Hey everyone

So things are going well. Conference was cool and it was a really nice break from the normal routine. I really liked the talk President Uchtdorf gave about enjoying the ride and listening to a song to enjoy it not to hear the end. It made me think of my mission and how I should try to enjoy every second of it and not just think about the future. Elder Bednar and Holland's talks were good too. They were very similar to the two recent MTC devotionals they gave.

Oh yeah, Pasto just got Mountain Dew for the first time. There are posters of it everywhere. It's hilarious. So of course, I've already drank like four in the past three days. That and Oreos are the only things I recognize that you can basically buy anywhere.

A kid in the ward just left for Spain on his mission and is in the Bogotá MTC. We met some of his friends at his family night farewell and now four of them want to be baptized and have set baptismal dates. We had a pretty good week two weeks ago. As of now, we have 13 baptisms scheduled for the 27th. That would be huge if it actually happens, but most likely at least half won't make it. And also, our area is being cut down in the following weeks so some of the baptisms won’t technically count as ours (but I will still count them... hah!)

Oh yeah, and when you guys do send packages, music is appreciated... like the soundtracks or whatever really.

To answer some of the questions Elder I. is from Huancayo, Peru. His parents and family converted when he was six. He is the youngest and has like five sisters and a brother or something like that. He is the first to serve outside of Peru. He is really good with computers and is really chill. I'm really lucky to have him as a companion. The other new gringo in my group, who was in my district in Bogotá, is having problems with his comp, so I'm pretty lucky.

As far as the mission affecting me, I think it's helping put things in perspective a bit and has helped me see the big picture more. I guess before I just didn't understand how real everything is with the gospel and stuff.

I don't think I've been here long enough to really see any huge changes in people's lives yet, but it is cool to see people accept the things you teach and frustrating when people flake out on stuff (which happens 90 percent of the time). We're still teaching the family Villacortez. One of the girls hugged me and didn't know about the rules (physical contact with the opposite sex). It was awkward...hah! Also, fun fact: apparently it's normal for women to nurse their kids in public and in front of people. It's always interesting to see the reactions when people open the door and they are doing that... haha!.

Entonces todo esta bien aquí, sin embargo todavía no entiendo la gente. Si yo hubiera estudiaso más en escuela, tal vez entendería mejor. Pero no estoy preocupado sé que estas cosas vienen con tiempo. Sé que este es el unico lugar en el mundo donde debo estar. Que estén bien. 

Chao