Let's get down to business to defeat the huns

What up fam! (and friends)

First things first, gotta pedir perdon for not writing anything about Father's Day last week. So much craziness was happening in my life that I forgot you guys have lives too. I gotta give a shout out to my dad. Literally the greatest example in this world. NO man treats his wife the way my father treats my mom. I've never seen anyone serve more willingly in the Church, to his neighbors, or to his family. I literally have never met one person who doesn't like my pop. That's a tough thing to do in this world. I just want to say I love him and that I want to be just like him when I grow down (cause I'm taller than him hahah).

So this week we worked our butts off. We were all over the place teaching and contacting and trying to do as much good as possible. The area I'm in has only had 4 baptisms in the last 6 months. And I don't think it's for lack of work, but for some unknown reason. The only thing I know is that it's gonna change. Elder Hansen and I ain't never gonna quit. So along with being a great guy Hansen loves to sing and he has tons of Disney song lyrics printed out, so you already know we start our comp study with a hymn and also singing the classics from Mulan, Hercules, Goofy Movie, and Little Mermaid. We live beneath our dueña (landlord?) and behind somebody else and its very close quarters and they probably think we're insane but yeah we sing real loud to get pumped.

No baptisms this weekend but we're teaching some really solid people. We're teaching this young mother named Bertha who truly wants to change and be better. Shes all set to be baptized this weekend except for circumstances outside our control. I won't get into details but it is possible for her to be baptized this weekend if we get a miracle. PRAY FOR SOME MIRACLES! We found a lot of great people as well this week and got to give priesthood blessings to people who needed them. I feel the spirit very strongly when I get to give a blessing. Love that stuff! As for interesting things, it's rained almost every day this week and we've gotten real muddy and real wet. We had to sprint home one night in the rain and there were rivers of water up to our knees in the streets. It's crazy.They say it's pretty early for the rainy season. Hopefully I get to experience a hurricane. We got up at 5 this morning and ran halfway/took the bus halfway to the beach and watched the sun rise. I got sweet pics that you all can see in 18 months because I never have time to copy pictures onto here.. blahhh. Also the elections are coming up here and if I were a Mexican I would vote for Josefina just because she's a girl. I think Peña Nieto is gonna win though. I think the members like AMLO... hay que votar!

This week has been the fastest of my mission thus far and also one of the hardest. There came a point where I literally had to just stop, sit on the curb, and start praying.. And you know what, in that moment, comfort didn't come right away. I had to get up, dust off my butt, and keep knocking every door in sight and talking to every person. But later, comfort did come, the Lord did provide, and here I am another week longer trying to help everybody I can. My achilles heel in the mission has been patience. Everybody knows I'm not exactly a patient person, and that is something I want to change. I'm learning to turn negative experiences into learning experiences so that there never are negative experiences. It's a rough process and I couldn't really put it into words if I tried but I I truly feel like I'm taking steps forward. That's what's so beautiful about what Jesus Christ did for us. He saved us from ourselves, and we can CHANGE through his love. It comes step by step and piece by piece but if we seguir adelante we do see progress. Just gotta say, don't quit. Never Quit. Echele ganas. Being a life champ is more important than being a state champ (did I just say that??)

To answer a few questions that have been posed...

Yes a dog has bitten me already, but it tried to get my ankle and only got my shoe. I don't have rabies yet.

I can eat spicy food now no problem, today I ate a coconut with chile on it and it was delicious.

When little kids see me they point and laugh and old people look scared. I'm the Godzilla of Mexico. I try to smile a lot so they don't get too freaked out.

But yeah that's about it. Hope everybody's doing well and loving life. Mexico is real cool. Sale pues byeeee

Elder Jarman

Ladies, don't wait for me...

Miss me?

So yeah it's been two weeks but that's because of some craziness that's been going on. Where do I start... I´ll try to remember everything that's happened.

So in Cazones two weeks ago we had a sweet talent night and I did some nice line dancing and sang Jumper by Third Eye Blind while Hernandez played guitar. Then I did a rubik's cube and everyone was pretty amazed. I got sweet videos. you can all see them in 19 months when I get back. Speaking of, I finished 5 months today. Still not sure if it's going fast or slow but it's definitely going hahahah. Also in Cazones a week and a half ago we had some craziness. As you know Ezequiel and Guadalupe got baptized 4 weeks ago on a sunday so they needed to be confirmed the following Sunday. But then they couldn't come to church because she's pregnant again and was sick. So not yesterday but last Sunday they were gonna get confirmed. Guadalupe did get confirmed but Ezequiel couldn't because we went by on that Friday before and he was running around drunk out of his mind swing a machete at dogs and then he tried to choke Hernandez... I swear we taught him the word of wisdom.. But the next day we went by and everything was tranquilo and he is working with the branch president now to fix things so he can get be baptized and confirmed.

So then last week transfers came and I'm guessing due to all the drama from going to Veracruz and all that they decided to change things. I got transferred to Tuxpan, Barrio Tenechaco and Hernandex was supposed to go to Martinez de la Torre Tezuitlan. But then last Monday he got called to Veracruz. I went with the zone leaders (why I couldn't write last week) and Elder Hernandez got sent home. Apparently some things came out about what he and his old companion did. I don't know details, but all I know is that it was incredibly sad.. I've spent this whole week feeling like I failed him in some way.. I wish I could express the way I feel on the mission better in words.. But it's a trip.. that's all I can really say..

So now I'm in Tuxpan, Tenechaco with my new companion Elder Hansen. He's from Murray, Utah and he was in the MTC the same time as me. He's got one more transfer in the mission than me. Straight up I was surprised that they'd put two young gringo greenies like us together but the mission president and the Lord know something I don´t. My comp is a super good guy and we speak spanish about the same level. Speaking of, I feel really great about my spanish.. The only people who are hard to understand are the little toothless old ladies who tell us we don't know about La Virgen de Guadalupe because we´re gringos. So yeah we´re just a couple of white boys lost in the city and it's pretty cool. We have a really strong ward here though with some great great people.

We had a baptism this weekend as well for a girl named Gaby. She was super esogido (elect)..  her heart was so open and touched by the gospel. She was baptized only 2 weeks after meeting with the missionaries the first time. I got to teach her right on the tail end and then see her be baptized. Great experience. This area hasn't had much success. Just 4 converts in the last 6 months, but all that's about to change..

If I had to describe the way I've felt these last two weeks it would be a lot of ehhh and a little bit good. But that's okay! Who says life is easy? Who says a mission is easy? It's not. But the people who receive hope and light from the gospel sure do appreciate it. My goal is to just love the people more. Love them like Christ would. I go through mad mood swings on the mission. I feel like everybody at home thinks I´m just doing so well but straight up it's a struggle. But it will be a struggle that's worth it. That's the faith that I have.

Ladies, Don´t wait for me, I got my first Mexican haircut today and I sweat all day and I smell and I'm gettin real ugly. That's the price to pay to serve others though!!

Hasta la pasta

Elder Jarman

Wild Dogs and a Wild Week

Sup dudes!

So yeah I'm running low on time. I had so many emails to read. I swear the hour we get for emailing is the most stressful hour of my week. I'm gonna format this letter a little differenlty. Hope it doesn't disappoint.

Spiritual stuff this week:

Manuel, the last son in this family we've been baptizing, got baptized on Saturday. I baptized him. Gonna try to send some pics but probably won't have time. He gave up drinking and smoking and his 12 year old girlfriend (hes 14) to get baptized. Kids here are crazy. No offense to Mexico but the culture here is so sex and booze driven, waayyyy more than the United States. All those people who trip out in the states about violence and poverty and drugs need to see two drunk dudes swingin machetes at each other in the middle of the street.. Not that I saw anything like that this week.....

Also, Yadira and Guillermo should get married this Thursday and Yadira should get baptized on Saturday. Guillermo will follow suit after he sees the blessings she gets, I know it.

The coolest things about baptisms are people's faces afterward. They looks so happy and pure and every last one says they feel clean and that they have a fresh start. Now we just hope this little branch can help us keep them active.

The rest of this week's craziness:

So on Wednesday I was notififed that I had to go to Veracruz to do the final siging on my visa, so I went down there with Elder Johnson and the zone leaders. While were were there everything went normal until Elder Johnson told me a bucnh of stuff that my companion told him on an exchange. I won't say details but I was like dude you gotta tell Presdient.. So when we got back to Poza Rica he told Hernandez and they both called President and then Hernandez and I were told to pack our bags and come to Veracruz on Friday. Once again won't say details but my comp almost got sent home and I almost got sent somewhere else because of it. But my comp was given a second chance after his interview with President and we came back to Cazones just in time to have our baptism on Saturday. This week was freakin crazy.. I also lost my camera and so I bought a new one today.. Now I'm gonna carry it in a case on my belt instead of in my pocket so I wont lose this one. I already had my pics backed up on my USB though so its all good..

So yeah now I'm in charge of making sure my companion is 100% obedient and I've got to motivate him to work and all that. Should be real fun!

Other interesting stuff that happened this week:

A wild dog bit me but he only got my shoe.. no blood.

Fatty thunderstorm last night, thought a bomb went off in our house at 4 am..

Okay running out of time here.. Gotta shout out to my homies who went into the MTC and who are going in this week!! Kill it boys!

Shout out to Grandma Eileen, Grandpa Chuck, and Uncle Blake for the birthdays this week. Promise you're not old!!

Alrighty so this week we're gonna be working super hard and we're gonna see some miracles! Love you guys!

Elder Jarman