November 29th

Okay, it is so great to hear that San Antonio was a blast for you guys, but it is even better to hear that we are going to go as a whole family in 5 years! I love the idea and we better do it or I will... well, as a missionary, I´ve lost the ability to think of ridiculous threats anymore. But I´ll do something really mean and outrageous. Also, thanks a ton for the pictures. It is great to see that you are all happy and healthy and crazy enough to still take pictures with Santa. One question, How did the food possibly get better?!?! 

 

To explain my week. I helped a missionary write a series of western novels that he plans on writing in detail after the mission while I learned out to make these cookie things called alfojores which are really tasty and I will have to make them the next time we are all together as a family. I also found a way to find gringo food in San Clemente all year round. There is a family here who´s daughter married a member who actually was a missionary who passed through San Clemente on his mission. They are constantly getting packages of Gringo food and we just happened to pass by at the perfect moment to fill our pockets like greedy little school boys. It was awesome. I got an IQ test from a member of our Branch who is a doctor. He is awesome but everytime he enters a room, he starts diagnosing everyone in the room with diseases. He really likes me and finds me very intelligent and interesting. He really wants me to become a doctor, which I found funny. Also, I got a little thanksgiving lunch with very untraditional turkey and mashed potatoes (the turkey was actually a turkey leg that was sliced into rounds that looked a little bit like filet mengion and the mashed potatoes had chili paste mixed in). It was a good lunch and afterwards I taught the family how to make those little handprint turkeys that little kids always make in school in the states. Also we had a surprise baptism. I say surprise baptism because we never actually thought that we would baptism this woman. She is named Adelaida, she is 71 years old, has 13 kids, more than 70 grandkids, and some other rediculous number of great-grand kids. She is the mom of Margarita, a recent convert, and the first time we passed by was as a favor for Margarita but three weeks later we had her in the baptismal font. It caught everyone by surprise but it was an incredible experience working with her.

 

So tomorrow, we have transfers and my companion is leaving to go even further north. I dont actually remember the name of who will be my new companion but President Humphrey sent me an email letting me know that he is really excited about our new companionship. I am really excited too, but I feel like I am under a lot of pressure to show to the branch here in San Clemente that they can trust me and that I am more than just another gringo who was trained here in but that I really am a hardworking missionary. 

 

Y´all are incredible and hope everything is going well. 

Con mucho amor ,

Elder McNeil