102nd Email Home June 6, 2016

Well, Hello to all! This week has been a little interesting! Because, we got to teach some members about miracles and help them to keep strong and go to church every week and it was great, because they came and got to hear the wonderful testimonies of thee other members! We also have been talking with another brother that lives right below the house of a sister member and we started teaching him, but he is a medic, so the time isn't really on his side, his wife (I think is a Jehova Witness) talks to him about her church, but he nor is family goes still, but we have taught that Jehova is Jesus Christ and also we have taught about the 144,000 people that are have been chosen to be with God, but it's bad for the JW, because they never read the whole chapter (Revelations 7), it's pretty clear. Lol! Then we gave this brother the Book of Mormon and left with our testimonies! He is going to be baptized, although he doesn't baptismal date, he will get that chance to get baptized! He just needs to go to church first! Lol! 

  I am not saying that it is hard to find people to teach, but a lot of people are super Catholic here, so when we teach about something that is in the Bible, they are normally nice about it and say,"No, Thanks." it's for many reasons, it could be, because they have accepted a message from another religion and the other religion just tells them to their faces that they are in the wrong! But not us, we go in with a smile and tell them," We have a message that can change your life!" and they are some times too scared to try, because of past experiences, also the other thing, is when you are trying to talk with them and they are straight up rude and they are very solid in their decision. Their intention for being in the Catholic church is, because they think that they have God, but it's normally for family tradition. I know that the missionaries won't give up and keep trying! 

  I don't know if you want me to talk about the members or the investigators, but since I have talked a little about the investigator part, I will tell you about the members. Coita is a Branch with normally an attendance of 70 members, when we first got here I believe it was a little bit more, but we will check why that is happening. The members are very dedicated to their callings, also they participate in activities. It's a very great branch, with the branch president, he is very honest in his doings ( He didn't serve a mission), the counselors of the president, normally have to teach the classes and Elders quorum, because the Elders quorum president moved to Monterrey, so they are working on that. Lol! The missionaries have to teach the Gospel principles class, since their are sister missionaries here too, we take turns! The branch here is some what strong, but we still don't have "The plan of the work of Salvation" which is a plan for the branch to make goals to complete and finish at the end of the year, but we are still waiting for them to answer questions that my companion left them, then we could see a lot more progress! The Temple is about 45 minutes away from us, using a car, but in a public bus, probably 1 hour and 30 minutes. We had the chance to go with the mission president to the temple and do a session with a other missionaries! It was awesome, I just had a hard time remembering the name I had been given, but other than that I did it! 

  That is great that you can see that we are just human and we aren't able to do all things the way we want them, but we can try and when we can't complete, it's an opportunity to look for improvement, we all need to improve! God is a big part of our successes! I can't imagine how it would feel to have cancer and to not have a cure, I hope that he had received a blessing and that through his faith he can conquer this illness once and for all! 

   The thought goes through my head a lot, that I will be going home in a week, then I push it out with another thought," Hey! I have a few days left!" I get that through my head and makes me think I have a lot of time left! Wow, that is cool, just about every where we move our house is always close to a cheap movie theater! I heard that the movies here cost about 24 pesos, which is about a dollar and 30 cents, it's pretty cheap! That's cool that you enjoyed your birthday and everything went well! I hope not to miss another one of your birthdays! Lol! 

  I love all of you and I hope that we can have faith to complete whatever task that is laid before us! God Speed!   

 My last reunion with multiple zones, is was an activity that was pretty funny! 

2. My Frozen yogurt, Mango flavor! MMM!

 Me and the Comp!

A view of the street of Coita! I hope you like my haircut, I didn't ask for it, my companion did. So, I am going with it, until someone tells me not to have my hair this way. Lol!

101st Email Home May 30, 2016

Well, hello Family and Friends! This week we have been working off and on, because my companion has to stay inside until 3 pm, but some times we can't leave, due to other problems that come up! We are going to work as much as we can, so I can end my mission with a feeling of me doing all I could, it's going to be an interesting time getting back in the habit again, but we are going to press forward and do it! I know that my mission has been filled with very special moments and moments that I really wish I would have done something more, like writing in my journal everyday, but I try not letting that get to my head, so I am good! 

 That is very cool to see all the American flags lined down the street. I am not saying that I wish I was in the United States right now, but I sure feel good to see the flags! I felt like if I wanted to know if there was a parade or fireworks, you would be the first one to know! Lol! It was pretty cool, because we would just be doing our thing and you would come into our bedroom or come into the house and say,"Hey, do you guys want to go to see the fireworks?!?!?!" and we are like," What fireworks?" then later on in the day we are looking up in the sky with explosions! I think we can work as a family to hear what is going to be happening in Ogden, like a parade! BUT, I can't wait for the 4th of July! Wooh!  

  To tell you the truth I haven't figured out the amount of money that I need, but thinking about it right now I think it would be nice to have some what around 100 dollars in my account, just incase I get through the airport and they charge me something extra that I need to pay for, but I will ask before them charging me. My companion Elder Fernandez is doing better, the diet that he has is almost over and we can start eating with other members and work a lot faster, the mission here is changing and I asked the Mission President about the 6 week program for returning missionaries and he told me that it hasn't been organized for Mexico yet, so better luck for the future generations! Bummer! Also, the Mission President was over in our area to ask a few questions about the members and how is the work is going here, so he pulled us in and gave me and my companion some what of an interview and later on while we were talking, he asked me if I had my temple recommend, I replied,"Yes, but the date I have had just expired pretty much." so, in that moment he interviewed me for a temple recommend and now I got to remind him to write one up, because he wasn't thinking he needed to interview me for that, but soon I shall have another one! Thank you sooo much for putting our names and those that are here in Coita, they are very great people and I know that they are happy when they receive more blessings, they always express their feelings in testimony meeting!  It would feel like a huge failure not to have too many baptisms, but that's the moment when someone needs to tell them that they are doing good, so they can forget about the numbers and just go to work! It would be sooo cool to hear that at least one of my converts brought someone else to the church, it would be a great blessing to see this! I know that they are capable of doing it, I will try finding their names on facebook later! That is a great story for all missionaries to hear! 

 That is a great to try praying to complete something, for me when I pray, maybe I want to help more people in the day, as I am walking in the street my mind is thinking in what we are going to teach and what is going to happen during the whole day, then when I see someone in the street my mind is thinking,"Hey! I can offer to help them!" but that moment is always the trial, we can receive a helpful message in our minds and it's always up to us to complete with the other half! I sure love the Celestial room too! I feel like I am in the presences of God and I am talking with him. I don't know if I am going to be too tried to go in the morning, but I thought we were going to the temple on Saturday? I am not trying to say that I don't want to go both days, but if you want we can go more blessings for those who are waiting!

 What! Rachael is turning 13! HOW?!! She has to stop growing too fast, really it's going to fast! Oh, that's great that you're 29 again, I hope I can have that same luck in the future! I know I far away from that, but I would love to be a kid a again! Lol! I will try doing something for a birthday present! But I don't know what I will do yet, so! Yeah! 

  WHAT! HOW DO YOU GUYS ALWAYS GET SOOO LUCKY?!!? Everything Free??!!!! Wow, I might want to stay with you guys a lot longer than I planned! Lol! It sounds like there is a lot of things that I need to catch up on! What a shame that the family couldn't go! ALSO COLD STONE ICE CREAM! Now you are just killing me! Well, not all the way, because you guys didn't take pictures of the Ice cream! HAHAHA! I glad you guys could have some fun! I too had fun! 1. My companion making sweet bread!(I don't know if it has a name to it in English!)2. Me making some sweet bread too! 

100th Email Home May 23, 2016

 HELLOS!(Yes, I spent hello with an "s" on purpose!) I really do agree, that the days are going by too fast! I think we need to have a family fast to longer our days, but if you can to longer mine! I really feel like the time is not on my side,  I want to baptize a lot of people and to help as much as I can before I go home, so I can feel like I have actually done something in Coita! Lol! I can't wait to see your project's, it will be a fun thing to see. Oh, I think I do remember her, is her husband the one that had the blue pickup? or am I wrong? I think I will remember when I see her face! But that is sad, but good for her, because now she is on a beautiful beach, enjoying a piña-colada! What a luck woman! Brother Herbert is still in the ward? I thought he would have been long gone, with having a family and all! Honestly, I think that if we grieve for 1 day it's okay, but you shouldn't carry on with those memories forever, I feel like it's like you don't believe in the eternal Plan of Salvation. For those who do grieve, like you said are going to be depressed and hurt for along time. Like seeing the people that can't let go of their dead son's clothes or they just leave their room the same forever, it's sad and it will eat at that person forever until they can change and let go. Save the good memories of loved ones and have pictures of them to remember that we were sealed and we will be together once again, that is the truth and the Love of our Heavenly Father! Good for you Mom, your faith in the Lord and his plan is wonderful to hear!

  Wow! That is great news! I would love to see more and hear more from him, interacting with the family. I hope he will feel apart of the family again, so we can watch him and his family grow! Sounds like a "Mad house", it must had been fun to have all of them! You guys still watch Mary Poppins??? Hmm. I have no idea why those kinds of movies bugged me when I was a kid, maybe it was because I liked more manly stuff like, explosions, cars, etc. I have really have been enjoying the music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it has helped me feel the Spirit a lot stronger and I actually love to listen to the music a lot! I want to sing professionally, maybe not has a career, but my hobby to entertain the fam., friends, and others! It's just a dream of mine! 

 That FHE sounded good! I hope one FHE we can all do a service project for a neighbor or a family member, it gets me feeling good! We could do "How to make mint brownies" and then go door to door giving them out and then come home and eat some with a nice glass of milk! MMM! 

  Thanks, Mom for all that you do and for your outstanding support! YOUR THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD! 

 This is a picture from one of the houses of a member we were with, nothing impressive, but you know. 

A members birdy was getting wet! 

This is my wonderful bed! And yes, that's a tiger on the blankets!

 A selfie with my beloved companion Elder Fernandez!
Well, sorry again it's not much, but it's hard work and I will get more for the next week! Love you!