Another Hola from Monterrey!

 Howdy howdy everyone!

Well it was really fantastic to talk to ya´ll (except Masey) yesterday! I feel like even though we talked mostly about food the whole point of calling home is to be able to hear your family´s voices and let them hear yours. It gave me an extra boost of energy (something which I´m lacking right now) and also confused me with all the English. Learning Spanish has really given me an appreciation of the English language, weird as it is.

So I´ve discovered something weird while of been out here in Mexico: Mexicans are universally tone-deaf. I don´t know if it´s part of the curse of the Lamanites or something, but these people can´t really sing. They sing loudly and passionately, just not... on key. I haven´t had the opportunity to play the piano yet here for a congregation or anything, but whenever I´m at the chapel I try and play the piano while I´m waiting. I´ve already lost some of my pizazz which kinda worries me. Hopefully one of these areas doesn´t have a piano player so I can contribute somewhat. But I am conducting the congregation of missionaries this Wednesday when the jefe of the Carribbean Area Elder Anderson comes to speak to us. Very exciting.

So we had a funny little run-in with Elder´s from another zone that borders our area. We were visiting a less active in our ward that we were asking to come to a teaching appointment when suddenly Elder Stark and Elder Hood (from my district at the MTC) walk up to the open door. Turns out that we were in their area and they were a bit angry. We´ve had some issues with members from their ward boundaries going to our ward since our Chapel is closer to their homes so we had to go to the Stake President to fix it up. And we lost a progressing investigator to the other missionaries :( But the work's the same wherever and with whomever it is done.

So we have eight baptismal dates right now and we´re pretty sure about... Juan Carlos, Gimena, Fatima, and sorta with Celia. The problem with the last is that she´s moving at the end of the month and we can´t find her! It´s kind of an issue. Juan Carlos is the wife of a less active and is progressing more than all of the rest, Gimena is the sister of members and is really excited to be baptized, and Fatima is the daughter of a less active family from Veracruz that we stumbled upon while looking for a reference. They´re not in the ward directory so it was a bit of a surprise.

 We´ve also been chewed out for not having enough street contacts. Elder Diaz and I don´t particularly like doing them since the contacts either end with ´´No, I´m a Catholic¨ or ¨No, you guys aren´t Christians¨ or, my favorite, false addresses. But we´ve been commanded by the Lideres de la Zona, so we will go and do.

 So the weather here is a bit whacky. It´s been either unbearably hot; rainy, hot, and humid; or rainy, cold, and humid. It´s messing with my brain a bit.

 Thanks for the prayers and well wishes! Tell the kiddos to write me or give me their email addresses so I can write them. I have a lot of time in this here cyber cafe. I´m praying for you guys every night and can´t wait to come home from a successful mission.

 Love you all!

-Brayden (Elder Decker)