WEEK 10

Buenos Dias Mi Amados!

 

This time ill start off with the scripture of the week! 

For me personally, it is kinda hard to just buckle down and study the scriptures, and i kept feeling like it was more or less a waste of time, because i could be out finding people to teach, or contacting references, or doing acts of service or something besides sitting in the house...

Now, before yall start throwin' shade, i already know that wasnt the correct attitude to have:P

I was studying in D&C, when i came across Section 11, Verse 22. haha It was a little like a spiritual slap to the face.

Basically this verse says "seek not to preach my word, until ye have sought to obtain my word" (thats not a direct quote, just a basic summary)

I then felt a lot better about staying in for mas o menos 2 hours a day to study! 

 

This week, me and my companion took on the challenge of fixing the area folder to a whole new level. We finally finished! (pictures in the other email) 

We sorted all 250 something "old investigators" sheets. Im serious, we have teaching forms from 2011... The thing that is sad, is that almost all of them dont have barely any information. Lots of them have just one visit, where the person accepted a baptismal date, and then the missionaries never returned!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK GUYS??? 

What me and Elder Teliz had to work with was about 10 different random stacks of papers that were just shoved  into a closet . We sorted all of them into what street they lived on, and then by the year they were last contacted. After we got them all put together nice and beautifully i might add.... We are starting to read every...single...one... We pray first and put any that we feel like we should contact again, we put their name on the "big whiteboard of salvation" (actually the "Pizzaron de Salvación")

Our goal is to contact i think like 40 every week. We did this week, and now have 8 new investigators that said they dont know why the missionaries never came back, because they still wanted to hear the message! we are jumping right on that!

 

Another kinda cool experience this week, was one of those new investigators is trying to learn english right now, because he wants to move to the United States in a few years after he can get all his papers sorted out and work there with his family. At the end of an awesome lesson, he asked if i could say the closing prayer in english!!!! that was literally the first prayer i have said in english in more than 2 months! Honestly, it felt reeeeeeaaaaallly weird.... like 3 different times, i said stuff in spanish and then repeated myself in english. Who would have thought that the language i have spoke all my life would feel so weird to use again!!!!

 

This week, the other 2 elders that are in the same ward as us, but in the area next to us both had to return to their houses for medical reasons... one had a hernia, and the other might need back surgery! 

Because of this, we got two other missionaries transferred over, and they are both gringos! gosh dang it! hahahaha 

 

Elder teliz (mi compañero) turned 21 this week! happy birthay to him! haha

 

One kind of not so cool story.... haha besides the tons of rejection, and people who really dont want to hear the message of Jesus Christ, (thats just everyday stuff)

We were talking to a family on the sidewalk next to a park, and a group of mid 20s age guys walked by, and in perfect english yelled "HEY GRINGO, GET THE !%$? OUT OF MY COUNTRY!" I just said back, "Buena tardes Hermano!" haha really got him;)

Honestly didnt hurt my feelings at all or anything like that, just sad that he feels that way! haha 

 

The other thing thats kinda interesting, is that i would guess that 85% of the time we talk to somebody, they ask me something about Donald Trump... "por que Trump no nos quiere?" "por que ustedes tienen una racista en cargo de su pais?" 

I just respond with "the situation in general is sad, and i wish all things in the world worked out better than they are now"

In all honesty, missionary life is super hard, but sooooo much fun. Its so worth it. I think the blessing of having the spirit with me all the time is that i have a better attitude and can see the best of a situation. Looking in from the outside, missionary life seems super sucky! no music, no tv, no talking to family, walking around hot mexico all day, wearing a shirt and tie all the time and not having any money.... but i can honestly say that the past 2ish months have been some of the funnest in my life. 

Keep striving! Do your best to be ward missionaries, and to share the light of christ where you can! The work of the members is just as important as the work of the missionaries:)

Les Amo!!!!! Echenle Ganas!

Elder Jones