Week 10 - Brownsville, TX

So, this has been a pretty crazy week. I dont know exactly where to start. Well, last Monday we played soccer at the conch. Its like a mini soccer field with walls around it and you can play off the walls and stuff. It is super super fun. It was also really hot. I am pretty sure that this last week was mostly in the 100's every day.

On Tuesday thru Thursday Elder Torres would go to McAllen in the morning and come home in the afternoon because of three-day leadership training. For all of the DL's [District Leaders], ZL's [Zone Leaders], and trainers. So Elder Guillette and I were riding bikes that entire time. We rode so much! Every day in the first 10 minutes of riding our backs would be soaked and then once we would stop our entire bodies would be dripping. Super hot and crazy. It was a lot of fun though. I enjoyed it. It makes me feel for the Elders who are assigned to bikes. They have to do it every day.

Thursday after biking for three days.

So for those three days nothing special happened. I sat awkwardly next to the oldest lady I have ever seen in my life. She had no teeth and was just like licking and smacking her lips the entire time. We also talked to a conspiracist guy. It was pretty funny about how he said that he hates the Catholic Church because they turn guys into homosexuals and he hates really feminist women. It was crazy.

On Friday we had dinner with a LA [less active] family. Elder Torres was with the other Elders in our apartment doing baptismal interviews for a family that was getting baptized Sunday. So it was just me and Elder Guillette. We pretty much left when they got done with the interviews and picked us up.

On Saturday I had to ride bikes more because Elder [Torres] was still going to do more interviews with the other Elders. That night we had a wedding planned with the other Elders at 8. It didnt get started until like 8:45 though. It was the family that Elder Torres interviewed, and they were getting married. It was a fun short ceremony. We had some cake and cookies. Then we booked it back to the apartment for the night.

Sunday we went to Spanish church and after had the 4 baptisms of the family. It ended at like 2. English church started at 1 so we didnt go to that church. We just went back to the apartment grabbed a sandwich to eat then went to the YSA [Young Single Adult] ward. We got there in time for the priestood class. Then at 4:30 after church ended the other Elders baptized their 19 yr old investigator Austin. So there were 5 baptisms yesterday for Elder Jones and Bawden. Jones is as old as me in the mission.

So this next Sunday I am going to have my first two baptisms. I am so excited. They are Santiago and Ashley, 14 and 9 yrs old. Super smart kids. They are the grandkids of a member. She set us up with them.

Thats mainly all that has happened this week. It was fun and hard but I am looking forward for this week too.

So anyway, I have to run. That letter might be done next week. I am trying to finish. But I hope that everything is going great. I hope that you will have a great week. See you next time! I love you!

-Elder Dawson

Hermana Izzaguire
[She feeds Alec each week. He will explain more in another letter].

Super cool flower I just took a picture of

Pouring rain we had yesterday, Sunday.

A member named Ivan drew this. He is a super great drawer.
He has won a national drawing competition and has a picture of his
hanging up in Washington D.C. somewhere. But he just drew this one.
 It is super cool. Its his biggest drawing of 5 ft tall.