Semana 19

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had a great week and a great 4th of July! We had to go into the apartment at 6:00 on President's orders because people are crazy in South Texas, haha, but I heard some good fireworks. :)

I got transferred here to Rio Bravo and it also covers the little town of El Cenizo and it's a great little area. Kind of sketchy right here on the border and I can see Mexico every day so that's kind of cool, but I love the people here a lot already. The terrain is a lot more rolling and has kind of a more country feel to it which I like. My new companion Elder Chacin is such a great guy. Extremely charitable, and always has a smile on his face. He was born in Venezuela and moved to Kearns, Utah when he was 9. So he speaks both Spanish and English fluently which is a huge blessing for a gringo like me.

So kind of interesting Elder Stone was at transfers as well which was really great to catch up with him. He is doing great and really enjoyed Brownsville. Kind of funny, but he is actually now in my old area in La Joya. So maybe he will follow me around in the mission? He is going to be awesome there and I got him up to speed about all the awesome people like Tim and Javier that he should go visit.

This new district is really cool. Elder Chacin is actually the district leader and the other two companionships are sisters, what we call a "Relief society district" haha but its great. One sister (Hermana McArthur) is from Oahu and can play a ukelele (spelling? haha) really well, another from Wisconsin, and then there is sister Saramiento from Chile. She is super funny and has a really thick accent.

I have already met some great people here so far. A brother and sister named Eliseo and Anna. They have some great potential and I see them being baptized here pretty soon. The members here LOVE to feed missionaries which is great so I don't really have to ever worry about dinner. They are fantastic cooks as well. In fact yesterday we went to a member in one of the sister's areas that is an ex chef that worked at some fancy hotels in Cancun and Chihuahua when he was younger. He made some incredibly good chicken cordon bleu and a spicy Mexican soup for us.

So a great funny quote that Elder Chacin said at our first district meeting when talking about an investigator: He was talking about one of the investigators kids who got in an accident and instead of saying he got put into a cast for the break, he accidentally said "He got put into a casket". Super funny and Elder Eskelson (He is now my Zone leader here! I lived in the same apartment with him in La Joya. Super awesome to see him again) replies, "Boy, that escalated quickly" We all cracked up at that one.

So, it's been kind of a bad luck week. Sorry I don't have more specific details of experiences. Not a big deal though because I know that trials of faith come before blessings, So I am still in good spirits about things. I've been pretty sick with a fever and head cold this week, but Elder Chacin has been taking good care of me and gave me a blessing that really helped me out. On top of that we have also been experiencing car issues and sliced our tire on some piece of metal scrap, so we had to change a tire in the middle of the hot sun on the 4th of July, that was fun too, haha. Like I said though, things are still very good.

Love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful week. I don't have any pictures yet, but I will have some next week for sure.

Love,

Elder Sheehy


And here'e another part I loved on my personal letter...one of those parent "pay days" :)

Hope everyone is doing well. I miss you guys a lot and think and pray about you constantly. Thanks for raising me so well in such a great home. I can't tell you how much sad poverty and broken homes I see here. I am so grateful for what we have. Have a wonderful week!

He also sent his new mailing address. It is another missionary apartment that lives in Laredo, because as he put it.... "The area I am in is actually much more sketchy than the last. In fact the letters I will have you send to another Elder's apartment in the district because Rio Bravo is really hood, haha"

1917 S. Milmo #8
Laredo, Texas 78046

P.S. His Birthday is coming up on July 14, if anyone wants to send him some love♥
(letters only. packages still go to the mission home.)