Chunky Hot Milk

Hey there family, friends, and strangers! Thanks for tuning in to your weekly dose of The Exciting Life of Elder Rex. Im Elder Rex and i'll be your guide tonight... or this morning... whenever you are reading this. Anyways another week in the books! I cant really remember what happened this week. 

One experience was interesting, Elder Bassett, Elder Filmore and I were at a investigators house and he was going to feed us so food, usually it's fufu since he's from Ghana. This time it was a mixture of freezer burned french fries, lettuce, tomatoes, and eggs all friend up into one dish. Not really sure what to call it... but it wasn't too bad! He also gave us some hot milk which you usually mix with sugar or a chocolate powder but he realized he was out of both. Yay, so just hot milk. And I already hate the milk over here! What kind of milk is it when it doesn't require refrigeration!? Sketchyyy. Haha so we slowly started to drink the milk and I felt something in my mouth... it was a piece of chunky milk substance... how wonderful, I get hot chunky milk! I showed the other Elders and they just laughed at me. We suspected that I got the bottom of the milk bottle and some chunks came plopping out at the end... we were all laughing. I was laughing/crying, like all my friends know I do, as I slowly drank this steaming cup of terrible chunky milk. Hahah Elder Bassett and Elder Filmore just laugh all the time, at terribly wrong moments and a lot of it is my fault. They just have to think about me laughing and they bust out laughing too. And then I laugh which causes more laughter and I can't stop laughing and tears are rolling down my face and the members or investigators are just confused. It's sooo funny how easily I can make them laugh. 

I've been sick this week, and yesterday I just laid in bed and died all day. But I'm doing better now. Not much else to say! Oh wait, So elder Bassett goes home next week so I will get a new companion next week... which isn't normal. You are supposed to have your "trainer" for 12 weeks or "two transfers" but oh well... love all of you!! Well this concludes this weeks guide of my excting life! Tune in next week for better stories hopefully... haha 

Love

Elder Rex

Week 4

So another week here in Spain!

Time is a weird concept on a mission. I'm not sure exactly how it works... minutes can seem like hours but weeks can feel like days. Hmm. Anyways all is well here in Lorca. I decided to buy a heater so I don't freeze! Some Gypsy tried to make his dog eat us so that was fun. He wanted to buy or sell drugs to us and we said we are missionaries and whatnot and he got all offended. So my companion asked what kind of dog he has trying to change the subject and he said "if you wanna know what type of dog this is, come down here and I'll show you" it was a pitbull obviously, but he continued to say "raise your hand and I'll have him bite your hand off, come on raise your hand". If I understood what he was saying at the time I probably would have raised my hand just to see if he dog could jump like 7 feet in the air to reach my hand. Plus i was sure the dog wouldn't attack, it was super nice! Even if he commanded it to attack us hahaha pretty strange. 

None of our investigators come to church right now so thats lame. But we keep on trying. 

And for future reference for anyone sending a package to me anytime just put "Jordan Rex" not elder because I have to show id for packages and it confuses them when it says elder... I played soccer the other day with a less active guy named Osasua, it was the first time I've felt hot since getting here! 
All is well! I love and miss all of you! You are all in my prayers!! 

Love

Elder Rex

Week 3!

Heyyo! Elder Rex here from the windy city of Lorca! When I got my call to southern Spain I didn't think that it would get this cold!! But every morning I die a little from the cold, oh well! It's hard to remember all that has happened in a week so bare with me as I try to recall. So last pday we went to go explore this castle thing up on this hill and some caves that are up there. It was pretty cool because you can look out over the whole city of Lorca. It was a nice day! I even got a little hot when we were exploring which was a nice feeling. I think homeless people might live in the caves because they smell pretty bad. Then after that went wen back to the pieso (apartment) and had some food. Which was great. I eat like 3 quesadillas a day and like 5 eggs a day but I think I'm losing weight haha and I feel like I eat so much more than all of the other elders in the pieso.

I had my first zone meeting on friday so we took an hour and a half long bus ride to get there. While we were there, Elder Bassett and I had to give a "taller" or small little lesson on obedience. And I still don't really speak spanish sooo yeah... but I think it went pretty well! It's pretty unheard of to have to give a taller on your first zone meeting but I did it! Woohooo

Hahah how's life back in the good ole USA? We have a few investigators we are teaching but they are just becoming more wishy washy. And they wont come to church! Pretty Frustrating. We play uno sometimes when we have time so thats fun. I'll try to send some pictures to you guys! Oh we have a drawer in our kitchen full of like 40 oranges because everyone here works in the field so they get free oranges or something so they give them to us. Vitamin C overload!!

 Love and miss you all! Till next week!

Love,
Elder Rex

The orange drawer

"How I keep fashionably warm" 

Re: week 3To: D Rex, Cour

Hola! Elder Rex here from good ole Lorca! 

Well I always forget what to write once I sit down sooo I'l do my best. I live in a pieso (aka an apartment) with my companion Elder Bassett and two other elders! Elder Filmore (who is from the San Diego area) and Elder Quierolo. I love all of them. Since our pieso has no heater so we freeze to death daily. It's very lovely in the mornings! There is a huge african population here. Mostly from Ghana, Morocco and Nigeria I think. Sometimes I feel like I'm in Africa! Because of that at least once a day I teach in some form of slow, broken English... it's interesting. All the people are really nice though! Apparently there are so many Africans here because you can easily find work in then fields picking oranges and etc... except these people are pretty much slaves, it's sad to see. Many of the people I work with and teach don't have jobs or are currently losing them. They have no money and can barely survive in terrible living conditions. One guy doesn't was his clothes or shoes, and you can tell by the smells the accompany him. Super sad but they are awesome people. The members her say that it's hard to help them because here in Lorca the government can be corrupt... so all I can tell them is to have faith and pray. The lord will help them.

Two guys who aren't from Africa are our main investigators currently. Feranando y Braulio. Super nice dudes, hopefully they will be baptized this month!! Cross your fingers! Braulio is the guy who once told me I have sad eyes... I didn't know what to say so I just told him that my eyes were happy hahaha the next lesson he called me a sunflower or a pinecone... we aren't quite sure which. Very strange... aha I love it though. I've eaten fufu twice and there are some pictures of it. It's like a sticky dough that you dip in soup with meat and other stuff. Lots of cow stomach in it which is very chewy... mainly eating at the pieso though. I eat like 3 quesadillas a day! I miss Mexican food and In N Out! I didn't think i would miss In N Out that much but I do!!!!! I'll send some cool pictures next week because we are going exploring after this! I love and miss all of you! You are all in my prayers and I love hearing from you all! Sorry if I cant respond to all of you!

Love, 

Elder Rex

Eating fufu at Toomba's house 

Fufu! 

"You use your hands in one big communal bowl... very hygienic."

French fries and Kebab

Eating Kebab with Elder Filmore

First week in Lorca

Elder Rex here live from Lorca, Spain!

Well It's cold here! Our apartment doesn't have any heating so I sleep in sweats and like 3 blankets. My bed is so squeaky! And while studying in the morning I get frostbite in at least 3 different locations... so thats fun! Anyway! There is a large African population here in Lorca, I teach in english half of the time which is interesting. Oh my trainer is Elder Bassett (pictured above), he's a super cool guy from good ole Utah! Also, it snowed the last day I was at the MTC! My thoughts are kind of sporadic, sorry about that. Well I was teaching some less active members of the ward, two guys from Ghana or Nigeria, I don't remember which. Their roommate came in all drunk and I, being the polite guy I am, started to ask where he was from and he didn't enjoy that very much. He started to get a little angry and asked why I wanted to know and started to yell at me in broken english mixed with some african dialect. Then he accused me of killing Martin Luther King! I don't recall doing that but he says I did it! Pretty dang funny! 

So I wake up at 7 and work out till 7:30. 7:30 till 8:30 is when we shower and eat breakfast. Then we study until around 12 then 12 till 2 we have appointments and whatnot. We come back at 2 for lunch till 5 because we have extra study time since I'm being trained. Then 5 till 9:45 ish we are out and about! And then we plan our next day, maybe eat some food and then go to bed! Then repeat every day. Haha all is well though!! We taught some guy who saw an angel so thats pretty cool. I had no idea what was going on in the lesson but the guy was just flapping his arms like a giant bird so later I asked Elder Bassett what that was about, and apparently that's when he was telling us about the angel he saw. He also said that I have sad eyes... kinda strange! I had to tell him they were indeed happy eyes. 

I had kebab today! if anyone knows what that is! It's like a big hunk of meat on a rotisserie and then they shave it off and put it in a wrap or sandwich. It's tasty! I get to eat fufu later this week with Toomba, who is a guy from Ghana in our ward. Excited for that. Oh good news!! Elder Bassett shares the same passion I have for hot cheetos so that is pretty awesome! He has a bag from christmas that we are going to open later since today is his birthday. Anyways here is my  address if anyone wants to write me or send me things ;)   

Elder Jordan Rex

c/ Juan Carlos 1 46 7B

Lorca-Murcia 30800

Spain

I would love to hear from everyone! Mail is like gold out here!!!! I'm trying to think of more things to say but I cant think of much! I've anointed four blessing and invited like 4 people to be baptized so far, It's crazy! Spanish is rough but coming along. I miss all of you. You are always in my payers!! 

Love, 

Elder Rex

Last week in the MTC!

Short email this week since I used all my time sending pictures. Same old same old over here. Can't belive it's my last week in the MC! I'm going to the mission home on Tuesday and spending the night. And i met my mission president this week, he was here for a meeting. He seems like a cool dude. 
Ummm so yeah it's last pday! That's strange. I think i email again monday because I'll miss pday next week. Maybe I'll email when I get to mission home and tell you my area and companion and whatnot. Im excited to leave but nervous because i still don't really speak spanish... I hope my companion speaks some english!! 
Miss and love you all. Send letters to my new address once i get it! I love letters. I hope all is well. 
Adios!

Madrid Temple.

Another week down here in Spain! Crazy. Feels like I’m on a different
planet time wise, for those of you who say that latest Matthew Mcconaughey
movie about space, its kinda like that. I’m on the planet and you guys
are on the spaceship and I’m gone 2 hours but its like 3 years for you
or something...Im not sure. I’m not a physicist… yet. I’m working on
it.

Anyways some of the hermanas here think I’m a philosopher and some others think I’m the next Steve Erwin... so that’s interesting. So we teach "investagators" and two nights ago I came up with the good idea to sing to ours! For those of you who have heard me sing, it’s a bad thing. I chose the song Love One Another, and lets just say my investagator and I were laughing so hard we were crying... it was terrible. I just like to believe it was the spirit that brought the tears. I’m going to some big soccer stadium in a hour...apparently its a big deal but I cant remember the name of it.

I’ve decided the hardest part of the mission are these two things: 1. Spanish 2. Soccer. I was not born to play soccer. It’s a fact. I’m slowly improving though, same goes with the language. But come on!! Why do I need to know about 2 past tenses! How is there two!? There is only one past! Unless your Matthew Mcconaughey in that movie... then you might have like 6 pasts.... anyways. I hope everyone is doing well!! Food here in the cafeteria is ehh. But I survive. I eat kiwis a lot... 3 at lunch yesterday. I think I ate some moldy peppers in my salad too the other day but I seem to be alive still. Well i guess next week is my last week in the MTC......... that’s awkward considering I barely speak Spanish! And apparently everyone in Malaga speaks differently and they don’t use "s" or something bizarre. I bought some lucky charms last week from an American store and I’m not proud about how much they cost me. I know chase would be disappointed knowing how much I spent! I got the package with
beef jerky! Thats like gold out here. I want to eat it but I don’t want it to disappear so i just suck on it.... strange, I know. I love and miss you all. I need to think of some sort of cheesy signing off now line to put at the end of these. Also I miss basketball. Sorry no pictures this week...next week! Just imagine a picture of me looking really good ;) hahaha adios for now! I pray for you all!

Love
Elder Rex