Hola!
Sorry for the late email this week, It's been a wild ride this week. I finished the MTC, and then packed my bags and flew to Mexico City on Tuesday! A quick hop from San Diego to the Phoenix International airport, and then another three and a half hours or so down to Mexico. I got to fill out all the customs forms, and try my best not to mess up and get kicked out of the country ;)
Once I landed, I made my way through customs and immigration, got a nice stamp in my passport, and then met up with a few of the other Elders from the MTC. We hung out together until we got picked up by our mission presidents. Before that, though, one of our teachers from the MTC came to the airport to meet us in person! Hermano Gallegos is such a funny guy, and so enthusiastic and excited for us to be in Mexico. It was awesome to be able to meet him after all this time seeing him on a computer screen in the MTC.
After that, my mission president showed up to take me and a few of the other new Elders to the mission offices. For my mission, the offices are actually right next to the temple! So I already got to see the temple. It's a lot bigger than I thought, and it's very pretty.
After that, we had a meeting with all of the other new Elders, and one new Hermana. The mission president talked to us about some of the mission specific rules, and then we got to talk for a while and get to know each other. According to them, we are basically the first group to come straight from the MTC to Mexico since the start of the pandemic. So that's pretty cool, to say the least.
After that, we got our assignments for what area we would be going to, and who our new companions would be, and then we hung out until our different rides got there. That was when we learned that we were woefully unprepared to navigate this country with our current level of language skills. Plus, no phones for us, so no way to communicate with the mission office when things go awry. And, well... they did.
Nothing too serious, but kind of a hassle for everyone involved: I got a ride to my assigned area along with another Elder, who was assigned to a different area. However, it wasn't really communicated to us very well which of us was supposed to get dropped off first. So yeah, I ended up in the wrong area for my first night on the mission. They dropped me off at the church building, and then I got a ride with a member to the Elder's apartment. Fortunately, it didn't really mess anything up. I just spent the night with the zone leaders in that area (Who have a parrot in their backyard) and then in the morning, packed back up and got a ride back to the church with all my stuff, and then got another ride to another church building, this time in my correct area, and *then* got another ride on a very sketchy minibus to the apartment where I would actually be staying. The assistants to the president kindly informed me that yes, this was in fact the sketchiest part of the mission, a mission, I might add, that has only allowed two Hermanas to serve anywhere except for the Visitors Center at the temple. So yep, that's why I was too busy to send an email. :P
Anyway. Other things that I have done. I get to use a bike to get around, which is really nice because Mexico City is very flat, so there aren't too many hills we have to climb to get places. My companion and I are getting along really well so far. We've had a great time trying to learn each other's languages. I also got to help teach three lessons already. Not bad for my first day, I think.
I think that's about all from me. Before I finish, I'd like to share something I read in my personal study. In 2 Nephi 11:2, Nephi talks about how his soul delights in reading the words of Isaiah. Since conference weekend is coming up quick, I would encourage you to watch as much as you can, and to find messages that your soul delights in.
¡Hasta luego!
- Elder Blankenbiller
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