E-mail 5-25-09

Hey Family,
So this week has been amazing, we found this mom and her son last Sunday morning and now on Sat. they are both getting baptized! So that's good, I have my first 2 baptisms. My companion is really good, he is keeping all of the rules with me and is working really hard.

OK lets see, I got rocks thrown at me. We were walking and someone threw a huge rock at us but it missed so it's all good. I get hit on by girls a lot. It's weird, just because I'm white they hit on me. It's stupid and weird but it doesn't matter cuz I can't understand them. My comp just tells me about it, like the other night we were walking home and these girls were walking behind us talking loud so my comp had me walk past the apartment and go around the block till they stopped following us and he said they were asking me if I wanted to hook up and all this nasty stuff. And this 70 year old lady told me how handsome I was it's creepy. I need Angela to come protect me. I got hit on by a gay guy, so she really needs to come protect me. I have not seen white people at all so that's why they hit on me cuz I'm white.

I have had some of the best food of my life. There is a hamburger stand that OH my gosh, AMAZING!!! The members food has all been way good this week and I'm feeling better. I was super sick Wed. and Thur. with the flu. I found out the last missionary to have my bed had Swine Flu so I think I might have had it, but I'm good now.

I am really starting to love it here, we are working super hard and trying to get people to church. Church here is crazy there are 350 members and 47 go to church. We have got some work to do but it's good. A drunk guy came up and kept touching me wanting me to speak English but we are not supposed to cuz our area is way ghetto and we will get robbed. Finally my comp told him I was going to lay him out if he didn't stop so he did.

So I have lost more weight. I took my suit pants in to be taken in because they are just falling off. My face has gotten thinner. I don't really have fat cheeks anymore but I think since I am starting to get used to the food and my mouth being ON FIRE I will start to steady out. I am getting super tan. The weather is super nice it's 80 with clouds but still sunny. It just rains everyday at about 7 which sucks but the rest of the day is great.
Mom can you send me a hymn book in English ASAP please. They ask me to sing in English all the time so please send me one.

So about my size... I am a giant. Everyone says stuff but I can't understand so ya I am huge here. Oh there are these kids in this apartment complex that always follow me saying washu, washu, washu, they are trying to speak English but they can't so they follow me. They are my parade ha ha! Now they think I don't speak English cuz I talked to them in Spanish and said I didn't know English.

OK so my bed sucks!!! It was John Taylor's mattress on his mission. But it's all good, I have learned so much about the church, I love it. I love my study time, it's my favorite time of the day, I have learned so much.

I had cow head and upper legs and intestine tacos yum! They really were not to bad I just pretend it is Fear Factor ha ha.

So Jorden's Court of Honor was good, I'm glad.

I didn't know till I got hear what a mission would do for me but this is teaching me so much. How to work threw my own feelings about the gospel, to love people I have just met, to help people and to get my own testimony of the church. I am also learning how to work threw problems. I am just learning so much everyday, I love it!

I love you guys, I am doing so much better and Spanish is coming a day at a time. Pretty soon I'll be Mexican I promise. I love all of you so much, I can't believe I am an 8th of the way done.

Later!
Love,
Elder Fackler

First E-mail from Mexico

Hey Fam,
So my area lets start there: haha I live in the most ghetto part of my mission, it is super poor and there is graffiti everywhere. There are dogs everywhere, like on the roof and everywhere else. They put them on the roof cuz no one has yards. There are tons of little apartments. It's just crazy my apartment roof is my height. I have to duck. It's one room maybe the size of our front room it has no fridge and is super small. It was so nasty when I got here I cleaned every morning for like an hour so now it is not to bad. We have to clean in the morning cuz we only have running water in the morning. That is the only time you can shower is in the morning but at least it has a shower. It's so different here, like the trash man is a guy in a wagon being pulled by donkeys. Ya me and Ross got the wrong mission calls, this is his kind of place, and like people walk around smoking pot and stuff. I cantt wear my watch or carry money cuz my area is way bad and they don't want me to get robed. So ya that's my area the ghetto of Mexico City.

OK the food: I ate an earth worm, I have pics haha. They were deep fried earth worms to so they were kinda like earth worm chips they don't really taste they just stick in your teeth. I'm not kidding other then that the food is just FIRE HOT and it's really hard for me to eat. I am going to look like Uncle Blaine by the end of this. I have been a little sick the whole time since i got here I am pretty sure I drank tap water. But I'll be OK the food is just so different, there is no in the middle it is either way, way good or so, so, so sick. They eat alot of soup which is hard for me cuz it is weird soup but I'll get used to it. I'm glad you have been praying for me, I have been pretty homesick here. It's hard to only email once a week. I would like letters in the pouch too. Just send me as much as you can.

OK my comp: he is a way good teacher and a super cool guy. He had problems with the rules before me but I just told him we are going to be obedient and we have been. So that is good, he is from Chiwawa Mexico. He has had me sing "Be Still My Soul" in English like 5 times to different families cuz they don't have it in Spanish. So I sing it to people alot which is cool. They didn't really have much success before I got here. We had 0 on everything. Now we have 8 new investigators and one with a baptismal date. So ya we worked hard this week and we will keep working hard.

That's about it here it's just all so different, dirty and crowded but it is good. Everyday gets better and I'm starting to feel happy again. Tell everyone I love them. All of you are the best I couldn't do this without you. I love you all so, so, so much keep me in your prayers k. I'll write next week
Love
Elder Fackler

Leaving

Austin was able to call us yesterday and tell us his new flight plans. He will be flying out on Monday May 11th for Mexico City. He is so excited and ready to go even though there are some nerves involved. He was able to talk a little longer this time so we had a chance to really visit. He has grown so much it is amazing it has only been 2 months. I asked if he was scared about going down there and he said they have really been teaching them all week how to keep from getting sick. They have water purifying systems they take with them and tons of hand sanitizer too. I am really not worried at all. I have been talking to several mothers that have sons down there already and they said all of there sons are doing great. Many of the Elders even said they felt like it was a big deal over nothing. They are still not shaking hands and are very careful about closed places but it seems they are doing great. So I feel very confident that he will be fine. I am excited to get his call on Monday and see how he is doing. I will post as soon as I hear.

Swine Flu

Many of our friends and family have called wondering if Austin will be flying to Mexico City on Monday May 4th as scheduled. He was able to call us Wed. the 29th to tell us that his departure has been delayed until at least the 6th and maybe longer depending on what happens with the flu in Mexico. He sounded GREAT!!! He was upbeat and excited and actually a little disappointed that he was not getting to leave as planned. He said he already had one bag packed and weighed. He also bore his testimony to me in Spanish and even though I didn't understand many of the words he said his amazing spirit filled my heart and I FELT every word! He is excited and ready to get out into the world and share the great message he has in his heart. He made me laugh when he told me he had just finished the Book of Mormon and he said "Mom that is an awesome book it has everything, action, adventure, wars, and most important the spirit of Christ, what took me so long to get into it. It was just so amazing." Isn't it so cool what the spirit can help you find. We are just so proud of him.
I will keep you all posted as to what is happening.