Andale

Wow... There is more snoop dog than Spanish, more dogs than Mexicans, and more culture shock than anything. That really sums it up, i really did fall asleep to someone blasting rap, and woke up... at six thirty to someone playing snoop... Nothing like a mission right? Anyway i got in on Monday at about three thirty, after waking up at two thirty in the morning, my mission president picked me up and we went to his house. Super nice house and everything and for our first dinner... Costco pizza and cheesecake. Nothin like reminding you of good ole home. My mission president is great, really just hung out with him for the night and then we met some other missionaries and headed to bed at the mission office. A good night of sleep and in the morning we went to get our visas and make sure everything was good with the government... it was... and i met my new companion, his name is Elder Islas, From Mexico, has been here for almost a year, really a pretty good first companion. We rode a bus for 5 hours to our area... its called matamoros, ward Buena Vista II, and its only about 5 minutes away from the border. I live in Ehido viente? something similar to that on calle 3. Anyway its a pretty good place to start my mission I've heard. I get to ride a bicycle, although i haven't bought one yet so I'm not riding yet. For being so close to America, i don't get mail that often, I hear about once a month, maybe two months. All mail goes through the mission home and then they have to pack it up here or just wait for a transfer if i go down there, so it will take a while. and my companion doesn't know if there is a mail place here to send stuff so well just see how it woks out... keep sending though, i need the love. First Sunday here, everyone just kind of laughs at you and kinda frustrated when you don't understand them, kind of frustrating but its something to motivate you. The ward is good, about forty people or maybe fifty but its all good. i love the food, I'm trying to get used to the climate... it feels like I'm drinking a glass of water at all times cause of the humidity. We have met a few great investigators hopefully they will get baptised soon, we have been knocking on fences like crazy and sweating it out, its really hard work. And I'm sure you read the news so i wont touch on anything like that. But hey there's nothing wrong with a little snoop dog! Our house is super small, when i got there i was like.. really? and we shower with a bucket... no roaches which is good, just bed bugs and ants. But then we went out knocking on doors, and i saw other people living conditions... we live pretty well where we are. Anyway its just super hard work... i hope all is going well with everyone at home... i miss you... i miss understanding things haha

Elder Rhodes