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.
Questions and answers about Pachuca etc.
[Tanda] I had written and asked Bryce a bunch of questions (in italics). His answers follow.
First question, who is your companion and where is he from?
Elder Cardenas de San Louis, from Mexico.
Bryce lives with just one companion. Elder Cardenas de San Louis. They live in a house.
My house is nice, its small, big for two people in Mexico though and in a gated community called Pitahays we rent it from members that live in northern Mexico.
Bryce wishes he was sleeping in a hammock. He sleeps in a bed that feels like a floor, but by it’s time for sleep he LOVES IT! They do not have a maid, cook or anyone to wash their laundry and shop for food. In other words…
We have to do it all ourselves. Its nice though we have a washing machine …kind of (I’ll send a picture sometime) and we eat with the members for lunch around 2-3ish and they don’t really have dinner in Mexico. The clothes are line dried of coarse.
I looked up Panchuca it said that it is 8,500 – 9,000 ft high have you had any problems with the altitude?
Nope but I live in the lower part of Pachuca… it was originally a mining town for 500 years.
I don’t drink the water, but I’ve accidentally used it a couple of times… I’m fine and the natives don’t even drink the water!
It also says that Panchuca means “windy beauty” and that their is a constant wind out of the northeast and that it is one of the coldest places in Mexico.
Yep it really windy here and it rains ALOT!
I asked Bryce if he needed a coat, or long sleeve shirts. He said that some sweaters might be nice every once in a while.
I am nice and warm. I’m ok almost all of the time, the natives think I’m crazy when they all have scarfs and coats on when its cold.
Who are your investigators?
Agostin Piña who is 20 really neat person and has a baptismal date but we are having challenges actually getting him to the church… he came to the Temple Visitors center with us a few weeks back.
We are in a ward. It is a new ward formed from splitting a larger ward and its very small. We have a new chapel which is very nice.
Do you walk?
WE WALK ALOT! and bus a lot too and vans and taxis also.
How much computer time you get each week?
I have one hour of computer time. However I have to write the Mission Pres. and secretaries in this time too and I type and read in Spanish really slow. How ever last week I got you DearElder.com [letter] from the 17th of Aug. and Kristi’s from who knows when and the end of your DearElder was cut off too.
Oh, please tell Kristi congratulations for me, I’m going to be an uncle! [for the ninth time]
What is your mailing address to your apartment, in case we want to mail letters, photos, etc.?
ONLY mail letters to the mission address. You can mail anything there, but only single sheets through pouch, everything else through normal mail.
[The address of the mission home is on the Current Address page.]
Thanks for your letter mom! It really made my day! I think about you all and pray for you a lot… were going to have to make up for lots of time when I get back.
Last Lunes [Monday] I went to Mexico [City] to immigrations for the last of my visa stuff. I got to ride the metro there; it is insane! I’m sure people die. And I got to see Elder Covington (my old companion) and Elder King my old roommate in the MTC. that was very nice. And today the whole zone went up into the mountains to a campground kind of thing and played soccer and cooked food. It was awesome. Well I’ve got to go. I wish I could say more. I Love you mom, and all of you.
Bryce
[Here's a short note to Shayne]
Hey Dad,
I read your letters last week and this week. It sounds like things are going well. You are an awesome dad and a great grandpa. you can help me out to when I have kids.
love, bye, Bryce
