Answers to questions
Editor’s note: Bryce’s mother, Tanda, sent Bryce a set of questions. Below are his answers.
Thanks, mom, for the questions, after a tiring week it helps the not so creative mind.
1. Your place in Mexico City was very nice it seemed. What is you housing like now?
My apartment right now is nice, its very small, however clean (now) and in a very central location I my area, which helps.
2. Do you live with 1 or 3 other elders and who are they and where are they from?
I only live with my companion, Elder Alcantar, who is great! He is from Torreon, Cuahuila, Mexico.
3. What is your area like now? poor, wealthy, middle class etc.?
It’s a little pueblo on a hillside, next to the volcanos. There are lots of dirt roads here and adobe houses. It’s nice, I would say it is my favorite area of them all. So many of the people here are receptive to the Gospel.
4. We are hearing lots of information about violence etc. tied to drug wars have you seen that type of things going on?
Nope, thats all in the north of the country like in Ciudad Juarez.
5. What did you buy for your birthday?
To be honest, I spent most of the money sending that package home. 
However we are having a shirt and matching rings made, and I will probably go to Mexico City my last week to buy a couple of keepsakes.
6. Do you need some more money? if so about how much?
Well, because of the package, it might be nice to have some money to buy a couple things at the end as well as some stuff for the family. If you could send a little for that I will pay you back.
7. Where do you email from now?
An internet cafe close to the house.
8. Are you on foot now?
yep 
9. Who are your investigators and how are they coming along?
Well, we just had a baptism yesterday of a sweet old woman, Maria, who is 80, however she is still sharp. It was a very special baptismal service. This week we are going to be baptizing Luis, the son of a recent convert who didn’t want to go to church before, but now is very excited about the gospel. Axel is a youth who is super intelligent and reading the Book of Mormon and bunch (we have really seen how the gospel has brought a brightness in his countenance); and we also have Cynthia and Sandra who were supposed to get baptized yesterday, but fell off the face of the earth over the week end, so we’ll see what will happen with them.
10. What are some of your duties as district leader?
There are not that many really, the most important are baptismal interviews, which are a lot gratefully. Then district class, receiving and giving key indicator reports on Thursdays and Saturdays, delivering pouch on Sundays.
11. How many companionships do you have in your district?
My companion and I and two other companionships, so 6 Elders, 3 companionships.
12. What are your worries this week?
Not finding Cynthia and Sandra for their baptisms this week.
13. What gave you joy this week?
Maria’s baptism, not being sick anymore (my companion and I had bad colds for a few weeks), and my district class went well.
14. Do you get to watch General Conference live or as a rebroadcast?
Live in our chapel, because it’s the stake center. The chapel is kind of far away, its the same word, but in another area.
I hope that keeps your curiosity tied over for the week, I’m looking forward to reading all you letters!
Well congratulations Emily beforehand on your deliver date. you asked me about my release date… Well, I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you but since I was in the offices still when they bought my plane ticket, I am coming home on Saturday, May 15th… and if I remember correctly, I fly into Dulles around 3:30 pm.
…but we’ll worry about all of that later!
Love you all! Have a fantastic week!
-Elder Packer
Sick with the flu
This has been a kind of tough week, since we’ve been really sick, with the flu or some fever and cold combination. My companion and I spent a day and several half days in the house, and that can get ya down.
Over that past while I have learned the great importance of being diligent in what I do, that consistency is necessary to be happy and successful… maybe thats why the missionary schedule is so organized. Wake up time, daily exercise, scripture study, service, bed time… And when we don’t feel well we tend to let our consistency slip, which makes us feel worse and makes it harder to get things in motion again. Diligence is so important in our personal progress! …especially when its most difficult.
One of my greatest personal studies I have had happened this week… When I was sick, I still got up on time and I sill studied in the Book of Mormon. The Lord blessed me for doing so! I have been studying and pondering much about the “mighty change” and know that change is a product of constant righteousness. One of my favorite scriptures that I found this week is Alma 19:33 “… and they did all declare unto the people the selfsame thing — that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.” I didn’t quite understand completely before that a mighty change doesn’t mean that you’re not tempted, but rather that you don’t give in to your temptations because the desire to sin is replaced with the desire to follow Christ. I understand that we need opposition, or in this case to be tried, and that even Christ was tempted, however He never gave in. I sincerely want this mighty change, or to not have the desire to sin. Although sometimes we feel along ways away, I know that the Lord will help us with this and that it will come over time as we put forth our greatest effort to be constantly righteous.
I love you all!
Have a diligent, productive week!
-Bryce
Driving and traffic
What a week. First we have been driving all over the mission to open up new apartments for the 16 missionaries that are coming in on Monday. Ten left yesterday and so that means we open five new areas in the mission! I’ve been driving a lot too, traffic, rain, pot holes and cracks in the road… its been a long week. 
Yesterday was such a crazy day that I can’t even write half of what happened. Just a couple of the big things… we ended up having to drive across the city from the offices to the airport to change vans…drive back across the city to the house, load up beds, furniture, etc… got to the house and we didn’t have keys…I “broke” into the house… the keys weren’t there… I had to “break” back out of the house (that was a lot harder. … We drove back across the city (in heavy traffic) to get the keys… back to the house in traffic… got the stuff…drove back across the city (now night time and still in traffic)… out of the city (still in traffic and still night time)…into the state of Mexico…got really lost…still really lost…LOST… yep thats about how yesterday went.
Today we went all the way to Pachuca and just got back about an hour ago. Driving again was fun at first… now I’m just tired!
Have a great, safe, fun week!!!
Love
-Bryce
Cleaning and organizing office and apartment
Well, guess what. Elder Olson, the previous Financial Secretary, was sent to a proselyting area yesterday, 11 days before planned. The President figured it was a good plan and knew that I have been doing everything for a while …so now I’ve got the reins. The first of many plans is to CLEAN OUT and reorganize my office. I’m not very nervous, but there are a few things that are coming up at the end of the cycle that I’ve never done before. :/ I’m sure I’ll be giving Elder Olson a call at some point in time!
Another exciting thing that is happening starting this Monday every week, President Bulloch is coming in to the offices to have a staff devotional with us secretaries. That is going to be AMAZING!
One of our investigators, Martin Olvera, is getting baptized tomorrow. He’s made lots of sacrifices for the gospel and has no family support. That’s all right though; I know he will be greatly blessed for these sacrifices.
Today we spent all the morning and afternoon cleaning and organizing the house and the many many materials that are stored there. Lots of fun!
I know it’s been kind of short, but to end my letter I want to invite/remind you all to study the Book of Mormon every day. I spent a lot of time studying Mosiah 2 this week and learned amazing things there.
I love you all.
-Bryce
P.S. Mom can you send me the recipes for German pancakes, funeral potatoes and biscuits (using a premixed pancake mix that only needs water)? …I have an oven now. Happy days.
I’m in one of the largest cities in the world!
Well, there is lots to tell, seeing that everything is crazy different now. First off, I’m in one of the largest cities in the world! I am in a trio, which is pretty cool. My companions are Elder Olson (the old financial sec. who is training me) and Elder Muñoz (who is the material’s secretary). They are both great! Our area is right across the street from the temple!!! It’s amazing!!! Our church service starts at 2 pm. In my old area, it was at 8:30 am, so that will be hard to adjust to! I was so tired yesterday in sacrament meeting and fell asleep a few times. :/
We live really far outside of our mission boundaries, like 40 minutes. It’s in the West Mission, that’s because we are in the Church/Mission offices Monday-Friday 8 am – 3:30 pm, From there we drive to our area (about an hour with traffic) and work our area till 9 pm then go home (another 30-40 minutes). There are also two other missionaries that are secretaries, Elder Livingston and Elder Lechuga. They also live with us… so our-house is HUGE and about fifteen minutes from the offices. We have our own washer and dryer, two bathrooms, workout equipment, and bunch of other stuff.
The mission home where the Mission President lives is also about 15 minutes from the offices. The offices and our houses are in the downtown of Mexico City! I am actually in the offices right now at my own desk. (We have permission to use our own computers to write home and all that is pretty sweet)! We are the only mission with our offices in the church office buildings, which means I am in the same building as the Area Authorities!!! …And yea, we have fans and air conditioning in the offices.
Also you need to know that you need to write me earlier in the week because, as secretaries, our Preparation days are on Saturday! Another crazy thing is I am going to be getting a Mexican drivers license… and driving our huge mission van all over the mission! Mexicans are also the craziest drivers, the whole country is covered in speed bumps (including some of the highways) it’s the only way they can keep people from speeding too much and to stop at intersections. So that will be another adventure!
We also had a funny experience my second night with the secretaries. We were waiting for the assistants outside of their house, in our big white van (you know the sketchy type that mobsters use in the movies) when the Mexico City SWAT team came with several squad cars and their SWAT van and surrounded our van. They all got out in their bullet proof vests with their big guns and all and we had to all get out…we thought we were going to get stripped down, but luckily my adventure didn’t go that far! We explained who we are and why we were there and that was all. (I guess there are some problems in that area and someone called the police.) Afterwards we took their picture, hehehe.
Well, I am sure there will be much more to write later.
I love you all and hope you are doing well!
Bryce
Oh yeah, I will also get mail faster, because it comes right to where I am, and I found out that you can’t mail stuff through FEDEX because they charge a bunch of taxes, however the US postal services comes fine.
More about our new apartment
Buenas tardes. ¿como estan? [Good afternoon. How are you?]
All is well here. We got moved in okay, although there is still some organizing to do. It rains and is cloudy some of the time, but the majority of the day is super hot and it drains so much energy. Our apartment is nice, it’s a little smaller that the last but thats okay. Its above little store that our landlord owns which sells medicinal herbs, so sometimes it smells funny, but the nice part is he keeps lots of plants so the common areas are really beautiful. I’m sorry I have no idea what to write, my brain is kind of shot at the moment.
I love you all.
Bryce
