Feb 23, 2015

Feb 23, 2015

 

Well, today I am going to be a little more "frito" as they say here and just talk a little about the life here where I am working. It is weird because I am so used to it now but there are a lot of things that are very different here in Mexico and even more here in Huejutla. Some of the things are...... Little gas station type stores in one or two houses on every block. That happens because there are fewer families that have cars here and it’s more convenient to just head next door and do your shopping at the neighbor’s house. Our area is huge so for the same reason we use a lot of taxis and trucks.... haha yes trucks... here in the Huasteca there are tons of little towns outside of town and there are little Nissan trucks with flatbeds and wooden benches in the back and that’s how you get from place to place..... speaking of we are in charge of a little town called Panacaxtlan (panakatzlan "inglish") where there are only about 400 people and the majority make Bread... sweet bread. The only problem is the majority speak a dialect  called Nauat.  They don’t understand very well Spanish so I am now going for another language ahah.... we have picked up a little bit but it is pretty rough......

 So aside for playing in the sticks and eating bread all day we also enjoyed another luxury here in Mexico the other day when my comp overdosed on grease (from egg rolls, French fries, fried bananas and you know it a funnel cake... all homemade) we went to a doctor who charges 35 pesos for a checkup (about 4 bucks) and he tells you what’s wrong and what medicine to buy and all is done in a little room out back of a pharmacy ahah... how convenient right!!!!

 Unfortunately my time is up but I will have you all know that I am loving it here and I am loving the culture (as explained above) I will try to get something better out next week but have a good week everyone and as they say here..... Don’t pet that dog it’s not as friendly as it looks!

Feb 9, 2015

Feb 9, 2015

Well, finally I am able to repent and get out a decent blog! I Had to show up earlier and ask for more time because I made the mistake thinking that things would be a little bit more relaxed this week haha but today there were changes and I was called to open up another area.... again. This will be the third since July and my 7th area in 8 changes.....haha Well, it’s good that time isn’t on my side because even though it is always a great experience opening up an area it is hard work and you don’t sleep much and well ya... haha enough of that.

 Things have been going really well here in the Huasteca...... the enchiladas (]photo 1) are great! The people are super nice and we are having a ton of success with them! (photo 2) and  life is good. Over these past few changes I have learned a lot and hope to be able to put it into practice my whole life. One thing that I have learned is that no matter how busy we are we have to know how to prioritize! Here, with the assignment that I have, it has been hard to make sure that I am doing enough spiritual stuff so that things throughout the day go well. This is an important lesson for all of us! As we get involved in our lives we often fall into the oh so famous pride cycle...... Which means that we follow the declaration in Helaman 12:1 which states that -

 

Y así podemos ver cuán falso e inconstante es el corazón de los hijos de los hombres; sí, podemos ver que el Señor en su grande e infinita bondad bendice y hace prosperar a aquellos que en él ponen su confianza.

 We need to always be worried about this cycle and what point we are on a daily basis. We decide to learn quick or we can decide to learn slow but the sooner we find that starting the day with the Lord in our lives we will be able to get along a lot better in this gift of life God has given us.

But anyways being in a new area I am with a new comp (Photo 3) His name is Elder Harris and he is from Utah! We think we might be cousins haha (I’ll leave you in charge of that mom) but things have been different. This is my first gringo compañion and it has been pretty funny. We’re pretty alike so we have been laughing since about last Monday. The weirdest things have been happing too.... for example..... we showed up to meet some members and as we were talking to the Dad he kindly mentioned to us that our zippers were down haha.... my comp started laughing because he didn’t understand that they were OUR zippers and so after I got mine taken care of the guy mentioned to him again and well it just turned into a funny moment as he had to awkwardly fix his zipper.... and well that has been a little bit of our life this week haha... It should be a good change.

 Time is winding down but for now things are going great here and the mission life is the life to be living!  I think that is so because as we (the missionaries) live 100% in the gospel every day there is very little that could go wrong. So apply that a little more in your life today and it’s probable that you end up just a little bit happier.

 Love ya all and we will talk soon!

Feb 2, 2015

Feb 2, 2015

 

Jan 19, 2015

I love you all I just don’t have time....... haha this is so sad as I love preaching through my blog and writing but I can’t focus on writing while thinking about all the things I have to do this week! I have to take advantage and leave my mark..... so I will do my best to get a letter in next week if I’m not too busy with our zone plan and if so surely in two weeks when the zone class and leaders council is over!  love ya tons!

Jan 26, 2015

I hope you guys know that I love ya tons..... And for next week the zone class should be prepared and everything put together because today I finished and hour of making the cards and the little tedious stuff. Changes are coming up soon and I hope that president takes away a little bit of my responsibility. I have tons to do and even though I like to be busy I am also a perfectionist and that is hard when you are doing three jobs in one (Zone leader, district leader and trainer) one always gets left out.... ha and if it’s not one of my assignments it’s my family. I hope this doesn’t reflect how hard it is to balance a family. Love ya tons and well we will talk next week! Thanks for the letter!

 Feb 2, 2015

Thanks family for the update!!! I finally got your Christmas package on Friday haha! The beef jerky is awesome and thanks so much for the letter. I especially liked the one from Dawson explaining to me how he is trying to read and pray to prepare himself for the mission! But anyways things are going to get ridiculous again .I THOUGHT that I was going to be finishing up in the area that I just opened this change. I was excited for that as we are having a ton of success but it looks like I am going to have one more area. President sent me to open up another area.....  I love opening areas as this will be the 4th or 5th that I open but opening an area is really hard and it requires a lot of work and you never get to stick around to see all  the blessings but oh well..... I guess that’s what I am good at and so that is what I will keep doing ...... but as promised I asked for a bit of time to write you all a good letter so this is for you and I will get out a blog as well! Love ya tons and have a great week!

I lied..... i ran out of time I will finish it next week!

Jan 7, 2015

Jan 12, 2015

Jan 12, 2015

 

Well it’s been getting kinda cold again haha.... I think we may have even got down into the 50´s the other day!!!!! Never thought that 50 degrees was so cold.... and it gets even colder when none of the houses have central heating and in our house we don’t have a water heater.... haha so those showers in the morning wake you up really good! I have been practicing my traditional Mexican yell when I turn on the water......

AYAYAHAJAJAJAJAJAiiiiiiiiiiii !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHa but anyways things have been going great here! I have been super busy with a few different assignments and because of those assignments I haven’t been able to write much because I use up my computer time making formats and typing up plans haha,,,,, but I am lovin it so oh well!!!

I don’t know if a have explained on the blog but here in the mission I have been assigned to what I believe to be my final area. I have been jumping around a-lot and even though I have gotten really good at opening areas, Helping "prodigal" missionaries and battling to lift some of the struggling areas here in the mission I plan to have a good moment here to stick around and see the fruits of my work. We are in probably the most beautiful area in the mission and one of the most difficult. We only have 2 active members in our area and here we haven’t seen a baptism for over a year. However, me and my greenie Elder Vargas are loving it!!!! We are finding tons of people (teaching in one week the lessons they had taught previously in one month here) and we are having a blast...(see the photos)

There is something really special about working in a pueblo. I am afraid I am going to find it very hard to go home. I love it here. I love the work and I love the people. As I ponder on all that I have experienced over these past few years I am amazed and what I have done but more so what being here has done for me. The Gospel is amazing.  Working for the Lord in the salvation of souls is an amazing thing and that is why I am so fond of a wonderful promise in my patriarcle blessing  which states, "Through your missionary activities while on your full time mission, in you church assignments, and in you daily activities, you will continue to share the gospel with those around you and be an instrument in the Lords hands to carry the gospel to many" .  I know that this blessing is not just for me but for all of those that want to partake of the fruits of the first resurrection and the highest degree of glory with our father in heaven.

 invite all to come unto Christ.  Love your Savior enough to put some deep thought into the atonement and put it into practice.  Like Sister Jordan recently said... if you’re not happy here you’re not doing it right...... and well that applies outside the mission as well.... be happy, love everyone and let’s get to work! To work in the only work that we can do side by side with our Savior!

Love you all and have a great week!

https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng#media=16902107223790014226-eng

Dec 8, 2014

Dec 8, 2014

We are hoping to see some big results with the video that is being shown as well as the invites that have been givin out.....

As my last chChristmas here in the mission I am prepared to take advantage of every bit of it..... I am still loving it more and more every day and well Ive got to take advantage because the time is coming to an end......But that just means I have to work harder and teach better to make sure that I have left a mark here in good ol Tampico... and well I think that is how it should be for all of us.... the year is coming to an end... the store are liquidating, accountants are closing and well we are just stuffing our faces with food haha..... maybe this year could be different. Maybe this year we could make it the most memorable.... I think that is done in more than one way.... 

Take a little bit more time this year and look for what more can we do to make this year a better one....how can we capitalize this year with something better than all the rest.... We probably wont find it in gifts or food or vacations but I know that as stated by president Thomas S. Monson that "the spirit of Christmas, is the spirit of Christ" ... Look for him, find him, and then share his and then maybe it make be the best year yet! (https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-12-41-the-christmas-spirit?category=topics/christmas&lang=spa)

Love ya all and have a great week!!!!

Dec 29 2014

Dec 29, 2014
Well, it was a very good Christmas!!

Thanks for all the emails and Christmas wishes! 

Unfortunately I've got to run to Tampico so my time is short. But they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here´s a couple thousand!!!!