Hey family,
Well, another week has gone by. I feel like I was just sitting at this computer in this humble Mercedes library writing y'all. It was a pretty eventful week. It sounds like you all heard about that crazy storm that wreaked havoc in McAllen. The Mission home was actually beat up pretty bad. We didn't get hit that bad in Mercedes. Just a lot of rain and lightning.
This is what Presidente Trayner said about the storm:
Como muchos saben el jueves pasado hubo una tormenta muy fuerte en McAllen. Hubo grandes truenos y relámpagos brillantes por más de media hora. Nos pareció como si fuera un tornado. Granizó con granizos el tamaño de una bola de golf. El granizo quebró los cristales de unas de las ventanas de la casa de misión. Ahora los árboles y arbustos en nuestro vecindario no tienen ninguna hoja. Nuestro vecindario ahora se aparece muy raro y no tan bonito como antes.
Muchos de los misioneros del valle vinieron el próximo día para prestar servicio a nuestros vecinos y a otros en McAllen y Mission. He oído hablar que los de Mission les gustó un almuerzo de fajitas por los hermanos Gonzales. ¡Los que nos ayudaron se disfrutaron de diez pizzas! Gracias a todos por su ayuda.
The following morning, all the missionaries serving close to McAllen went and helped clean up the neighborhood. I wish I would've brought my camera. It was a mess. There wasn't a single leaf left on any of the trees and I'm not sure there were any windows that had glass still attached. The houses got flooded with feet of water and the roofs were bare of shingles. As Presidente said in his email, the hail was nearly the size of golf balls. I have never seen hail so big before in my life. There was a Mercedes Benz SUV that got absolutely destroyed. I felt awful for these people. Fortunately they all probably have insurance. It was fun to be able to help people clean though. They appreciated our help. A couple of us went to the next-door neighbor of a member and it was an older lady that at first said she didn't want us to help her; she was just going to wait a couple days to clean. We sort of insisted and she finally let us. She gave us rakes and shovels and we got to work. She then came out and started talking to us and told us how she loves the LDS church and has given donations to the LDS church in the past. She was so grateful for our help. We really didn't do that much.
Anyway, it was a crazy storm. I loved loved loved conference this past weekend. Man, I remember struggling to make it through just two sessions. I was sad when it was all over. The other elders and I were talking about how waiting for conference is like waiting for Christmas to arrive. Fortunately conference is twice a year :)
Elder Ferrel and I are enjoying bounteous blessings. The people here in South Texas are amazing. I really really hope there will be a temple built here soon. Maybe in the fall conference they'll announce the McAllen Texas temple?! That would be crazy. It would be fun to be in the stake center when that gets announced.
So, I talked with President Trayner last week. I want to extend my mission. The maximum I can extend is 3 weeks so it wouldn't be that much longer. He told me to talk to you all first though, and then he can process it. I really really want to extend. This is the best place in the entire mundo! Maybe I can come home just in time for Thanksgiving? I still have plenty of time to think about it and work out the details.
I just want to let you know how much I am loving my time as a full-time missionary and I am so so so thankful for all of your prayers and letters/emails! They make time go by so fast. Oh and guess what, my companion just got an email saying his mom is going to be getting baptized too, along wiith his younger brothers and dad. sooo cool.
Love you all!
-Elder Mecham
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