Gone straight to the crapper!

Right after my posting last week Derek sent the e-mail I've copied below. We’ve chuckled about it all week! Not the same kind of “spiritual feel” we got from the week before. In fact, this one went straight to the crapper! Ha ha ha! (please know this is Derek’s sense of humor shining through, he’s feeling better and is being transferred to the heart of Culiacan… big city stuff now!!! He’s way excited!).

ok bear with me, i am having issues this week. it has been a week and a half and my mind is on overload and so here it goes! monday i was doing laundry and i was hanging all that up and so i went to go under all the clothes and slammed my head into the edge of the window and split my forhead open ahh! but just a little super glue fixed that. then tuesday I felt bad and i had diarea and it was horrible and so that was the independence day of mexico so i did not get to take pictures and we had to be in the house by 8 anyway so we don’t have problems with drunks! so then weds i spent all day with my arms power gripped around the toilet throwing up till i could not even breath!... and had diarea. so wife of president said i needed an analysis! oh boy, what is that?! OH, its when you crap in a cup and they look to see if you have parasites! so i dont know if you have had the experience of doing this, but i sure did and i can tell you it is not an expereince i want to do again!.......zaz!......so well they did that and it came back (drum roll).....negative – wow, i crapped in a cup for nothing! i was so disappointed! so well i was dying all this week and it was rough but through it all somehow we had two baptisms Sunday. it was two jovens (youth) of 12 years old the one is the daughter of the guy that cant get baptised but really wants to so that was cool and the other was a friend. it was an awesome experience! this week is over now and monday is changes. i will let you know where i am called next. and yes dad i am writing in my journal, actually i have not missed a day yet! Haha! i am doing good, having a lot of faith and the mission time passes really fast!......and soon you will not need the dreams haha, but love you guys tons and tons! love you and hope all is well.....love Elder Derek Reid

So, I mentioned to him in this week's e-mail that maybe he should send me a vial of Mexico water so I can shed a few pounds. His said in his reply that you can actually GET parasites there (like at the drug store???)! People do that on purpose to loose weight and then take pills to get rid of them. Holy Moly! That's crazy business!

Heartfelt random-ness!

Did... someone forget Fido (in Mexico)

Paiute Falls, Marsvale

Who locked the cranny house?!!!

View from Blythe & Steve's room in Hawaii
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Wow, it's been a whole month since I've blogged. Life needs to slow down a little! :-) Thoughts from the past month… heartfelt random-nesses!

1) Blythe and Steven celebrated their two-year anniversary in sunny Hawaii – and they had a wonderful time! Beautiful-ness!

2) Pappa Reid and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Marysvale – ATV’ing our hearts out on the Paiute trails! First trip without the kids too, that was weird but wonderful! Here's to another great 25 years!! totally amazing-ness!

3) My dad continues to slowly regain his strength after a few hard knocks with his heart these past few months – and is still giving the medical staff a hard time with his sense of humor – that’s a good sign! Wonderful-ness!

4) My mom just turned another year older and is having a blast out on the golf course with some new found friends - - splendid-ness!

5) Went to dinner with Grandma Reid and Wally and got to meet his beautiful daughter Ashlee for the first time (she lives in Texas) – she’s a very beautiful, bubbly and smart girl! adorable-ness!

6) We went to a totally awesome farewell – Derek's good buddy Elder Zac Durrant – wow! I laughed and cried, he’s grown into a fine young man and will be a great missionary! Way to go Durrants! When we asked Derek if he had any advice for Elder Durrant that he wanted us to pass on he simply wrote: D&C 6:36 “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” Total awesome-ness!

7) Got some FANTASTIC news from a friend of Derek’s – December 9th is a MUCH anticipated day and we are so excited for her! Much gratitude and thankful-ness!

8) And last but not last! Our wonderful Elder Reid?!! Word of the month: Faithfull-ness…

Derek’s been out nine months now! Can you believe it? Time is flying by! He has a new companion, Elder Gonzalaz – and is still serving in El Carrizo for the time being. This area has been more of a struggle for him in way of baptisms and he has had to rely on the faith, strength and the will of the Lord more than ever. Two investigators he has been working with… one is an older gentleman that wants to be baptized very badly but has to get divorced from his first wife and marry the current woman he lives and has children with. The laws are very different in 3rd world countries and this happens quite often. The second is a 16 year old boy. Of that boy he writes…we had a baptism planned for this sunday for a boy that is 16 and has had tons of time with the missionaries and had a problem. i dont know what exactly, but needed an interview with the president of the mission. so we got it all set up for the lz to do it especially for him. they came saturday and did the intreview and it went well - said he was good and so we set up the pila (font) and filled it sunday morning and then the family never showed up to church - he bailed out on us so a little frustrated because we have not had any baptisms. but i guess it was just the will of God to not have him baptized. i guess he is just not ready yet......

But i just want to let you know i am doing good and well - trusting in the lord more in this area and accepting the fathers will. some times we dont get what we think and its all in His timing and we just need to have faith and confidence in Him and do all we can -- and He will put in his part. but i have faith, and we will see how next month goes…

So, there is a reason that P-days fall on Mondays in Mexico. That is because so many party it up on the weekend that Monday is a day of recovery! On humble-ness, he writes: and yes, some of the nicest people are the ones that have a hard image (have had a hard life). like here the drug lords are way nice to the elders. Even the drunks are really nice and love to hear and talk to you haha. the ones that have had a tough life but deep down really are nice good people… like Jesus said “he who is without sin let him cast the first stone…” We shouldn’t judge. There was more to this story, but kind of personal so I will leave off.

We asked him what the deal is with the dogs in Mexico – as he sent some interesting dog pictures. For the pic above we asked him - “So, who forgot poor Fido?”
um, the deal with the dogs -- they are not dogs here in mexico, they are not really even pets. they are more like just there to roam ahah but ya they have some sad looking dogs here! and you can find breeds of dogs that only exist in mexico! you can find ones you could not even imagine how it happened! haha

I have every other Friday off and when Derek was home I used to shoot him a text – “wanna go to breakfast?” and no matter what he’d always pop out of bed and we’d go get strawberry crepes! Orange juice for him, Diet Coke for me! I told him I miss our breakfast time and he responded with: and you bet mom – when I get home we have a date for village inn, maybe ihop -- i like there’s better haha

This past week was Mexico’s independence day! On Tuesday to be specific, they asked the missionaries to retire to their rooms early. Lots and lots of celebrating going on! He said he would take pictures and send them. The week before, and I can’t find this e-mail right now – but he talked about getting fed non-stop all day on a Friday. He was miserably full – more full than he’s ever been in his life! He said “that night I threw up out of all three oracles of my face! It burned so bad, and then woke up the next day with diarrhea!” Dang! We thought he was over the gringo sickness part! Ha ha! His closing remarks this week: love you guys tons and tons and have a good week! love you! Elder loves IHOP Reid