2nd email 2-21-12

Family,
¿Comó Estan? Mom first here is my address. It is the mission office you send it to always and they will send it to me. Calle 82 # 55-20 APT 201/ Colombia Barranquilla/ teléfono 358-2818. I think you have all that in my mission papers though
The things are the same, besides you being in Tennessee. With me a lot has changed and a lot has happened. The girl from Venezuela is named Ana. We committed her to be baptized on the 19th and she accepted, but we have not been able to teach her again. Elder Barazoto is Italian and white. Not Latin looking.
I sent some pictures a few I think of the last little bit of the MTC, I want to send some of the pictures from here in the mission but the attachment thing won’t pop up. The computers are really slow so if not now, next week for sure.
This week has gone a lot better than the first week. Like a said I am serving in Cartagena in the ward of Los Alpes. I gave my introduction to the ward and gave my testimony. Monday Elder Barazoto and I went to a famous place here called La Popa. Only mountain around for miles, but you get a great view of the ocean and of Colombia, even Venezuela. We had and awesome experience. I’ll explain in short….We took a bus to the bottom of the mountain and decided to walk the rest. On the way up I heard something behind me say get out of here. Anyways we kept walking up some stairs and it started to rain so we went back the way we came to the main street to get a taxi. It only rained for 5 minutes and that’s what made us turn around. Later we passed the same spot where we were at and father up the road were some people waiting, who would have robbed us. A huge Blessing! In that place there is a lot of American tourist so it happens a lot, but if we hadn’t have had rain for those 5 minutes it could have been a different experience. Beyond that I haven’t felt unsafe once being here.
The people here are really nice and excepting. It’s different totally different. During lessons when we track and ask someone to hear the message we share of Christ they bring out chairs for us and we give an introduction to them about us and they give us one. Colombians love to get into conversation, random conversation and just talk, talk, talk. I am doing great. Sorry I didn’t say much I spent time trying to figure out the pictures which didn’t really work, but I will respond to the questions you have next week. I love you all and speak soon.
Elder Cody N. Ridley