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!