The Flood of 2015

Hey everybody!!! Well to be brutally honest the first couple of days this week was complete garbage... Monday was the start of it all with the whole Hermanas fiasco and then we had P-Day Tuesday so we got nothing done those two days.

So real quick before I forget we have been having baptisms I don't know why I don't write about them. My personal count is now 10.

Anyway wednesday my comp wanted to continue doing nothing for the rest of the week so dragging him around didnt really help and we only taught like one person.  And I do all the teaching.  But its ok... i guess.

THURSDAY things started looking up, the zone leaders surprise showed up at our house so you can only imagine the look on my companion's face when he saw us three all dressed up and him still in bed.  I tried to warn him but he only listens so much when he is asleep.  

We went on divisions and Elder Rojas and I went into the center of Poza Rica.  Elder Rojas is an excellent missionary and we had a lot of fun and found some new people.  

We taught this one investigator and she was a pentecostal woman who believes everything that the Zone leaders had taught her but didnt want to be baptized because she believes as long as she goes to a church she will be ok. 

I felt the impression to planch her a really uncommon prompting but I turned to matt 7 and told her that not everyone who believes and goes to just any church will be saved, and then to 2 Nephi 30-31 and planched her about being baptized.  

And she was like.  "Sabes que necesito que bautizarme" 

(You know what I need to get baptized) 

And so that was just a good little lesson.  

So It rained and rained and rained and then rained some more.  Like monsoon season in Vietnam, I know I go on about Vietnam but Im still not convinced that I am only in Mexico.  It rained to points where we were wading in water above my knees.  On the flat plane of Alamo, Almost half of the entire city was flooded.  WE GOT TO WORK IN SHORTS HOW COOL RIGHT!?!?!?!?!?

I took a LOT of pictures but never did dare ti take them when it was two deep but I will send them all.

Thanks everyone for you emails I hope you are all doing good.  I love and miss you all! 

Elder Andrew Basile

Riding on a members motorcycle to the other side of the town was really fun.

 Dont let the gangster look fool you the pizza here in Mexico is terrible.

This little chaparin is hilarious just cuz he is tiny and his voice sounds so funny. 

 Pancakes at the zone leaders house

Elder Rojas y yo

The whole gang

 We found these emoji pillows in a store and had to take pictures

 And this was only in the morning.

 Wasnt too bad in this street. 

 Yes we were walking through that... We dont get days off as missionaries haha

 Enjoying the empty streets to ourselves

  The mexicans were all freezing to death... it was like 70 degrees...

 This picture doesnt do this pig justice it is bigger than me.

And its face is way scary.

 There are a lot of strange statues here in Mexico.

 Nothing like a little candlight study when the lights go out. 

This house is super cool.  It is in the Hermanas area but we have all of alamo cuz they are gone now. 

Spot the Martian.  HAHAHA

Finally finished all the ink in this pen since the MTC. WHOOP!

 

WHAT A WEEK

First off, wow sorry I didnt email yesterday there was an emergency with the Hermanas and we were sent to escort them to Xalapa, so we didnt have P-Day it was more like policeman day... I dont know that probably sounds weird.  

So I shouldnt really give very many details but one of the Hermanas (Hma. A) called the President about something that the Hma. B did and that escalated to them yelling and screaming at each other and scaring all the member neighbors.  

One of the two of the older women members came running over screaming "¡AYYYE LA HERMANA ES POSESIVA POR EL DIABLO!" And then while they were explaining to us that Satanas was attacking the house of the Hmas we got a call to run over to the Hmas house to take control of the situation.  

And it is a good thing we got there when we did because when we got there one of the hmas was threatening to attack the other.  

Needless to say we "Detained" Both of the Hmas and separated them and took them to Poza Rica where they were escorted to Xalapa by two different companionships of hmas.  

I wish I could explain more in detail but I shouldnt.  

So today is P-Day! woohoo. kindof.

Elder Campos sent this to me today.

Amigo ayer se bautizó Adán Lucero y su familia, el presidente estebo ahí y discurso bien chido planchando a los miembros, en otras palabras, recordarles su deber, cuando Adán compartió su testimonio le misiono a usted ya mi, que el Señor nos puso en su camino como respuesta a sus oraciones, y que fuimos el medio para cambiar su vida, y mejoro su relación con su esposa ya que estaban a punto de separarse... Yo se que ellos le aman.

He is talking about the marriage and baptism of the family of Adan in Tezuitlan, that this week they were baptized and Adan bore his testimony to the ward about how we found him at a pivotal point in his life where he was on the edge of divorce, and how Elder Campos and I were able to change their lives and improve their relationship.  But we all know that Elder Campos and I didnt change their lives.. The gospel of JESUS CHRIST changed their lives for the better.  

You guys cannot understand what this means to me.  I just want to cry.  This family meant so much to me and to leave them behind for a different area crushed me.  But to hear about his testimony and how good they are doing and how I was at least able to be apart of his conversion just means so much.  

Soooo... I finished the Book Of Mormon guys... que chido que chido.  It only took me two and a half months. HAH here on the mission a person can probably finish in about a month.  

Everything is good.  We have found a family of GOLD! And they are progressing well.  Except I basically teach everything because besides the first discussion my comp doesnt know how to teach the other lessons so all he does is confuse the investigators and I have to go back and clean up his mess.  

But its irritating that he wont study.. Ever.  Aww, well I guess Ill just keep pressing forward and encouraging him and hope that he will change his mind.  

Sorry again about yesterday. I love you all and thanks for the emails!!!

 

So I met a crocodile the other day at an investigator´s house!!

 This Helicopter bush at that same investigator´s house

This tree is cool there arent a lot of things like that in the states

 So this Army of ants is cool there are a lot of ant colonies like this here they are huge tooo!

Sometimes we just stand up on things and start preaching repentence unto the multitudes... haha Jk but we thought it would be funny to take a picture like that.

Sometimes we just stand up on things and start preaching repentence unto the multitudes... haha Jk but we thought it would be funny to take a picture like that.

  I saw this hat and I'm not really into flat brimmed hats like this but I baught it because I thought it was really cool.  Probably will never wear it but it will be cool memorabilia.

 What little apple orchards look like after many years.

 Sometimes you just find cool flowers they literally look like they were white with purple or pink watercolor painting.

 Bunch of women playing softball... but they dont really play baseball here.

GOAAAAAL HAHA FINALLY I GOT A PIC OF ONE

.........

So this week has been really good and really bad, we have had some crazy spiritual experiences.

To start off it's hot, like always but the humidity might actually kill me. I don't think any of you can understand what it is like to walk around in literally SOAKED clothes, from sweat and humidity.  You shoes literally start to pool the sweat.  Which reminds me I have always walked completely through the insoles of my shoes and through many of my socks.. And that's from wearing them once every 1 to 2 weeks.  That's how much we walk here. 

So we found 13 new investigators this week we crushed the rest of the zone by 5.  It all started monday after leaving the house of a member we were heading home and kind of hurried.  When we passed a dude sitting in front of his stor.  I didn't really think anything of it until the thought came to my mind. "The LORD puts people in your path to give them the opportunity to receive the gospel." 

Didn't really apply that to him until the spirit was like: "Honestly... turn around and go talk to him.." So we went back.  The saw that I was a Gringo and started talking in ENGLISH! So I talked to him in English and we set up a lesson with him.  

Then we just went off finding people.  Another time we were in a place called Idolo and we were having just the worst luck.  And I was praying so hard to find someone, just because It was late, and we were like in the farthest part of our area and it was hotter than usual.  

So we were sitting there on the curb and this house came into my mind and all the details that apply.  Everything, even the trees and the front yard as if I had seen it before.  

But again, I just thought it was something that just popped into my head nothing special.  }

We weren't really going door to door that day but rather just street contacting.  

After about twenty more minutes of just nothing, I SAW THE HOUSE :/

We called to a lady sitting on the front porch talking to a man who we could tell was getting ready to leave, so we just waited.  But she just kept talking and talking and talking to him.  Like after 7 or 8 minutes we were just sitting there waiting, don't ask me why we didn't leave.  When the lady finally talked to us she was so excited, because she had been struggling... She was inactive with 2 unbaptized daughters!!!! GOLD yeah.

We had just the greatest lesson with them and I just know they are going to progress rapidly.

So yeah that's kind of been how this week has gone.  It has been soooo hard but really good.  Like my body is so toast every morning and every night but it's like I just have this crazy drive to keep going.  And that mixed with my companions lack of desire to get anything done balances out really well actually.

It's hard because there are sometimes when we really disagree on somethings and we aren't like fighting just speaking in loud voices at a very fast pace in spanish.  

But we get along pretty good.  There is times when it is like we get along really good and we are bros and then there are times when I want to wring his neck. But hey that's life right. 

Anyway, So instead of Halloween they have Dia De Los Muertos and Todos Santos.  Where all they do is make shrines of their ancestors and eat bread and tamales... a lot of bread and tamales.  

I have eaten so many tamales and so much bread It's getting old. 

I'm getting fat to... like I'm getting a beer belly, and I am very uncomfortable being fat. Because I'm really used to being really skinny.  But I'm really filling out my arms to like getting a lot more muscle.  But my beer belly is dumb.  

Anyway that's about it.  Hopefully this week is a little less physically draining.  

Thanks for all the Emails. 

Love you all

Elder Basile

Shopping 

 Grandpa Don has the EXACT SAME THING but in english back by the pool on the wall.  So I thought Id take a picture of it.

CORN LIKE OFF OF NACHO LIBRE! I was pretty excited

Sometimes we are male models.  I am most of the time.

 

They just put soccer fields in the middle of the jungle it doesnt even matter to them.

 Just taking a nap in the grass... sike its the side of a building.

The only house in Mexico to celebrate Halloween! Almost rivals Grandpa Dons house

A MEMBER MADE ME A HANKIE how nice

 If you don't believe that I am in Vietnam after 3 weeks you are crazy

Only Jaguars climb these trees because they are so sharp

This Pony was cute, he let me ride him.

 SOME of the dogs here are really cute.

This is Claudio, every once in awhile he hops up on the window hoping to sneak in but he always finds the window closed and has a very annoyed face

"Oh thou child of hell"  This made me literally laugh out loud.  I feel like amulek was just talking matter of fact and it was just hilarious to me.

Rufino the cat sleeps a lot.  

These things just plane will kill you if they feel like it.  They are literally the size of my palm.