Hi everyone its been so nice to read all of your letters. I am glad to see that you are all doing so well. I wish I had time to talk to each one of you on my P-days but I only get one hour to write home and unfortunately I can’t type very fast. Also my P-days are on Tuesdays from 8:00 to 5:30 if anyone wanted to know.
I bet Most of you are curious about my trip. To be honest, it’s an interesting story and I wish I could have told you in my first email. Anyway, as most of you know I left home at 5:00 Wednesday morning. Getting to the airport, through security, and to my plane was easy. In fact I even got on my plane. However, as the plane began to exit and go down the runway its left wing was hit by the back of a catering truck. The truck punched a head sized whole through the wing tip causing the plane to be inoperable. They pushed all the passengers out of the plan and told them to contact the airline and get their flights rescheduled.
This is when the first miracle of my mission occurred. When I first boarded the plane before it was damaged, a young married women passed me and asked me if I was going to the MTC. I responded yes. She then simply smiled and sat down a few rows behind me. Later after the accident forced us off the plane, this same women came up to me and introduced herself. She said her name was Stefanie Maughan and had deduced that I was leaving on my mission. I affirmed her deduction and told her that I was headed to the Mexico MTC. She asked me if I need any help rescheduling my flight. I eagerly responded in the affirmative and the two of us, both complete strangers to the other, began to work on getting me to Mexico. After multiple hours and around 7 calls, Sister Maughan and I managed to reschedule a flight for me. The new itinerary consisted of two flights. The first flight left San Jose at 6:00 PM and arrived in LAX around 8:00 PM. My next would be a red eye from LAX to Mexico city. It was scheduled to leave at 12:15 AM Pacific time and arrive at Mexico city at 6:00am Central time. When I had confirmed this information and contacted the Missionary travel office, me and Sister Maughan walked around the Airport collecting our tickets. It was at this time that I learned that she to had been scheduled to go to Mexico. Not Mexico city but coastal city where she had planned a short vacation. After we both had acquired our new tickets she told me that she had been blessed to have the opportunity to help the work along even if was by simply helping a confused and solitary missionary at the airport. We then said goodbye and she gave me a 24 dollar voucher given to her by the airline for the drastic change in schedule. Because of this kind Sister I was able to get here to Mexico and because of her I wasn’t hungry during the 12 hours that I spent sitting in the airport. It was one of the Most Christ like actions someone has ever done for me and I don’t think I will ever forget that moment when I stood outside my gate, after the plane had been damaged, wondering what I would do.
The next 12 hours in the airport weren’t very much fun. I managed to sleep for a few hours and eat some Pizza My Heart, but those were the highlights. The rest of the time I struggled with diarrhea that was probably been brought on by stress. I went to the bathroom around 6-7 times in the course of 5 hours and one ended with a little extra in my pants. *So there Brian I have already crapped my pants and I did it on my first day too! Lucky the case wasn’t to bad and only brought about mild chaffing. Eventually, I was able to board my plane and I went to LAX. This was fallowed by another 4 hour wait in an airport, no sleep, and a 30 minute delay of my flight to Mexico. At any rate I was able to get on my flight at around 12:45 AM Pacific time and took off around 1:00 AM. On the flight I filled out the little amount of paper work I need to for customs and then grab about 2 hours of sleep. I arrived in Mexico City around 6:30am. I got off the plane and made my way to the luggage drop off. I stood there at the luggage belt as bag after bag passed. Then the belt stopped and my luggage wasn’t there. After a few minutes wondering, I managed to find and fill out a missing luggage form. I then proceeded out through customs with the clothes on my back and some paper in my bag. I was taken to the MTC, shown my room and thankfully given a shirt, some Gs, some soap, a tooth brush, tooth paste, a towel, and all my reading materials.
I spent the rest of Thursday in my first few classes. I studied and focused to the best of my ability but fell asleep a couple times, which I felt really bad about, and then went to our pink house within the 90 acres of the CCM.
From there I just continued with the work. I went to class. Studied and did my best to learn as fast as possible. My district is pretty amazing. They all have had a lot of practice with Spanish before and are as good as some of the people that have been here at the CCM for 3 weeks. This includes my companion Elder Jacobs. He is a cool guy. He is hard working and dedicated and usually enjoys a laugh now and then. I also have a lot of gratitude for the other missionaries and teachers here that have helped me with my lack of clothing situation. It is truly humbling to know that you have nothing but the cloths you have with you and those that others have willingly given.
Aside from those fun facts I have had a great time here. I am working to get my bags back but we don’t know when that will be. I am going to the airport today to see it can be fixed, but because of politics it my not be. Even so I know that there is no other place on this earth I would rather be. I have my brother and my faith and that’s enough.
I love all of you and will give you more details of the CCM next week.
Love,
Elder Black
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