E-mail #29:Im happy! Just a good attitude and everything can change!

Whats up Mama

Another week in Paradise! Haha! I used to be freaken fat! Everbody says Im looking good! Haha!

Im gonna need new clothes in a few months! There getting ugly. I guess there is a JC Penny´s in a mall that is kinda far. I dont know. Im gonna talk to some people and find out if I can buy it here. That would be way easier. But Idk because here in Mexico there isnt clothes for big people! Jaja! Ill find out tho! :)

Of course the fathers day gifts were my idea! I made the paper and bought the chocolate. (Which chocolate here is freaken expenive) Haha and yea I just put Elder Castañeda because were one. Haha The people liked it but fathers day here is like...ehhh not really important! Okay Haha I realy missed Dad. I would have liked to talk to him! :(

I WANT A LETTER FROM PREZ JIMMY! ¡POR FAVOR! JAJA!

So Idk, we were always good. I always loved both of you guys. I respected both of you and you guys respected me. Well...and I was always afraid Dad would kick my butt! Haha and I liked having money. So, I worked and knew how too suck up to you guys :)

The problem with my investigators is...they werent firm with there kid when he was young. They have a 6 year old too. Im gonna tell them they need to be careful and stick to there guns with him. Theres not much we can do anymore with them. Jorge is going to be batized on Friday. Im so excited! This is going to be my best one yet! I truly love this family! :)

As far as the mission goes. I dont care! I learned alot yesterday about this! Im here for ME and also the lord! The other freaken robots here in my mission can take a hike! As long as I work! Im happy! President Salinas.. I respect him as my president and truly love him because he is like my Dad for the next 14 months! I accept it.

Elder Castañeda has a friend that is serving in Chile. They went to school together. That kids Dad is here in Merida for a baseball tournment. So he came to church with us and he took us out to dinner last night. We went to a buffet! It was sooooo good! It was like I was in the States again! Really expenive but he is from Mexico city so he has lots of money!!! He brought lots of pics of his son in chile! His mission is soooo different! They can go to the beach to take pics, they dont have to wear church clothes on PDay! Way more relaxed and FUN! Castañeda and I were so pissed! But by the end of the night we learned that we are here! For 2 years with this president and in THIS mission! Mission Mexico Merdia! It could be wayyyyy worse....Utah! Haha But I learned alot. I dont have to be a robot. I just need to be me! Its hard especially in spanish but idk we realized we need to enjoy the mission. Not only work work work for the numbers.

This week was good! Im happy! Just a good attitude and everything can change! Tranfers are in 2 weeks! Elder Castañeda is going to a new area in 2 weeks. Prez told him. He is super excited to leave becasue he has been here for 7 months! Haha! Well see what happens!

Thank you mama for your letter! I really enjoyed it! :) I love ya so much! Miss ya tons :) Tell dad I said thank you for my letter. I didnt cry this time Haha!

FREAK! Haji rolled his car! He is okay! I got a letter from him finally! Way scary but its all good! I miss him :(

Well gotta go!

Love, MO

Ancient pyramid

KFC -- yum !!

E-mail #28:Im in a tough mood right now!

Hey Mama!

So first, I cant hug girls. Its a sin in the mission! Haha! and two, I dont know your twins name. Haha!

Yes! Cant wait for my package! :))) I dont love to read but its nice in my hammack at night. Haha!

I dont know what your little electronic device thing you have is??? Haha I havent seen anything like this in 8 months! I hear that the new ipod has a camera! What!? Sweet! 15 more months!!! :))) Haha Theres a CARS 2!? 15 months! Here I come! Haha!

So my week was very interesting! and crappy! So tuesday we had the babtismal interview for Yury. Everything went perfect but the she said "I think I was babtized when I was a little girl in Centro in the big church" What!? You got to be freaken kidding me! So the secretary called church headquarters and they found her records. Yury has been a member for over 30 years! So...nope no babtizm. :((( But que bueno that we re activated a member :) and were going to babtize her husband on July 1 and hopefully her son to. (The kid in the gang) However we have a babtizim on Wednesday for Sonia. Well okay so her story is... She had a husband but he died 10 years ago. So she gets money from the state every month. But she has a "Husband". He has his house and she has hers. The only bad part is well about once a month well ya hmmmm. LOL! So she doesnt want to marry him cause she wants her money from the state! So I dont think we will babtize her this week. :((( We have a investigator that works all week! We can never find him. But we taught him once and he has a date to be batized on 28 of June :) We were sure that he wouldnt come to church but Sunday morning...there he was! This guy is awesome! His name is Miguel! I love em! The kid in the gang! UGH!! His best friend is Mormon and HE is in the gang too! AND...There is 3 other guys in our ward that are in the other gang! So my investigator doesnt want to go to church because of gang rivalry!!! You got to me kiddin! This is seriously really hard!

So I have a question for you and Dad. Why was our relationship so good? There are kids in the ward that treat there parents like crap and the parents arent strong enough to stand up for themselves and set rules and keep them! I dont get it -why was our relationship so good? I mean granted I wasnt home alot and yea we had our moments but nothing huge! I really need your help with this one!

This week we had a zone conferance! It was good! I learned so much about Faith and prayer. I need to pray better. Castañeda and I need to have more faith when we knock on doors and with our investigators :) But my week was alright. Im in a tough mood right now! Here in the mission if your not a robot nerd missionary who follows every rule with exactness. Your a bad missionary and wont progress. I hate the politics here in the mission. I hate that its always do this and that and if I want advice or someone to talk to...there answer is "Well elder you need to be more obiedent and diligent and have more love for the people" Its like crap coming out of their mouths. Bla Bla Bla! I want someone to talk to ME Elder CHAD Mayberry. Its hard. I need your help mom. Cause I love ya! I would really like a letter from President Jimmy too. Could you please call him and maybe he can email me a letter. I need someone who is spirtual but talks to ME. But its the mission. Gotta be happy :)

I took out some money today 25 bucks. I bought a memory stick for pics and stuff. Its like my comp for the mission :)

I love ya lots mom! Have fun at camp :) Tell Dad I love him when you get home. And I missed him lots yesterday :( Tell Binny I love her and Im jealous she gets to go to Cars 2

Love, MO

Oh Man !!!

So Skinny !

Brian (Hermano Mar's Son)

We're gettings lots of rain.


No - I'm not driving
Just pretending in Hmo Mar's truck

This is so crazy !!
Gift we made for our favorite Father's in church
(Looks just like all the things Mom makes that I make fun of her for.)

E-mail #27: The mission is a roller coaster. Up and down.

We usually use the ATMs at the gas station. Ill make sure to use the banks.

Girls camp should be fun. There is a sister in our ward who is just like you! She looks alot like you and her house is alot like ours! Haha she is the Stake Young Womens Prez! She is super nice!

Wow! Its already that time for Mike and Dan! Wow! I hope they do good! They will be in the MTC together! Que Padre! I miss my friends in the MTC!

So this week we found an old investigator. She is going to be babtized on wednesday :) Hopefully I get to because its been since December for me :/ Im super excited. Her son is the leader of a gang here in Merida. Its called "BOF" Brothers of Family. So very interesting. If he wants to be babtized he has to leave the gang but if he wants to leave the gang he has to get beat up by 5 guys for 5 mins. Its tough but I hope he chooses the right decision. This week was crappy other than that. We didnt set any dates to be babtized or found anyone new :( Were gonna work hard this week though!

Today is 8 MONTHS! Wow this time around it doesnt seem fast! Haha The mission is a roller coaster. Up and down. Down and Up. Good and bad days! But im here lovin it! My spanish is eh... Im at a point where I can get by. But I dont just want to get by. I want to speak it good. Its my goal this week to study hard!!!!

I dont know if this sunday is fathers day but im gonna write dad a letter.

I love ya lots mom! I miss ya so much! Sorry I only have 1 pic. This week we will take more. Love ya!!!

Love, Mo

An old Mayan home

E-mail #26: Wow! I think I actually have a testimony about fasting now.

Hey Mom!

We get the Liahona which is the Ensign but for spanish and for all the greengos it comes in english. :) Its free every month :D I really love getting it. Its like my NFL or my TV. How depressing is my life???? Haha

HA! Naptime? Mom -Im a missionary. NO! Haha but ya people here eat at like 1 or 2 and then sleep for a little bit. But no. We eat at 2 and at 3 were back to work. The most miserable part of the day!

So this week started super good! We found a new family of 4. Found another 2 new people. All of them had dates to be baptised for the 22 of June. It was sweet! We worked with Elder Irene on Tuesday. He is my Zone Leader. He is from Wyoming. He only has like 2 months left. He is great! I learned alot from him! We visited with Sandro (Rich Boy). we explained about fasting and how he should fast this Sunday to see if he really needs to be baptized. Then he would get a answer. So we were SUPER excited. Also the Familia Para Esparza. (The Dad is police) The whole family would be able to go to church.

So Saturday after lunch we started our fast. Well you know me -- I HATE FASTING! Especially here because its so hardcore! 24 freaken hours! So we said a prayer to start-- for our investigators and us :) Saturday night Yudy Para Esparza came to a baptism that some other missionaries were having. She got to see how it is and felt the spirt! Sweet!

So Sunday morning we got up a little early to make sure we could be able to pick up all 7 people. First we went to Sonia. This whole week we couldn't teach her cause she wasnt home! :( So she wasnt home :( So Sonia...no! Then to the new family...Family Peraza. NOPE They went to there pueblo where there family lives and didnt come home. Fam Peraza...no! Then to Gustovo the new guy...nope! Then to enrique..nope! UGH! I was so pissed! Our last hope was sandro and Fam Para. So were waiting and waitng at the church. Sandro came :) But he always comes. he is what we call a "Dry member" So only sandro. I was so pissed! I was like forget this fasting crap. I want some water. But I knew that I was fasting for them. I knew I had to stay strong. So later after sacrement I called fam Para. There car broke down but they said they would come to the other ward at 11! Sweet! Then during priesthood some random guy came into the church. He said he had a dream. He saw Jesus and told him to go to THE church and be babtized. He didnt know why or what church. But he got up and came! It was so strange but so different! So we actaully ended up with 5 people in the church!

Wow! I think I actually have a testimony about fasting now. I also finished my book "Our search for happiness" By Elder Ballard (Yea I read a book! Ugh my life as a missionary! Im a nerd!)

"The Lord does bless his missionaries just as surely as they bless the lives of those they teach and baptize. Difficult languages are learned with astonishing speed and skill. Finacially strapped familes back home find unforseen means to support their missionaries. WEAKNESS BECOME STRENGTHS,CHALLENGES BECOME OPPORTUNITIES, TRIALS BECOME TRIUMPHS, AND ADVERSITY BECOMES AN ADVENTURE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD"

Wow! I read this Sunday night. When I was thinking about all my blessings. Earlier in the week I was thinking about crappy stuff. Like wow Im so tired of doing this EVERYDAY! Talking about Jesus, shaving, wearing a tie, being with some nerd 24/7. But then I read this and it boosted me up :)

So this week was hard! But worth it! I have my bad days and my good days! I love the mission and I accept the bad and especially the good ones :) I love ya so much Mama! I miss ya tons! Hope your having fun with doing nothing! Haha! :) Enjoy this time because school will be here sooner than we think :) Tell Aleena thank you for her card Tell her I LOVE HER :) and to be HAPPY!

Tell Dad I love him and want a card! :)

O I got a card from Grandma Hammond. She gave me 10 bucks! :) IN AMERICAN money $$$$SWEET! Call her and tell her thanks and I will write her next week. I also got one from Tyler and Grandma Virginia.

LOVE YA!
Love, MO

Really cool mural

Making tortillas ....