Week # 21 Totally got kissed today

February 17, 2014

 Totally got kissed today

Today not even an hour ago my comp and I dedicated almost all of our P-Day to this super dope service project. We were translators for this huge organization from the states called the lions club. They collect old glasses from people in the states and fix them up. Then they give them away to people who can’t see and never have been able to... It is super sad, but it was an awesome service project. I just chatted with some people in english and translated for them. I had people cry when they finally put the glasses on cause they have never been able to buy glasses before because they are too expensive. When they finally get these free glasses they are so stoked! I even had an 74 year old lady plant a super fat kiss right on my cheek haha! Felt super violated but what do you do?

So we have been helping out so many people, we haven’t had a single day when we get back inside the house before 10pm. We had tons of stuff to do this week so we have woken up before 5oclock 3 times this week! Our service started at 6:30 in the am, so we had to get up to shower at 4:30 so that was super dope haha.

Our president passed a rule that we need to contact 20 people everyday. But I haven’t done it because we have so many freaking citas its crazy. Never a time to relax or anything, which is super good cause the time goes by really fast, but at the same time I don’t like how freaking huge and muscular my legs are getting... or fat not sure I eat a lot of tortillas most likely its fat haha. We have a lot of people ready to be baptized, and we need to marry this other couple so they can be baptized. We have a lot of people and my comp is super sick he’s from Honduras, and he totally plays league of legends, so we just talk about that for days.

The sadness is real right now because hardly anyone writes me anymore pretty much just like the same 5 people of every week. So that’s cool shout out to those 5 people. But regardless, I love everyone and hope everyone is doing okay. You guys are always in my prayers and thoughts.

Have a good week everybody.

Elder Rodabough

P.S. And yes there are castles in Mexico

Week # 20 CHANGES! THEY KICK MY BUTT!!!

February 3, 2014

CHANGES! THEY KICK MY BUTT!!!

So I got changed and it was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will probably never see some of these good friends ever again. I had to say goodbye to Karina, Sergio and Tsunamy yesterday. They were my best friends in the mission, and it wrecked me when I had to say goodbye to them. I got changed from the smallest area in the mission to the second largest area in the mission. It’s called Real Del Bosques its huge. I can’t believe that this place is only 20 minutes from where I was serving before. Here it is so spread out the streets are dirt, there are random horses tied to trees behind my house. We all just pile in these taxi things and they only drive on one street. We have a Wal-Mart in our area and like an outlet mall that is super dope. But the bad news is we can only go there and we need to pay 30 pesos each to get there cause it is so far away haha.

Well on a different note, I am horrified at the news of Cory. All I know is that he has a more important work to do up in heaven. I know he is with our Heavenly Father as we speak, and that almost brings me to tears because, what a beautiful moment to be reunited with our Savior and Father in heaven after creating a beautiful family, and serving his country and community. I know without a shadow of a doubt he is where he needs to be. Although it is super duper hard for a time, we will see him again. What is even sadder is that people don’t know they can live with their families forever. They think after this life that is it. 

THIS WEEK IS FOR CORY. I am going to work harder than I have ever worked before, so that people can know that families are forever. I will keep his family in my thoughts and prayers. 

Love you all,

Elder Rodabough

Week # 19 Sup family and friends!

January 13, 2014

Sup family and friends!

So today for P-day I roll out of bed, grab my towel shower, do personal study, waddle over to the bakery, say hola to the woman that always calls me gringo, and I just say hello and she just laughs. I buy my two normal breads, give her 10 pesos, get dressed for soccer, grab my backpack, walk down the street saying buenas dias to everyone I pass, and get to the church. We talk about how awesome it is when a prophet just planches (or in other words very very frank and stern and almost rude) people of the church. Really in the church we don’t know how real the gospel is sometimes, and its soo cool when he planches you haha. I read a talk this morning about how the missionaries in the beginning of the church took the Book of Mormon lightly and Ezra Taft Benson just destroys them. He said they brought all of the children of Zion under condemnation, and it just smacked me right in the face cause I take the Book of Mormon lightly so I felt like crap. So that’s all good, now I’m cleaning my laundry and emailing and that’s usually just a P-Day for me, nothing too cool haha. Idk why I wanted to share that.

Anyway we had another super dope baptism this week and she only has 10 years old. Her name is Michell her parents aren’t even members and they didn’t want her to get baptized but she told them, “I’m getting baptized” and they were just like “okay whatever”, but they came around. They were way stoked for her, and I hope they get baptized too. She is such a great example for me cause I was such a shiz head before my mission. I wouldn’t have done what she did. She’s so strong it’s awesome!

Well I’m still doing good, I almost have 6 months in the mission but who’s counting right. WINK WINK. As we speak I am just destroying so many mosquitos it’s pretty cool. I’m still in the area with the giant sewage pond and there are tons of bugs, and dogs, and drugs, and fights, so that’s super sick. I love and miss my family and Utah and the snow but the mission rocks! You learn some super cool stuff here.

Well until next week my darlings.

Elder Rodabough

Week # 18 Happy New Year!

January 6, 2014

Happy New Year! 

I will officially be home next year! So that is pretty cool. I think I am going to get transferred pretty soon, so that will be good. I’m ready for a change, changes make the time go by so much faster. I love my zone and my area though so that kinda sucks. I have met and grown pretty close to some very amazing men in the mission. 

So New Years here is crazy I cant believe how hard people go on new years. We walked down our street in front of our houses and there were 3 people passed out on the sidewalk, just straight dormiendo on the side walk. Even the people who live below us went so hard and we just sat there and ate quesadillas for like 3 hours and played card games and went up to bed at 10 o’clock.  I set my alarm for 11:58 and when it went off I jumped on my companion’s bed and just jumped on his bed so hard he was bouncing everywhere, and was soooooo angry it wasn’t even funny, but he got over it and I gave him a hug and went back to bed. And that’s how I spent New Year!

So stoked to see how great my friends and family are doing in the missions. Ty my zone leader is from the D.R. and he speaks crazy but I like it, and can understand haha. But here it is such lazy Spanish and they have so many dichos, and crazy weird sayings that are only from Mexico City. It’s called chilango and it is crazy and doesn’t make sense like ¿Que Show? It means what’s up, its just weird stuff like that, but I like it me cae bien. 

But anyway I love you guys so much! See you next year and talk to you next week!

Your Elder Rodabough

Week # 17 Talking to my family

December 30, 2013

Well this was a super duper hard week for me started out way good had tons of plans and stuff. I was gunna talk to my family, and tons of good food, and service, and it was just the climax of my mission experience thus far. I had the fiestas, and service and I got the best Christmas present ever being able to talk with my family, the gorgeous GB, my best friends Stephen and Grant. And it was such a picture perfect moment for me. I bawled my eyes out for probably half the time we talked and idk man I just love my family and friends so much it can’t even be described. It couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time for me. So glad I had the chance.

           But it was so sad when I had to say goodbye cause dang that’s a long time to wait to get to talk to my own family again. The week after that went so slow and I just kept hearing my families voice and stuff it was freaky. I’m almost back to normal now so that’s always good. The mission is really going by pretty fast, and they say the first 6 months are the slowest, so that’s a little crazy to think about. Well anyway I love Christmas and its weird that I only have 1 more left... So I’m pretty stoked. I’m getting pretty good at my sick YO-YO I got for Christmas. I’ve been playing soccer about 3 times a week which is more than most of you back home, that’s cool ehhh.

      Sad I didn’t get to talk to my homeboy Elder Nielsen, but maybe next time!! He’s doing great and helping convert many lives, so that’s super cool to know. Taylor and Austin are killin it I’m sure, shout out to Jaleisa idk if your still in the MTC, but welcome to the ranks kid. Man its good to have friends that are out serving the Lord too. Changing many people’s lives is the best thing we could be doing right now in this crucial part in our lives.

Well everyone love you all so much, happy New Year, and I will see you in 2015! Love you all, Keep writing me!  Thanks to all for the support and love I can feel it and it means a lot! 

Elder Rodabough 

Week # 16 Hammock

December 23, 2013

Well gosh I cant believe its already Christmas! Where did December go??? I could swear yesterday was October. Its so crazy how fast the time goes. I already have 5 months in the mission. The time is literally flying especially during this Christmas season. Its so sketchy we cant even go out of our house past 6 o’clock because everyone drinks and dances in the streets, and explosivos (Fireworks) just so sketchy so that kinda sucks, but kinda cool también but yeah anyways. Everybody says that usually this is the slowest month for everybody. Doesn’t seem that way for me. I’m just stoked out of my mind to talk to my family!!!! Gosh so ready!

            This week was one of the best weeks of my life; I finally got to taste a little bit of the fruit of our labors. Karina and Anayeli got baptized this week. Even in Mexico I had a very very White Christmas! I had the opportunity to baptize Karina she is my hommie. We just go kick it at her house at 7 o clock every night, and eat tamales, and teach a lesson answer her doubts and just chit chat with her she is so SiiiiiiCK. She has come such a long way and it is so great to see the changes she has made in her life. I can see the change in her demeanor and in her spirit. She has had such a hard life, the toughest life that I have ever heard. Her story breaks my heart, but now is her time to have a great life and what better way than to live her life in the happiness of the gospel.  Her little kids already want to serve missions and they are 5 years old and 7 years old. It is so cool to be the bearer of this great news haha. Anayeli didn’t have to change a single thing in her life she was the most prepared person to receive the gospel it was amazing. So cool. They are both so converted to the Lord its not even funny! So dope!

Well family and friends I love you guys and I hope that you are having a very merry Christmas! Jesus Christ lives and let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. The Lord our Savior was born into this life only to give it for us ladies and gentlemen. Let us not forget the greatest gift we have ever received and will ever receive. Love you all and hope you have a great holiday season. Talk to ya’ll next week.

Blowing ya’ll kisses, from Mexico.

Elder Rodabough

Week # 15 You Only Get To Do This Once

December 16, 2013

So I just read Austin Measles letter and I literally just laughed for 5 minutes straight while I read it hahaha, Sounds like my area kind of. The Mexico MTC is like 1 billion times nicer than anything in my zone haha. But it makes me feel a little bit better knowing that I wasn’t the only person to get smacked in the face by the culture shock. But man is the work worth it, I felt like I could never do this for the first two months, no lie. But now you just get used to "the suck" I cant believe people live like this their whole lives, dang we are so spoiled in America. I get to go home to my king sized bed, my air conditioning, my carpet, my dyson vacuum, my car, and a hot shower in about 19 months. It seems like a long time but from the moment you step into the MTC you cant say I have 2 years left of my mission. 

You only get to do this once. It is such a rad feeling knowing that you are standing with the only perfect person that has ever lived when you serve a mission. This is a really humbling time but man so worth it. I only get to put on the tag like 550 more times... then I will never be able to do it again. With my wife yes but thats different haha. 

Well I will have 3 baptisms this week finally! I will be baptizing one I think if my prez gives me permiso. So all our converts call us "mi elderes" and it is such a weird feeling I love it. Seeing the change in people’s eyes, and spirit. One of our investigators the one I will baptize has stopped drinking, smoking, broke up with her boyfriend, all from the things that we have shared with her. I can tell you people seeing people change not for you, but because they can feel the happiness and peace that it brings into their lives. I love seeing people change, into better, cleaner people. I could not ask for more for Christmas. 

Well people next time I send out an email it will be the 23rd wassup so stoked I think me and my comp are gunna go caroling if that’s even how you spell it. I suck at spelling. But yeah I love singing and it would just be dope I think, but yeah you guys should go caroling so fun!!! Love you all until next week. 

Saluting you all from Mexico City -Elder Rodabough