Hey everyone! I hope you’re well! I also hope you’ve had a great week with all the festivities that come and will be coming during July. My last email was on the 4 of July, but I just want to say that we spent it well here in Oaxaca with making root beer floats and buying expensive pizza. It was a good day and I hope the firework shows were as spectacular as ever over there in the good old U S of A!
The Green Card Disaster This week I had to return to the immigration offices in Oaxaca City to renew my green card so that I can stay here for another year (haha). I was able to go with four other elders in my generation to the city (about a 6 hour trip) and we had a blast together. However, there was a bit of a problem we had. Early Wednesday morning we went to the immigration offices and waited about 2 hours for them to fill out our paperwork, then we went and picked up some paper and they told us to come back the NEXT DAY at 2:00. This was super bad because our buses back to our areas left at 2:30 on the SAME DAY. So the secretaries and assistants of the mission were kind of freaking out not only because of us, but also because of the other 4 missionaries that would have to come later in the week and maybe be held up even longer. We really had a problem on our hands and problems with green cards are no joke. In the end, the four of us there just would have to wait until the next day and go back to finish it up.
Splits in Monte Alban In the meantime, the assistants had us go on splits with a few of the elders in Oaxaca City. I got to go to this area called Cosijoeza (Coh-see-hoe-eh-suh) and work there with this missionary named Elder Flores from the Dominican Republic for the afternoon. We had a lot of fun together and really got a lot of work done too. It was also nice to have a day back in the city after over 7 months of not being there. The weather felt incredible that I wasn’t sweating to death from the humidity all day long. But the funny thing is that the area I worked in was in a zone called Monte Alban, which I was in during my entire time in the city. So it felt strange to almost be “home?” Haha it was just a little nostalgic I guess. That night we slept (again) at the mission offices and the next morning were able to successfully get our green cards renewed, along with the issue of the other missionaries being resolved as well. That afternoon we took the 6 hour bus ride back to the coast in Salina Cruz.
The Rest of the Week I really only was able to work in my area for 3 days and with one of them being Sunday it really only felt like 2. But boy did we work hard. There were many phone calls, many contacts, and a LOT of walking. But unfortunately some people who were progressing very rapidly have suddenly hit a brick wall and it feels like we are back to square one in the area. However, this one member was telling us stories of his mission during lunch one day and really got Elder Cauble and I pumped up and ready to take on the rest of this transfer optimistically. There is still work to be done in the Linda Vista Ward and we are not going to let it get away from us! The Lord is on our side and I want to testify that he is on yours as well.
Pictures! -Me on splits in Oaxaca City (with Elder Roddy from my generation) -A neat beetle we found
Take care everyone and have a great week! -Elder Ord
The Green Card Disaster This week I had to return to the immigration offices in Oaxaca City to renew my green card so that I can stay here for another year (haha). I was able to go with four other elders in my generation to the city (about a 6 hour trip) and we had a blast together. However, there was a bit of a problem we had. Early Wednesday morning we went to the immigration offices and waited about 2 hours for them to fill out our paperwork, then we went and picked up some paper and they told us to come back the NEXT DAY at 2:00. This was super bad because our buses back to our areas left at 2:30 on the SAME DAY. So the secretaries and assistants of the mission were kind of freaking out not only because of us, but also because of the other 4 missionaries that would have to come later in the week and maybe be held up even longer. We really had a problem on our hands and problems with green cards are no joke. In the end, the four of us there just would have to wait until the next day and go back to finish it up.
Splits in Monte Alban In the meantime, the assistants had us go on splits with a few of the elders in Oaxaca City. I got to go to this area called Cosijoeza (Coh-see-hoe-eh-suh) and work there with this missionary named Elder Flores from the Dominican Republic for the afternoon. We had a lot of fun together and really got a lot of work done too. It was also nice to have a day back in the city after over 7 months of not being there. The weather felt incredible that I wasn’t sweating to death from the humidity all day long. But the funny thing is that the area I worked in was in a zone called Monte Alban, which I was in during my entire time in the city. So it felt strange to almost be “home?” Haha it was just a little nostalgic I guess. That night we slept (again) at the mission offices and the next morning were able to successfully get our green cards renewed, along with the issue of the other missionaries being resolved as well. That afternoon we took the 6 hour bus ride back to the coast in Salina Cruz.
The Rest of the Week I really only was able to work in my area for 3 days and with one of them being Sunday it really only felt like 2. But boy did we work hard. There were many phone calls, many contacts, and a LOT of walking. But unfortunately some people who were progressing very rapidly have suddenly hit a brick wall and it feels like we are back to square one in the area. However, this one member was telling us stories of his mission during lunch one day and really got Elder Cauble and I pumped up and ready to take on the rest of this transfer optimistically. There is still work to be done in the Linda Vista Ward and we are not going to let it get away from us! The Lord is on our side and I want to testify that he is on yours as well.
Pictures! -Me on splits in Oaxaca City (with Elder Roddy from my generation) -A neat beetle we found
Take care everyone and have a great week! -Elder Ord