Week 40 - Better Week

Hello.

So I didn't take a picture this week to send to you, sorry my bad.

Also this week was super tranquilo.

Hahah so we went and visited a bunch of the primary children with the primary presidency one afternoon, and went to a spot in my area thats like super sketchy, and it felt super uncomfortable because the primary presidency aren't a bunch of old, ugly, fat women.  We were walking and theres like a bunch of drug addicts in the street and it was just a super strange experience.

Also, what else?  Oh, we visited a part of my ward that we hadn't visited in the entire time I've been here. While we were visiting a family that lives there the elders from the neighboring ward and stake showed up.  It was kind of an awkward situation, except that the area we visited is a disputed area.  The maps show that the area is in my ward but the stake presidents had like a verbal agreement to secede the area to another stake.  Oh how I love the church and her organization, not! Well, at least not here in Mexico. Hahaha the church is rather organized in the states -- Mexico is chaos and that is passed onto the church and it shouldn't.

We did shut-ins; we gave the sacrament to a family that couldn't come to church cause he, a member of the family, had surgery.

This week blew past honestly because were trying to get the ward to work so we've been accompanying the organizations visiting the members and the days went super fast.

I forgot our inv. Alejandra who was super excited about the church and accepted everything and was reading and praying and all that stuff, and then she disappeared from off the face of the earth for like 2 weeks. and we finally talked to her and we had a super cool lesson about the gospel of Jesus christ. and repentance and we used a ton of questions of what she learned and it was really cool. she was receiving a lot of negative pressure from her mom and family and she finally took the decision to say no, this is what i want and this is what is best for me. it was cool to hear her. and to feel the spirit so strong.

Honestly I feel like I have nothing more to share....

Love you! Thanks for your prayers and your emails, they make my day and week so much better.
Elder Blotter

Week 39 - Fixed Brad's tie...

Hey!

I'd be halfway done with the mission if I was a girl. I'm about to hit about of halfway marks in the mission, my first of two halloweens thanksgiving my only christmas that I'm going to have in the mission. It's strange. I'm almost halfway done. Hahahaha I'm not trunky I just don't like my comp.

So... this week was different. I spent practically half the time out of my area, my comp had something wrong with his back so we went to the offices to have them buy the pills, and take x rays to see what the problem was-is that was Tuesday morning. Wednesday we went to go pick up the X-rays from the clinic that took forever. Thursday we went to the temple to get the X-rays read by the doctor, Friday we went to the temple to get flu shots, I opted for not getting shot. Hahaha and Saturday we had a mission meeting that I was hoping Dallin H. Oaks was going to come too. But no, just President.  And there was lots and lots of combi riding.  A combi is like a passenger van (smaller that prison vans) that they line with seats and fill with like 17 people 18 with driver, I think.

Traveling here is stressful and when it gets hot you open the windows and breath a lot of smog.
And its crowded.

When I went to the temple I was wanting to see Bryce from BYU cause I think all the Mexico City missions were getting vaccinated. I don't think vaccinated is a word. But I didn't. Darn.

Anyway our investigator, Alejandra, was progressing super well.  She came with us to the visitors center, had a baptismal date, and was super excited.  She had a ton of problems in her personal life and she said that the gospel was helping her, that all her problems were trials because Satan doesn't want her to know the truth. Yep... and now we have had one lesson with her in the last like two weeks.

Also the guy that sells hamburgers close to our house took our message really well, but now he is like being weird.  Haha he bailed on his appointment that we had and he acts weird, idk. I saw so much potential in this guy and his family and he wont use his agency to accept Jesus in his life!

So pretty much all of our investigators buzzed out. Ramon, the guy that I'm pretty sure has received all the missionary lessons and everything in other areas and even in the states, is practically impossible to talk to and he's unreliable.  He didn't come to church.  So we went from three progressing and a baptismal date to all zeros.  The silver lining is that we have like three families that are referrals that are pending, so I could have good news in the next email.

I realized how much I hate negative speaking.  We have a couple members who we visit who are like super strong in the gospel and they know like everything, and they just want to bash the bishop for a good hour.  I understand and agree that the bishop is crap, but I just get depressed listening to it.  And instead of saying it's okay well keep working until the bishop changes or I'll do my part even though he's not doing his, they all think *I'll just go to church once every 3 months to stay active and hibernate until the bishop gets changed.*

So we had a mission meeting with all the missionaries in the mission because president is fed up with all the disobedience.  He put a row of chairs in the front of the room and said "Disobedience is equal to not having faith and if you don't want to be obedient then go home."  We sat in silence for like a good minute or two until he asked "Who wants to go home?"  I honestly hope the mission changes, but my comp hasn't changed his attitude. Ugh.  

Also president said that missions are supposed to be fun, and they can be fun. I so want for my mission to be fun, but I'm suffering here, haha, and boy can I tell you it's not fun!

I was thinking out loud while changing out of my suit on Saturday and my comp like blew up and called me a bunch of names.  Hahahahaha it was so out of nowhere, I didn't know what the heck was up.  So instead of going and visiting people we had a little chat until he got his head back on.  Boy, do I love my companion. I sure have learned a lot. But it's not the types of learning experiences you look for. I've learned to be patient and not to argue to not respond, I've learned a lot of humility. And long suffering. I guess I had to learn those attributes sometime  I just hope I can be done learning them in two weeks.

In my studies I'm reading from every book in the standard works.  In Leviticus it's talking about the ordinances in the temple and its kinda cool to read between the lines about the robes of the priesthood and the sons of Aaron.  In the B.O.M. - I finished it in Spanish about two weeks ago so I'm reading it again and reading the parts that when I first was reading I was in the mtc and I'm appreciating it a lot more. I really like Nephi he's like my hero. Also I'm reading "Jesus the Christ" again, it's such a killer book.  Talmadge nailed one home when he wrote it.  It explains so clearly everything about Jesus and his life. I'm waiting anxiously until I get the conference edition of the liahona another reason I want these two weeks to be done already.

So the photo I sent, I fixed brads tie. Hahahaha I hope that doesn't make him mad, or sad, or jealous because now it's not hideous. I washed it and then made it skinnier. Hahahaha... I didn't cut it so if brad wants it back to its original width when I get home then he can.

Ummm well I think thats all folks.

Love you bunches,
Elder Blotter

Week 38 - Serenity Now!

So pretty much the same this week.

Taught lessons, visited members and that kind of stuff. Haha I still don't really like my comp, and by say don't really like him, is just my acceptance of the mission presidents will and through him gods will. 

This week we found a lot of new less actives. This ward is in such bad shape. hahahaha there a ton of members and cool members too, but Guelatao used to be one of the biggest wards in the stake with the best membership numbers and all that jazz now we started the sacrament meeting with 17 people. and ended with 40. the thing is that we honestly cant visit all the members, we learned this week about an entire section of the ward that we hadn't visited because we didn't think it was ours. There are at least 25 names in the list that live over there.  

This past week we went to the visitors center the doctor a wedding and a baptism. so the week blew by which was really nice. my comp thought he had a problem with his kidneys but the doctor this time said it was is back, like spinal chord pain. so we´re going for an x ray tomorrow and another visit to the doctor Thursday. honestly i don't know what it is but my last couple comps had a bunch of health problems whilst we were together.  

We went to the visitors center and brought our inv. who was going to get baptized the 25 or 28th whichever is Saturday. she felt the spirit learned about Jesus and the prophets and apostles. honestly the visitors center is normally the one two punch of a convert. you have someone who is ready for baptism and is scared or doesn't get it all yet or you want them to understand the eternal nature of the family a little bit better. the temple. seriously its always a cool experience.  

The only thing that stunk about that was that she didn't come to church on Sunday so she has to wait to be baptized.  

What else we finally recontacted some people that we contacted like my first day, and talked with them for a while about missionaries and what we do and that stuff and how he took study from the JW´s for like a year and wasn't convinced, ya because they don't have the truth, so we are going to visit them today, it's a house that more that 15 people live there. and not like a dept. building, like family who i think are going to progress towards baptism. super cool.  

Idk. what else happened this week... I'm sure more.  

The pic is Friday night when it rained like crazy. And a member gave me a poncho. Pretty styling. I felt dumb but dry so it was all good.  

I'm sticking it out here. Missions are better when you have a good comp. hahahahaha I think ill be training next change, but that's like 4 weeks aways. which I hope passes as fast as this change did. Don't worry I'm knocking on wood as we speak. God wants me to learn something with this comp I'm sure of it.  

Oh, I remembered the story of the week. we decided to teach sabbath day to the people in our ward, we taught the lesson twice, and after i testify of like completing with gods commandments brings blessings. my comps says its okay if you work on Sundays god understands work is a beautiful thing... i just sat there speechless, we left the house and i was like how in the world do i tell my comp to stop teaching that. he asked me whats wrong. i said hey when we teach people about the commandments, you cant at the end tell them it's okay to break them. he like blew up and like a racist Mexican told me I've never had problems in my life and i don't understand, maybe i don't understand poverty but i do understand gods commandments.  

"Courage not compromise brings the smile of gods approval"  

- Thomas S Monson.  

Ya that got him really mad, and I had to cool off too. Idk, I'm just waiting for the changes honestly.  

Serenity now!  

Love you!

Elder Blotter

Week 37 - #LDSConf

Hello!  

How are you this week? I'm doing pretty well.  I needed to hear this general conference. It gave me extra energy or more batteries. I don't feel so drained and I feel like I have more power to teach the gospel. I love hearing the prophet’s voice. Love it. I had been waiting about a six months to hear their voices. Always it seems like everything that’s said is applicable in missionary work, which is wonderful.  

In conference, there were a lot of new things, no? People speaking other languages, three topics in a row all about sustaining the prophet, Uchtdorf forgot to fix his hair... It was really cool to hear the talks in Spanish, which were in Spanish. Of course I listen to conf in English. But we entered the room with everyone else to hear the ones in Spanish. I really liked Jorge's talk, he was super straightforward and I felt a renewed call to commit myself to perfect obedience — not that I had stopped being obedient or anything just that I can be better, I'd say the prevailing topics were the fast, testimony and the prophet. Being a missionary during conf is a super cool experience. You get to sit in the stake center in your suit on hard plastic chairs and pay attention to every session of conference, and you get specific answers to your prayers, but that isn't necessarily specific to missionaries.  

Anyway, the work here in Guelatao. I learned in conf to stop thinking "I hope the bishops listening right now to this talk", because about ten-seconds before that was said the thought ran through my head. Hahaha so I learned to focus more on me. Be more selfish in my spirituality. Hahaha but I told you we found Alejandra no? She is an investigator who is having a hard time but is super animated (he means "excited") to continue in the gospel, and with the lessons. She was sick so she couldn't go to church on Sunday which is always hard, and Ramón, who is super ready to be a member but he just needs to find time for us was gone and we couldn't see him all week.  We also found a bunch of new less actives, idk I feel less discouraged by the work and more impelled to teach and contact after conference.  

My comp, simply put my comp is paying me back for all the times I was a bad sibling. We have a family in our ward that consists of a grandma, single mom and two young men 10 years and 12 years. They are a super cool family but Oscar and Omar fight like cats and dogs and I just feel sad that I can see myself in their behavior and every admonitino (baby admonish) that I share with the two kids are the things that I'm using to not kill my companion, hahaha like being the better person being kind, not getting mad, swallowing my pride and just listening when he insults me. Hahaha teaches me right I guess.  

You know how missionaries come back from the missions and are fanatics right I was thinking about that and the people who assist general conference here. There are what 5 sessions of conference 6 if we count the women's broadcast, but 5 during conf weekend. And here in Mexico we the missionaries arrive and listen to every session. A total of ten hours of conf. and there are a couple different levels of members here. There are about 15 people in the stake who stay for every session. There are about 80-ish who stay for all the sessions on Sunday, there are like 450 or more who show up for Sunday morning and there are those who take a break from church. And as a missionary I cant but think how horrible it is to not watch every single minute of every single session. And that’s not something I feel like I want to lose when I get home — hence missionary fanatic. Hahaha there are things that I think god wants you to learn on your mish and become a fanatic about scriptures prayer conference, church attendance, going to every activity in church, etc. Idk where I was going with that thought but there it was.  

My friend Bryce who is in the Mexico City like east mission who is a secretary with 3 months in the mish, talked to the secretaries of our mission and sent a hello, that was pretty cool, hahaha.  

Other random thoughts I've been in the same stake in my whole mission but for three weeks.  

Another thing that was super cool about conference was seeing people. I got to say hi to all the people I left in Ixtla all the members the converts and everything it was really cool, I have a lot of friends in that ward. And it was cool to see the other missionaries, and since we the white people, I would say Americans but there were two Canadians, and Mexicans get offended when I call myself American, watched it in English we spoke in English the whole time. It was nice. Hahaha I've only been speaking Spanish for a while, took a little relaxing break to shake out some stress.  

What else, well my comp he's like sick in his kidneys or something and he's been taking medicine and everything for the kidneys for like the entire time we've been together, well this week his meds were three shots that he took in the butt cheek, hahaha it was pretty funny to see him get a large injection in his cheek and then walk crooked as we went back to our house.  

Sorry that I haven't been taking many pictures but the areas a little sketchy and I don't carry my camera, and my comps not really my friend and so there’s not a lot of photo taking in the house.  

I washed that dirty tie that brad gave me that has been on like ten missions, I'm sorry to whoever got their name erased, but it was time.  

Well, I feel like I ran out of things to say.  

#selfiesunday. I got soaked as we walked home in the rain on Sunday night and I took this selfie in remembrance of selfiesunday, and to have something to send home.  

Love, 

Elder Blotter