My first week in Chicago

Hola familia y amigos!
Yes, my Preparation Days are now on wednesdays. It sounds nice that the weather up there has been coming up, as for me, ever since my first day the temperature has been steadily declining. There were what we like to call "Arctic Winds" blowing the other night as we were tracting some apartments.
It was freezing! The great thing is that my coat is perfect. Throw on the thermals, my coat, a hat and some gloves and I am set to do anything. A ski mask would be nice but we can't wear those so my face just gets to turn to ice.
This past week... where to begin?? It's amazing out here. Yes, my first area is Bloomingdale 2, and my companion is the district leader. His name is Elder Witham, and we get along great. He is originally from California, but moved to Lehi, Utah during High School. He actually went to BYU before coming out here, and sang in the BYU Men's Chorus. We have a lot in common and he seems to be a really cool Elder. He has taught me quite a bit already, being as he has been in this area...since he left the MTC! He has been on his mission for a year tomorrow, and has been in Bloomingdale the entire time. Truth be told that's not normal, but President Doll said he liked the area and the people, so he saw no reason to make him change. So he knows the members and the people here really well and has a great relationship with the people. It really is his second home. So he has a lot to teach me about the area. Also, he is a great trainer, very obedient, and knows how to be exactly obedient and have a lot of fun doing it.
The work: we have one investigator who is working really hard toward a baptismal date. His name is Trinidad Mesias. He thinks his name is quite hilarious as he comes to find God. Directly translated, his name would be "Trinity Messiah." I figure it sounds like he's been prepared since birth for this. We have about...8-10 progressing investigators, and we're giving some baptismal commitments this coming week. It's really exciting. We've done quite a bit of tracting this past week, and in some cases it has been quite fruitful.
The members here are really involved. They love the missionaries and want to become helpful to the missionary work. We are serving in a branch, and there are a couple spanish wards in the City, or so I hear. We've had meals with about 4 families this week, and shared messages about finding investigators for the missionaries. The food is great. They were quite impressed at the ward luncheon after church, and again at a member's house, when I was able to eat multiple hot peppers in hot sauce. Apparently most missionaries don't have a stomach for hispanic food the way that it's supposed to be. I told them that after eating my grandpa's hot chili, having a dad who enjoys straight jalapenos and eating Dave Benson's chili at the ward chili cookoff, their idea of hot wasn't so bad. It was great.
I live in a flat, just me and my companion. It's a fun little place. Yes send all letters and packages and everything to the mission office address which you already have. We're not supposed to tell our address to anyone ever. I'm not going to lie, it's kinda cool: there are only less than like 30 people in the world that know where I live. I'm off the map. It's pretty intense haha. Oh I have a story to tell, and my mother will be very proud of me:
My companion and I decided to have Burger King on friday night. Well he should have listened to the little voice that told him not to have the whopper, because on saturday we spent the day at home. He was throwing up any time that he stood up. Well, I didn't want to waste the day, and I had noticed something when I moved in: that place needed to be deep cleaned.
Badly. So I spent from 10am when we finished studies, to 9pm when we started planning, cleaning! I now have a shopping list of items that we need in order to properly clean the flat which I will be getting today at the store. You should have seen the microwave. It hadn't been cleaned out... in 10 months. I was disgusted. So I cleaned it out, organized the cabinets in the kitchen, swept the kitchen floor, swept and mopped the bathroom, cleaned the toilet, vacuumed, cleaned off the counters, put the dishes away... and I'm still not done. But it looks much better. Moral of the story: God provides a way for those who earnestly seek. Even if that way is via food poisoning from a bad burger. Other moral: Don't impulsively decide to eat at Burger King. Ever.
Up until I got here, I thought that I had amazing Spanish. I was very humbled in the first appointment that we had. It was a "go-back" from a door that my companion had knocked earlier in the week. She spoke spanish. Fast. I understood what we were talking about, but I don't know if she understood what I was saying. Then later in the week came sacrament meeting. I understood the basics of what they were getting at, enough that I can tell you that Sacrament was about Prayer as a divine means to receive inspiration, and Gospel Principles was on agency. I forget what priesthood was about. But I really really realized the need for the Spirit when I teach or am in a Spanish environment. As well as the need to learn to actually speak Spanish.
Yes we drive everywhere, except if you're posted in the city in the summer. I received the package, thanks for the additional thermals, they're lifesavers.
Anyway, I have to go now but much love,
Elder Jordan Green.