Week 34 (April 14, 2014)

He is throwing away all the coffee!! yuck!!

Familia,

Don't worry about the toes, they are fully healed. haha I miss the weather back home. Ya no it is hotter that 100 degrees where I am at. YOU ARE PAINTING the house??? Send me photos please. All the big changes are happening while I am gone, geeez. Kaden cut his hair? why? haha about this friend that you talked to. His name is Ruben, he is a member and one of my greatest friends from my other area. He thought that you were my sister. haha. He is really cool. Ill keep an eye out for the package thanks mom! I will probably get it next month when we travel to Tenosique. Ya they don't have Easter here, but the are starting ''Holy week'' It is a tradition from the catholic church, It is like spring break but they focus on the death of Christ. Tell Brittany not to worry about the language. I was really scared too, but it only comes with time and patience. When is Kelly's farewell?? I wish I could be there. How did the Johnson family thing go??? They sent me an email last week about that and I think that is really neat. That new restaurant is so cool!! You need to take a photo of the menu, I want to see what food they serve. And tell them that you have a son there in Palenque haha.

Here it was kinda a normal week. It is really hot here!! Good thing our area is too big so we don’t have to walk too much. First off we are failing our mission. There is a girl in our branch that leaves on her mission this week, but a returned missionary proposed to her and so now she doesn’t want to leave. That was our main battle this week, I am pretty sure we have lost that battle. Our investigators are doing really good. The only problem is that they don't want to give up the alcohol. So that is the problem. We do have one that came to church yesterday and she told her friend that she wants to be baptized, so we might have a baptism here soon. Good News. WE ARE MARRYING A COUPLE THIS WEEK! I'm like super excited. I am going to be a witness at their wedding ;) The branch president has been working with them, and last night we had a powerful lesson and now they want to get married! The lesson went like this,

First off we started with an activity, we blindfolded them and tied one of their legs together, then we put up like a path with string. Then we put like a bunch of stuff for them to trip on haha. Sooooo They had to work together as a 'team' to make it through the course, it was so funny. Then we had a super spiritual lesson.
Also this week was zone conference so Tuesday morning we got up at 5:00 to make our way to tenosique, funny thing is, is that the cumbi '10 seater van' was broken so we had to take a very expensive uncomfortable taxi ride for 4 hours to tenosique haha. It was a super cool conference though. I've got a bunch of friends in this zone haha. That was pretty much our week.
ohh if you can please send up prayers for my friend Elder Guzman, his father just recently passed away. Thanks.

I love you all so much, hope you have a wonderful week!
Hunter

He loves little things just like his mom!!

Week 33 (April 7, 2014)

Family,

Another short letter this week, I didn’t do very much haha. First off it is so weird that everyone is engaged! It is going to be so weird when I come back home!! oh well.

Yes they did cut off about half of the nail. To be honest the doctors down here really don’t know what they are doing. The good part is that it is really cheap hahah. The doctor numbed my toe so that was good, but getting a shot in your toe really hurts and to make it even better the needle broke off in my toe and was sticking out haha. Don’t worry we took pictures with the doctors cell phone haha. After about an hour of digging around in both toes, she finally finished haha. Good thing she is our neighbor because the whole operation was free :) missionary life is sweet. Then came the bad part, I had to stay in the house for another 4 days :(. After a while it gets really boring. I did read all of Mathew in a day :) Conference was sweet but it took us so much to get it to work here!! I’ll send y’all the picture. Conference was so sweet!!! This has been one of the most powerful one I have ever heard!!! I’m downloading it all right now so that I can study it in English this whole week!!!!! Can’t wait. I don’t know if Dad told you but there was a super cool talk in the priesthood session about the priesthood and women which was really cool. If you can find the time you should really watch it!!

Not that much happened this week haha.

Love you all tons!!!!! Elder Parduhn

Hunter handing out paracord bracelets that Zack made before he left on his mission!!

Week 32 (March 31, 2014)

Family,

Another wonderful week!!  Yes we had a special zone conference with president Morales. So monday night we headed off at like 5:00 the funny part about our area is that we are so dang far away from everyone haha we had to leave monday night so that we could sleep at the zone leaders house so we could travel again in the morning to Palenque. So we left here at 5:00 and got to the zone leaders house in Tenosique at like 8:00. The ride was sooo cooolll!! we were driving at night and we passed by field full of lightning bugs!!!!! It was the cooolest thing ever!!!! You could see the whole field because of all the green light. So that was pretty fun! We finaly arrived at the zone leaders house. They live in a big city. They also live 4 in a house, so we continued the party. Actually one of my very good friends from the mission Elder Allenback lives there!!! If you remember the first few photos I send home in like september, where there were only 3 of us. That is him haha. We had a blast. The next day we woke up and headed for palenque. It was a bout 3 more hours away. It was a sweet trip though. We pretty much drove through the jungle haha All the mountains, it was so cool. Palenque Is a really cool town, i really want to serve there! So about the special conference. It was really just help on our teaching skill. We did an activity. We had to pull someone off the street and bring them into the chapel. then we had to teach them lesson 1 with alot of different resources, While president was filming us!!!! Ya it was nerve racking!! but our lesson turned out really good!!! We got this lady to commit to baptism haha. The best part is, is that she was taking notes our whole lesson. haha What a great new investigator haha. then after we all finished president plugged his camera into a projector so that all the other missionaries could pick us apart haha. That was his Idea. Good thing the projector didnt work that day haha. Then after we ate with president and traveled back to the zone leaders house to sleep. then we came back home the next day. That was pretty much my week. I havent been able to leave the house for a few days. Mom Dont Worry All Is Well. Just an ingrown toenail that got infected haha in both my feet haha. So the doctor gave me some medicine and told me that I cant leave the house and walk around all day. Now that the infection is gone, I think they are going to cut the nail off haha I have no Idea, the doctors appointment is tonight I will let ya know. So my week has been studying, card games, and jokes hahah. It has been a sweet week. Not much else has happed a pretty normal week. :)

Love you all soo much!! I hope you enjoy this letter it is a little longer haha.

Elder Parduhn

Here are a few people that he had to say good bye to from his first area that he had been serving there for 81/2 months::

This is in his new area!

Week 31 (March 24, 2014)

Sorry but a short one, we just got told that we need to travel to Palenque tonight.

My new área is so cool! It took me about 12 hours in a bus to get here. I moved from one side of the misión to the other. I also got moved from a small town to an even smaller town hahah. My companion is Elder Segura he is from Mexico City. We live here as 4 Elders. One of them is my friend from my last área haha. We are in a very very small branch here. Our prayer house is so cool though!

The best part is, is that we are the only área in the misión that gets to baptize in a river!!!!! I’m so pumped!. I’m still getting to know the people but there are alot of nice people here. It is funny because half of the people here are long distance family so we are tight with all of them. We are teaching quite a bit of people and are very close to getting a few baptism dates, we are just trying to solve a few doubts, I hope that things will change.

Sorry short one but it is time to leave. I love yall so much!!}

Elder P

(FIRST TRANSFER!!!!!3/17/14)

Week 30!!!                                      ****WOW**** 

Familia,

I’m writing a little earlier because the mission started something new, they didn’t call us last night about the transfers so I am waiting right now to get them! I’m glad everything is going so well at home. I totally forgot about St. Patricks Day haha they don’t celebrate that here. I feel so weird to here that my friends are getting married ugh. I feel like we are still to young! It feels weird.  I’m glad to hear that Kyle and Shelyce are getting ready for the Temple, I wish I was there to go through with them. haha you guys got hit in the car? That’s not cool. To be honest I didn’t see anything in the photo but I’ll just trust you haha ;). 

I had another great week. Normal. We had divisions this week so again I went to the other ward with Elder Angeles and Elder Grossman came here to work with my companion. We had a good day, we worked in an area called ''El Muelle'' It is a super small town but there are quite a few members there. We ended up having all of our appointments fail, so we contacted a few people then went to the house of some new converts who were moving a lot of dirt to raise the level of their yard or something like that, so we took off the ties and put on some big old boots and got to work. haha It was funny to see the people’s faces when they were walking by and saw the 2 Mormons with white shirts and boots throwing dirt around haha. It was good hard work, and really fun. At the end we just ended up talking for a bit. haha Other than that I have just been preparing to leave. So we were visiting all the families this week so that I could get their information and take photos with some of them. That was pretty much our week. It flew by! It is making me a little sad to leave but I am so excited!! 

I just got the transfers!!! I’m going to Candelaria. It is a city on the other side of the mission. I am going from 1 end to the other. haha It is really close to Palenque!! I will be close to the Ruins!!! I am so pumped!!

Got to pack Love ya’ll!!!

-Elder Parduhn

Week 29 (3/10/14)

Week 29

This is going to be another short letter because it was just another normal old week haha nothing new happened. First off THAT is so cool about the mission calls!!! If you can please get me the email address to Bri?  por favor. I am glad all is well back home. 

Like I said this week was normal. We lost some of our progressing investigators that were close to baptism so that makes me really sad. They have fallen off the charts, we don’t know what happened to them. We are going to try to find them again. I am getting really excited because the transfers are next week. I’m also getting a little sad, haha and one of the perks of being here so long is that all the members of our little ward are getting really sad too haha well its really kind of a sad thing. I hope that I get to have my first transfer! Yes we caught the iguanas at the church (4) I am still waiting for the photos so that I can show you. We did have one really cool thing happen this week. We had Steak! and we found BBQ sauce. YOU GUYS DONT EVEN KNOW HOW HAPPY THAT MADE ME haha. Ahh they were so good. Emmanuels Brother made them for us. Ivan. After we went to the bishopric meeting haha they invite us to everything. It was so dang spiritual I can’t even tell you! We finally talked about the things that were going wrong with our ward, and I hope that now everything will change for the better! My companion told me that I was like the new bishop because I put out a lot of suggestions haha (knowing me). We have the assignment this week to teach every family about the Restoration. We have found out that some of the members that have been members for a very long time don’t know the simple things about our church. So we are going to start teaching them. I am very excited to see what happens. 

 

Today we went to that resturant again! but this time with our district! It is so dang good! And it resembles the restraunts (can you tell me how to spell that I forgot) back home. It is so cool. 

Other than that, that was pretty much our week. I got a letter from Elder Peterson which was really cool! That made my day haha. 

I love you all so much! Can’t wait to talk to you again on Mother’s Day!!

-Elder Parduhn

This is a "turtlagator"  He says half Turtle half Alligator!!!! And why are we touching it Hunter???

"

Week 28 (3/3/14)

Familia,

First off FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS MAMA!!!!!!!! I wanted to shoot you a email on the day of your birthday but I couldn't. I hope it was WONDERFUL!!!! Time is flying! I feel like I am missing everything! No that was not Emmanuel, that was a member in our ward Ruben and his Sister Judith. The beach is soo cool! Ya I didnt buy a cowboy hat, its Rubens. Ya don't worry I am taking care of myself haha.

His Zone!

This week was so cool!!! First off we had a district class like always Tuesday morning it was good, but after was the really fun part! We spent a little time trying to catch some of the Iguanas that live at the church haha. In fact me and Elder Moran caught all 4! I wish I had my camera so I could show you but I didn't bring it. haha Those things are so funny they live in the drains that take away the rain water so we put some string with a little loop so that when they came out for sun we pulled the string and caught them. They are the same type as that photo I sent home but like 3 times bigger haha. They are so evil, one bit E. Morans shoe and left one of his toes bleeding haha they are so strong. After we went to teach.

Then we had to head to Coatza because we had a GENERAL AUTHORITY COME!!! Elder Valenzuela from the quorum of the 70! So that was cool! He actually spoke in the last general conference I think. First we went to Coatza the night before to sleep at the house of some Elders again so that we could arrive on time the next day. It was funny because there were about 14 Elders and I was the only Gringo haha, so none of them spoke English. Then the next morning we got up at around 5o clock so that we could get ready. It was cool! Most of the Meeting was just about how we need to improve, but he is soo cool that I didnt even care that he was mad with us. haha. No but it was a really cool meeting. We set goals as a mission, he really motivated us haha. We had that meeting in Minatitlan. About 10 Zones showed up so there were about 70 Elders and 20 Sisters. Recently our mission received a group of Sisters from the united states. To be honest it was really weird speaking english to them haha. I cant speak english good anymore it is kind of sad ahah. Then after we had to make the long trip back home. Then the next day we actually ended up having to go to coatza again haha so that my companion could take some photos for his visa. So with the traffic we ended up being there about the whole day. Then we came back and had a almost normal weekend haha. Saturday we went to teach the family of my first baptism when we showed up there was a man at there house that was selling ´´garafones de agua´´ It is a big jug of drinking water. Well he has had years and years of alcohol and drug abuse so he was a little weird haha. We was walking around like he was about to die saying that his heart was going to explode so we invited him in to eat while we talked with this Hermana, but he didnt want to eat, I really dont know what he wanted, none of us could understand what was going on haha. So we put him in his 3 Wheeled bicycle wheelbarrow thing, I dont know how to describe it, ask Pres. Peterson, he will know! and we took him to his house. We got the ´´what are the mormons doing with the crazy guy look!´´ from about everyone. So we took him to his house, he told us that he hadnt eaten or drank anything the whole week, and asked us to get him a beer. So kindly haha we told him that first off that was his problem, that he needs to stop drinking and start eating and drinking water haha. So we left him in the house of his daughter, ya and we left haha. OMG then the bishop took us out to eat because we didnt have anyone to eat with. I cant tell you how much I love having a rich doctor as our bishop!!! He took us to eat at this restaurant. My Word this place was cooler than most the restaurants back home!! Now the question? What do you eat at a super nice mexican restaurant? yes you are correct, SUPER delicious TACOS haha they were soo goood!!! The meat here in mexico is so much better that back home. Well not all of it but alot of it. I felt so high class!! Now for the best part!! This restaurant also had a little Zoo!!! How cool right! I will send you the photos next week. This week was soooo cool!

Your all in my prayers! Stay safe!
-Elder Parduhn