It’s been a long week! Yeah, we got [more] elders to form our district again! …And I have my [mobile] phone again which makes my life easier and it’s a lot easier on my wallet! The new Elders are Elder Moke (who went to high school in Spanish Fork) and Elder Vazquez who was companions with my companion last cycle. They are really good and working hard. I am so excited for General Conference! I’ve been thinking about it every day for weeks. Our stake is going to be packed seeing though as we have 12 wards! We didn’t have any baptisms this week which is kind of a downer however we brought a really great family to church and they own an ice cream, popsicle shop and they are going to teach me how to make mexican ice-cream yumm …Next family reunion, I’ll show you all what’s up.

So I’ve been in the mission for 10.5 months which is almost year and holes are appearing daily in my clothes and shoes and my socks have been “open toed” for quite a while now. I can’t believe how fast time goes when you are always busy. …Mother’s Day will be here soon and I will get to talk with you again! I am very excited for that. This time I would like to have a chance to chat with Ceci for a little bit!

Well, I know its short however I am going to the Post office to mail you those disks of picture that I still haven’t mailed. Sorry!

I hope you are all excited for general conference, it’s going to be amazing! I know that you will hear and learn things that can help make life a little better and more understandable, we all will! I remember the talks in General Conference a year and a half ago (specifically the Priesthood session) that really helped me to make the decision to go on a mission… and this has been a huge blessing for me!

I love you all and pray and hope and know that the Lord will bless every one of you. Take care of one another.

Elder Packer

P.S. One other thing I’ve been thinking about a lot ,Mom and Dad, is how I really know very little about you two. Where, when, and how you meet, what that was like, etc. I would like it if you could write me about your selves, please.

[Tanda] Much of this letter was response to questions I had ask him in my letter so that is why it sounds a little like a one-sided conversation.

¿que tal Familia?

¡gracias por sus cartas! [thank you for your letters] I haven’t had time to read them (except mom’s and Heather’s) so I am printing them off and reading them later. So this week I had my first companionship exchanges with my District Leader Elder Morales. It was for  24 hours. and went well, half of our day was spent in interviews for baptisms. The work has been interesting.

Pachuca, as my companion describes it is a big hotel. The people here have another house or visit family and are gone allot. Its kind of strange, and difficult to meet with investigators regularly. My spanish is improving. People have been telling me recently that when I first came here I didn’t understand but now I am talking allot more and that they understand me. I still need to work allot on conjugating correctly though.

Allot of our time the past two weeks has been meeting with and searching for members to update the church records… allot of the dates, addresses,etc. are missing or incorrect. Usually it is hot during the day and cool in the mornings and nights and it rains allot. We are working allot and looking for ways to strengthen our little ward, which is fairly new. One thing we’ve been doing is choosing a family each week to give a copy of The Book of Mormon to at the end of Sacrament Meeting, then in the following week they tell about there experiences. It has been going well so far. Oh mom …my knee is fine, I am healthy as ever.

My Mission President sent a great quote with his letter this week… “Confidence is contagious, so is lack of confidence.”  Vince Lombardi

…I am going to check right now about the cost to copy my pictures to CDs.

Sending a package through the mail isn’t a problem, but I thinks its better to use DHL or another carrier…. by the way I really don’t need anything right now so unless you really feel the need, a package isn’t necessary. However pictures would be nice, especially of Isabella, I don’t know if I can receive them through the email, but try.

Well it is about time. I love you all very much!

Bryce

Well today and tomorrow are Independence day in Mexico, so I have to be in the house by 6pm. We spent the morning cutting the grass in our very small back yard. It was good. On Wednesday we had a combined zone conference where we learned about positive affirmations in the mission from the church psychologist for all of Mexico. Affirmations are amazing.

[Tanda] I had asked Bryce some more questions (in italics). His answers follow.

Where in Mexico is your companion from?
San Louis… its north of here

Was he born in the church or is he a convert?
born a member

How many are in his family?
he has 2 brothers and 2 sisters he is the oldest

How well do you get along?
We are getting along very well (it is a process and a choice)

What is your daily schedule like?
leave the house at 11, work, eat with a member at 2ish, work, return at 9

What do you usually eat?
corn tortillas, soup, pasta, rice, tacos, enchiladas, etc; the tacos, etc. are very different here

Is the money you get enough to cover your expenses if you are careful?
yes, I am getting very good at budgeting

How is the Spanish coming?
poco a poco [little by little]

Have you taught any lessons in Spanish yet?
every day now, whether they understand what I am trying to say…?

What is the ward like where you meet?
very small …its a Ward

Have you had to speak or pray in Spanish at the church yet?
I spoke two weeks ago …every 3rd Sunday is mission Sunday

What is the Mexico City temple like?
it’s closed for remodeling, it will be rededicated in November I think on the 16th… the Prophet will be here!

Are the Mountains rough like the Rockies or more like the ones in the east?
Kind of in the middle, lots of volcanic rock, the mountains are big

Is the area desert or green? You said it rained a lot, but the pictures I saw on line looked like it was very rocky and dry?
its green, but there are rocky and earthy parts too

Are you happy?
I choose to be every day

Oh, Edwana Klaasesz accused me of having your face again. It’s a great face, I’m glad that we share it!
I AGREE! however I have your face, you had it first.

Well I’ve got to go. Love you all very much and thanks for all of your emails!

Bryce

[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

Hola familia,

So because I am delayed I got a new schedule which is the same as the field schedule in Mexico. During our proselytizing time, aka whole day, we are in the Referral Center and I have two pretty solid investigators already. Also my preparation day was moved to Wed. which is why you didn’t get an email yesterday. The RC is great I’ve been able to teach quite a few people so far… plus its easier because its mostly in English. This morning we found out we got our permisos [permits/visas], so I should be leaving for Mexico any day… expect a phone call.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your wonderful letters and your packages you have been spoiling me. Thanks mom and dad for the food the cupcakes were great! and for the CD dad. I can not believe you made that website. It is incredible. It looks amazing. [Shayne sent Bryce a printed copy of this blog.] All of the other missionaries are jealous and said to tell you, you can make them one too. Also Kristi thanks so so much I just got your package today, I dig the tie and the coin is sweet I’ll carry it everywhere plus the food ¡hay carumba! Thanks also for the last package from Emily and Kristi with all the cool pictures from the kids and the ridiculously amazing food. You guys are over kill. Thanks Heather for your many letters and tell Colby and Miles thanks for there awesome drawings of Wall-E and George of the jungle. I’ll try to write you all soon, but I’ve got little time and a whole lot of packing!

…oh yea please tell the young men and the leaders [in the ward] thanks for the letters and that all is great, I got my visa and that Seth better start preparing for his mission.

Thanks soo soo much, I love you all and you’re in my prayers!

Bryce