We have already eaten with some Spanish members. Kansas is super flat, and the whole town smells like cow. 

My Companion is Elder Barclay. We get along super well! he is a lot older than I am, and he is from California. He is really strong, he played college football for a couple of years in Virginia or something, but I think that he was really good.  He is teaching me how  to work out, and eat healthy. He is the district leader and is a very good missionary.

 We just got moved into our house in Holcomb. It is really old, and has got all old wood floors, and a super dark scary basement and attic.


We live right next to the Zone leaders, so we get to see them around, and they are awesome. Both are really fun guys, Elder Neely from San Diego, and Elder Allen from southern Utah. For the ward we have here in Garden City/ Holcomb, there are us two companionships of elders, and one pair of sisters, but elder Barclay and I are the only Spanish speakers. I thought my Spanish was good until we got to church, and had to translate for sacrament and relief society. Sacrament from English to Spanish, and relief society, from Spanish to English. It was super hard, and I'm sure those listening in on the headphones have no idea what we are saying. 

Within 6 weeks of this photos these "West siders" were already on missions
Elder McKellar left 2 days after this photo was taken.

We basically have nothing to start from because the elders before us did not record anything in the area book like they are supposed to, so we have a hard time knowing where to start. But we have already gotten three or four new investigators who are interested just be looking around. One of the guys, I knocked on the door the first day I was here, and just gave him a book of Mormon and a pamphlet. And then ME and Elder Barclay went back too see him again two days ago, and he told us that the first time we knocked, he at that moment had been praying to know if god actually loved him. The Lord is definitely preparing people for us! 

Only a Week to Go

All Kansas-bound
Elders Crook, Budge, Packard, Daines, Jones, Carlson

This week went super fast. It is weird to think that in only a week I will be in Kansas. This morning we got to go to the temple, and was awesome again, and I understood a ton more than I did the first week.

A beautiful day at the Mexico City temple

This week we got a lot of rain, and it hailed twice! pretty cool. The Argentina  and Peru MTC's are full so we are now getting a bunch of the over-spill that they cant take. 

Some things never change!

 I'm still having a blast here. we are playing some serious U.S.A. vs MEXICO soccer games outside on the bog field, that are a lot of fun. The two guys staying in our apartment now are really good, and I have become good friends with all the Mexicans that got in a week ago. Yea, I've thought a lot about how easily I make friends with the Mexicans this week as well. I just really like the Mexican people. I like how simply they seem to live, and how humble they seem to be. And it is pretty easy for me to make friends with them here.

If you look carefully, there is a monkey hiding in the tree.

 I don't have my travel plans yet, so I don't know exactly when i will leave but it will definitely be early  Tuesday morning. I saw the World report and I did not make it on. However, the two sisters at the end of the video are in my district (they were better looking than the elders).

The story of the New MTC

Elder Packard and others wearing the Benemerito de las Americas school  soccer jerseys.
Some of these missionaries wore these jerseys when they were enrolled the BDLA school as high school students only a few months ago
and played on the BDLA soccer team.
The same young men returned to the newly converted MTC building as new missionaries only weeks after graduating from BDLA

Click below!

The story of the new MTC

Elder Salazar

 So, this week went really fast! This week all the Mexicans we had in our group left, which was kind of sad. I became really good friends with some of them, especially, Elder Garcia, Salazar, and Elder Gallegos, but we call him Elder Mono because he is so hairy.



















 Just before Elder Salazar left he gave me his "sacred" soccer jersey, that he has not washed since the day he bought it, four years ago. He kept on telling me to keep it sacred. They are all a ton of fun, and they gave me a list of new Mexican elders coming in on Wednesday  that they know, and that they want me to say hi to.

Elders ?, Packard, Vargas, Carlson

 All these elders went to the school here and just graduated here just in may before it became the MTC, so they knew the whole place pretty well, and helped me find the hidden stash of good soccer balls.

Elder Garcia

Adios amigos!