Exchange Week!

Family!

Sorry for not emailing on Monday!  I wasn't aware that P-day got pushed back to Wednesday on transfer week, but now I know...  Anyways, I got the call this morning, and both Elder Graf and I are staying here in Dayton.  This is what Elder Graf and I figured, because I’m still in training.  We will be getting two more Spanish missionaries in this area tomorrow, so the area will most likely split, so there will still be changes, even if we aren't leaving.

Well, this past week I got to go on two different exchanges in different areas, which means that I was an English speaking missionary for two days!  It was weird.  The first exchange I went on was with our zone leader Elder Elquist.  We did a lot of walking in the humid weather (last week had some of the most humid days I've had here), and we talked to a guy about how his baptism would go.  I haven't got to do that yet, so that was cool.  My second exchange was on Monday with Elder Sunderland, and we went down to Dayton for that one.  I had a member teach me what a buckeye is during my time there.  Basically it is a poisonous nut covered in a spiky shell.  The member thought it was funny that the state mascot of Ohio was "a useless nut" (his words, not mine).  I also got to offer a home dedication while down in Dayton, so that was pretty cool.  It was in English though, so that diminished it's coolness by a bit. =)

Last Friday we had a meeting especially for the Spanish speaking missionaries.  It was specifically geared to help us better understand the nature of Spanish work in a predominantly English-speaking area.  It was amazing!  President Porter shared some scripture for us for a while, and then our Spanish zone leader Elder Coranza (who is the only native speaker in the mission) led the rest of the meeting.  I learned a lot about how to better connect with the people and how to adapt to their culture.  We were given a strict charge from President Porter that from that day forth we were to be Hispanic and no longer Gringos.  So yes, you are currently reading words written by the Hispanic version of Elder Foote...  But seriously, I think this will really help me.  It will force me to be more outgoing and it will help me to learn the language better.

We had a branch picnic last Saturday, and it was a lot of fun getting to know the members better.  Our investigators that were supposed to be coming didn't end up making it, which was a huge bummer, but we still had a good time.  I got to try some super spicy chorizo, but since I'm Hispanic now, it didn't burn my tongue at all! (I wish...)

We found an amazing new investigator this past week.  She is probably the most prepared person I have met, and I couldn't even believe how blessed we were to find her.  She has a ton of questions, and we are so excited to meet with her in a few days!

That's about all I've got to report for this week.  I hope everything is going well at home.  Thanks for all of the emails and letters!  Happy Birthday on Sunday Trevor, hope it goes great!

Love,

Elder Foote