A whole transfer and no baptisms

Hey everybody how are you all I am going to make this email short because I really want to write some people individually.  This week started off great, we found a couple of new investigators.  I love speaking spanish the gift of tongues is the craziest thing.

That was about it for good.  

Ya this week pretty much was terrible, that baptism that fell through, well yeah Luis is his name and hes pretty cool.  He was my first lesson as a missionary and we taught him basically everyday for a month.  He has work in Cholula a city more in central mexico and was planning on coming back to be baptized.  Well when he went to church with a member we talked to there he ended up saying hi to the missionaries and they basically stole his baptism from us.  He called and said that instead of coming come for the whole week he is just going to stay another week but be baptised sunday (yesterday).  

Ya I feel like I just to a line drive to the gut.  I mean I love him and all but we worked our tails of for him, for three weeks he was really not very motivated until the last week.  We accomidated a lot for him and he decided to just up and leave not tell us, and then be baptized by two other missionaries that new him for half a day.

I havent actually cried since I got dropped off at the MTC but all the stress-- and fatigue of walking like 10 miles a day and not sleeping because we live next to some dogs that their owners never let of their leash so they bark like 24 hours a day-- finally hit me and I wasnt like bawling I just kinda sat out on the patio and cried a little because I wasnt feeling like letting Elder Campos see me cry.  

And not like crying cuz I feel bad for my self it was just like letting out a lot of stress crying.  Like I genuinly love Luis I have prayed for hours over this period of time for him to get baptized.  Now its just kindof like... I dont get to see it through and it kindof stung.  

Elder Campos however probably could sense something was wrong and talked me back to myself.  En Verdad he is... oops to be honest he is really a genuine guy and cares so much for me.  

And I understand that its not all about how many baptisms you have, yeah if we wouldnt have found him and pushed him along it never would have happened probably but... idk I guess Im just venting because its hard to vent in spanish.  IDK why.  

Being a missionary is one of the best things that could have happened to me because I have learned to appreciate everything more, and its only been like a month and a half or something.  I can only imagine how much more I will learn by the end of this two years.  

Sorry everybody, I dont mean to be a poor sport its just hard but lemme tell you you experience a whole different type of joy as a missionary that is amazing, these weeks make the good times much more meaningful.  

I really appreciate you all and love you all dont worry about me.  I love all the emails thank you so much!

 

 Wow look at that boulder thats a nice boulder-- donkey from shrek and I didnt take this picture to be a dumb...donkey no pun intended. ok ya it was.

In HueHueymico people find ways to get things moved from one place to another

 The Vegetation here is crazy

 This wall goes through the city it divides the communist east side of Tezuitlan from the other. Its a dangerous part of town.

 We eat tacos everyday, and that makes me happy.

I got my haircut today by a real barber he is an artist with scissors.

 FLWRZ

One Month Down

Hello everybody I hope you are all doing good! I really love all the emails Its awesome.

So Im one month old in the mission.  It really feels like two weeks its crazy, The days go by so fast but at the end of the day everybone in your body hurts and you are soaking wet from the rain.  

So it rains from about.... 2pm to about 3pm here everysingle day.  There is about 3 to 4 inches of standing water on the streets.

So we had a baptism scheduled for yesterday with I person we who commited to be baptized my first day here, but I didnt realize it because I couldnt understand his accent.  

We everything was ready, the font was filled and.......... he didnt show up.

I think the LORD is teaching me patience because I was a little enojado. or angry, sorry its hard to write in english now... :\

Anyway, the bishop asked us about 20 minutes before sacrament if we would give a 10-15 minute talk each.  He is a really good dude and likes and trusts me a lot so of course I had to say yes.

When you are a missionary the spirit just tells you what to say if you listen hard enough, its a beautiful thing.  I talked about prayer and faith and trust in the lord and the anweres we get from prayers, I was the concluding speaker so I had to take up all the extra time but it was ok.

I love the food here, and the members take such good care of us.  Please you guys if you ever get the opprotunity be super nice to them and if you ever have a reference to give  dont just say the orange house on the third street north named tina. The mexicans have a real problem with that. HAHA but seriously your kindness helps them more than you could imagine I promise, they appreciate it even if they are just kids.

We got a few more investigators the first part of the week it was awesome we found a family who I know we are going to baptize they actually read all the pamphlets and the Book of Mormon! They even came to the Ward Activity!!! They have a real desire to find the truth and have been looking for religion and apparently ours is just "feeling right".  Hmm wonder what that is... maybe the spirit. 

The latter part of the week all we have done is knocked on doors and had them slammed in our face, or had our ears talked off. 

We spent about 20 minutes at one abuelita (old woman grandma) door all she was talking about was her knowledge of truth and right and how our religion is foolish and untrue.  I pulled my camera out of my phone unfolded the screen and pretended to start talking on the phone, then  told my companion to go, and we escaped!

Hopefully we planted some sort of seed, doubt it, anyway she will find out when she wakes up in spirit prison wondering why her knowledge of truth and right didnt help out at all.

OH HOW EASY TO BE CATHOLIC! Everybody is but never goes to church but think they will be saved anyway.

A RELIGION WITHOUT SACRIFICE IS NOT A RELIGION AT ALL

Being LDS is not as hard as you would think it just takes a change of heart.  

We study so much, We ended up going to bed around 1AM last night because we got so enveloped in our own personal studies in the scriptures we didnt even notice the time flew by.

Everyone read 2 Nephi 31..? 10-21 its so cool at how simple the commandments are and how they bring salvation.

Today I blessed a member who went with one of her friends an excorsism of her friends family member in a Catholic Church and has had nightmares everynight.  It was in one of the other Elders area but his companion and mine where out buying fish for lunch.

The spirit is so strong in blessings and its crazy how it can calm a person.

Anyway thats about it, this week has been crazy I love you all and hope you are all doing amazing!

 

 The flowers here are beautiful 

 And I found some wandering jews (plant) in a colony called Le Legua

 So this giant boot is pretty amazing. Its a leather shoe store.  Seeing a cowboy boot made me so homesick but I got over it quickly.

 So there are some big people here in Mexico.  And here they can buy pants.  Haha its like a fashion store in Mexico.

We helped build a house the other day forgot to mention that.  We mix it all by hand and use buckets to transport it... Hopefully all the cement washed out.

 So yeah, it rains, and rains and rains xinfinity this is everyday here haha.

The ward party was fun I got to wear this sombrero

When you are studying in four different books... everynight.

 

Week 2 Bien Chido (Really Cool)

Hey everybody thanks for all the emails.  So this week has been so much better! Your prayers definitely make it all better!  So we got 3 baptismal dates this week!  Usually the mission averages 1-2.  Man Mexico is cool, the people are cool but there are a lot of straight up weird people too!  The members are sooooooo nice and the old lady members are just the best.  Most of them are single but cook a meal for us fit for like 10 people and want us to eat it all haha!  They just love talking to us.

Other people are quite nice manners here focus on being very friendly and respectful.  Then there are the people that dont like the missionaries and are just straight mean.  When you walk down the street or ride in a combie (mini taxi bus) you pass people just standing in their front yard staring aimlessly into the distance and they will just seem to do that for hours hahah.  There are a lot of Borachos (drunks) on the streets and will be passed out on the sidewalk or in an alley or against a wall.  One I thought was dead, cuz he had not moved for 2 days but then the next morning we saw him walking around.  

So we have had a lot more success here now.  We first taught a 21 year old mom of 2 single obviously... there are hundreds of single moms here.  I really pushed myself and taught half of if not most of the lesson.  Then we invited her to be baptized and she said yes and seemed very determined.  The first baptism date of my own, I cant explain the pure joy that brings.  I know there is a long way to go with them but man... just man its an amazing feeling you dont understand unless you experience it first hand.

Man its hard to write in english I really have to think through the sentences and spelling.  I am happy to say I am basically fluent now there are very few things I cant say or understand.  But Mexicans speak so much slang that that is tough sometimes.  

Anyway, The next we contacted an older woman to was like, Hey my son would love to hear from you guys.  He lived next door.  She brought him over to her house.  Taught him.  At first she was working in the kitchen but you could tell was listening intently.  When we started talking about baptism she left her cooking and came and sat with us.  He accepted the invitation!!!! She wants to but wants us to come over more before she makes a for sure decision.  They are really cool.  Man the spirit just feels like wind in wind in those lessons you can feel it so strong.  

The next morning on the way to a reference we got attacked by a pack of farrel dogs that lives in a corn field.  The other day when we passed by we noticed they all follow this big dark brown and black evil looking one we call El Diablo.  They didnt bother us the day that we got doors slammed in our face but this time when we were teaching a lot of people the attacked!  It was so scary cuz like we cant really get away cuz its next to a long wall.  Anyway they run into the field and then come flying at us barking and growling.  Elder Campos throws rocks and they run away.  One time a white one came to attack him and he had to hit it with his umbrella.  El Diablo came flying at me and I kicked that freaking mut in the face.  I think I broke his jaw but dont know for sure. To be honest really wouldnt care if that piece of crap died.  I was scared to death.  We havent gone back since but we have a very good reference there.  

We went to the Rededication of the Mexico City temple at the chapel yesterday and it just made my day.. just the spirit that was with us all day.

The third family we taught was so amazing she is some evangelist idk but invited us in.  I really pushed myself to talk a lot in this lesson and taught so much with the spirit everytime we spoke she would start bawling. I swear the Holy Ghost was sitting right next to me, and was shouting for more than half the lesson to just invite her to be baptized.sheccepted and I havent felt that much peace in the whole mission.  Three weeks HAHA  Then her drunk husband came in and started yelling at us.  But as soon as we said we were representatives of Jesus Christ he calmed down completely.

We taught there family yesterday and he accepeted the word of wisdom and has goals set in place to stop drinking.  We are going to baptize there whole family I just know it. 

Being a missionary is so hard physically and mentally but these moments make you forget the bad.  All you guys in the MTC have something crazy comeing haha.

I really love being a missionary.  Elder CAmpos is the bombe we get along so well.  

Mexico is so beautiful, and yes Nana the flowers here all smell amazing!

Thank you all for writing.  I am so greatful for your emails.

I love you all.

Oh and our Address is 

Mision Mexico Xalapa

Av. ARCO Vial SUR #738

Local 5

Col. Lomas Verdes Xalapa,

Veracruz

C.P. 91098

  The people here make shapes with their hedges its really cool.

  I cant describe the pure joy that these pictures bring to me.  You could never know unless you experience it!

  Waiting for a Combie to take us to Ayotxingo

  This part of the Jungle is called Narnia.

  The Humble abode, our house is super nice for this part of the city.

This horse attacked me when I tried to pet her and her foal... never again will I trust animals.

More of Narnia

 This snake is super venomous so I thought it would be a good Idea to get up close and take a picture.

HAHA JK MOM I used zoom on my camera I was a safe distance away.

 The Fog here is very intense!

First Week in Mexico

So Hi everybody how is it going?  Its all good here.  Its  like nowhere I have ever been before,  straight jungle with huge cities intertwined in them!  I love it here, but to be honest, even after a week it is very emotionally spiritually and PHYSICALLY draining.  I feel like everyday Heavenly Father pushes my body and my testimony to the absolute breaking point.  No kidding.  But each day he finds a way to strenghthen my testimony and I am grateful for that.

Its like maxing you legs and arms, every single day at the gym.  And you wake up the next morning a little bit stronger and feeling good but each night you barely make it to your bed haha.  Not as many people here like the missionaries as you would think I guess.  But this mission has the highest baptism rate in the world.  

Elder Campos is amazing and not afraid to talk to anyone.  He has the craziest knowledge of the gospel and testimony as well.  He speaks like no english but he is very understanding of my spanish and we actually communicate really well.  We walk everywhere and it is all mountians it is litteraly not level anywhere except in buildings and homes.  We are contacting so many people every day.  

The food is reallllllly good, and hasnt beaten me up to bad. haha.  We eat so many tacos and drink so much coke and orange fanta becuase the water is not clean.  But we eat so much different stuff.  The older sisters here in the mission are amazing to feed us. If we didnt walk so much Id be fat as a pig!  

Im really missing you all and sorry if I dont email you back.  Know I read each and everyone and they mean the world to me!  

So two days ago we literally taught one lesson and had 62 doors slammed in our face.  At the last one I about broke into tears and I prayed and only said.

Heavenly Father,  I have faith, but please strengthen my faith.  ITNOJC Amen.

As we were about to leave we knocked on one last door and the lady was mean at first.  but let us in we taught a lesson and the spirit was so strong that as I was bearing my testimony everyone was crying.  That lesson saved me.  

Anyway everything is so good here.  Its the hardest thing Ive ever done and its only been a week haha :/

Anyway I love you guys and apprecieate the emails.

Until Next week.

 

 People just tie their animals to the ground here in mexico.

It is really exhausting being a missionary. But it is all worth it in the long run.  And your testimony grows each day.

 This pic goes in the first one with exhaustion.

Never would have been this lucky had I not gone on a mission. HAHA  FOUR LEAF CLOVERS ARE REAL!

 The flowers here are really pretty!

 

 Preparing to enter the Jungle.

Yep just trecking in this... wheres my machete at?¿?

  Just on the roof of a house overhanging a cliff nbd

 

 The stairs here are HELLo

 My and Elder Campos my Compañero

This Flower is the size of my head!

 

On my way to Mexico

  Last week's email we never recieved. 

Anyway so I was the only missionary to fly out on sunday and all the
workers couldnt believe it.  Its funny too because they are all
returned missionaries.  Utah I guess.  Hahah.  So WHen I was getting
on the plane the ticket guy asked where I was sitting. (all the way in
the back corner)   He then took my ticket and exchanged it for one in
FIRST CLASS! so that was pretty amazing a bunch of free stuff.  I was
pretty much all to my self though.  Lemme tell you flying for the
first time and being sick as a dog dont mix well.  I dont really dig
flying just cuz i was so sick.  When we flew over mexico city I
couldnt believe what I saw I have never seen suck a sight.  The city
went on for as far as the eye could see!

Everyone was so nice to me I couldnt belive it.  Some of them even
helped me through customs! Haha I had the opprotunity to talk with a
guy from italy who has taken the missionary discussions has been to
church even general conference.  He loves mormons but has kindof had
cold feet about being baptised.  I talked with him for about 15-20
minutes and we just talked about mormons in general.  I left him with
my testimomy and hope also with a good impression from the spirit as
well.

When I was walking out to get picked up there was no one there for me.
Finally I found someone with missionary tags.  Except they were
picking up another Older Missionary couple..  He called my president
and He said that they quote kinda forgot about me........

I dont know if I believe that for sure or not but its whatever.  So
Benjamin and another fellow temple worker from the Mexico City temple
came and picked me up and took me to the MEXICO CITY MTC! So guess
what? I got to see a lot of the homies!! I am very grateful for that!

I slept only two hours that night because the district I was in left
for their mission at 2 and I got on a bus at 4!  So being sick as a
dog riding a bus through mexico and being tired really made me
question Why I was even on a mission! I was kindof mad at myself that
I wanted to go home but couldnt resist the doubt.

I met our president and his wife who are just the nicest people ever.
And got my compañero Elder Campos a very cool and very dedicated
missionary from here in mexico.

Today we arrived at our first Area Tezuitlan with 6 other
missionaries. We went and ate at a members house and spoke with her
non member sister.

They were so nice.

Many of you will never truly understand poverty.  To be in innercity
Mexico or Xalapa people are so very poor that it literally hurts.

But they are so nice to us.  So I am doing better today. A lot better.
(probably due to all the praying i did last night)

Im having fun now and really enjoing it all.

I am sorry if I couldnt write you back.  I love and miss you all and
am trying to talk to everyone but I really dont have a whole lot of
time!

 The Sky above Mexico

 "Homies" at the Mexico MTC

 Elder Stahle, Elder Winget, Elder Messinger, Elder Saaralinen and me