07 - Coba 2

Hey, so it’s been a week already.  The mission is hard work but I’m working my hardest.  So just to give you an idea of my area, Coba is a section of Cancun.  It’s very hot most of the time, but sometimes we get sudden intense rain for a few minutes a few times per week.  Everyone lives in small houses that are stacked side by side so it’s one big building.  Sometimes it’s hard to navigate around the city because all of the houses look identical.  But you can manage by memorizing the shops and graffiti.

There is a lot of poverty in the area, but as I may have said in the last email, because of the circumstances, the people are very humble and receptive to the gospel.  I’ll admit, speaking with the natives is hard—they all speak very fast and it’s hard to follow, but I’m still picking up a lot of Spanish from conversations with my companion.  Elder Gonzalez is an awesome companion.  He doesn’t speak much English, so I have plenty of opportunities to practice my Spanish.

The house that I live in is small, but meets my needs.  We don’t have beds to sleep in, but we do get some colorful hammocks!  In the morning we eat our own breakfast (Raisin Bran!) and the other meals are at member houses.  The food is very excellent.  I never imagined that there are so many more Mexican dishes besides burritos and salsa.  The food is very tasty and they serve a lot.  It’s polite to accept a second serving of everything, and every meal usually has two courses.  My favorite food so far is the empanadas.

The work has been going great!  We have a lot of investigators to teach each day.  Our schedules are always completely booked.  All of the contacting has to be done in the street between appointments.

The transition has been hard, but I’ve been called by God to this area and he always provides a way to accomplish the things that he commanded us (1 Nephi 3:7).  God knows of our weaknesses and has always provided a way for us to become strong and do what we need to do.  If we have faith in Jesus Christ, we will be blessed, and looking back, we can always see His hand guiding us and recognize the miracles that happen in our lives.  In times of strife or challenge, I invite you to turn to Jesus Christ and remember Him.  He knows what you’ve been through and will help you if you put your trust in Him.

So until next week,
Elder Bailey


PICTURES

*These are the hammocks that we get to sleep in.  Mine is the bright green one.  This was taken the first night, so it’s not at the house where I’m staying in, although both houses are very similar.

*My new companion, Elder Gonzalez, and his old companion, Elder Bigler

*President and Sister Kirkham