Called to Serve: Xalapa, Mexico Mission: Oct. 7th, 2019 Letter #100

I actually felt super normal when they cut my tie. I feel like I did before coming on the mission. A little excited, a little nervous, but mostly calm. It's one of those "I'll figure it out when I get there" kinds of things. After President and his wife any other missionary(s) can come cut the tie as well. So a fair amount of people that knew me cut mine. Some took big sections and others took smaller ones. I don't which Hermana was in the picture cutting my tie. I don't know what they do with the clippings.

My favorite part of the zone conference was being able to help out in the classes whenever participation was needed because I know from experience how crucial participation is in a class. There were 4 zones there and it was held in my stake center.

I liked conference. I was left considering the fact that the speakers aren't typically there to expose deep doctrine, but rather to bare testimony behind testimony of the same simple doctrines that we need most to apply in our lives. I liked the talks by Elder Budge and Elder Boom a lot. Elder Uchtdorf also had my attention from the get-go with a reference from The Hobbit. I was going to comment on the same themes as you basically. Trust in the Lord and keep covenants. One funny thing is hearing the Spanish translators read off the names of the apostles to sustain them because it's one name after another that they say with a strange accent until the very end when they nail Ulisses S. Soares.

One tender mercy/miracle is that I have the desire to finish my mission with some success and I've been praying about it and we went from having 0 people in church last week to 4 this week. At least 3 if not 4 of them are pretty interested and one of them has already accepted a baptismal date.

I didn't get around to talking to Sasha, but I intend to do it soon. It's hard because when we get home at night Elder Shumway has to do phone calls now that he's a district leader. He's doing really well. I've seen quite a bit of progress in him lately.

For P-day we had a little b-day party with the zone for Elder Shumway who turns 20 tomorrow. I asked President for permission to go to the ruins at Tajin next week and he said yes so I think we'll go.

Love you,

Elder Finlinson