Well, this is going to be sort of like a journal entry for the last couple of days. I have had some funny stuff happen to me the last few days. One of them is more of a cool feel-good experience and the other is just crazy. I will start with Friday. I had a XanGo house party Friday evening at 7 PM and after it got done around 9 PM I decided to go to a huge single adult dance. There is a high school in Mexico City called Benemerito de las Americas. It is a private, high class school owned by the church and every year they hold huge anniversary festivities, one of which is a dance for all alumni. I heard about it, and you all know I am a great crasher of weddings, parties, and now high school reunion dances. As I got there I was hoping to find some old mission buddies, and maybe spot some cute Mexicanas while there, but mainly find some old mission pals. While walking around looking for someone I knew I turned the corner and saw a familiar face, it was a gentleman named Rene Infante Valdez. I instantly ran and hugged him and within 30 seconds we were both in tears. I baptized Rene in while on my mission in Mexico City with Elder Rubio. 1 year after Rene was baptized he went on a mission in the northern part of Mexico. After we mopped up the tears he started telling me that he keeps in touch with several of his converts, many of which are in bishoprics, on missions, in Relief Society presidencies and have been sealed in the temple. When he told me this I was moved to tears. I was really touched to know that in bringing just one soul to the truth; he was then able to bring many souls to the truth during his mission. During his mission his whole family was baptized, they had refused to listen to us while we taught him. He also told me he has held callings as Stake Young Men’s President, Elder’s Quorum President and currently he is in the High Council. He is a High Priest, I am still an Elder. Of course that doesn’t bother me at all, it makes me so proud to see a convert progress and grow so much in his strength and testimony and that I was able to play a small part. If he was the only person I baptized during my mission it would have been worth it. We had a great chat for a long time and got caught up during the dance.

Now Saturday was pretty normal except it was rainy and windy, I saw clowns juggling fire balls at intersections, dudes selling tamales on bicycles, women who look like men out collecting garbage door to door, drug-addicts washing car windshields at the stop light and dogs mounting each other on every-other corner, however; Sunday was a different story. I went to church from 9-12 and then jumped on a bus to Veracruz. It is about a three and a half hour drive in my car, and about five and half by bus. I decided to take the bus since it is about half as costly between gas and toll roads, plus I can read or sleep on the bus. Anyway, we got off to a good start, I was at the very front left side of the bus behind the driver near the window, no-one was in the seat next to me so I was excited to be able to stretch out and relax. No chance. A mother sat her 8 year old daughter right behind me. In the beginning she started kicking my seat and pulling on it….so I gave her a “knock-it-off” look and she stopped for a while. She started pulling and kicking the seat, then she started touching my hair and face. So I looked back and her mom was dead asleep, I was a little bugged. So I decided I would make a deal with this little girl by offering her one of my cookies I had bought at the bus station. I turned around to talk to her make my peace offering and then get back to my quiet reading….she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. She just said “no!” So I turned around a little ticked. Then the kicking and face touching started again, so I looked back and saw her mom half-awake and said, “Would you mind controlling your daughter? She has been kicking my seat for the last hour since we left Mexico City?” So instead of telling her to shut up she pulled her hand up and slapped the girl on the arm, it was one of those loud slaps that everyone on the bus heard, so the girl starts crying super loud and screaming “no mom, don’t hurt me, don’t beat me, no! Mom! Stop beating me!” So I felt kind of bad but kind of good because I figured the little brat would stop and I thought she deserved a little bit from bugging me so much. So the girl falls asleep and I get settled it reading again. Before much longer I smell a strong nasty onion smell, I thought to myself, “is it her armpits, her crusty underwear or bad breath? I look back for a quick peak and this girl was chowing down on this onion as if it were an apple. Not too much longer I decided to lay the seat back and take a little nap….as soon as I lay the seat back this little girl screams “your smashing me, don’t smash me mister, you’re hurting me, please don’t smash me!” So the whole bus could hear her screaming and then her mom grabs her and slaps her another loud one…which made me laugh under my breath. I felt bad but then remembered all the naughty stuff this little girl had done and thought she deserved it a little. Setting aside the little girl story for a second. As we were driving to Veracruz the bus driver suddenly slammed on his brakes and sent everyone forward into the seat in front of them……I was so confused as to why he would slam on his brakes on open freeway, but since I was sitting towards the front I could see all the action and I looked forward to see this random guy standing in the middle of the road looking right into the front windshield into the bus. It was the weirdest thing, either the bus driver was asleep or a random guy from the woods ran out into the road and refused to move. About a half hour later we pulled up to a toll booth to pay a toll to continue on and of course at every toll booth there are 30-40 people selling crap from nuts, special drinks, plants, flowers, stones, other random Mexican treasures…..but this time I saw 5 or 6 dudes selling puppies and kittens. I was dying laughing. I could not believe it. Would someone really make a decision to buy a puppy as they slowed down and pulled up to a toll booth? Or do they think a husband may buy a fuzzy cute little puppy for his wife sitting next to him to try and score points? Kind of random, but it must work if they are selling them. Well we finally pulled into the bus terminal and the little girl walked off the bus sporting a nasty plumbers crack and the I walked off the bus and as I was waiting for my luggage I looked over at the little girl and she was gazing at me with her hands on her hips and as soon as I made eye contact with her she stuck her tongue out at me….of course I loved it and laughed out loud and got my luggage and left.

What a day. I am off to bed. I hope you all laughed a little. Buenas nachas