First week in Ixtepec

So the first week in Ixtepec was an interesting one. The first few days I was suffering bad headaches from the climate and altitude change I assume. I'm over it now and I feel a lot better. It has almost been a year since I was on the coast so I'm getting used to the hot and humid weather again. I'm always sweating and my skin just feels moist and gross all the time. I'm back to showering twice a day again like I did in Huatulco.

Ixtepec is known for the railroad that goes right through town that bring goods from Central America. We live right next to the tracks and it's cool to hear the train going by at night. It also carries illegal immigrants that hop on the train from Guatemala or Honduras. There are border patrol guys that roam around trying to get the illegals. I haven't seen any immigrants get busted yet but companion says he has. Here in the Istmus of Oaxaca, especially in Juchitan and Ixtepec, there are a lot of cross dressing gay guys. They're called Muxes and they always talk to us, (especially us white Americans). Ixtepec and Juchitan are literally the modern Sodom and Gumorrah.

The work here is awesome even with all the evil that surrounds us! There's a couple that is getting ready to get baptized. Their names are Rosa and Edilberto. They are going to get married hopefully this week so that they can get baptized. It's always a huge problem that all the couples start living together without getting married, but they have gotten almost everything ready to get married this upcoming week, and then baptized! They live in a town halfway between Ixtepec and Juchitan that's called Ixtaltepec. 

I also want to mention that I love the food here. All of the sisters in the ward cook so good and I feel so blessed not to be eating rice, beans and tortillas every meal. They say that hers in Ixtepec they eat a lot of Iguana but I haven't been able to try it yet. Hopefully I will get to soon. I love trying weird foods. I ate a chicken heart the other day. It wasn't bad but I didn't really like it haha.

First time I've been able to get pickles in Oaxaca!

Love you all and I hope you have a fabulous conference weekend!

-Elder Smith