May 24th 2009

HEY EVERYONE! Hola!
So another week gone already! So first off I didn’t change areas and neither did my companion, which was really surprising to be honest because he has been in this area for a while. But I feel like he is going to change in a like 2 weeks to be honest. My Spanishl is coming along well. I’m rarely nervous now during lessons and such and I’m not afraid of questions anymore.... haha Because before it sucked when people asked me a question and I didn’t understand and just had to look at my companion to help. But things are getting better every day and I feel a little more comfortable. I still get frustrated a lot with myself because I want to be completely fluent. Which I guess it’s good because it helps me to always give all I can to learning the language better. Oh and there are a million slang words in Spanish, like seriously! WAY WAY more than in English. But I’m learning a lot of those too. So the worst part about the language thing right now is that I’m forgetting a lot of English. I know that sounds silly to say, but seriously. If I am trying to talk in pure English it’s really tough and I have to talk slower and I’m forgetting a lot of words. Like I know them in Spanish and not English... to be honest I hate it. It’s really frustrating when I can’t remember a word in English. It is my language! haha I guess languages are a “use it” or “lose it” kind of thing. Most days we don’t talk in English so I lose it. I can still write okay because I have never written too much in Spanish. But I always want to write in Spanish in my journal because we just spoke Spanish all day. Sorry to say so much about that, it’s just frustrating right now. But I guess it’s good because it means I’m learning Spanish. I just never thought I would really forget words in English. Because it’s just something that is so engrained in you, you know?
Oh so some people here use Gooses for guard animals! Crazy huh? Because they are mean and vicious and I guess guard your house. Every time we see it I always think it’s so weird so I thought I would mention it. They are really mean by the way; one chased me and bit me! haha But it’s better than dogs because they are slower, BUT faster than you think!
So these past 3 weeks have been really eye opening. I have learned a lot about life the past few weeks. I don’t remember if I mentioned this last week or not, but this week we had to deal with some problems even more. We just help a lot of people with family issues and life problems and alcohol. Alcohol is the worst! It literally kills families and we are helping a number of people with that right now. But it just kills me to see how sad and hurt their families are and we really have been working hard with their families. I think I just understood so much less when I first arrived so I was much more ignorant of the problems people would talk to us about. But it’s been a very hands on life-lesson learning kind of experience. Sorry I don’t have more time to tell more detailed stories about it but I guess it’s better to not tell the sad and bad stories that happen here. When we were helping someone dump alcohol down the drain and clean up and such my comp and I talked a little about alcohol and how bad it is. Because before he was a member he drank a lot and he just could not believe that he used to waste so much money on alcohol and he was just like "how could I ever have enjoyed that." I mention this because there is a lot of pressure to drink in high school and college and a lot of people get harassed for not drinking. So after this whole experience with dealing with the MANY problems that alcohol causes I remember something that president Gordon B Hinckley said about alcohol. I don’t remember the words exactly but he said, if we never drink for the first time, we will NEVER drink for the second time and we will NEVER become an alcoholic or an addict. I understand that there is a difference between drinking to get drunk and a glass of wine. But alcohol is HIGHLY addictive and harder to quit than smoking, at least in about 12 cases that we have been helping people with. It is just not worth the sacrifice to drink, it’s just not worth the money first of all and everything that comes with. People say they do it to have fun, but if you can’t even remember the night how can you tell me you had fun? Sorry, I guess I sound like an angry person today, I’m not. I just have developed a very strong opinion against alcohol over these past 3 months here. It is just pure foolish to get involved in it, just flat out foolish. The problems that come with it are just not worth it, and anyone who says it’s all in "good fun" is just ignorant. Also many people think, oh I’m going to go drink and it will affect nobody but me - wrong. It hurts SO many people around you and especially your family and your close friends. Okay ill stop my frustration with alcohol, I just don’t want anyone who reads my emails to get caught up in all of the MANY problems that come with alcohol.
I’m very grateful to be here and to be able to learn all I have been able to learn. I have learned countless life lessons that are really going to help me to be a better person after my mission. Obviously the whole gospel side of it, but also the life lesson’s and stuff about family and marriage and such too. I feel like I am going to be a MUCH better father because of all I have been able to learn so far, I still have 19 months to go!
I guess I just don’t want anyone to miss out on the amazing experience of a mission.
Oh and on Friday it rained SO SO hard! Like it was just dumping rain! And at first we were like ah! And hopped under a close roof because we were like 4 miles from the house and were in the street. But then I was like oh I’m a missionary! And we just kept on going and walking through the street. I loved it because everyone thought we were nuts but it was an easy opportunity to show our devotion to the work and how little everything else matters right now. We were soaked though, like I could have jumped in a pool and hoped out and it would not have been any different! It was fun though to just be trudging along the best we could in the rain.
Oh and I was like 30 feet away from a gun fight! Cool huh? Like I said I feel like I have been much more exposed to life these past few weeks. A police man died and so did a teenager and the cop was only 22 years old. It was really sad and kind of scary to be honest. I have never had people yell at me to "get down - get down" before. It was just like the movies. I was really sad though, and even sadder when they explained to me that they just clean up the bodies and that’s it. Nothing happens, no investigation no nada! I was really sad after they told me that. It was like 30 shots fired too, crazy! I live in Juarez!
Oh and people here drink cucumber flavored water... it’s really gross... haha But there are a lot of people here who really like it. Anyways, life is good and I love it here and love the people! I love that I get to be here and love more than anything that I get to serve for these two short years! I’m doing well and healthy! No worries! I love the work! Thank you for your support! I love you all so much and can’t wait to hear from you soon! Oh and PLEASE send pictures! They are the best! Please could someone in the Davidson family take pictures of the graduation party for Emily, Aubrey, and Katie and send them. Thanks! Congrats!!!
Love,
Elder Andrew Davidson