I’M STILL ALIVE!! :0

From: Seth Gifford
Date: Mon, May 31, 2021, 15:47 PM
Subject: I’M STILL ALIVE!! :0

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well!

So, you might be wondering (or you might not), whatever happened to Elder Gifford (or Seth)? Did he actually make it to Mexico?

Well, in answer to that question, yes, I made it safely to Mexico, and I’m still alive!

Buckle up folks because this bad boy is going to be a long one. I’m about to go off, so if you wanna get off the ride, now is your chance. Or you can just skip to the pictures at the end. But what fun are the pictures without context? I’ve also organized this email into sections like I’ve done in the past, so feel free to read this however you want.

  Travel/Arrival  :

Let’s flash back to bright and early on Tuesday the 18th of May; Elder Raymond, Elder Jensen, and Elder Baird (shoutout!) took me to the airport after I finished packing my things. I felt super excited to finally be going to Mexico (don’t get me wrong, I will forever love the good ole’ NCCM) but for a while, I had felt like the Lord needed me in Mexico. I won’t bore you with the details of the flights, but I did have a super long layover in Miami before I took a tiny plane to Mérida. As soon as I got on the airplane to Mexico, I was immediately immersed in Spanish. No one really spoke English, but luckily it wasn’t too bad. I had to fill out some weird paperwork in order to pass through customs and be legal in Mexico, but once again, not too bad. The only hard part was waiting in line for almost an hour just to get my bags searched. But, after that, it was smooth sailing to where I was greeted by my mission President, his wife, and the AP’s. Were they right about the heat? YES! It was blazing hot with plenty of humidity, and wearing a suit was pretty rough, but I felt really good to finally be in Mexico.

 Temporary Trio  :

Well, after signing some paperwork, and getting some things squared away, I picked out my hammock, and met with my 2 new companions, Elder Terry and Elder Bauzan, who I’d be comps with for a week until transfers. Elder Terry is from Utah and knows some of my friends (shoutout again)! After taking an Uber to our house, we immediately got to work. In my first week here, we had a baptism. It was awesome! My first area is called “Pensiones” (Pen-see-own-nus). Upon arrival in Pensiones, I was hit by a brick wall. Mexico is definitely different from the states.

 Mexico is DIFFERENT  

Some things I have noticed since being in Mexico:

1. Everything is super crusty (at least here in my mission). I’ve never really felt clean since being here haha.
2. The plumping is way different. Sometimes you gotta flush the toilet with a bucket and the showers are way different with no hot water, but that’s not a problem because the cold water feels amazing.
3. Traffic is way different. Sometimes there are lanes on the roads but no one really pays attention to them and literally cars are just jam packed throughout the lanes, haphazardly driving and shifting lanes, and when there is an intersection, they just honk and keep going. Cars will literally get within 4-5 inches of each other. Pretty epic. I can’t tell if it’s really good driving or really bad driving…
4. Literally every house is a store. Okay, not really, but that’s how people make their living out here. People sell stuff straight from their house. Super interesting.
5. Somehow you can just walk in a direction with the purpose of finding a specific place and you’ll find it in the most random spot. Not kidding about that. It’s super hard to explain, but even if you were lost out here you could pick any direction and walk and you’d get to where you need to go. Still not sure how that works out…
6. No one drinks water, only Coke, soda, or juice of random fruits they mash up. They also eat a lot of my 2 least favorite foods. Beans……and……tuna……. But, I’ve developed a strategy to just eat it super quick, and then down my water bottle. That way the suffering is less prolonged haha. There is some good food, but it’s rare haha.

 When It Rains It Pours  :

The rain here is insane. Literally the lightning strikes are so close and the rain comes down in buckets. But the streets can’t handle the rain and so they just flood instead. Pretty crazy! We’ve gotten nearly soaked a few times. But I can say without a doubt that the Lord watches out for us. I’ve had some pretty incredible experiences that have definitely built my testimony and I know that God is not only real, but that He watches out for His children. 

 Welcome to Calkiní  :

Well, on P-day, I got transferred to Calkiní, a small little town an hour south of Mérida, to be companions with Elder Pérez. Currently, we cover 3 small cities that are pretty far apart; Calkiní (where we live), Hecelchakán, and Halachó. We’ve got lots to do! We mainly work at the chapel, as it has internet and air conditioning. But we definitely do quite a bit of walking, which I enjoy. There are literally iguanas, dogs, cats, palm trees, and other random fruit trees everywhere. Not to mention, a lot of snakes, frogs, toads, scorpions, and spiders. It’s like the desert section of the zoo. Pretty cool! Sometimes we take tricies (a motorcycle turned into a taxi-like thing with seats in the front) to really far places. Calkiní doesn’t have much, but we have what we need. My Spanish has improved a TON since coming here since I rarely speak English. Elder Pérez and I have also started to learn Mayan, since a ton of the people here speak it. The more time I spend here, the more I am convinced that part of the Book of Mormon took place in Mexico.

Well, I thought I’d have way more to write about, but I guess it was still a lot. I’ve definitely left out a ton of details, but most of it would just bore you. Suffice it to say, so far, Mexico has been a positive experience. Definitely hard, but positive. The Lord has been so good to me and has helped me to adjust quickly to the climate and living circumstances, and I look forward to what’s to come. Sometimes the days are long, but in the end, it’s all worth it.
I just want all of you to know that God loves you so much, and that no matter your past, no matter your current circumstances, He is aware of you and is by your side. He literally is doing everything He can to help you without taking away the beautiful gift He has given us; the ability to choose. He gives us tests and trials so we can grow. Remember that if we surrender our will to God, He will make of us, more than we will ever in eternity make of ourselves. He will make us like Him, but only if we let Him.

I love you all!

-Elder Gifford

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