Ayo!!

March 22, 2021

Great week here!! So fun to talk to yall!! Heres a long recap haha sorry its so long. Cant wait to talk!!! 

Spanish, continuing to see the gift of tongues. Words are putting put into my mouth super cool experiences where i would study a rule and then was using it correctly without really realizing it. The gift if tongues continues to be so real!! 

Mosíah 5. This mighty change of heart, so much joy. I've felt that on my mission I feel like. Seeing your natural and carnal state, things I did before the mission and being like that was so dumb why. And also recognizing I am nothing, even less than the dust. Always unprofitable butbyet as we keep the commandments and do the Lords will he blesses us continuly, and in incredible ways. Literally to be a tool on in his hands it's so amazing. And having the desire to do good continually and the true happiness from it. I was just super happy the rest of the day i read these chapters it was super cool. Also i really loved how after the people had thisbchange of heart they were desirous to make a covenant with God. Covenants are absolutely essential!! They are the whole reason for the church and the preisthood, so we can make promises with God, get closer to Him. And there are certain blessings in life He can only give us through these promises. They are such a strength and protection and blessing. Crazy to think some people see them as restrictions maybe, they clearly just dont understand. And lastly the covenant they made was to tale upon them the name of Jesus Christ, what we do at baptism. I also love how it says they had this name written on their hearts forever. As a missionary i absolutely love this sacred time and privilege to literally have the Saviors name on my chest. It is incredible. But at the same time I'm so happy that will still be written on my heart after I'm down with my mission and continue on different paths, still striving to progress and make that time the best time as Dad has said. But yeah just some things I loved about what I read and have been thinking about here during lunch on this windy Tuesday afternoon in El Paso. 

Wandering 40 days. Trust the timing of the Lord.

Alex y su mamá 

Strongest spirit when explaining the Atonement. So cool. 

Alex and Gael came to mutual!!

Awesome lesson with Irma and Gael

Spirit, prayer, reading LdM, going to church!!, sacrament, Baptism!!, endure to the end 

Service w hno Alva. 

Air-ated his lawn lol I have no idea how to spell that. We poke holes in his dead grass with poles haha. It was actually kind of a work out, and I think I did as much as the other three combined. But hno Alva is awesome. He was trying to get us to ask President for permission so we could go with the youth to the Carlsbad caverns which is out of the mission, and ask to go over and watch the BYU tournament game with him lol. And he got us each half a chicken after for lunch, it was dang good 

Clase de Inglés

Only had 3 people but it still was a lot of fun and we mentioned how we don't drink to the people and they were interested in that. Hopefully next time they said they can stay and hear a gospel message after which would be dope 

District Council was lit!! First training was on Baptism and being a successful missionary. I like how they put these together honestly. Baptism is absolutely the goal, it's a huge partof our purpose as missionaries. That's why in the CCM they have Mateo 28:19, go ye therefore baptizing nations, it is essential becuase covenants are essential to God's plan. I know that to be true!! I love my covenants. But at the same time they don't define a successful missionary. People have their agency, their oen path, their own timing that we can't control. All we can do is give our very best, work our very hardest and I know as we do that the Lord will use us and we will feel the Spirit work through us. We will be instrumentos en Sus manos. Maybe that means a baptism, sometimes not. Sometimes it takes a lot of missionaires to get to the cultivation of a baptism. But I know the Lord will use us to be part of it as we are obedient and work hard. We will feel God's love for His children, those we serve, and we will feel thr spirit testify through us. Super cool stuff. Then with the second, I chose enduring to the end, kind of continuing there we talked about the goal is conversion. For us and them. As well the goal is the temple. I had Elder Hannemann make a sandwhich in 4 steps and not do the 5th and eat it which was like the Gospel of Jesus and not enduring, or in other words enjoying, to the end. I thought it turned out good!! Really good discussion and participation, the Spirit was there for sure. 

Comida 

Tuna Sandwhich w Siracha Mayo was too good this week wow. Also bought the Fairlife chocolate milk, dang good stuff and it reminds me of home. Had some really good kickin chicken w Broccoli which slapped 

Saturday 

We had a lesson at 8:30 in the morning with this girl in Juarez named Sosan and I'm pretty sure we actually woke her up w the call but it turned out way good. She ended up asking us about baptism which was dope. Hopefully she will just read the LdM!! 

Service at the foodbank was a fun time

Juana talked on the phone for an hour about how she's taking care of 6 dogs rn haha it was good to talk to her but we hardly got a message in. She's funny 

Luis and Carmen!!!!! So so elect it is insane!! We invited them to read part of Alma 40 and they read not only that but Alma 41 and 42 as well. And they were like they yeah it all sounds good! We went through and explained it more and they were like this is awesome. They loved especially the resurrección and how our bodies will be perfect. And they understood the kingdoms of glory so well, Luis goes I love how we will all be saved because God loves us but the glory where will go just depends on us. God loves us so much and wants all His children to be happy, to be saved, but He can't choose for them. I was legit like ok Luis cut the joke, you're already a member arent you hahaha they are just the best. 

Sunday 

4 people at church!! Milagros!! Irma and Paty both came!!! They said Gael was too slow getting up but it was great to have the two of them there! And Alex came too! He has some new shoes, a fresh hair cut and was doing good. And lastly this lady named Alicia was on zoom, she's the one whose son was a missionary. 

Dulce!

So Dulce is a 12 year old girl who comes to church every week with her aunt. We just found out tho she's not baptized, so we might have something there! We talked to her at church and she was really nice!! A little shy but nice. She's the biggest 12 yr old girl tho ever wow haha.  Not sure exactly whats up w her family but her parents are divorced. We are going to go over and visit her and her aunt and dad on Friday hopefully!! 

Sac for Alex's mom 

After church we went over w Bishop to visit Alexs mom and take her the sacrament. She said she hasnt had the sacrament since Alex was born, so like 17 years. It was pretty dang cool!! It was the first time ive taken the sacrament to someone in the mission. The spirit was strong and she said she felt really peaceful which was really cool because she is a little bit of a harder lady. Nice, but just a working class more serious lady I guess. And at the end she was able to set up a time with bishop to get an interview for her Patriarcal blessing! Super cool thing 

Sang at a funeral 

The pianist of our ward passed away back in January, I think just of old age. Maybe a heart attack but not covid. I only talked to him like once but he was a nice man. Kind of crazy tho bc the Elders Quorum president called us Saturday evening and asks us to do a musical number lol. So luckily a lady in the ward played the piano, elder Juarez played the Clarinet, and Elder Neilson, Klingonsmith, and I sang w the EQ Pres. It was actually not bad! And it was good to be there bc the man never got married, didn't have any kids or family. There were like 3 of his cousins and then some members from the ward and they just talked about him being the pianist and stuff. It was interesting, a nice service but sad he didnt have more family. And it was at this funeral home place w this weird statute thing of Jesus haha new experience for sure

Lessons w Calzada and the Calderon 

Great lesson w the Calzada family!! They are recent converts of about a year and are preparing to go to the temple, hopefully in May!! They are so awesome tho, their testimony is fire. We actually talked to them about maybe talking to the Calderon's bc they were like we want to share these blessings but dont know how, i guess their extended fam isnt super interested rn. But i really think they could be a huge thing for the Calderons. And actually we had a lesson w the Calderons right after. Jimmy and Laura werent home but we talked to Jaime and Ilene for like an hour on their porch. They are awesome, we talked about life for a while and then it shifted naturally to church and it was cool. They both said they haven't been reading the LdM but are going to read some this week. It was really good until at the end it came up how they used to be wanting to be baptized but now Jimmy made them, or Jaime at least, that religion is secondary to getting closer to God and that all religions are the same. But i said no, covenants are essential, thats what get us closer to God. That's the point of the Church. Jaime was like uh idk but then its cool bc the promise is always to pray and ask God themselves. It was good!! Hopefully we can get the Calzadas and Calderons and Pres Sandoval together sooooon