Heyyyy what up ya´ll. So not gonna lie, writing this email makes me super excited because in a matter of a few days we will actually be talking to each other!! It´s super weird that I'm already at my first call home to you guys and crazy that the first 6 months since the dropoff in Reno have come and gone. I could go on and on about it, but in few words I can´t wait to see your guys faces and your voices. So busy week huh? I loved the pics you guys sent me of the house all decorated, and I am very thankful for the 70 degree weather I'm enjoying now as I see the frost on the ground haha. But I'm glad to hear you guys are making all the usual preparations for Christmas and I am sure it will be a blast.
Okay Mom, I have to start out by saying that we went to the stake center in Los Mochis where there was a broadcast of the dedication. But during the week, it was night time and we were contacting people on the street, and a lady came up and asked us what time church starts at, and told us she was visiting from Tijuana, and that she helped with the dedication. She cooked the food for Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks, and showed us a ton of videos and photos of all of them. It was super great. This was a really good week for us. We are teaching this 19 year old kid named Luis and he is super nice, really good guy. He told us that a couple years ago he decided that he wanted to change his life, and we told him that we think we have the solution for him. There's also this kid named Osiris who is getting baptized on Saturday and we have been teaching him. His grandma and mom are members, but the men in his family aren't so there's been some conflict with that, but he said he wants to get baptized so this week we have to finish teaching him the lessons so he can move forward with it. Those are the people who we're working most closely with right now, but there's also a lot of inactive members who were baptized wayyyy long ago and some of them weren't ever confirmed and so it's like starting from ground zero. It's been good though, and a few of them came to church for the first time in forever so they're learning nicely!
The preparation and things leading up to Christmas here is pretty minimal for us, as far as hanging decorations and stuff goes, but Mom I will have you know that we put the stockings that you sent us up in the house. Well, we draped them across some chairs in the house, but they are visible. And the other night we were visiting a member who lives right next door to us and she mentioned that she felt sick and that she needed something warm to drink, so we used some of the hot chocolate you sent me, and she helped us prepare it, so it was put to good use. It is nice to walk down the street and still see Christmas lights and decorations, although it is super different because I feel like it should be snowing and frigid cold, but it's like 70 degrees and completely mild weather. But hey, you won't hear any complaints from me. We are really hitting it hard with the Christmas initiative and trying to capitalize on the last few days before Christmas. The church really does a nice job with all their videos, and everything they put out and everyone who watches the video comments on how nice it is.
So there was a little problem with one of the bills that arrived at the house, and with all the Elders moving around there was a payment on the electricity missed and so they cut our electricity unexpectedly, and we had to pay the missed payment (All of which the church helps with) and sort everything out and it was kinda a stressful day but one of the Senior Elders from California had to help us through the process, and so he spoke to me in English about the whole thing over the phone for part of the day. It all turned out fine and everything, but I was really grateful for him and that he took time to help us. I'm sure that was about the last thing someone wants to do, but he dropped everything and walked us through what we had to do to get it all sorted out. It makes me appreciate the service that Grandma and Grandpa are doing in Ukraine. I received a pic from them and they look so great.
I'm blessed to have grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles that aré such great examples to me and great sources of support. I'm blessed by each and every one of you, and although it's weird being away from all the Christmas fun with yall, I'm truly blessed to be here as a missionary serving the Lord in Sinaloa. I love you all and can't wait to see and talk on Christmas
Elder Stockard
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