Week 56 - Part II - 1 Year on the Mission

So one down two to go... or just one (years in the mission). Weird.

This week was interesting, difficult, fun, but also disappointing.  What should I start with?

Disappointing - So my district that I'm in charge of sucks. Hahaha like the other four elders I'm not really sure what they've been doing for the last like two months in their areas, and the zone leaders are like why don't they have investigators or lessons.  I'm like I'm doing my job in my area, and inviting them to do the same in theirs. Idk, I understand I need to help them but honestly there is only so much I can do.

Also disappointing, Diana the 15 year old girl that told us she wants to be a missionary and a virtuous Young women like stood us up during the week and the weekend too, and isn't answering her telephone.

And Alberto and Pedro didn't come to church, but I'll explain that when I talk about them.

Interesting - So like a week-ish ago the Elder from across the Street gave me the names and direction (address) of a family of four that he had been teaching for about three weeks that lives in my area. apart from the blatant pirating, he passed the reference and so i was happy. he told me they had gone to church 3 times and were super cool and that they were-are going to get baptized. so in my head I'm thinking SWEET, i call on like a Thursday and they are like look we work all week long and this weekend we are busy so like come visit us not this Saturday but the next. bummer. so that Saturday was two days ago. we go over and Elder Brown who gave m the ref. told me her name was Monica. its Delfina-by the way is a dumb name, who's named dolphin?-so first thing Elder Brown was mistaken about, then she proceeds to tell me that she has been catholic for 36 years and she's not going to change her religion in three days. OKAY. and then we taught because either she doesn't understand anything or Elder Brown doesn't know how to teach, which is probable. so we started over teaching the restoration and, to explain we got their at 1230  because the appt. before fell through, and   we talked, explained that the church doesn't judge us on the size of our bank account, and then we taught the restoration the dad came into the lesson halfway through we continued  teaching very clearly and simply using the bible to explain simple stuff that i don't normally teach. then it was 330 in the afternoon, oops we totally skipped the food appt. haha         so pretty much we found these really cool people who like don't really understand the gospel really like talking to the missionaries and want us to teach english to the daughter, who looks like 16 but is chloe-my sis- age. weird. on Sunday we went over to strictly teach english, that went interesting cause teaching english is weird and I've never done it before.

difficult because, pretty much the majority of our inv. are like available only on the weekends. so that make the weekends really successful and exciting and occupied but it makes the week drag a Little, i did divisions with one of the elders in my district, and his area is so dead, pretty much everyone we visited was like Elders, you haven't been to our house since like before jan 6th? umm what? who else have you been visiting? and Elder Reyes the Elder i was with has like 6 months in the mission, almost. and every like other Word is "?verdad?" (truth) which means like "right?" ex. "So we now that the sabbath day is important right? And we want blessings right? So what do we need to do? Church, right? Okay.... Right?"  He's from El Salvador and I try really hard not to laugh at how he talks because I understand I have problems with my Spanish too.

Why else was it difficult? Oh remember the story how I said I shouldn't judge people? The guy that called our name and I thought he was going to rob us and it turns out he was a member?

Did I tell you he has a baby, and that he and his "wife" are both 16 and they are like literally the most irresponsible people I've met? What I thought was a lesson in not judging has turned out to be a lesson in patience. They haven't been home not even once when we put an appt. with them. Ugh.

What else. Oh so like we got Word form pres. who said that the movie meet the mormons was coming to the visitors center and that we could go watch it with members and inv. sweet. So we went to the visitors center where we had planned to meet an investigator, and she never showed up.  That sucked so  bad. And then we asked about the Schedule of the movie and they told us that they might put it in theaters here in Mexico too, so they aren't going to show it in the visitors center anymore. (Why Not?) Por que no?  So that like crushed my hopes and dreams of seeing that while on the mission.

Also Alberto super sick dude, investigator.

Before I forget GO BUCKEYES!!!!!! hahahahahaha showed them Little ducks whats up. 42-20 don't worry I didn't watch a second of the game but boo-ya!

Alberto. he didn't come to church. ugh. but he had a good reason, i think his wife was like sick-has problems since a surgery she had in the past.  but super cool, we taught law of chastity and were like okay get married already, and they were like okay. and then the next day we taught the Word of wisdom and pedro Alberto's father in law-kind of-was like so i Heard you guys mention like two weeks ago that we shouldn't drink coffee so i stopped. oh pedro you don't know how much i love you and your willingness to do these things.


Pretty much it, but today we played soccer and then volleyball in the sun all day and so I'm tired.

AND thats it. BYE. Still no packages mom. Nor letters, anyone else who cared enough to send a letter.

loves
Elder blotter.

Week 56 - Part I

So this week was normal, kind of.

On Tuesday we married a couple, so that the brother could get baptized.  That took forever, like all morning long.  We got back to the area late, so that means we got back to the food late.  We ate food like at 4, two hours late, and we had an appointment at four o'clock that we missed.  But, they got married, so progress was made to help them into the kingdom of God.

Then, on Wednesday (or maybe it was Thursday) we had the interview for Diana, the 15 year old that we were teaching.  She is a super super cool investigator, like literally.  After her baptism on Saturday she was like "I'm really happy because I just got baptized and thats what i wanted." And her less active mom came to the baptism with her sister and a friend I'm really hoping that we get to teach.

Tuesday got absorbed by the wedding, then Thursday got absorbed by the interview, and Saturday we had the baptism and then stake conference meetings,and Sunday also was absorbed by stake conference then we report on Sunday afternoons. so this week blew by.

We baptized 3 people on valentines day.

The bad part about this week is that with all the activities we didn't have as much time to find new people or like other stuff and so, now I have no one new to teach. hahaha so this week will be of finding and putting goals and baptismal dates with the new people we find. cause we don't really have anyone.

This upcoming week I'm going to do divisions (splits) because my elders like are sucking it up, haha, and the zone leaders are getting on my case cause they aren't having success.  So lets see what I can do help them.

What else... not much! I've like gotten better at studying and I'm learning how to be better at listening to the spirit. also me and my comp are getting better at like being idk more unified I've got hope that its going to be a good time.


idk. the liahona this month is totally great. hahaha i hope you read those....

love you guys BYE.

Elder Blotter

Week 54 - Mission Stories

Last week Elder Blotter asked his Dad to share a few mission stories. I’m including this little excerpt in here for context and for posterity sake :)

You wanted to hear some of my mission stories…??…. Ha that’s funny. Each week you write and say…oh same old stuff this week. Nothing exciting….! Well guess what. Most missions are just like that. So here goes. I remember my first month in the field. We were In a suburb of Montreal on the island. It was mostly french, but there were some mixed areas. We would concentrate the mornings and afternoons in French parts and the evenings in the English parts. I remember that first day, my companion would give the first few approaches and then he said this one is yours. It’s funny that after thousands of approaches that I remember that “fear” on those first few. Needless to say, we got lots of rejections. Mostly the French Canadians are Roman Catholic. Their standard response was I was born catholic, raised catholic and I will die catholic. So we would try to engage them….but do you actually believe the catholic teachings? Usually they had lots of problems with that stuff. But it never mattered. It was like they were stuck in the mud and didn’t care a hoot. You could point it out but they wouldn’t care. Cause religion really wasn’t part of their lives. I think that is the hardest thing. To get them to even have an interest in any religion. The English people were much more willing to listen to us. We averaged one first discussion in the day and one in the evening. Any more was a real reach. I remember sitting down each week and thinking about goals….so Elder how many baptisms this week… Zero. How many …..you get the idea. I always found it difficult to set goals that were totally dependent on the free agency of others. But I knew each day, the Lord could count on me to search, and if he was willing to show us where to work, we would listen and follow. If he was preparing someone, we would be worthy hardworking Elders, and he could count on us. Sometimes I think that’s all that matters. You read the great stories of Ammon and the sons, but the main focus is on the success…not the days sitting naked in prison. Or the rejection the cities that reject and throw the missionaries out. It’s all part of a great whole. Some fishers catch lots and some catch few.

Whatever, not just same old same old. even like knocking doors for like 12 hours a day I'm sure you saw like weird stuff in the street, cause like the little amount of time I'm in the street i see the craziest stuff. hahaha

AND yes I totes understand the living and dying a Roman Catholic problem, and its not like they actually believe in being catholic, its just that they don't really care or like give importance enough to religion to do their part as investigators. hahaha less active roman catholics don't believe anything in or about their religion only that they are to be catholics when they die. 

AND idk didn't do a lot this week, taught this 15 year old girl who wants to get baptized so bad everyday this week, she's gonna get baptized 14 of feb, and Alberto and pedro are going to get baptized this Saturday the 7th, its just going to be super stressful getting them, Alberto and Cecilia, married before their baptism on Saturday, cause she works from nine to nine every week day.  So, Saturday is gonna be busy.

idk had a good week I'm learning to speak less and listen more.

So - I honestly don't have a lot to talk about this week we have been teaching an inv. that lives at the opposite side of the area that i didn't really spend that much time in and we have practically passed the entire week over there so that was interesting. 

We have two baptisms planned for this Saturday and another planned for the next Saturday and I ran out of time.  Because we had a zone meeting, then we played sports and so i didn't have a lot of email time, ill write you a better email next week...... sorry

love you tons. i liked the quote...... grace is great theres a talk called his grace is sufficient by Bruce C Hafen, I think thats his name  great talk also about the same thing.

I read one of the letters that Geoff posted as my blog..... i didn't even sound like my voice, like he thoroughly was changing  lots of stuff.

AND i don't have changes I'm going to put in like at least 7 and a half months in my area,..... sweet. actually I'm super glad to stay with my comp, my area not so sure but I'm really loving my investigators which rocks.

we're getting a bunch of new goals as a mission and a redirection.

bye!

love ya,

Elder Blotter

Week 54 - A Surprise Message From a Church Member

Hi Sis. Blotter!

My name is Sis. Colette Armsworthy from Okotoks, AB, Canada.  My husband and I have been on a Book of Mormon Tour with Blake Allen and his wife in Central America.  Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the Mexico City Temple as we spent a couple days there in the city and we were able to meet your son!  I thought you would enjoy a picture of him with his companion Elder Padron.  It was a pleasure to meet him and he seems very happy to be serving there and having a great experience.

When we travel, I like to send home pictures of missionaries to their moms when I can and let them know they are doing GREAT!  What amazing blue eyes he has!  Our son is serving in Argentina at this time as well and so it's kinda cool when they can see and talk to someone in their own 'neck of the woods' so to speak.

Just wanted you to know your son is looking well and is very happy!

As one missionary mom to another!!!

Colette