Hey everyone! What is up? How are you all doing? I’d love to hear from you guys, so feel free to write! But anyways, I do hope you guys are all doing well and live is treating you alright. For me, this week here on Oaxaca was one full of both confusion and excitement as transfers have now officially happened and I’m finally in my area.
*The Transfer Travel Disaster* So this week was absolutely crazy, I don’t even know where to start. Early Tuesday morning, we had transfers. I saw that I was getting transferred to the coast, to an area that is a 13 hour bus ride away from Oaxaca City. Honestly, I was pretty excited for it. So we get to the bus and are out of there by 9:00am.
We get about 4 hours into the trip when the Asistents tell us that there is a huge blockade (rember that a blockade is basically a road blockage caused by the people of Oaxaca because they are upset at the government. They block the road with busses, cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and don’t move until the government does what they want or sends the police in to handle the situation) the freeway and that we won’t be able to get through. So we are told by the Asistents to get off in Salina Cruz there we will be staying the night. Another 2 more hours and we arrive in Salina Cruz and I want to go visit so we head out for a bit to see all the members and later in the night get tacos for dinner (6 hours of traveling).
Well, we sleep the night but in the morning the blockade is still there, so we are told to stay and work the day in Salina Cruz. I get sent to my old area in Linda Vista and help the new elders (Elders Ayala and Forester) to get to know the area and teach a bit. We then sleep over that night.
The next morning, the blockade is still there, so the Asistents make the decision to bring us back to Oaxaca City and stay the night so that the next day we can take an alternate route using these big sprinter vans instead of the tour busses. So by noon we see back on the tourbus heading to Oaxaca City once again. When we get there, we go out to visit and knock doors for a bit, get dinner at McDonald’s, then go sleep in the mission offices. (12 hours of traveling).
The morning after that, we go to the docking station for the sprinter vans and Elder Monesterio and I get on, but the sister missionaries who were going to travel with us didn’t arrive on time and we had to leave them to take the next van leaving an hour later. We then take the 8-hour, though the mountain ranges, long and windy trip to this super nice tourist city on the coast called Huatulco. We finally arrive, and after another 4 hours of waiting and traveling in another bus, we arrive in my area in Zicatela (24 hours of traveling).
*The Area* After all that, I finally got to meet my companion and my new area. My companion is Elder Crandall! He us from Lindon, Utah and has 6 months out here in the mission. He seems like a pretty great guy, so I’m excited to work with him this transfer. This is is first area, so he already has over 4 months here and knows the area pretty well.
The area I’m in is called Zicatela, which is the the outskirts of this tourist beach town called Puerto Escondido. The area is honestly pretty nice, we have a branch that is seems pretty active. I am way out here on the coast so it is incredible hot and humid, but also very green and beautiful with the ocean literally 5 minutes from us. Because the area us on the outskirts of the main city, we pretty much just always travel down the coastline and get to see the beach and ocean every day. It honestly is a huge blessing and I am so excited to be here. I don’t know if this is where I’ll finish my mission at, but it would be an honor to finish my time for the Lord in such a beautiful place as this.
*Pictures!* -Photos in Salina Cruz -Photos with Bishop Martinez in Salinas -Another shout out to Elder Cushing! (with whom we stayed the first night in Salina Cruz) -My new companion Elder Crandall -The crazy 24 hour trip we made -The view in Zicatela
Have a great week everyone! Take care! -Elder Ord
*The Transfer Travel Disaster* So this week was absolutely crazy, I don’t even know where to start. Early Tuesday morning, we had transfers. I saw that I was getting transferred to the coast, to an area that is a 13 hour bus ride away from Oaxaca City. Honestly, I was pretty excited for it. So we get to the bus and are out of there by 9:00am.
We get about 4 hours into the trip when the Asistents tell us that there is a huge blockade (rember that a blockade is basically a road blockage caused by the people of Oaxaca because they are upset at the government. They block the road with busses, cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and don’t move until the government does what they want or sends the police in to handle the situation) the freeway and that we won’t be able to get through. So we are told by the Asistents to get off in Salina Cruz there we will be staying the night. Another 2 more hours and we arrive in Salina Cruz and I want to go visit so we head out for a bit to see all the members and later in the night get tacos for dinner (6 hours of traveling).
Well, we sleep the night but in the morning the blockade is still there, so we are told to stay and work the day in Salina Cruz. I get sent to my old area in Linda Vista and help the new elders (Elders Ayala and Forester) to get to know the area and teach a bit. We then sleep over that night.
The next morning, the blockade is still there, so the Asistents make the decision to bring us back to Oaxaca City and stay the night so that the next day we can take an alternate route using these big sprinter vans instead of the tour busses. So by noon we see back on the tourbus heading to Oaxaca City once again. When we get there, we go out to visit and knock doors for a bit, get dinner at McDonald’s, then go sleep in the mission offices. (12 hours of traveling).
The morning after that, we go to the docking station for the sprinter vans and Elder Monesterio and I get on, but the sister missionaries who were going to travel with us didn’t arrive on time and we had to leave them to take the next van leaving an hour later. We then take the 8-hour, though the mountain ranges, long and windy trip to this super nice tourist city on the coast called Huatulco. We finally arrive, and after another 4 hours of waiting and traveling in another bus, we arrive in my area in Zicatela (24 hours of traveling).
*The Area* After all that, I finally got to meet my companion and my new area. My companion is Elder Crandall! He us from Lindon, Utah and has 6 months out here in the mission. He seems like a pretty great guy, so I’m excited to work with him this transfer. This is is first area, so he already has over 4 months here and knows the area pretty well.
The area I’m in is called Zicatela, which is the the outskirts of this tourist beach town called Puerto Escondido. The area is honestly pretty nice, we have a branch that is seems pretty active. I am way out here on the coast so it is incredible hot and humid, but also very green and beautiful with the ocean literally 5 minutes from us. Because the area us on the outskirts of the main city, we pretty much just always travel down the coastline and get to see the beach and ocean every day. It honestly is a huge blessing and I am so excited to be here. I don’t know if this is where I’ll finish my mission at, but it would be an honor to finish my time for the Lord in such a beautiful place as this.
*Pictures!* -Photos in Salina Cruz -Photos with Bishop Martinez in Salinas -Another shout out to Elder Cushing! (with whom we stayed the first night in Salina Cruz) -My new companion Elder Crandall -The crazy 24 hour trip we made -The view in Zicatela
Have a great week everyone! Take care! -Elder Ord