Author: Eddie

2 Month Mark

Life is getting easier and easier every week. I feel like I can understand more and more Spanish too. Not to mention every preparation day our house gets exponentially cleaner (thanks to the neat freak mentality i got from Mom) but I am so grateful for that. Our house was a disaster before I showed up…

General conference was awesome. I got to hear all of Saturday and the first half of Sunday in english. It was crazy, every question/concern I had about the mission was answered in the talks. Okay crazy story, the reason I wasn’t able to watch the last session in English was because the computer I was using in the church got stolen. While we were all out of the building someone broke in through the roof and stole the computer.

Weird note about the food here. We have Chinese, burgers, and pizza here. All are terrible… the pizza doesn’t have sauce, the burgers are some other kind of meat, and the Chinese food is just really bad Chinese food. Oh but I did find a jewel of food. There is a panini place from across the street that I wanted to try for a while. When we walk in it is just like a little cafe in California. Super hipster. Turns out a french guy runs the place and makes paninis, crepes, and smoothies. This place is heaven. My plan is to eat there every week because it so healthy and sooo awesome.

Last Day group pic in the Mexico MTC!
Last Day group pic in the Mexico MTC!
Our apartment in Issymym
Walkway coming out of our apartment - hydrating!
Walkway coming out of our apartment – hydrating!
With my trainer Elder Ortiz from Colombia
With my trainer Elder Ortiz from Colombia
by Eddie Tags: 1 Comment

Jilotepec – Braden’s First Area

Hello Everyone!  This past week I completed my time at the MTC and have now arrived in the mission field.

My area is called Jilotepec, which is about 60 minutes North of Mexico City, by bus (click here for a map link).  Jilotepec is the Aztech word for “hill of corncobs” so you can guess what type of crop is grown here.  My companion is from Colombia – Elder Ortiz who is a recent convert to the Church of about 3 years and only has 3 months in the mission. Our branch is super-tiny like forty or fifty members and most are inactive so there is a ton of work to be done. Our area is huge so we walk like a billion miles everyday so that is fun… NOT. The food here is a lot spicier than I was expecting. Today I bought 8 apples, 3 bananas, and 12 giant carrots as well as 30 eggs to eat for breakfast for the next week.

As for our house, today we had some major cleaning to do because it was nasty. I swept and mopped the whole floor, cleaned the pantry, washed the fridge, washed all my clothes by hand and then cleaned all the dishes. So as of now the house is a lot cleaner than before but still is pretty yucky.

Okay real quick awesome experience, my second day in the field I had to give a priesthood blessing in SPANSH. I had no idea what to say but I know that the spirit guided me!

Okay gotta run.

Much love

Elder Drake

He’ll be there for the next 6-12 weeks.  Below is a picture of the main avenue just North of his apartment.  

jilotepec1

by Eddie Tags:

In the Mission field – Area 1

He’s officially arrived in the mission field after 6 weeks in the Mission Training Center.  The pic below includes the other new arrivals and his Mission President.

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area1-3
Direccion para cartas y pacquetes:  (Mexico City North Mission Mailing Address)
Elder Braden Drake
Apdo. #98
Cuautitlan Izcalli
Estado de Mexico
54740 Mexico
by Eddie Tags:

MTC update

Hola everybody!
I am alive and well three weeks into my MTC training and all I am finally getting used to it! Thanks to the help of a mere 8 hours of language training everyday, the language is coming along nicely. We have also been teaching people IN SPANISH since the second day I got here so I am getting pretty comfortable teaching and speaking to others. The food here is sub par to be put nicely. Some days the food will be great but then others it just seems like they are just putting left overs from the past week into a blender and serving it to us on a plate. Besides the food, the MTC in Mexico is pretty awesome! I have a great view of the whole city from where we are and you can hear parties and fireworks going on all day everyday! My district is super awesome and we all play basketball so that is like our number one way to pass the time.
My companion totally sleep talks and sleep walks like every night! Last week I heard him get out of bed at like 2 AM and start walking out the door. I asked him where he was going but he just kind of mumbled a response! I yelled at him, now understanding he was asleep, to come back into our room. He mumbled some more then started doing circles in the middle of our room. He then proceeded to go to the bathroom and wash his hands (all while still asleep). When he came out he slammed the door shut, opened it again, then slammed it shut. He then walked over to our table and knocked off all our stuff and went to bed.
Not really much else to report! I know the Church is true and my testimony is growing everyday!
Much Love
Elder Drake!
by Eddie Tags: