Email cuarenta y seis: City of Blues

June 26, 2017 

Hey y'all!
First off: I LOVE MEMPHIS! In one week I have fallen in love with this place. I don't have as much time to email today because we went mini golfing today, but I will do my best. Missionary work here
in Memphis is super fun. There is always something to because there are so many Hispanics. Elder Merrill and I are some of the only white people in our whole area! There are a ton of black people here, and the rest are Hispanic. I've gotten used to being a minority haha.

 There are lots of Hispanic stores, so we have gone finding in lots of stores, and for the most part it's been really good. It definitely takes a lot of courage walking up to someone in a grocery store and talking about the Gospel. Hispanics are very polite and will listen to you even if you can tell they are not interested.

 Elder Merrill is awesome! I love this kid! He is from Logan Utah and loves Utah State. We have a very similar sense of humor that has definitely made for some good laughs. Because of that this week has been one the best on the mission. We were talking the other night and decided if we had known each other outside the mission we would be really good friends.

 The first counselor and former Branch mission leader here is Hermano Benitez. He is from Honduras, and he is hilarious. We went over to their house Saturday night to eat with the English Elders. They made delicious tacos. I ate so many.

We don't have a pull-up bar here in our apartment, so I feel like I am getting super skinny again, so that kinda stinks. On the plus side we do have a couple weights, so I need to start working out again. On Sunday I got to see Elder Anaya and Elder Sotomarino. It was so sweet. We are all best buddies again, this is literally my dream District. Elder Sotomarino speaks really good English now, because he has served in only English areas since he left me.

Spanish has been a bit of a struggle. Because we taught mostly English speakers, and the Hispanics that we did teach weren't from Mexico, I have forgotten how to understand Mexican Spanish. We had a couple lessons where I was totally lost. Hopefully  I'll get that gift of tongues back haha.

 This week I received some pretty awesome revelation. The mission is not about baptizing, or teaching lessons, or talking to people. It is completely and entirely about loving and serving Jesus Christ. Our love for Christ is everything. If we truly love Christ, we will see others for who they truly are: precious souls that Christ died to save. We will have a desire to love and serve them because we love and serve Christ. Gotta go love y'all!