Austin Native

Family,

How do you like that subject? Ha... "Austin Native" because I am still in Austin. I am actually like downtown Austin. I am in the Riverside Ward where there are 6 missionaries in the same ward but all with different areas. Oh and I forgot to add... It's all Spanish!! We have not had our zone conference yet. They changed it on us and decided to do a Mission Christmas Conference on the 21st of December. So I will probably get the package then.

You should be getting a package from me this week. It is for Taylor for Christmas. I didn't have time to wrap it or anything and so that is your job. I hope it is something she was looking for or wanted. Here is my address before I forget:

2425 Cromwell Cir #209
Austin, Texas 78741

This area is sweet actually. I am enjoying Spanish even though I can't speak a whole lot. My companion is Elder Sherwood. He is from Mesa, Arizona. He has been out almost a year now and has only been in a Spanish area for 6 weeks so we are struggling talking with people, but we are figuring it out. It's unreal how much he and I are alike. We have the same personality and we get along very well. This is probably going to be the best companionship that I will have.

I'll tell you a little bit about the area. Like I said, it is pretty much all Spanish. There are probably 50%+ Spanish speaking people and we only talk to them really. If we knock on a door and a white person answers that doesn't speak Spanish we usually ask if they are interested and then ask who they know that speaks Spanish. There are a lot of apartments, and this is the best Spanish speaking area in the mission. The most Spanish people are here as well and so I'm going to stay here for a bit and learn Spanish, which is a good thing.

The ward is pretty sweet, but they are also (like the Serenada Ward) not very missionary minded. As missionaries we get to translate in Sacrament meeting every week because the bishop's family comes and he is white and none of his kids speak Spanish. I get to do it next week. I'm excited to see what I can do.

They have a lot of things going on in this area. I guess there have only been one or two baptisms here in the last year but we are teaching like 3 people right now that are just elect and will be baptized in January. I have come to realize this last week how flaky the Hispanic culture can be. We set up appointments or invite them to church and they say OK or they will come, but they don't. But we are searching for the elect and for the people that are willing to come to church and we have the faith that we will find them.

I learned a lot in my last area of how to be patient and it is a thing that I needed to learn early on in the mission. I talked to Elder Roland last night and he said one of the families that we found is super interested and they are loving what the missionaries are teaching them. So there are some fruits of our labor. The ward also loved us. One of the families gave us a Christmas present, which was very nice of them. So the Serenada Ward will come around and wake up hopefully and do missionary work.

The mission is changing dramatically. We are now having to wear suits all the time if it is under 70 degrees. The way we work is changing. It is interesting and I don't understand the suits thing but whatever, I guess. Which reminds me thanks for the money for the bike. I bought Elder Walton's (my trainer) from him (he is now home) for $100. Which is a great deal because it is like a $600 bike. So thank you.

I think that is about it for this week. This next week and transfer is going to be great.

Love you all.

Elder Harvey