FAMILIA!!!!!!!!! QUE ONDA?!?!?!?!?!

Alright I realized last week that I had one other adventure I forgot to share with you all!!! I have officially eaten my first Mexican "delicacy" food.... Menudo!!!!! Guess what menudo translates to??? I'm gonna wait just a little bit, let the suspense build.............................................................................................................................................. Alright that probably actually didn't do anything but I felt cool. Anyways, menudo is cow stomach!!!!!!!!!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually it wasn't that bad... It was cut up and put into some pesole (mexican soup) so it was pretty easy to handle. It was a brownish-grey color... and kinda looked like a sponge I guess. The best part??? I could get a chunk on my spoon, and wiggle it like jello!!!! And it wiggled WAY more than jello!!!

It didn't really have a flavor... alright I'll be honest I didn't really savor and sample it like I would have some barbeque or Sushi... I just chewed it enough so I could swallow it and pushed on!!! It was pretty slimy too... like bacon fat... but worse!!! And the best part is is that I've heard sometimes they will just take big chunks of it and serve it to you on a tortilla... MMMMM!!!!! Do you want to know some other delicacies I have heard that get served here are??? There is cow intestine, the muscles of a cow's face, cow brain, AND the descending colon of a chicken put into soup!!! Want not waste not!!!! Alright I gotta quit talkin about all this good, delicious food that awaits my future because I'm starting to feel kinda queasy...:D

Alright what else happened this week... BOOM this guy showed up!!! That was a welcome surprise!!! Tuesday night we had just gotten home and it had been a pretty hard day, all of our appointments had fallen through, and I was pretty discouraged. All of the sudden there is a knock on the door, Elder Cooper opens, and this white guy starts speaking Spanish to him. I freaking ran out and gave him a hug and he talked with us for a good 20 minutes. That's probably one of my favorite mission moments so far... I have missed the good people of Kuna and seeing Bishop Dunn again made me super grateful for all he did to help get me out here on the Mish...

Elder Jorgensen and Bishop Dunn

Elder Jorgensen and Elder Dunn before they were elders

I love that family!!!

Oh I finally got to teach the second lesson!! Remember XXX, the bible basher?? Well he had us back over again because he liked the Spirit we brought with us, and we attempted to teach him a second lesson. It went pretty similarly to the first, except this time when we read from the BOM sometimes we could tell he was really feeling the Spirit... he would just sit back and close his eyes and listen. So we are going to keep working on him and see what we can get to happen. That was also a really difficult lesson for me because from start to finish we were there for over 2 hours and paisa spanish is still kicking my butt... So it was very humbling to be able to return to the apartment and pray for more humility.

I got you guys' package!!! You are angels and I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I freaking love the Book of Mormon!!! Love it!!! I was reading in Alma 17:2-3 when Alma and the Sons of Mosiah reunite after having been preaching amongst the Lamanites and unbelievers for 14 years!!! I really liked it because it talks about the kinds of people they were before, and then an Angel came and rocked their world, so they changed their ways. It made me think of me, Jonah, Dillon, Cody and the age change.

Elders Jorgensen, Dunn and Owens when they were 17

We didn't see an angel, but in a lot of ways the age change had the same affect on us, at one point or another it all made us focus on where we were, ask where we wanted to be, and change our ways. And I know that it was like that for a lot of people. The change in the mission age for a lot of young men takes the question "If/am I going to serve a mission?'' and makes it more concrete, turning it to "WHEN am I going to serve a mission," thus eliminating a lot of doubt. But I sent an email to Dillon and Jonah and am going to write Cody a letter because I am excited for the day when we reunite as men of God...

Oh dad to answer your question about how the language is coming... it is coming slowly. The combination of going to Mexico and the classes I took before I came out are helping me out, I came out with a lot more knowledge than most do, but I have kinda been at a wall for awhile now in getting better at it. Don't get me wrong, I can say what I need to say most of the time, and usually people can understand me, but there is gringo spanish and native spanish, and I am trying to cross the bridge. What I need to start doing is paying a lot better attention to how the natives speak, because that is who I want to sound like so that is what I need to do!!

One last thing... do you guys remember Elder L. Tom Perry's talk in priesthood session about studying the Articles of Faith?? I didn't really take it that seriously when I heard it, but then yesterday in our Church's library I saw a book called The Articles of Faith, by my boy James E. Talmage, the same guy who wrote Jesus the Christ, and I have started reading it, and it's good stuff!!!!!

Alright well I think that is all for now mi familia. If I think of more, I shall send it later!!

I love you all!!!

Elder Jorgensen!!

And later, he sent this...

Alright so about XXXX... the one who wants to be baptized in a river. Last Tuesday Elder Cooper and I legitimately spent FOUR HOURS trying to find a suitable/easily accessible river to dunk her in. I'm talking we went all out!1 We talked to Police officers to make sure it was legal, we talked with Parks Rec officers to make sure it wasn't against the rules...

and THEN we checked out like 5 different sites to see if any of them would work!!! and we finally found one, easily accessible, fairly clean water, all the right qualities, AND it was like 2 blocks away from her house!!! So we took a picture and then went to show her and ask if it would be ok, and she freaking said she already has a river picked out, in XXXX, AN HOUR AND A HALF AWAY!!! And she wants to push back the date!!! If she waits much longer, she is going to freeze in the river!!!!!!!!!!!! Patience, I know...:) I am working on it!

So anywho today was basically one of the most epic P-Days of all time! This was the last one we are going to have together before transfers... ENTONCES, we freaking ate lunch as the 3 companionships over our ward (the other Elders who are usually in the pics I send) and the apartment we ate in had a fireplace, so we made a fire and cooked s'mores and sausages!!!!

And then we played some more Bball, which I still suck at, but it was fun!!! The problem with starting the fire was that we needed wood... that was Elder Cooper's and my job... Guess where we went? The dumpster of a Big Lots!!! It was pretty funny to watch Elder Cooper waltz around in his suit looking for some garbage! And then we finally found a wood pallet, and by some miracle got it to fit in our car!!! That bungee cord we have been using to keep it shut actually proved to be useful for once in my life...

Alright re-reading over this my meager descriptions of what happened it really doesn't sound that cool... BBBBUUUUUUUUTTTT it really was fun. I got a funny video of what the apartment getting smoked out because the chute wasn't open and it was just a relaxing p-day; it feels good to be a missionary!

Alright except for the pictures I think that's all!!! I love you guys!!!

So, until next week... thanks for keeping up with Elder Jorgensen.