Life in Chilpa

hey everyone. things are going really good here in chilpo. we had two baptisms yesterday of the daughters of the second counselor in the bishopric. somehow their records got lost and no one remembered who did the ordinance, the witnesses etc, so we baptized them again. and the zone for the third time in a row has completed its baptism goal. no other zone that i know of is completing right now. i heard from my old zone leaders, and they said that sadly cuautla is struggling pretty bad. the goal was 35 and they ended with like 20... we finished with 34 when our goal was 32! we also have baptisms planned for every week in october! this area is really blessed, and also we are doing good to work hard. in church yesterday i gave a brief introduction and shared my testimony with the ward. i think that is my favorite part. i like teaching and sharing thoughts on specific things, but i definately prefer to take 5 or 10 mins to share my testimony. also i have been having a lot of people tell me that my spanish is doing really good, and that i have a very good accent. take that joseph and alyssa that thought i would never get it down! haha jk.
the only bad thing really, is that elder cardenas is pretty tough to work with. we teach well together, and are good friends, but he is just really fried.... he goes to sleep with an ipod of who knows what music, wakes up around 715, studies a little, then makes breakfast during companionship study. his parents sent him an 8gb ipod touch, with some church music and some not, the bad thing is that it also has internet.... i have told him how i feel about that stuff, and that to receive the blessings, we need to try to be obedient. he agrees, but still isnt willing to give it up. elder snyder told me something, that you cant force obedience on your companions. you do all you can, get up at 630, teach short effective lessons, eat for only an hour, be home at 9/930 and in bed by 1030. but when it comes to your companion, all you can do is suggest, and be a good example. if you try to force it, it can really tear apart your companionship. D&C 88: 42? that is unrighteous dominion. and that is how you lose trust, and confidence from someone.
i still try to do what i can for him, to serve etc, but he just has bad influences, such as our district leader, and they talk a lot. sorry i dont mean to be a gossiper, but just if you have any more advice, it would be very appreciated.
we are still doing really good though. its mostly because we have an amazing ward. they want to help and give us references, and also they really prepare their friends etc to receive us, or to go to church. they are so friendly, and we have very good teachers in the classes that actually prepare lessons! man i am so excited. haha. everything is going really good, and i am enjoying the mission. i love moving houses too, because in every one, there are old ensigns. i have sadly never realized the gold that they are. i told myself that when i return, i will never let another home teaching appointment go by without being really prepared for every person. there is something in every ensign for every person. i especially love the conference editions. they are first come first serve, so when i come across one, i will gladly take it.
sadly we are still getting a lot of rain here, and parts of sun. in the morning its really cold, the midmorning its really hot, midday very comfortable, midafternoon rainy, and night very comfortable. but thanks to the rain, its so beautiful here, everything is so green and flourishing. even though a lot of it is city, there are a ton of mountains. its also very hard to find peopple in the morning, so we are going to have to be smart and diligent to get more new investigators. well sadly my time is up for today. i hope all is well for every one of you that are able to read my short message, and also for those of you who choose not to. but i love you all, and still pray for you all night and day. keep up the great work and get jeff and joseph out on missions!!!!!!!!!!! haha. but seriously.
love
elder facer