Questionaire (07/15/2009)

We recently sent Matthew a questionnaire (in bold). His responses are italicized.

What is your companion’s name and where is he from? Elder Mendez was born in Mexico, moved to DC, then to California and then to Utah.
Do you speak Spanish together all of the time? Not all the time but a good amount.
Do you knock a lot of doors? No not really. We have a lot going on right now.
Who drives the car? How is the Mazda 3? Elder Mendez drives. The car is not bad, it just looks flashy that’s all.
When you are working in the Spanish areas do they feed you? We eat in Connell Monday, Thursday and Saturday and the Spanish families mix with the English but there are only three active Spanish families so we don’t eat with them much. Then Wednesday, Friday and Sunday we are in Basin City. One week, we eat with Basin City 1st (English). The next is Basin City 2nd (English) then the next is Basin City 3rd ( Spanish) and that just rotates.
What crops are grown in the area? They grow corn, hay, cherries, and potatoes.
How many members are there in the Spanish branches? There are about 20 members in Connell and about 30 in Basin City.
The English branches? Or are they wards? The English wards are good size. I would say about 150 or so.
Did you know any of the Elders that are in your district before? Yes, Elder Uribe is in Pasco and Elder Stewart was in my district in Toppenish.
Do you like them? I love them all.
Do you always spend your P-days with them? Yes, so far.
Are they Spanish speaking Elders as well? Yes, we speak Spanish then there are two sets of Elders in Pasco and a set of sisters in Kennewick that all work for one branch.
Is the number of missionaries in the Kennewick mission growing or staying the same? The number is staying the same but 105 missionaries have been out six months or less.
What is your favorite part of the mission so far? Probably watching the spirit overtake me in what I am saying and then touch the people I am talking to.
What do people do for fun in such a small town as Connell? They go to Pasco.
What is the family like that you are living with? Are they farmers, do you live on a farm? We don’t see them much since we live in the basement but they are really nice. Yes, they are farmers and yes we live on a farm.
Do they have children? A lot but they have all moved out. Three of their children are still in the ward though.
What do they do for work? Farm
Do you spend any time with them? No, not really. We just tell them what we did that day.
How many people are you teaching right now? About 15 or so.
Do you feel any are close to baptism? Yes a lot. (See enclosed letter)
How are the mosquito bites? I haven’t gotten any here for some reason.
Are most of the members in the wards farmer? The majority are farmers.
Is that the main industry in the area? Yes.
Are there any colleges close by? The closest is in Pasco.
Is it humid or basically pleasant weather? It is pleasant.