Week Three. CCM.

Week three: Another week in Paradise

The weather here is still amazing! I am starting to develop a mean farmers tan. I think its going to be impossible for me to even it out when I get back home. This week has went by fast and President Nelson came and spoke to us Tuesday night! One of the coolest experiences of my life! We all got to go up and shake his hand which was quite the opportunity. We also went to the temple in Mexico City and it was super nice and beautiful! It sticks out like a sore thumb in the city though.

Next week is going to be difficult because all of my Latino friends leave Monday morning and I am pretty bummed out about it. I have built good friendships with them.  Everyday we play soccer or sand volleyball which i have enjoyed a lot! There are super cool guys even though I can only understand them 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time we play pictionary trying to guess what they are trying to say. However, hanging out with them has helped my Spanish improve a lot, and I don´t know what Im going to do when they are gone.

I hope you all are doing great. I am loving life here learning more about the gospel and our savior Jesus Christ. I am praying for you all! I want to leave a Scripture I love in the New Testament. It is Matthew 19:29 

"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 

or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, 

and shall inherit everlasting life."

I love that because when the times are hard out here, I can read that and realize all the blessings that are promised through this work. I Love you all!

Love, Elder Gibson

Week Two. CCM.

Week Two: Good Week

Hola everybody!!!

This week went by fast! My Spanish has been improving as I have been hanging out with the Latino Elders alot. I love those guys! They call me Elder Fantasma because Fantasma means ghost in Spanish because of how white I am. They think it is hilarious. Also, they think that I was an American soldier in the Army before i came. I love them and play soccer with them everyday during gym time. We play soccer on concrete inside a cage, its different but also very fun! I love to hear their stories and it puts into perspective for me how lucky i was to have grown up in America.   The picture of me and the elder holding the basketball has became one of my good friends. His name is Elder Cluff, he is from Draper. He played basketball and was a really good high jumper in highschool. We have simliar stories and i feel like he has been a huge blessing to me here at the CCM.

I get to go out into the city and attend the temple today! So excited! The weather has been great and I still really like the food. I am so thankful for the oppurtunity to be out here serving the Lord, and learning a new laungage! I just want to get out there in Monterrey already!

I hope you all are doing good! I love it here and im doing great! I am keeping you all in my prayers!

Love, Elder Gibson

(jared said the elder with the head wrap on just got his wisdom teeth taken out)

Week One. MTC - CCM.

Week One:

Well i survived my first week in Mexico City. Getting off the plane, I felt like I was on a different planet! Driving from the airport to the CCM took about 45 minutes and i couldnt believe how bad they are at driving here. They must have a 6th sense for driving, it is organized choas.  The weather here is perfect, however the polution is kinda bad. Also it was independence day here last week so the Natives were all shooting fireworks off all day and night around us!

My companion is from Ceder City, Utah. His name is Elder Neilson (The Elder in he blue holding the ping pong paddle in the picture). I have became really good friends with two Elders, Elder Tuiloua and Elder Cluff. Elder Tuiloua is from Laie, Oahu. In fact he lived right down the street from me when I lived in Hawaii and we didnt even know it. He played quarterback for Kahuku highschool and is a super cool guy. Elder Cluff is from Draper, Utah and he played basketball and ran track! Those are my boys! I have also made friends with alot of the native Latinos! It is hard to communicate with them but each day i get better and better at spanish. The Gift of Tongues is real!

i cant believe i have already been here a week, it has gone by really fast! i wake up around 6 and  get ready for the day than me and my companion go get breakfast. Than we learn spanish for about 4 hours until lunch. It is interesting because our instuctors teach spanish in spanish instead of in english. Than we learn more about the gospel until dinner and than we go and hangout in our casa.

I am doing really good and hope all of you are as well! Everything is so cheap here, at the tienda (store). You can get a bag of doritos and a gatorade for 10 pesos (50 cents). I am just thankful there is a gym and i can workout for an hour each day or else id come back a few pounds heavier.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord and the people in Mexico! I hope all is well!

HABLARÁ CON USTED LUEGO! i think thats right, my spanish isnt too good yet! 

-Elder Gibson

  

Airplane Stranger.

Last Tuesday morning (the day Jared left) my mom received a text from an unknown number. The text had a picture of Jared sitting in an airplane seat and it read, I thought you would like to see who I am sitting by. We are just getting ready to pull out of the gate to begin our flight to Mexico City.

 

It was so good to see him smiling and it helped my sweet mom feel a little bit of comfort knowing he made his connecting flights and he had a smile on his face. People can be so kind. Such a small and simple act of kindness went a very long way for all of us that morning.