Week 69: Marzo de Milagros 2.0!!!!

Wooooooo LETS GOOO, we are now in March Madness. 

Last year at this time we were all pumped to have a month with 5 weeks to pùsh the limits and see what we could do with it, and now we get that same opportunity!!!! 

We have already seen many miracles as we have written our goal and started trying to complete it. 

I was reading this week in Alma studying all the stories of some of the greatest missionaries in history--that being the Sons of Mosiah. Something that they did before they went to work is they prayed with much faith that they would be able to help their brethren that were in the dark that they would be brought to the light. 

My comp and I the past few days have been trying to follow that example because there really are many who are in darkness and don't know the light of Christ and we are here to help them receive it!! 

We really did see the blessings from God as a result of just wanting to help more of our brethren here come unto Christ as we have found more and more people that are ready and willing to hear the messages of the gospel and change their lives. 

God wants all of his children to know of the truth and our calling as members of his church is to help everyone else come to that knowledge and as we try to help others we will see God's hand work miracles in our lives and the lives of others!!! 

TRABAJAR

CON AMOR

Y DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ÁRBOL 

TGM!!!

Week 67: Smooth Criminal

I know my titles are always in Spanish but I could not  pass up the opportunity to use that pun because we were named criminals here in Bochil this week!!! jaja 

It all started on Monday when our neighbor showed up outside our house with the police yelling at us saying we were trying to break into his house from his roof. 

The police soon left because he didn't make his case good as he threatened to "kill the gringos" and was just cussing us out. He then went to talk to a few members and the owner of the house in which each time he told his story it changed. It got to the point where he even said he saw "the guero" face to face but forgot to take a picture for proof. 

It was weird but everyone told us to forget about it and just keep working so we did. We left to Mariposa for two days and met with people from out there which was a good adventure jaja. But then we returned on Thursday morning and a police officer came to the door with a paper and made our companion sign it. 

As we went in to read it we realized that it was a lawsuit jajajaja. We called the assistants to ask what to do and a few friends I have in Tuxtla that are lawyers and we figured out we had to go to the court because we signed the paper jaja. 

We were fine with showing up because we knew we had done nothing wrong but we did know it would be tough because people here are very corrupt. A little before we entered the citorio,  our mission president calls and lets us know that we should just go in with confidence and if anything happens we would be alright because he was with Elder Gonzalez who is a lawyer for the area of the church and an area seventy. 

So we entered the meeting and it was sooooooooo laaammmeee. I felt like I was in first grade in the principal's office and the principal was racist jajaja. The licenciada didn't even let us talk first off and second she just attacked us but ended all saying that we needed to apologize and promise that we wouldn't do it again. 

So we just did it to get them to be quiet jaja and we left and went about our business, but what we forgot to do was call the mission president and tell him everything was fine. But we completely forgot about that until we got a call later first from pres then from the stake pres then from Elder Gonzalez then from Elder García theeeen from the director of public safety for the church back to back to back asking if we needed help

But we explained everything was fine and they all came down to the conclusion we had to leave the area for a few days so that's what we did. We went to Tuxtla and helped out over there. Yeah that was pretty much the whole week. We are still a little sad we didn't get to at least spend a dayyy in jail but I'm looking forward to having a normal week this week. But knowing this mission it won't be a normal week. That does not exist in TGM but I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!!

TRABAJAR

CON AMOR

Y DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ÁRBOL

TGM!!!!!!

Week 66: MI MOCHILAAAAA :( JAJA

**Mom Note: As is evident from the title, Seth's backpack was stolen this week.  Scriptures, camera, money, and food were stolen.  He maybe shouldn't leave it on the porch while he goes inside the apartment.  I am most sad about the pictures lost.  :-(  Anyway, all is well!

This week was a good one. We started out with going to a place called Soyalo to inform them that we would be working with them to form a family group of the church in their town because they don't have enough people that hold the priesthood to have a branch.  But one of the members there does so we will have one more organized house of prayer in this region.  

After that we went up to la Mariposa to visit the people up there to see how the recent converts are doing and how the investigators are doing. It is sometimes hard to follow up with the people up there just because it is about 4 hours out from here but it has been a successful area. We have a house of prayer up there as well and in the next few weeks we will see how well it will grow. 

After that we spent our time here in Bochil with some of our investigators that will be good contributors for the future branch here in Bochil. Everything we have been seeing in the past few weeks has just been a huge testimony that we really are in the last days. 

The Lord's work is coming to pass. His kingdom here on earth is growing fast. So it's time for us to also be working and giving it our all to be instruments in this great and marvelous work!!

TRABAJAR

CON AMOR

Y DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ÁRBOL

TGM!!!!!

Week 65: Pues Ya Se Fue el Otto

This week was an interesting one---mainly because my companion went home. So we were running around trying to get the last few miracles before he was done. Before he left, we ended up getting a family married that this week will get baptized. They are really amazing and will be great for the future branch here in Bochil. 

We were also able to have a few other lessons on Elder Hoekstre's last day that were really good and we are confident that each of them will be getting baptized in the next two weeks. 

The day we took Elder Hoekstre to the offices was a weird feeling to drop him off and think that in two weeks we will be dropping off our other comp Elder Gibo to go home and in about 8  and a half months I'll be the one getting dropped off. 

After we dropped him off we went to Sam's Club and ate and hit the road returning to Bochil. When we got back, we checked the house of prayer for everything we need to buy to make it look better because we want the new branch to have a good place to meet!! 

This week there's not much to write and we don't have much time but yeah I'll send more next week!!!

Week 64: Ha Sido Un Tiempesito Jaja

I haven't written in a while so I'm sorry about that. But just so y'all know I'm not dead and this work is amazing!!! 

So recently we have still been running around trying to get everything organized here to be a future branch center of a district. 

We have already seen some desafios but we know that is just because Satan doesn't want this work to keep moving. But we have also seen the miracles and the hand of God here because there is nothing that can withhold the work of the Lord!!! 

This week we took a trip up to San Cristobal with a couple to get them married and baptized. As we were waiting to get into the office the couple walked up and stayed out for a while. So we decided to go and find them and once we found them they were both crying and saying they were not gonna get married. 

That was something really scary to hear after traveling two hours to get there and waiting two other hours for the appointment. 

But we said a quick prayer, calmed them down, and talked to them a little bit. What we saw from the situation was that they just were not listening to each other even after we had both of them talk  and give their side. They really did not listen to the other person.

So we had to explain to them that they had to let go of all pride and just listen for a moment and see what happens. Then we just asked them a few questions about if they wanted to grow and if they loved each other and after talking for about 45 minutes we got them to follow us back in. Then they got married and baptized!!! 

They will be key in helping start the church out in this village. We saw how Satan saw that he would be a key instrument for the church to be established in his town but God has His work and noone can stop it from coming to pass!!! 

So like Elder Jeffery Holland said: We are in a game with two teams- one is from the Lord and one from the adversar . We know which team wins but we have to still choose which jersey we are gonna throw on. So why not pick the winning team now and run with it!!!!!

TRABAJAR 

CON AMOR

Y DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ARBOL

TGM!!!!!!

Week 61: UNA LOCURA DE UNA SEMANA JAJA

WOOOW this week has been a little wild. So last week we were told that changes would happen which confused us soooo much honestly lol because the real changes aren't until this week. 

But then we told president of a few plans that a few guys up in the mountains had about organizing and establishing the church in a few tiny pueblitos in the middle of the mountains. 

So they gave us time up until the day after New Years to finish up with baptisms we had planned there in Tuxtla and right after those were finished we got a call from the president that he wanted Elder Hoekstre (My Brother jaja) and I needed to come up here and find places for three sets of missionaries to live so we did. 

Two days later we had three houses and organized at least 6 baptisms!! The baptisms will be really awesome because they will be the first members in the pueblito and will be the first family to help us eventually get a few branches out here! 

This has been really fun. It's definitely been a crazy adventure but that will just be the next 6 months up here!!! The goal is to have a foundation for a stake up here for the wonderful people of Simojovel. Bochil, La Mariposa and many other tiny towns up here in the mountains. I'm lovin it!!!!!

TRABAJAR

CON AMOR 

Y DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ÁRBOL 

TGM!!!!!

Week 58: Noche de Luz

This week there isn't much to report because it was mainly just us running around going to other areas to help them out. It really has been lots of fun being able to see my companion grow and help him out!! 

We noticed yesterday that almost every day we have been outside of our area to go with other missionaries in the zone. It's been a really good experience to be able to see so many different situations of investigators and be able to help solve them!! 

This week we had an activity with the stake where we had the opportunity to invite our people who are getting to know the church and it was honestly really good. The choir and the messages were great!!! 

One of my favorite parts is when the stake president spoke of the moment known as "The Christmas Truce of WW1" where during the war the song Silent Night began to be sung and it ended with both sides just celebrating this time of Christmas with no fighting!! Even though they were all soldiers sent there to kill the enemy, they in that moment were not thinking of  the war. But they were all bound together in the peace of this Christmas season bonded together in the belief and knowledge that we all have one Savior and He was born and He lives!!! 

We too should follow this example and try to be unified with our brethren here on earth through this knowledge that we all have one Savior. He did suffer and die for each and every one of us!!! 

TRABAJAR

CON AMOR

DISFRUTAR

HASTA EL ÁRBOL

TGM!!!!!