Week # 35 The world cup kids

June 30, 2014

Subject: The world cup kids

So I thought when Mexico lost the world cup there was gunna be like riots and all that jazz. I was pretty prepared for the riots and lighting cars on fire all that stuff. But I don’t know. It’s just cool being in a place that literally their religion is soccer, and it opens a lot of doors for me because I played. We didn’t have hardly anyone in the church Sunday because of the game. We were walking home and we could hear people screaming in almost every house when Mexico was gunna score, or when they were going to get scored on. Everyone wears their jerseys and everything is about the world cup I’m not gunna lie, its hard to work with the world cup going on haha.

         But anyway the work is going by well and I am making my last 3 weeks here count we have had a lot of success here in this area and the ward is great. It’s so hard to leave an area after being here for 6 months. I feel like in a sense it is like leaving my family all over again. Break my lil heart every time. The ward Real Del Bosque is the best and it will be hard to leave. Its weird when on your mission you don’t want the time to go by fast. My mission is going by way to fast it sucks.

              Well guys I really don’t have that much to write this time, I just hope everyone is doing good and if your not watching the U.S Game tomorrow you can’t say your an American.

With love,

ElderPercheswithBaldEagle

Rodabough

GO USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week # 34 Go USA

June 23, 2014

Subject: Go USA

So in the mission the area presidency passed a new rule, stating that we can’t get together for activities or other things in large groups. We can’t be in groups more than 4 missionaries so it completely sucks. I guess it’s a new rule because missionaries are being robbed when they are in big groups, so we should only be in groups of 2 or 4. This rule practically destroys everything I have ever learned in my whole life, that groups=safety. 

             But whatever all good so we started playing soccer at a local field with a whole bunch of guys and it gets pretty crazy. They call me "Alemania" which means Germany in Spanish because I told them that the reason my last name is so hard to say is because it is a German last name. And they have never seen a gringo (white person) play soccer and actually be good so they think I’m actually from Germany because they have this idea that everyone from the USA can’t play soccer... BOO! But it doesn’t matter! I destroy them, and they just don’t say anything anymore haha.

          Well this week was good I found Lucas again. He escaped from the house he was living at and started following us again, all day, so that was nice. We went to the visitors center and it was so good it just reminds me so much of Utah its nuts. The whole state of Utah just feels different than anyplace on earth. I love it.

        The mission is just great and we are working really hard! We should be having changes soon and I think I’m going to change wards, and get a new companion soon so that sucks because me and my companion are working hard and having a lot of success. He is my hommie, he’s too cool!

BTW Go USA! They are killin it at the world cup right now. I can’t wait to hear how it goes for them against Germany. I want USA to go far this year!!!!

Love you all

ElderHopswithFrogs

Rodabough

Week # 33 This is a story of how a dog changed my life.

June 16, 2014

Subject: This is a story of how a dog changed my life.

Yes you can build a life long relationship in 2 days

So this week I would like to explain how a dog changed my life haha. So I was just walking down the street contacting people and I saw a dog. That is how it all started. I whistled him over and he came over. I started petting him and we bonded immediately. He looked thirsty so I took him home, and gave him some water. He followed us around for the rest of the day; he waited outside of all our visits we made. So the night ended, and I didn’t feel like I could call myself a disciple of Christ if I left the dog outside in the cold whilst I slept in a warm bed so I did what any human with a heart would do, and I let him come in our house. 

        
     But he smelled horrible because he is a street dog, so I decided out of the goodness of my heart to give him a shower. I threw on some clothes and we jumped in the shower but this dog hated the shower. So I threw him in an arm-bar, and I bathed him until he smelled like roses. I dried him off and felt a good sense of satisfaction. Gave him a few hot dogs and we went to bed. He decided that he liked the bed of my companion, so he slept there the whole night. When the alarm went off he got scared and went pee on my companions bed haha. But thanks to my quick thinking I put a shiz ton foot drying powder to dry it. All good!!!

So long story short I had to say goodbye cause I guess there is a rule that says we can’t have a dog. So I don’t know what was harder saying goodbye to my family, or saying goodbye to Lucas (yes, his name is Lucas) 

He changed my life. 

The mission is good

Love ElderDawgConnections

Rodabough 

Week # 32 Just Straight Murder

June 9, 2014

Subject: Just Straight Murder

Well I feel super bad for not sending out mass emails, but the Mexican government likes to take packages away from poor little missionaries like me for sending beef jerky in a package...But oh well what can we do haha? I tried getting it back but they just said that I would need 1,500 dollars to take it out so I was just like yeah just destroy it then. 

So the mission is super good right now. President is changing a lot of things up. Before I became a district leader it was a pretty laid back calling. Now he changed that up, and now the district leader has more responsibility than the zone leaders. So I feel like I’m not teaching as much as I used to because I have so much I need to do everyday. So I don’t know, it’s not to bad being district leader but its way better to just be a regular missionary. But I am learning a lot as district leader though...

Well anyway we are just murdering our area right now. Killin it! We have tons of investigators so many I don’t have time sufficient in the week to teach them all!!! We baptized 5 people last week on Saturday. A family of four that I have been teaching for a while, they are probably the strongest family in our ward so it was super dope to be part of their conversion. Then we baptized the mom of a kid we baptized like 2 months ago, and she is super happy, and she just talks all the time about how content she is and how complete she feels... The mission is great!

My companion and I get along super well and he is great, super cool. He is a super fast learner and he can testify siempre withe the spirit. He gets offended pretty easy though so I cant joke with him as much as my other companions. He’s just a tender little boy I guess haha.

Love you all and miss you all a ton.

Love Elder PranceswithGazels

Rodabough

Week # 31 Well I guess Honduras is cool too hahahaha

May 26, 2014

Subject: Well I guess Honduras is cool too hahahaha

So when Grant got his mission call I just started crying and this little Mexican girl was like "are you okay sir?" hahaha super funny. I had a feeling he was going Spanish-speaking haha. So siiiickk now we can all just go hard in Spanish when we all get back. Dang, too pumped for him! He is gunna kill it in Honduras. That is where they are going to need him the most is where ever he is called. Too weird that all my best friends are moving on with life. I hope the best for every single one of you guys, and you are all included in my prayers.

Well this week just is super duper crazy boring we are having a lot of success in our ward though! It’s cool to see your work paying off. It started out with 80 people going to church every week like 4 months ago, and the difference now, we have 150 160 people going to church every week!!! We moved the relief society out of their room because we can’t fit all of the investigators .We have like 30 investigators in the church between the 3 companionships. Just working super hard and God is blessing us like crazy. Probably the happiest time in my mission, just love helping people we are just doing service like crazy. I feel so bad for my little boy Elder Penagos cause we are doing so much service, its awesome.

We are going to be baptizing a bunch of people soon we have a family of 4 that is the strongest family in our ward, bringing people to church, going to all the activities, and just loving the church. We are going to marry a couple soon and they are going to be baptized. We are just working super hard trying to get whole families into the temple, Edgar one of the converts, decided to go on a mission and is just waiting to complete his year in the church and then he can go! So Stoked the mission is super tough, but so much cooler than it is tough.

Love all you guys and Happy Queen Elizabeth Day and Memorial Day haha.

Love your home boy, Elder SlitherswithSnakes

Rodabough

Week # 30 Didn’t cry too much this time

May 12, 2014

Subject: Didn’t cry too much this time

So just going to start out by saying, and I’m sure you all know, but I have the best mother ever. I had the best mothers day ever too! Thats weird to say but mother’s day I think is my second favorite holiday of the year (at least for these 2 years hahaha). So good talking to my family, they are the life. I am super grateful to have the family that I have, they literally are the raddest ever. 

So kind of a boring week just had like a bunch of meetings and we painted a whole house, so that’s always fun. I’m learning how to speak Colombian from my companion. And I bet you didn’t even know they had a separate language, but they really don’t, their Spanish is just super freaking weird. They have an accent that throws the curve ball at me on the daily, I think my companion thinks I have hearing problems cause I’m always like, “what did you say?” hahah. So there's that. We are still tearing it up hear in Real Del Bosque.

Well on another note too hyped to find out where Grant is going on his mission, I’m sure he’s going straight to Africa Ghana mission! That is whats on the forecast from Elder SoarswithEagles (aka Rodabough). He’s gunna destroy wherever he gets called, God knows where to put him. But really though I am probably more excited than he is haha. Love that kid.

Just loving the mission it really is great to learn all this stuff like Elder Measels wrote, learning a language, forgetting yourself, and finding yourself at the same time is the coolest thing ever to experience.

Love you all, ElderSoarswithEagles

Rodabough

Week # 29 Call me big papa

May 5, 2014

Subject: Call me big papa

So last week I became a dad LOL! After about 9 months in the mission I gave birth to a 140 lb, 19 year old baby, named Elder Penagos, he’s Colombian haha. He’s pretty siick, scared out of his mind, and doesn’t say a thing when we are with investigators, so I just put the companionship on my back and carry the team to victory! I am teaching him Mexican Spanish, so that’s cool. We are working super hard. My companion got sunburned which is funny because he is Latino and I didn’t think they got sunburned, but you learn something new everyday right. 

Side note: this keyboard sucks... 

We had a good week its weird being the one that makes the decisions and your comp just follows you! But we are working really hard, but we aren’t robots so thats sweet. We go walking through the forest by our house when we study so thats super sweet just to study in the fresh air. 

We found a new family of 8 that we are teaching. Recently their father/husband died so we are teaching them about the plan of salvation, and the spirit was super strong. They are going to go to church next sunday so I’m excited, too excited! The work is crazy here I feel like I am in the promised land of missionary work, so many people are accepting us we found 12 new people to teach this week. God is really helping me out in my time of need.

Lesson of the week look for the tender mercies, for example finding mac and cheese at the grocery store.

Realment estoy muy agradecido para tener personas como ustedes en mi vida, a veces me gustaria tener personas un poco menos chido en mi vida porque a veces les extraño mucho. Muchas gracias por todo sus oraciones y cosas que hacen por mi.

Love Elder fallswithrain

Rodabough