18 Abril 2016

I'm not gonna lie, it's been a weird week.

My companion is really great. His name is Elder Del Angel from Tampico. He's got a really goofy grin and just a way of doing and saying things that keeps me laughing all day long. He's got a lot of heart, he just hasn't had very good companions and not a lot of success on his mission. Well, we're determined to change that.

People we have right now:

Victoria: she's a wife of a less-active. I've only met her once, but she's really pretty excited about the church and wants to get baptized. But she's never been.

Yessica Zuñiga and Grecia: Yessica is a cousin of some members from Frontera that I knew really well. She's already been baptized twice, but the record was never processed correctly. And now Grecia is about to turn 8. The mom doesn't necessarily have to be baptized again, but we'll have to see the situation a little more. They came to church on Sunday.

Guillermo and his wife: A middle-aged couple. Sounds like his parents are active members that just got sealed. So they invited him to church and he and his wife went. They seemed to like it a lot and we have an appointment to go back on Thursday, but we didn't have a lot of time to talk because they had to leave right after sacrament meeting.

Angelica: We found her while looking for an old investigator named Angelica (who sounds like she may have lived in the same house but moved a while ago). She just wants to get her life in order and from the very first moment has accepted everything. She reads the pamphlets and prays about what they contain (which is REALLY weird; nobody here reads and NOBODY prays about it). The only thing is that she didn't go to church and doesn't answer her phone, but we tentatively have a date for the 14 of this month. She just has to get married first.

That's really all we have right now...

We bumped into Mayela and her kids on Friday. We were on our way to an appointment (by way of a bakery...) when we heard someone shout "ELDER!" which isn't too weird: everyone here knows who the elderes are. So we turned to see who it was and because of the lighting, I couldn't recognize them very well. Until we started crossing the street. Oh, it was SO exciting to see them! Pedro and Rocio were both MUCH taller and Mayela seemed just ECSTATIC to see me. She said that they'd written me letters but then found out that I was coming up here, so they decided to just hold on to them and give them to me on Sunday. She says she's excited to go to the temple in August and to meet Mom, because I told her that at least Mom would probably come with me. Pedro received the Aaronic Priesthood last Sunday and is now passing the sacrament and Mayela's dad blesses the sacrament. WOW! it feels great to see them.

I saw Lucy just a few minutes ago as well. There wasn't water in our colonia this morning so we ran over to the house of the elders from Frontera 2 to shower. It's right by where she works so we stopped in to see her. She looked really happy and gave us flavored water for free (doesn't sound like much, but it really is kinda a big deal). The members told me that she hasn't been going because of her job, but the meeting schedule is about to change (why it changes in May, nobody's been able to tell me). So now she'll be able to get away to go to church.

I haven't seen Blanca yet, but I know it's just a matter of time before i bump into her.

Some things have changed in this ward since I was here. A missionary that wasn't even assigned to this ward but was with me in Frontera for three transfers ended his mission early and came back for the bishop's niece and now the family is inactive. Also her brother eloped with another girl who isn't a member. We're going to meet her this week, supposedly. Also, the ward got a new bishop (quote from Sunday in his talk: "Sometimes, the first thing you wanna do when you get back from church is take off your tie. Is your eternal salvation really worth such a little thing?") and the old bishop got even fatter. He has to use a walker now. Several other families that were active are now inactive, and not a whole lot the other way around. There are a TON of people here in this ward that were born in the church but were never baptized. So we're working mostly with them.

But yeah. It's super hot. Right now it's fine, but we've been up to 40 degrees Celsius this week.

Spiritual thought: Isaiah 29:16: "vuestra obra de trastornar las cosas de arriba abajo ciertamente será considerada como barro de alfarero. ¿Acaso la obra dirá de su hacedor: No me hizo? ¿O dirá la vasija de aquel que la ha formado: No entiende?" We should recognize that it's God who is guiding our lives. We can't live his commandments and deserve his blessings and then say "What a great job I've done." We can get personal satisfaction out of life, but as long as it doesn't interfere with our gratitude towards God. First, we should elevate our life to His standards. Whatever little thing that is out of line, we should make an honest effort to correct it. Second, we can expect and hope for His blessings in faith. And third, we should accept His will. Not everything is going to turn out like we want it. But if we do the first two steps correctly, everything will turn out for the best.

Well, have a great week!

Elder Taylor

11 Abril 2016

11 Abril 2016

This week was AWESOME! But I don't have very long so I'll write it really fast.

After two HARD transfers, we FINALLY are seeing fruits. Basilio got baptized yesterday after church (that's a fun story) and we had seven investigators in church!

First, Chayo. Elder Ninataype and Stockman came down early for the Consejo de Liderazgo and so we just had them work in our area for a few hours. They went and knocked a few doors and just found this great lady and invited her to be baptized and gave her a baptismal date. And then she came to church, which was the first time I met her. She seems really, super interested.

Second, Magaly. And her daughter but she's only 5. She was a reference from a couple weeks ago and we went to go teach her. We had an appointment with her on Saturday in the morning, but about two minutes before we got a phonecall from the sisters that Hermana Novoa was having a medical emergency and asked us to give her a blessing. So we decided to just invite Magaly to church and run over to the sisters' house (accompanied by Sister Lugo, the senior missionary). But when we got to the house, she started crying and it turns out that her husband beats her, she's thinking about leaving him and she wants to find a church to dedicate herself to it. So we decided to share a short message. We sat down and there was a lot of noise outside; someone was blasting music, trucks and vans were passing and lots of dogs were barking. So then my companion offered the opening prayer and asked specifically for the noise to stop. As soon as we said "Amen," a truck passed and for about two seconds we couldn't hear anything. And then once it passed, the dogs had stopped barking, the music was off and not one vehicle passed for the rest of the lesson. We told her that if she went to church, she would find the solution to her problem and we said we'd come by to pick her up to take her to church. And she said yes. Once the services ended, I went up to talk to her and she said "I just LOVED it here. I don't want to leave. I heard something about a baptism that's going to happen right now. Can I stay?" So she stayed. I hope the baptism didn't scare her off, but I'll get to that.

Third, Agapita and Basilio came! It was Agapita's first time. But we'll get there in a second.

Fourth, Mónica and Antonia. The Friday before General Conference, we received a reference of a less active lady who was sick and her family wanted her to have a blessing. We went and we blessed her. We invited the family to General Conference. On Tuesday we were walking near the house and we felt like we needed to visit her. So we went and knocked. Her daughter Karla came out and let us in. Her other daughter Mónica was also there. We ask about their mom and it turns out she died on Monday. So we teach a little bit about the Plan of Salvation and we give them the pamphlet. Turns out the family went inactive before Mónica was baptized so she never was baptized. So then we invite her to be baptized and she accepts it. Then we come back on Saturday and we find Mónica with her two cousins. Turns out Antonia and Angel have both been to church many times, their mom as well got baptized but went inactive and Antonia had even already been to EFY. We invited them to be baptized and gave them a date and they said yes. But it turns out they're from a different area. Oh well. Also, turns out Mónica is from La Paz, Baja California Sur. And that she's going back this next week. But oh well. As long as she's here, we'll teach her.

And then President Rodriguez's daughter Olivia brought a friend, Santiago. He's cool, but doesn't seem too very interested. At least he came. And he's also from the area of the secretaries.

Okay, now Agapita and Basilio. Two words: GOAT RODEO.

Reason #1: Filling out their baptismal records was a CHORE. They couldn't remember dates and not even their kids' names. They told us that they had five kids: 3 girls that are still alive, 1 boy that´s still alive and 1 boy and 1 girl that died. They insisted that they were only five. But then when they were telling us their names, they couldn't remember very well and as they were just kind of throwing out names that they were remembering at the moment, they mentioned ANOTHER girl that wasn't any of the other names that they had mentioned, but when we asked them about her, they couldn't remember her anymore. So it's possible that they had seven kids, but they SWEAR that they were only five, even though they gave us a list of six. But oh well. 

Reason #2: Then our new Ward Mission Leader told us that he was going to do everything for the baptism. We just had to bring the clothes and the investigators. But then he didn't show up and wouldn't answer his phone. So we had to do everything on the spur of the moment.

Reason #3: The day before two other wards baptized, but because the water was leaving and coming back every once in a while, they just left the font full. Which means that the water was cold by the time we entered in, more than 24 hours later.

Reason #4: Agapita and Basilio came to Sacrament Meeting and then went home so that Agapita could rest before the baptism. But then a few minutes before priesthood, just Basilio came and said that their kids showed up and started the party, so Agapita wasn't going to come. We ran over to try and convince her to come anyway and bring her kids (and maybe verify how many there were). So we got there, met her son and her daughter and a few grandkids. We asked her if she was going to get there to the baptism (which was kind of an awkward question because her kids were there and many times families oppose it). She said no, because she had diarrhea. Her daughter looked up and said "What time is the baptism?" At three. "We'll take her." Her son speaks up: "Yeah, it'll be good for her." Wow, that was easy. So we went back to the church.

At three-thirty, we decided that we couldn't wait anymore. So we took a few pictures and tried pouring in hot water, but not a whole lot came out. And then we're about to start the baptismal service when we hear Agapita come running in, announcing her presence from the main door. Basilio rolls his eyes and puts his head in his hand. While I'm in the water with Basilio, they throw a white dress on Agapita and Elder Flores changes really fast. We'll come back to this point.

Reason #5: We're sitting in the baptismal service, about to go into the water and the Bishop's three-year-old twerp son comes up behind me and grabs my shirt. I'm going to put this conversation in Spanish because it's more funny and then also in English.

Huerco: "¿Qué es esto?"

Yo, susurrando: "Ropa."

Huerco: "¿Por qué?"

Yo: "Pues, no más."

Huerco: "¿Te vas a meter así?"

Yo: "Sí."

Huerco: "Mi mamá no me deja. Ella me mete encuerado."

Translation: "What's this?" "Clothes." "What for?" "...well, ya know." "You're going to go in like that?" "Yep." "My mom doesn't let me. She bathes me naked."

Magaly, the other investigator sitting behind him, thought it was super funny.

Reason #6: I baptize Basilio. He goes in, comes back up, everything good. He wipes his eyes, looks around and says "Is that it?" Yes, that's it, hermano. You can step out of the font if you want now.

Continuation of Reason #4 or Reason #7: Agapita and my companion go into the font. "Carry me, my son," she says and clings onto his neck. He sets her down once they're down there. "Nope, never mind. Carry me out." Out they go. "Yes, yes, I'm going to be baptized." In they go. "NOPE. No way." "Hermana, we're already in the water. It'll just be a second." "Nope, carry me, my son." Out they go again. Meanwhile they realized that she didn't bring a towel. So, because there isn't anywhere else, I change in the girls' bathroom and dry off really fast to hand out the towel for the hermana. Nothing makes you change faster than think that a crazy and frantic 76 or 80-year-old (we never really found out how old) lady might walk in on you at any second.

Reason #8: Everybody's leaving and Agapita walks up to my companion. "I promise you by the Virgin of Guadalupe that I will be baptized next week." Yep.

So it was fun. Needless to say, I suddenly felt a whole lot less stressed once it was over.

Yesterday as we were eating, the sons (1.5 and 4) of the hermana were running around and making funny noises. So we started making noises as well. My companion started making a really good dog barking noise and at one point as the 1.5-year-old was running past leaned down and barked right behind him. That kid freaked out and burst into tears and ran straight to me. He wouldn't let me go for about five minutes, just screaming his head off. It was SUPER funny.

BUT...I'm leaving. I'm going to Bellavista Ward in Monclova. I will be in the same chapel with Frontera, which will be lots of fun because I really love the members there and have converts there. The only thing is that there's not a whole lot there as far as investigators. Only two baptismal dates, but they haven't gone to church. Normally this ward baptizes about an average of once a month, but they haven't for a while. President Rodriguez wants me to go and rescue the area and the junior companion Elder Del Angel. Apparently he thinks that I can help. I hope he's right. These last two transfers were super hard and we're just barely seeing the fruits of all our efforts. I hope God blesses me a lot this next transfer, and if not in baptisms then in other ways.

Well, that's about all. Have a great week!

Elder Taylor

Elder Flores, Elder Taylor, Basilio, Hermana Novoa, Hermana Murset, not necessarily in that order.

Us and Bishop Rodriguez, the best Bishop that I've had here in the mission. Also quite easily the largest.

6 Abril 2016

Happy Birthday to the True Church of Christ in this Dispensation! And maybe to Jesus Christ as well! (I don't remember if I told you guys, but we're taking our P-Day today instead of Friday....)

This week we had General Conference which was an interesting experience. Basilio came and he loved it! YAY! We'll see what the President says about Hagapita getting baptized...She hasn't been to church yet, but here's the situation: she's nuts. She's lived a full life (she's approaching 80 years) and wasn't crazy the WHOLE time so she's still someone that needs baptism to get to heaven and she's been very emphatic in that she wants to be baptized, but she hasn't ever been to church. On the other hand, she's completely off her rocker, so if she goes a thousand times or if she goes not at all she'll be the same amount of prepared. She actually did get to the building this time (which was amazing because the stake center where we watched General Conference was really far away and they had to go in bus) but at 8:30 in the morning so nobody was there so she and her husband turned around and went home. I don't know why they showed up that early. We'll see what the President says.

In the Conference, I got a lot of personal revelation. Some of you know I've been thinking recently about changing my major from Music Education to Social Work to later go for a master's and doctorate in psychology. There was a long train of thought that led up to that, but basically that was one of the questions I took to General Conference. I told Elder Flores before we went in that if someone spoke specifically about either Social Work or Psychology, I would take it as a sign that that's something that God would like me to study, the "green light" option for revelation. But I also said that if nobody said anything I would take it as a "yellow light." So then we get there and I'm listening to the talks and just about EVERYBODY said stuff that was directly related to psychology. There was a TON of stuff about family relationships and getting along with other people. But it still wasn't super very directly touching either field, just kinda lightly. But then Elder Kearon talked about the refugees. Everything he said was directly related to social work. Nobody specifically mentioned social work or psychology, but it was definitely addressed. I'm taking it as a green-yellow light. In other words, adelante, but we've got to take it to the temple first.

We taught a man from Slovenia this week. He was a little drunk and didn't understand us very well, but I think I understood why it could be so hard to be a missionary in Europe. He said he believed in God, but he sure didn't have any love for Him because of stuff he saw in the wars. He didn't accept a second visit. It was weird; I'm used to teaching stubborn Northern Mexican Catholics and Christians. I didn't know exactly what words to say to a drunk, bull-headed, half-atheist, half-Catholic 46-year-old man who hardly spoke English and much less Spanish. I really liked the guy, but it didn't matter what we said or what scripture we pulled out, he just wouldn't receive it.

We climbed up to the Rio de Janeiro-type Jesus statue above Saltillo. It was an adventure. We met up in the offices of the mission with the secretaries and the Zone Leaders from Miravalle Stake (Elder Hernandez and Marín). And then none of knew how to get there. So we just told the taxi drivers where more or less we were going and hoped they knew more more than less. By some miracle we found each other at the base of the hill (which was much shorter than we thought it would be) and then climbed up bushwhacking. It only took about ten minutes to climb up, but then we took about an hour on top looking at the view and taking pictures. And then we came back home, showered, ate breakfast and then went and ate lunch. And now we're due for a nap. But we've got to get leadership counsel ready, so never mind. I'll try and send pictures of the hike if I can make it work.

Up until this week, I knew where my last transfer was going to be and with whom. But then some missionaries did some dumb things and so now the President is making changes again and because I'm kind of a wild card in the whole situation (as an ex-assistant in my last transfer, I can go with anyone, anywhere, with any assignment), I'm pretty sure I'm going to get moved. That could sound a little cocky, but that's just the way it is. The President told me a few of the options, and one way or another, I'm going to like it. I'll actually like it a lot. But we're going to finalize the things on Thursday or maybe Friday morning. I'll let you all know next week.

Next Monday I'm going to register for classes. EEEEK! It's so close! But I'm determined not to get trunky. We've been working super hard these last few weeks and I'm really hoping I can end the mission just as hard as we've been doing it here.

Well...I think that's it. In a couple weeks we should start figuring things out to talk for Mothers' Day, but we should at least wait until after we know where I am for sure.

Have a great week!

Elder Taylor

Me with Jesus

Me, Elder Marín, Elder Flores, Elder Eves, Elder Hernandez, Elder Zapatero

1 Abril 2016

1 Abril 2016

GENERAL CONFERENCE WEEKEND! WOOH!

This week was fun because Elder Flores was out of town. Just kidding. Well, it was fun and Elder Flores has been out of town doing splits with the Zone Leaders of the north, but those two concepts are not correlationally related. Elder Smith from Meridian, Idaho has been with me since Monday. It was pretty cool because we didn't know each other before the mission, but we've been talking and it turns out he was in band in High School and so we knew a lot of the same people and probably even saw each other in a few occasions. He plays bassoon and is planning on going to BSU after the mission. YAY! We could potentially be roommates. ("If you're not married by the time he gets back home," Elder Flores would tell me.)

Basilio and Hagapita didn't go to church this last week because Basilio got sick. But they are so excited to get baptized. It's been a while since Basilio has drunk any alcohol, much more than a week. But I'm still just trying to figure out how we can get Hagapita to pass the baptismal interview.

This last Sunday, we got a new investigator in church. His name is Marcelo. He's 16. We found an old investigator form in the Area Book of a lady named Gabriela that had gone to church before. So we went to go contact her. She wasn't home but her son was. So we started teaching him and he came to church. He really loved the church, even though he's really quiet and he seemed a little uncomfortable, but afterward he was telling us about how he really liked it. So that's good.

But then he wasn't there when we had the appointment on Tuesday. Actually, he was there, but he was asleep. So we started teaching his mom and grandma and they turned out to have a lot of really good questions and got really interested. And the grandma was SUPER funny. I really love funny old Mexican ladies. 

We actually found a TON of great people this week. We found this family that are really cool, a mom and two sons (there are more, but those are the people who are listening). We were teaching them when the neighbor lady just walked in and sat down. She said she noticed that the Mormon missionaries were there next door so she wanted to come in and listen. She said "I'm Catholic, but I like listening." So then we taught about baptism and repentance. She had a lot of questions and the good thing was that we had studied and paid attention in capacitations and so we had the answers. She liked it. Then it turns out she's going through a process of trying to decide whether to divorce or not. We gave her the pamphlet of lesson 1 and we're going to go back tonight at 6:30. 

We just had our Zone Conference. It was weird to realize that it was my last of the mission. I have one more week of this transfer and then we're starting my last transfer. But lately I haven't had time to get trunky, so that's good. We'll see what happens next transfer, but I'm determined to not let myself get that way.

Bye everybody! Have a great week!

Elder Taylor