Photos of Tijuana

Below are some pictures that Coby took of Tijuana.

The picture after Tijuana view is a picture of a restaurant that has a completely photoshopped picture of Jackie Chan holding some of the food of the restaurant and giving it a thumbs up. It's so funny to me like, Oh yeah, I'm sure Jackie Chan has sponsored that food. It's GOTTA be good if Jackie Chan likes it. I dunno, I just found it hilarious.

Q and A

Do you cook your own dinner?

Yes. We can't eat dinner until after our planning session at 9:00, so really, we just eat whatever we want after. Usually I just eat cereal because it's fast, simple, really filling, and takes a little while to eat. I don't really want to make a 5 course meal with sides or whatever.

Do you ever play soccer in the streets with the kids?

No. We can't do that because we need to be SUPER careful around kids. "Due to increasing legal complexities surrounding children, be extremely careful around them." It's basically just something we shouldn't do.

What kind of service projects do you do for people?

We actually don't do much service, because most people don't want you to do it for them if they can do it. Spanish people are naturally very very kind people, and they really don't want you doing work when it's their job. The first service project we WERE going to do cancelled because he didn't get the truck in with the furniture (we were going to help him move some furniture into his house).

Does your mission president speak English?

Very little.

When are the next transfers and do you think you or your comp will be transferred?

Transfers are every 6 weeks. This is week 5 since I arrived, but we won't actually transfer until after this NEXT 6 weeks. Training is a full 12 weeks total with your trainer, so I won't actually be transferred until 7 weeks from now.

Do you ever go on splits with other Elders?

No. I can't. We aren't allowed to go on splits unless it's authorized by the Zone Leaders or higher. Not only that, but the nearest Elders are around 5 miles away, so a change would cost a few pesos to make.

Is there a McDonalds in your area?  Costco?  Target?

McDonalds is about 3 miles away, Carl's Jr. is about 1 mile away. No Costo, no Target. Mostly there are these stores called "OXXO" which are so popular you can stand at one, look down the street, and see like 3 more about 3 blocks down. It's nuts how popular they are here. They're like gas stations, but with no bathrooms and a little more in terms of food and stuff. You know the Snowville gas station? It's about as big as that.

What do you do if you have extra money on your debit card at the end of a month?

I don't ever have extra money. I withdraw the 800 pesos immediately and use it as cash, because it's much safer that way, and much easier to keep track of.

Does the camera you have take video?

Yes, it does. I'm trying to make videos, but the problem is I can only upload files that are 25 MB or lower, and I don't know if the videos are bigger than that. Also, I can only take 10 minutes of video at a time, so that kinda puts a damper on things as well.

1 Month!

I've officially been IN the Mexico Tijuana mission for 1 month! I've already learned so much it's ridiculous.

This week we've had a lot of ups. More investigators found, people came to church, and LOTS of lessons! Good things happened this week, but it was pretty average.

Like, not so say that any week is super amazing or better than the other, but really, I just felt like I was doing an average job. I felt like I was just going through the motions.

I don't know what it was, but I just kinda felt sub-par. It was kinda depressing.

We found this North American named Keith, and when I heard that he spoke English, and that he was a VERY inactive member (he came to church) I nearly died from joy! I can finally teach the gospel in English! I'll be able to express myself much better now!

Not so. Keith is actually VERY hard to teach because we DON'T TEACH. He seriously talks and talks and talks about the most random stuff I've ever heard. He talked to us for about 20 minutes about a story in jail when he and his cellmate watched two guys get in a fight, and his cellmate "married" them or something. Literally, impossible to teach this guy. His wife isn't a member, and she only speaks Spanish. He doesn't understand a word of what she says, and I have no idea how in the world they communicate. It's just the weirdest thing. We're trying to teach her with the second counsellor, Hermano Quintano. It's so hard. Elder Ponce and I do not like going over there. I don't know what it is, but something just doesn't feel right when we are in their house. I actually feel like the Spirit leaves when we enter there. I don't know what we're going to do, because it's just so hard to teach without the Spirit, and I know we don't have it with us.

This week I also figured out how to beat homesickness a bit. We were talking with an investigator, and in the background of the house, I heard Toy Story 3 playing in the background. I immediately thought back to watching it in the Drive Thru, and watching all the other moves there. I thought about the memories I've made in Twin Falls, and started getting really homesick.

That's when I took a step back.

What in the world are you doing? I thought. Thinking about home does nothing for you right now. You really think that if you remember the stuff from home you're going to feel better? If you want to get rid of these feelings, grow up. Focus on what's happening now. It's great that you made those memories, and it's awesome that you have them for the rest of your life, but right now, you don't need them. Just stop thinking about what you did and think about what you're doing.

I've had very little, if not any, homesickness since then. I dunno. Something just clicked and I got over it. Thanks for your prayers, family. It's because of you.

I'm gonna try and get pictures and hopefully videos sent here, so I'm gonna end this here.

Did you find a reference? Did you find someone to refer? If not, why? What was your drawback? What could you do to try and improve? Do you have faith that the Lord is preparing people right now to receive the gospel?

Good luck in everything guys! I love all of you more than Savanna and Katie love kittens, puppies, and stuffed animals.

Be safe.

Elder Carter

OI

This week has just been utterly exhausting. I've been finding myself going home and just DYING. Ugh.

So, you know how I said that I felt I understood Spanish better? I really do, but I don't understand it still.  There are times where they talk about something, and I'm just completely lost. I'm sitting there trying to comprehend what they're saying as they wave their hands around to indicate where a road is, but the only word I pick out is "calle." Spanish is really annoying sometimes.
Also this week, we had our Zone Conference! That was great. I got to see Elder Warth! He looks like he's just had a blast here! He is fluent in Spanish, and it was so weird to hear him speak it. I was used to his English, but Spanish was just totally new. He and I talked a little bit, and it was great to catch up.

I got my package! All green! Wonderful stuff, but I can't wear bracelets! I'm sad, but I'll keep 'em anyway.

This Sunday we had the entire Stake Presidency AND a Seventy show up. The Seventy was from Mexico City, and he spoke about needing to be truly converted. He said a few things that really hit me:  "We can't just stand up here and say 'I know this church is true'. We need to stand up and MEAN that." He then talked about what it meant to be converted, and then had US stand up.
"These two jovens (don't really know how that translates to English) are the greatest blessing in this ward. It is an HONOR to have them in your home, and you should do everything you can to help them. The more that you help them, the more they help you, and when you all work together, you will receive all the blessings you never thought you would have."
It was really powerful.

All in all, a decent week, but very exhausting. We had a lot to do, and very little time to do it in.

Finally, I want to tell you all right now this:

GET REFERENCES TO THE MISSIONARIES.

Do it. Not even joking. You have no clue how much references do for missionaries.

When a missionary gets a reference, that's automatically 1 new investigator (basically). That's also a lesson with a member friend, AND to top it off, that's a whole new person to ask for references! That's a whole family!

Lets look at it like this:
Mom, you refer one of your friends to the missionaries. You go with them and she accepts and is baptized. Because of that, her husband will probably be curious as to what's going on. He accepts and is baptized. The kids are all baptized because they want to follow their parents, who want to give their children this gospel. That's 6 people baptized already.
The husband has a brother who is really spiritual and lives in the area. The missionaries teach him, he and his whole family accept, and they are baptized.

In around a month, because you referred ONE person, 12 were baptized.
Do you see how crazy that is? Referrals are the best thing a missionary can have.
So, I have a committment for you. I'll leave it just like I do in Tijuana. (Spanish AND English)

Orara para encontrar alguien que puede beneficiarse de nuestro mensaje?

Will you pray to find someone that can benefit from our message?

Family, I'm holding you to this. FIND SOMEONE. FIND A REFERENCE.

I will check back in a week, just like I do with the members here, and I expect SOMEONE in the family to have given a reference to the missionaries.

I'm not joking here. You'd better do it. Pray as a family, tonight, during Family Home Evening. Dad, teach everyone how they can share the gospel, and do a roleplay. Do whatever you can to find references. President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "Many people view missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this work knows there is a better way. That way is through the members of the Church. Whenever there is a member who introduces an investigator, there is an immediate support system. The member bears testimony of the truth of the work. He is anxious for the happiness of his investigator friend. He becomes excited as that friend makes progress in learning the gospel."

"The process of bringing new people into the Church is not the responsibility alone of the missionaries. They succeed best when members become the source from which new investigators are found."

Do not view missionary work as tracting. It's not tracting here. We can't do it. We literally only go from member referralls, and already, I have 4 people baptized, and a 5th on the way!

REFER SOMEONE! Don't be afraid of losing the friend because you're sharing the gospel! Most people respect beliefs, and won't leave you because you're Mormon. If they do, they just aren't worth your time.

The more you share the gospel, the easier it is to share it again, and again.

Don't worry about what to say or whatever, D&C states: "It shall be given you in the very hour what ye shall say."

So, that's my schpeil for this week.

Love you guys. Everyone. Whoever read this, I love you. I don't care if you're some dude in Europe who accidentally searched for "Elder Carter" for no reason, I love you. You're important. God loves you more than you can possibly imagine.

Do not forget who you are. Like Mufasa said, "Remember who you are. You are my son." You are a literal son or daughter of God. You cannot make him not love you.

Be good, be safe, and remember that this is true.

Elder Carter

Answered Questions

Did you have a Zone Conference this week?  Zone Conference was awesome. Met lots of new Elders and finally spoke English without restraint. It was cool.

Did you get to see Tyson?  Yes! I saw Tyson! He's almost 21! It's crazy! The first thing he asked me was: "Why are you so tall? What happened?"

Does it rain a lot in Tijuana?  It doesn't really rain here. When it DOES rain, it's a quick burst, and then it's done. However, after rain it gets HOT. Like, 90 degrees hot.

How much money gets put on your Debit Card each month?  We get 800 pesos every 15 days on our debit card.

Can you drink the water?  They actually gave me a water bottle with a filter that lasts a year, and a replacement for it at the MTC! So I'm able to drink whatever water I want. I don't drink it straight from the tap though. It's really dangerous because the people here just filter out the bad stuff, and not the bacteria/germs or whatever.

Have you been drinking Manzana Lift?  Not really. I can't really drink it a lot because most people just have water. Manzana Lift is kinda pricy here, but I've drank it before! It was great. I also ate Mamuts! Great memories there.

Did you get our "Greeny" package?  Got the package! But I only receive packages at Zone Conferences. Our next one is in like, October around 15th, I think, but I don't know. So if you want to send a package, send it around then if it has perishables.

Have you been receiving printed copies of Dear Elder Letter in the mail?  I haven't been getting any Dear Elders. I don't think I can get them.

Hopefully that's all! Love you

Elder Carter

Mission Letter

Okay, so a lot has happened this week, so I'll try to sum it up the best that I can.

1: I have been EXTREMELY homesick as of late, because I keep thinking about random memories from home. I really can't describe how much I miss my days in High School or whatever. I've been struggling super hard with it. At one point, I even thought: "You know, if I wanted to, I could go get some money with my credit card, get on a Taxi, drive to the border, go to San Diego, get in another taxi, go to the airport, pay for a ticket, and fly back home."

I was so depressed for about a day or two because man! I really missed home! But then I read a scripture in Alma Chapter 29 Verse 6: "Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?" and also Verse 9: "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

After reading that, I realized that I need to not worry about not having stuff. I should just be happy that I'm serving a mission! I should just be happy that the Lord has chosen me to represent him!

2: The water in Tijuana was turned off on Tuesday. Literally all of the city had no water. It was just turned off to conserve or something. We woke up in the morning and had nothing to shower with but water in 6 gallon milk jugs. So, Elder Ponce and I each took 3 and dumped them on us to shower. It was quite the experience.

3: I'm starting to understand a little more Spanish than before. I can pretty much communicate to anyone, I just have to ask them to talk a little slower or simpler. It's taking time, but I'm learning fast.

4: Elder Ponce and I finally had investigators progress! We have 2 investigators that cannot be baptized because they are married, and they need divorces, but they aren't getting them. Finally, these last few days, they got them through! We should be having them baptized in about a month! I'm so stoked!

Missionary work is hard. It's just hard. Not hard in the sense that you're working your body to exhaustion (although that's kinda what you do) but hard in the sense that doing it is just tough. It's a really tough thing to keep hopes up that your next investigator will keep commitments. It's tough to keep talking. It's tough to speak a language that I've never tried to speak before.

This is a small email, because I have a lot of people who are emailing me, and I tried answering them all.

I love everyone. Miss you guys so much, and I'll work hard. I promise.

Elder Carter

Coby's Apartment in Tijuana

Coby's Apartment in Tijuana

Coby's Apartment in Tijuana

Coby's MTC companion Elder Hilton

The dog that we see every day named "Chowbo".

The money that we use.

Q&A

We are really anxious and excited to hear about the following things:

Q: How is your house?

A: My house is small, but it's enough. I wouldn't have it any other way. The less there is, the better. I want to focus on missionary work, not on whether or not my picture frames are sitting in the right place to increase the amount of fung shuei.

Q: Have you personally baptized anyone yet?

A: I personally baptized Jesyca and Emmanuel Merino Patino.

Q: Have you had to give a blessing in Spanish?

A: I haven't had to give a blessing, but I don't think we're allowed to. I'm not sure. I'll have to talk to Elder Ponce about it.

Q: Have you had to Confirm anyone yet?

Q: Have you had to speak in church yet?

A: Haven't had to speak in church, or confirm.

Q: How is your bed?

A: Bed is normal. Mattress, top bunk. Pretty normal.

Q: What do you eat?

A: I eat all kinds of stuff. In the morning though, I eat cereal, eggs, and sausage. I really like the cereal here because it's slightly behind American cereal. The cereal brand "Trix" is still in the shape of fruit here! It's so cool!

Q: Do you eat with members very often?

A: We eat with members every day at 2:00 for lunch. I've eaten Chicken, stir fry, Mole, and all sorts of stuff. But it's all SO good.

Q: Do you have a maid?  Do you wash your own clothes?

A: No maid. Washing clothes as I type in a laundromat.

Q: What strange or interesting things have you seen or done?

A: Strange or interesting? 1st: There are buses that drive around in routes, but they behave like taxis. You can be just walking along, and then if you wave one down, it stops and gets you. It stops for about 2 seconds though, and as soon as you get on, he hits the gas hard. It's pretty nuts. Mexicans are so good at driving, but crazy. 2nd: Dogs and Cats (of course) 3rd: Tijuana is a really dirty city. There's trash everywhere, but it's because there really isn't any public trash bins. People just steal them for some reason. So gum is just all over the sidewalks, and theres cups and straws and wrappers and whatever else you can think of lining the streets. But it's my home. :D

Q: Where do you go to church?  Is it a Ward or a Branch?

Q: What is Church Building like?

A: Church is at a chapel that's about a half a mile from our house. It's one floor, and it's built with the chapel on one end, and all the offices and classrooms on another, with a small hallway in between to connect them. It's pretty cool. Also, there are no pews. Just a bunch of chairs. Also a ward.

Q: When will the Tijuana Temple be built?  Do they have a date set yet for the Dedication?

A: The Temple is a very interesting topic to discuss.  About a week before I came here, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy visited Tijuana. He took a look around at the people and talked a little and surveyed the temple and stuff like that. Just generally to take a look at the situation.  The people here don't act like they want a Temple. Very little of them pay Tithing, go to church, or even read the scriptures at home. They are really just super lazy about church stuff. The Seventy said they may stop construction on the temple until the people in Tijuana show they really do want a temple here. I don't know if exactly there's a date or anything like that.

Q: Do you ride buses, ride bikes, walk, taxis?  How do you get around?

A: Walk and buses. That's about it. Walk and buses.

Q: How close are you to the boarder?

A: I'm actually about 2 miles from the border. I can see it from where we usually visit people.