Another One Bites the Dust

If you want to know what it is like to sleep in Mexico City just turn on the Italian Job or one of the Bourne movies on nice and loud right when you are about to sleep. Or even more accurate just have someone play Need for Speed with the sound all the way up all night long. Then release about 30 mosquitoes that just love to party in your ear all night long. Elder Thorpe and I dedicate about 5 to 10 minutes of our night to hunting down and exterminating all of the mosquitoes in our room. Elder Thorpe has kept track of the mosquitoes he's killed. He's got 50 or 60 recorded mosquitoes. When we find a mosquito we catch it. Then we shake it up and then chuck it at a wall or a mirror really hard. You get what we call a "mount" if you can get the mosquito stuck, or mounted, to the wall or mirror. Not to brag or anything but I've got quite a few mounts. Elder Thorpe sometimes just pulverizes them with his hands and all that is left of the bloodsucking scum is a splatter of the juice of its lustful parasitic desires. How ironic. Personally I prefer to take an approach of more finesse. I use my pens like chopsticks and catch them out of the air. You ever heard of Mr. Miagi? Yeah he's got nothing on me. En broma, enbroma, I haven't actually done that yet but, new goal. 

(Whoops I just sent that out unfinished). I hear that my pal Daniel Nyman is getting starved over there in Provo. That is definitley not the case here. They give you all you can eat Mexican food, which in turn, is all you can poop Mexican Food. They feed us meat and tortillas, beans, jello, all the bread you could ever want (including Pan Dulce), rice, vegetables and gallons and gallons of juice, just to name a few things. Apparently maple syrup does not exist in Mexico because all we have to put on our Pancakes and waffles in the morning is Hershey's chocolate or strawberry syrup. It isn't bad necessarily but it does make for some awfully dry pancakes. There is also as much cereal as your heart could desire here for breakfast and dinner.

There was pretty sweet Earthquake here as well. Elder Thorpe and I were just sitting outside studying Spanish the other day and all of a sudden we hear a siren, which is nothing new. This one was louder and longer however. We see all of the security guys just running around getting on their bikes. Here in the CCM they have an early detection system, or they're connected to one somwhere so we get an advanced notice of Earthquakes. We thought that it was kind of weird that everyone was running around. Then the ground started to sway. The palm trees were moving. I could hear audible cracks coming from the concrete as well as the trees. Missionaries were scrambling to get outside to the little safety circles that are everywhere. I saw small fissures running up the sides of the buildings with classrooms. Things were falling everywhere. Thankfully Elder Thorpe and I happened to be sitting in one of the green safety circles when it happened. I sat there thinking this is nuts. In fact it was so nuts that it couldn't possibly be true. There was an Earthquake but it was too small for anyone to feel. However, the security guys did still run out of their security hut like ants and there was a siren.

This week I've been working on finishing the Book of Mormon from where I left off after Origination. I've been reading about Captain Moroni and the stripling warriors and Teancum and all those things. When I read it during personal study time I don't want to stop. The Book of Mormon is easily my favorite book. It's got some awesome, awesome stuff in it and there are people in it that are amazing examples. Moroni was the best! I love the scripture in Alma I believe chapter 48 that describes the characteristics of Moroni. It also says that if every man had been, was, and would be like Moroni the very gates of hell would be shut or something along those lines. In my room I have a picture of Moroni and it is really inspirational. I want to be just like Moroni. Same with Ammon, Helaman, Nephi, and Alma. We also heard a story about Dan Jones in one of the devotionals. He has been called one of the greatest missionaries of this dispensation. I bought a Gospel art book in La Tienda and I found a picture of him in it. Everytime I see it I think to my self you're going down Dan Jones you're going down. No I'm kidding but if I could be even half the missionary he was that would be amazing. Also if anyone could find me some stories of Dan Jones and compile them and send them to me I'd be very much appreciative of that. Everybody! Go read the Book of Mormon! Its awesome. (understatement of the year)

¡Levantaos del polvo, hijos mios, y sed hombres!

-Elder Rowberry