Elder VanBuskirk: All About the Food

Alex's pictures this week had a general theme for the most part: food! When I talk to people who have been to this area they all say it is known for two things, the scenery and the food. Luckily, I have raised a very adventurous eater who is always willing to try new things. With Alex everything is always muy bien!

Last week a member forgot to feed us so we went to a awesome taco place. They were muy bien y horchata muy bien.

Hola family y friends,

It was a great week here in Ocozocoautla. One thing that was great was having more members present in lessons. Our area is weak at that. But this week we doubled even tripled what we had last week.

I tried a lot of different foods this week, like Granada, only found in the mountains of Chiapas, the cacti fruit, a melon drink (it is just cantaloupe with sugar), y rice pozol, y a hot fruit drink called ponche. It was all very good.

This is Granada, only found in the mountains of Chiapas. It is very gooey and lots of seeds. You just suck all the gooey stuff. It is muy bien.

This is the cacti fruit. it is muy bien.

The melon drink

This is ponche. It is a hot fruit drink.

A meal from this week

Every time I read a scripture or a passage the kids will laugh y ask their mom “was he speaking Spanish?” From your question last week, I am the only white person. Every time I go on a bus someone will say “hola Gringo”. Every time we introduce ourselves they will ask Elder Garcia “he is not from here, is he?” Then Elder Garcia will say “ask him”. Then they do. I say “I’m from California.” Then they will say “Baja or California”. Then I will say “California.” Then they say “OH.”

But the people we teach love that I speak English because their kids are learning it at school. So I help them on homework because their parents don’t know how y they practice their English with me. I think that is pretty cool. In lessons I will say a prayer, bear my testimony, y invite them to do something y read a scripture or a passage.

The branch president’s wife’s next door neighbor is a less active. So we visit her. She has a six month old girl y a 9 year old boy. We committed him to baptism. He said yes. Now we have seven people committed to baptism: Ricardo, Lupita, Guadalupe y her sons Andre y Tono, y Roberto, y Dalia, y Espinoza. Her 20 year old son got baptized two weeks ago. Then there is Angel.

All of our future baptisms

Well yesterday Me y Elder Garcia was so happy. We had 19 of our investigators at church. This weekend the hermanas had two baptisms. The first one was good except it took about 10 or more times for him to be baptized because he kept putting his legs up y saying the prayer wrong. The second one the president of the mission baptized him because he asked him to. That was pretty cool. Than afterwards he took us y the sister missionaries out for some tacos. It was great time with the president y here in Ocozocoautla.

The baptism of Jermias that took 10 times

Love you all y miss you too. Thanks for the prayers.‬

Love Elder VanBuskirk

P.S.: My birthday is next week i cant wait!!!!!!!!!!

(Then he continued to email back and forth with me as the pictures uploaded. I think he was feeling it by all the exclamation marks! Probably too much sugar in the horchata or something.)

I can't belive I’ve been here a month! When you work hard for the Lord it goes by fast. My mission president is very funny. He dosen’t know any Spanish. Every time I talk to him he speaks English. Everybody loves him. He is from Wyoming. He tries his best speaking to the Spanish speaking elders but they all love it. He been out on his mission for 4 months and he has 3 years to go.

The weather is always changing. It can be raining one day then hot or cold, but I’m used to it.

Tell Dylan good job with the braces y tell Nathan y Dylan good job with the performance. Tell Caleb good job on football y tell Luke I love him so much. Tell Nathan, Derek, Dylan, Caleb, Luke y Sparky I love them all y miss them a ton.‬

Adios again. I’m really leaving. Talk to you next week. Love you all y miss you. Give everybody my love for me.

Thanks mom, you too. I can’t wait to get my package y my letters next Tuesday at zone conference.

I’ve got to go. Tell everyone I love them y miss them a ton and thanks for the prayers. I hope all goes good with the move. I’m praying for all of you. Thanks mom y dad for everything. Adios!!!!!

‪ I love you more than anything ADIOS!!!!!!‬

LoVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

‪ and HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!

ADIOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!