We finally received some pictures from Mexico. This first one is of "The Twelve," as they were called just before leaving the MTC.

This next one is a lovely view from his apartment in Matamoras, and then the inside of his apartment.

Next we have Christopher with his lovely bike helmet on. It is nice to see that he is trying to be safe. Next is a picture of him and his companion, Elder Escamilla. The last one is a picture of him in front of the Matamoras town building.

Here we have Christopher with "old blue," as this old run down bike was called. I believe old blue has retired and he has moved on to a bigger better bike. Next is Cristina's house, I'm assuming that is a member. Lasting are a group of missionaries in his area. It was one of the missionaries birthdays.

Here is a picture of Christopher's first baptism. His name is Jesus Don Chuy (I think).

Word From Mexico

It has been a while since the last posting. Christopher seems to be doing good. He has been in Mexico a month now. He was struggling a little at first, but he has really grown attached to the members. My mom is just glad that someone is treating him good and feeding him. He says that the language is coming slow, but it is coming. We have yet to get a letter or pictures from Mexico, but he does send brief e-mails to us every week. At least we can be somewhat updated, just not in full detail. His companion is from Mexico and his name is Elder Escamilla. We do know that Christopher has had at least one baptism, however, not many details about it (i.e., the new members name, male/female - who knows). There could be more baptisms, but we aren't real sure. We hope to get more information when he calls for Mother's Day in about a month.

Well we heard from Christopher via e-mail today. He arrived in his new area last Wednesday in Mexico in a city called Matamoros. It is located just across the border from Brownsville, TX. He is pretty close to the coast, but border towns can still be rough. His new companion, who Christopher calls "a native," is Elder Escamilla. He is having a very difficult time and is struggling to learn the language. He says that he loves the people though, and the members are great. He informed us that he is only allowed to e-mail his family, and with special permission, other missionaries who are out. So, sorry girls, no more e-mails from Elder C. Keep sending him letters and pray for our dear Elder Sutton.

Christopher in his first Area

Christopher has made it to his first area. We don't know much information yet, but it was a 5 hour drive to get there from the mission home. He says that he has a "native" companion, and he doesn't understand anyone because they talk so fast. We think he is up somewhere close to Brownsville, TX in a border town. As he gives further information, we will share it.

M&M (Mexico Missionary)

Christopher should be safe and sound now in Mexico. We don't expect to hear from him for a few weeks or so. We did, however, get to talk to him on the phone on Monday while he was at the airport waiting for his flight to leave. It was so wonderful to hear his voice and to hear how upbeat and positive he was. All the kids got to talk to him, and I think he enjoyed that more than talking to anyone else. He is giong to make a great missionary of himself.
Christopher's good friend, Mike, left for the MTC today, which means that they just missed seeing each other by a few days. Christopher will always be number one in the eyes of his nieces and nephews, but Mike came in a close second.

Adios

It's official, Elder Christopher Preston Sutton is leaving the country. He is scheduled to leave for Mexico on Monday, March 2 at about 8:30 a.m. We are all excited because he gets to call us from the airport. He decided it would be best for none of us to see him off at the airport, and the fact that the Church tells you not to go. But I think we would have broken the rules if Christopher wanted us too. Check back soon for his new pouch address on the sidebar.

Well, I received a letter from Christopher today, and he seems to be in good spirits. He is getting a little anxious about going to Mexico, but we all know that he is going to do just fine. His pictures show that he is continuing to have a blast, and as you can see in this picture, he's still being a charmer with the ladies.

He has asked for continued support and prayers, which is what we will all continue to do.

New Pictures from Provo!

As you can see, Christopher is having a great time, as usual. I think I counted about 11 different hugging photos. Yes, he takes after his mother, he is a hugger.

Well, we heard from Christopher this week. He sounds great, as usual. Always upbeat and positive. He continues to go on and on about how great this work is and how it is the most spiritual he has felt ever in his life. We get it, he is a great missionary and will be awesome in the field, especially if he keeps up this great attitude. He did mention some great news that he had to share, but he thought he would wait until next week to tell me. Thanks a lot. I hate wait.

The First Pictures from the MTC

Christopher seems to be having a good time. He just can't put down the sword. I guess the force is with him strong. As you can see, he demolished the donuts I sent him. Hopefully he shared the 2 dozen with some of the other missionaries.

Going to the temple is his favorite (and only) outing. Even though he is on a mission, we can clearly see he is still the same old Christopher, alwasy goofing around.

We were happy to see that his fan is being put to good use. Probably the first time he has ever shined shoes in his life. And yet another outing to the Provo Temple.

Greetings from Provo

Well, we received another letter from Christopher today. He was upbeat as usual. He talked about other missionaries and the "girls" that were waiting for them and their pictures all around. Christopher said they asked him if anyone was waiting for him, and he said, "Yes!" and showed them all the pictures of our whole family. How cute is that. Leave it to Christopher to be so down to earth and thoughtful. He continued to talk about how much he has learned, and that he has a deeper more pure understanding of the gospel since entering the MTC. He also noted his 1 month mark, which may not sound like much, but time did fly quite quickly. Elder Sutton reported that a missionary from Guatemala entered the MTC, and so he thought he would try out some of his Spanish on him. Christopher started to bear his testimony in Spanish, and said that the Guatemala missionary didn't have a clue what he was saying. A little disheartening, but the Spanish will come quickly once he is in Mexico (he won't have any choice but to learn it since that is all he will hear).

Christopher has been in the MTC for 3 weeks and 5 days now. He is doing well and reports that the food is "amazing." He also says that the language (Spanish) is coming to him well, and he has never felt the spirit so strong for so long in all his life. He has had a blast with his district and can't wait to get out in the mission field.