Jacob the Mexico Missionary: Dia de los Muertos

Things are going pretty great down here Mexico. It has been a pretty slow week with investigators because everybody has been celebrating Dia de los Muertos. It has been cool to see all the traditions that they do during this weekend. Friday almost everybody made bright orange trails of flowers going to their front door. We also visited a member and got to see a table dedicated to their grandparents. It had flowers, candles, and pictures all around it. On Saturday and Sunday it has been a massive party in our pueblo. Lots of cars are parked on the streets from visiting members and dance music lasts late into the night. There have been a few artists who have painted murals as well for Dia de los Muertos. I did not have the opportunity to take pictures of them today; so I will send them next week.

A regular day for Elder Clawson and I starts at 6:30. We say our companion prayer and personal prayers right when we wake up. Then we start heating our water for showers in a bucket with resistance cords (it takes about 30 to 45 min) Then we do our daily exercise and cook breakfast (cereal or pan from a panderia). Then we bucket shower and get ready for the day. At the beginning of each of our studies we start with a prayer. We do Personal Study for an hour, Companion Study for 2 hours (usually one for regular missionaries but I am still in training), and one hour of Language Study. After studies we leave the house at 12 and hopefully go and give a lesson with an invistigator.We have lunch with members around 2:30 to 3:30 and eat great food (I left my list of the names of food at home). Then we travel around to other pueblos using convies and buses teaching, contacting and contacting until we return home at 9. Then we plan who we are visiting or teaching the next day for 30 min. Then we usually cook pasta and go to sleep at 10:30.

We have had a few opportunities to serve this week. We got to cut down 8ft tall malierbas with a machete at 7 am. After we met an investigator named Elizabeth who was very kind and gave us atole (super good hot chocolate/oatmeal/cinamon drink thing) and tomale sandwiches. We also helped a member who owns a ribbon making factory. He had 100s of foot long cardboard cilanders that we had to throw away. After, we got to eat Milanesa for lunch with him (super good chicken burger thing). After a hard day we also got some pity burritos from a local restaurant. They were super good.