Week 24: Organizando/ Bautismos/ Incendios

This week was an interesting one like always, LOL. We started out the week with a trip out to Pijijiapan to go help them out there with a few investigators to get them ready for baptism. With one our investigators, I agreed to come tomorrow and help him dig his well because he's blind and he still has to dig very deep to get to the water. But some of the elders and I are gonna head out to help him out. He and his family are listening to the Elders there in Piji so we are hoping a little bit of service will also help them feel the Savior's love. 

While we were out there I received a call from Presidente Doman asking if I could help him out the next day to organize a branch there in 3 Picos and then in Cabeza De Toro form a Groupo Familiar which is when there aren't enough people to be a branch but they have at the least one Priesthood holder that is active. 

So we headed back to Tonala to get some things ready and also gather clothes for our baptisms that we really didn't have yet but we were gonna see what happened. So after all that we went to 3 Picos and visited a few of our investigators and invited them to be baptized the next day. Two of them said yes and so I gave them an interview and we were ready for the next day for president. 

But when president showed up the next day for the baptism before our meetings, he ended up talking to one of our investigators that has been listening to the missionaries foreverrr and honestly I didn't even think she would want to be baptized but 10 minutes later she was asking if it was allowed to be baptized too. So we also had her baptized that day. It was an amazing baptism honestly. It was in a pool in the middle of nowhere but the location does not matter. All that matters is that three more of the children of God entered in a covenant with their Heavenly Father that day. 

After the baptisms, we started organizing the records of members there and getting papers ready to send them to the church offices in Salt Lake, and now we are waiting to see if we can get a branch set up here which would be great. After all that we left to go to Cabeza de Toro to have a meeting there. It was a good meeting. It looks like that little town is really getting going. The members are working too! The only sad thing is that I won't be here to see all these things actually happen. President told me that I am gonna help him organize it but I am gonna be changed to another area 29th of Abril. 

But it´s alright. Wherever I go I´m going there for a reason so we´ll see what happens LOL. 

But after all this on Friday in the afternoon we went over to 3 Picos to fill out paperwork but as we entered the town we saw a bunch of smog and all surrounding the town. Once we got to house of a member she told us a guy needed help that lives out on the outskirts of 3 Picos so we went out to his house. The wind was crazy which made the fire worse and made it worse for us because we could not see. We were just getting slapped in the face by ashes. But for a few hours we helped the hermano to put out the fires that surrounded his house. 

But all in all it was a pretty good week-- a little stressful at times but fun at the same time lol. Oh and also I am gonna leave one escritora every week that I like and why because porque nooo LOL. Entonces this week is gonna be MOSÍAH 3: 7:

7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even   more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every   pore,   so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. 

I love this scripture so much honestly it really explains that the Savior suffered for more than just our sins. He felt EVERYTHING, all for each and every one of us. Through this we can all know that we are never alone. Our Savior knows each of us personally. He knows our trials. He knows our problems. He knows YOU. His hands are always extended to you. He's just waiting for us to reach out to Him. So please reach out and pray and you will feel peace and that you will feel His love. We are never alone in this life, NEVER. 

LES AMO

HASTA EL ARBOL!!!

TGM!!!!

Week 23: What a Week-- Part 2

I will start this post with a story---this is Mom.  My husband and I received a call from an 801 number (Utah) and I wondered who it was.  I answered and heard some muffled Spanish in the background.  Pretty soon I figure out it is Seth.  "I am calling from Sister Doman's phone.  Something happened."  Ummm, what happened you ask?  Well, the Federales came onto their bus and checked green cards.  This wasn't a problem except for when you put the green card back in your wallet, you should put your wallet away so you don't go to sleep and it drops on the floor of the bus and you forget about it.  Anyway, he is without a green card for a bit while they get a new one.  We canceled the debit card and will figure out what to do about the license.  Mama Doman said that he "wasn't in Kansas anymore" and that perhaps he needs to find a way to keep a hold of his belongings.  With the suitcase and now wallet, that is a GOOD idea.  LOL! She and President Doman are so wonderful.  They expressed their love for Seth and that he was doing great!  I appreciate them so much and their service to the people of Mexico, to the missionaries, and particularly my son.  Good times in Mexico!  :-)

Now on to the regularly scheduled programming.  

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This week was another crazy one between helping out in other areas,  a meeting with President Doman, getting a few important things stolen, and special changes in the middle of the day. 

But I´ll start with the beginning. So, starting this week,  Elder Quiñonez and I were trying to see what we can do to help our zone. So we decided to travel and go check each area for ourselves. We started in 3 Picos. It's a good area and we spent a day there working. Then we took our trip to Pijijiapan, which was good but not much work. More traveling because it's almost 2 hours in an autobus from here. Then we went over to finish out in Arriaga and from there we went out to Chahuites a tener un actividad (to have an activity) con la zona Tonala y Chahuites with the Domans. It was fun, but my wallet fell in the autobus and we are pretty sure the people right by us in the bus took it because when we went back everyone said they never saw anything lol. 

But the meeting was cool. We talked about those little ketchup cup things at fast food restaurant places and how honestly we are like those cups a lot. For example, the cups were made to expand and hold more ketchup but most people don't know this so they use them like the little cups like they came. But they could be getting more out of this cup. 

We too often put ourselves in situations or make decisions that make us like the cup someone that could be so much more but we are stuck to just the basics. We are all loved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. We must think this way, that our potential is eternal. God wants us to eventually be able to have all that He has. He is waiting to bless us with things that maybe we never even imagined we could receive. But if we keep an eternal perspective and continue to keep the commandments, through Jesus Christ and His Atonement for us, we will begin to see that He is helping to change us bless us and expand our lives. Then before we know it we will be like this cup after it has expanded, we will have grown and realized that we are always more than what we thought. We got a lot out of it.

I always like the talks that Mama Doman gives. But after this a flood of interviews happened So President pulled Elder Quiñonez and I in to talk a lot about changes and each missionary individually. We were so mentally exhausted after but we decided after that we needed some changes. But they were not gonna be announced until Sunday night. But the next day "Sabado" in the middle of the day while walking to a visit, we hear that we have changes in the zone and two of them had to head to the offices Sunday night and they were gonna close 3 Picos from the missionaries. 

So that was a lot all at once but we organized everything. Right now for the next two weeks my area consists of Tonala 1, 3 Picos, Cabeza de Toro, Puerto Arista, and five other pueblos hasta manguitos. So quite a bit but we are gonna work hard for these next two weeks with my new companion from Bolivia--Elder Guttierez--because after these two weeks I am going to a different area. 

ABRIL DE AGRADECIMIENTO!!!!

HASTA EL ARBOL

TGM!!!!

LES AMOO

Week 22: Que Semana

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What a week... changes, Consegos (leadership meeting), a whole lot of new investigators, and General Conference. But I´ll start with the beginning. Tuesday, Elder Quinoñez and I were preparing our stuff to head out to Tuxtla in the afternoon. Everything was perfect and set up for us to leave. The secretary had purchased our ticket and everything, but we missed our bus....LOL. So we asked when we could catch the next bus which did not leave until 10. So we bought the tickets and waited. But the question came to our minds where are we gonna sleep tonight? So the other elder who was with us knows a family that lives near the bus stop. So he calls and they agreed to come pick us up and that we could sleep there. 

So hours pass.  We get there at about 12:30 and went the house of the members and got all ready for bed. By the time we were in our beds it was about 1. We were a little bummed out that plans didn´t work out but it was alright because we found a place to sleep. 

Our attitudes completely changed when about 2 in the morning came and we hear yelling, "ELDERESSSS!" So we went running. Everything ended out fine after about 3 knelt prayers by us and 2 hours of talking. 

Our moods changed about that night from "Aw, we missed the bus and we aren't with the other elders" to a thought of gratitude that we had been there because we were able to help.  So now we see that even though things don't go how we want, God has a plan and knows all. 

After that long night, we headed to Chapuntapec for the Consego with all the other zone leaders and President Doman. We were told the numbers of baptisms we had in the month of march was 267!!!!!! What a blessing right? 

267 more souls that entered into the kingdom of God and we are not gonna rest with that number. We are going to give it our all to keep progressing and bringing all of our brethren and sisters to the kingdom of God. After the Consego, we headed back this way and got to Arriaga at about 1 in the morning. The next day, I received my new companion Elder Garcia from Honduras. Then we had a quick zone meeting and went our ways to our areas. 

Here in Tonala the members are really getting involved in the work. We had a few members that had cars take us around to there friends and family that they hadn't seen in a long time at church and it worked out so well. We were received by all of them. One in particular that we visited asked me for an interview for baptism. So we agreed and decided to go ahead with the interview and as I asked the questions, things became clear.  We gave her a priesthood blessing and her whole family came to church on Sunday. It was a wonderful sight. 

Many of the people we visited had family who are not members. So through those visits we now have over 50 people ready for visits in the upcoming days. Sometimes all we need to do is try to remember our friends and family who have not been to church in a long time or who are not members of the church. If we visit with a heart filled with love and a mind of ministering, God will be with us as you visit. 

That is one of the biggest things that sat with me from General Conference---that it all starts with love. When we minister with love, when we share this message with love, everything will work out even if we aren't accepted. We will still feel love for our friends and family because that was the base of our sharing in the first place. 

TRABAJAR

DISFRUTAR

CON AMOR

TGM!!!

HASTA EL ARBOL

Week 21: Marzo Milagros A Abril de AGRADECIMIENTO (March Miracles and April Gratitude)

Man it's already Abril, a lot happened this past month. We had the opportunity to see many miracles in the mission and complete many goals. This month in my area in Tonala we baptized 9---wasn't exactly what we were hoping for but those 9 came out of nowhere. I truly received a testimony that God is always preparing the hearts of people to receive us in their homes and enter into covenants. Like Amulek in Alma Chapter 10 there are many people being prepared to receive the word of God. We saw this many times! 4 of our baptisms were people we met in the street through members of the church. They were prepared beforehand. I can testify of that. They had been shaped into the people that received us that day after many years of dodging the missionaries. 

It truly was a March of Miracles. As a zone, we completed 17, which is good. My comp and I talked with President Doman this past week and he told us he wants us to split up to be the two zone leaders for the zone of Tonala. So starting this week I will be the zone leader here in Tonala and Elder Quinoñez will be heading to Arriaga to be the other zone leader there. We are planning many activities for Abril to keep the momentum going. Because this past month we went to the beach twice to baptize and we had a conference here with president so everyone has a lot of animo right now, which is good. 

For this reason we are going to call Abril de Agradecimiento because we had many miracles in the past month so what else should we do other than to thank God for the success we had in bringing our brothers and sisters into the kingdom of God. I don't have much time to write so I will leave it at that but I heard that my fans  want more written so I will try to start writing more in the upcoming weeks. 

LES AMO

HASTA EL ARBOL 

TGM!!!!!!!