Week 102 - ¡Viva México!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Independence Day parade in Zaca

NO but really, happy Mexican Independence Day! Today we went to the parade in Zacatepec centro and it was cool. 

Zacatepec only has about 30,000 people in it, and I think there were maybe 8 or 9,000 people there at the parade. It wasn't anything special. Every school marches all their student body in front of the whole town. Here, there isn't marching band, but they have "a banda de guerra" which is snare drums, triples, sometimes a bass drum, and bugles. The cool thing is how they carry the flag around in every display. 

There is always a flag carrier and a full color guard(military terms, not marching band terms) People here are super patriotic, and it's really cool.

This week we found out we'd have to postpone Samantha's baptism for a week, but I should still go out with one more baptism my last Saturday in the field. We're pretty excited. 

We did trade-offs with the Elders we live with, and I got to go with Elder Castañeda, from Perú. It's not the first time I've been with a Peruvian in his training, but it will probably be the last. We had a good time and a pretty fun day. My companion and his got super sick, but didn't stop working. Those two are champs.

Familia Zàrate from Temixco

This Sunday, an older couple left for a mission in the Mexico City Temple, and their daughter came to say goodbye to them. Well, turns out their daughter is the bishop's wife from my first area, Temixco! It was super cool to see them agian, even though the bishop couldn't be there. That family helped us out a lot in getting a few baptisms there. Picture attached below.

This week I hit two years in the mission, and I figured that I wouldn't be taking very much home, including the shoes I've been using for the last two years, but I sure did take a few pictures to remember them. Those will also be included. We got donuts on thursday for when I hit two years, and they were super good!

This next week, Elder Valenzuela, the area president is coming to our mission. That means that in the transcourse of my mission, I will have recieved the visit from the entire area presidency of Mexico. That's three different General seventies! I'm glad that I get the opportunity to listen to Elder Valenzuela again, but this time understand him. (My first day in the MTC he gave a talk, but I didn't speak spanish...)

I'm doing fine, no need to send me countdowns of how much time I have left. I'm very aware. Elder Cruz and I are working pretty hard, and I know that there are plenty of people here that will get baptized very soon.

See y'all soon. 

~Elder Scott