Villahermosa: Week 76 "Un regalo de los cielos‏"

27 de abril de 2015

¡Eja! Muy pronto nos veremos... por la última vez. El tiempo ha pasado demasiado rápido. 

What a crazy week full of learning experiences. That's every week here. And I love to learn. 

Well the first experience I had was when I went on divisions with an Elder that barely has 5 months here in the mission and he is struggling bad. He is American from Arizona. We went on divisions and I took him back to my area to work. He told me about the problems he was having. A lot of health problems. He had a doctors appointment that day because he was having pains in his collar bone because he broke it a couple years back and he thinks it didn't heal very good and it had been giving him problems. So we went and the doctor told him that there was nothing wrong. That it was completely healthy and that he was having pains because of growth. So that was good news. But I think he is just trying to find an excuse to go home. I tried that whole day to find a way to help him and to make him feel better and make him want to stay and to complete this calling with me that the Lord had given us. I felt like I was able to accomplish a lot in one day because the next morning, he left happy and motivated. And this week, they baptized a family of three. That should get him motivated. 

Also, on Saturday, we had a pretty interesting lesson. We went to the house of a investigator that we have but she wasn't there but we found her mother. She accepted our invitation to listen to a short message. After talking to her for a couple minutes, we decided to teach her the Plan of Salvation. We taught her outside her house because inside it was an oven. It wasn't much better outside but we did it outside. The lesson was going super great though. We taught her where she came from before she was born and she was amazed. Then we got to the creation and I started speak and just as I started, I felt something fall on me, like it had started raining but the rain was really hot. Then I look up to see a pigeon on a power line that had just released its bowels all over me. It was all over my shirt and pants and in my hair. Two seconds later, while me and the lady I was teaching were still in shock, my companion busts out "and that is one of God's many beautiful creations" and then we all just started laughing. It was a great moment. Then we made an appointment to come back to her house and left to clean myself up. 

Today it got up to 105. It has gotten up to or over a hundred almost every day this week. But here we are still working hard. This next week we are supposed to get a thunder storm. I hope. That would be a nice break. 

Well that was my crazy week. I love you all and hope you all are doing great! 

 

Elder George

Villahermosa: Week 75 "La bebida de los dioses"

20 de abril de 2015

Family! 

This week, I have gained a testimony on how pozol saves lives. For those of you who have not come to know what pozol is, I will explain. Pozol is a drink here that comes from way back, even from the times of the natives here. This drink consists of corn that is later made into this kind of dough, that is also used to make corn tortillas. And once it is made into the dough, there is different ways to make the drink. You can add coco, peanuts, and even coconut. Or you can use just the pure dough. Anyway, then you take the dough and put it in a blender. In this step, there is a variety of things you can add. Some people add water, some water and milk. Others add horchata. Then you add sugar. Some put in sugar, some don't. But I like it with sugar. Then you add ice if you want it cold. I prefer it freezing cold. Then you blend it all up and serve it. This drink not only takes away your thirst, but it also fills you up at the same time. It may sound disgusting because it is basically ground up tortillas with sugar and water, but it is a life saver here in the heat and that is the truth. I will send a picture of me drinking some that the sister that gave us lunch today gave us. 

Ok now that I have shared one of my favorite things of my mission, I will explain a little of my week. Well this week, we had a special conference with President. It was awesome. He stressed about the contacts that we do and how they lead to having baptisms. So he accompanied a couple of pairs of missionaries while he assigned me and my companion to go out and contact with other missionaries that were having trouble with their contacts in the Zone. So he sent me to Reforma, Chiapas for a day to help the Elders in that area. Its in a different state. It is about an hour and a half away from Villa. It was a really good day. I felt that I was able to help these missionaries understand the importance of contacting and I felt that they had more confidence in doing it when I left the next day to go back to my area. I love an opportunity to help and teach. Because not only do I get to help out other missionaries, but I also help myself and I learn a lot. 

Well halfway through the change and things are just going great. This past week, I dont think I saw a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature got up in the hundreds, but it was a great week and I cannot complain. I love this place. I am going to miss it so much. I love you all and I pray for you all every night. Have a great week!

 

Elder George

 

Me making mango pop cicles with a sister from the ward.

 López and I just chillin.

 Drinking pozol. I was very sweaty.

Villahermosa: Week 74 "38 grados"

13 de abril de 2015

I am completely fried. My sunscreen does not have any effect on me. And it is HOT!!! It got up to 100 today, and with the humidity, the heat was incredible. And it is just starting!!! I have never experienced heat like this in my life. When I return in a couple month is when the heat stops and the rains start. So I just have to deal with it for the rest of my mission. Let's go!

This week was great! We went on divisions twice with some Elders that have not been working very well and that have been a little disobedient. I had the opportunity to go to their areas and to help them out. It was a really good learning experience for me. I helped these missionaries better their teaching skills and I helped their investigators come more unto Christ. We had a great lesson in one area and their investigators accepted a baptismal date for the 18th of April. It was very uplifting for the Elder I was with and I felt that I left that area having helped that missionary feel the spirit of his calling. I love being a Zone Leader. It is very difficult and draining, but the spiritual experiences are increasing ans I feel even closer to my Savior. 

 

This week, we were also able to have a baptism. Ronny was baptized and confirmed this week. We found him my second day here in Villa and he was very prepared. He went to the General Conference and he had a very spiritual experience there. He accepted being baptized right off the bat. He will be a great member of the church. 

We also had a couple interesting events that happened this week. First of all, someone busted into our ward building. They broke the back door down and entered, trying to get into the clerks office, but they could not. So they vandalized the whole church with ketchup. It was a mess, but they were able to get it all cleaned up and ready for Sunday. It really disgusted me that someone would do that. They even vandalized the pictures of Christ. It just made me hurt inside. But they will be judged. And I fear that that day will not be pretty for them. 

Also this week, we were on our way to do divisions when we passed by the stake center and there was a man laying down outside of the gates. As we approached, we found that he was abnormally thin and pale. Then a fear entered into us that he was dead.... Because it did not look like he was breathing and he was laying in a puddle of yogurt and his eyes were wide open and he did not respond to us. So we were like uhhhh what do we do. So we called an ambulance. They came and we found out that thankfully he was not dead and that they were going to take care of him. What a relief. We pass by many drunks laying in the sidewalk completely passed out but this guy was different. I was glad that we were able to help him.

 

Well that was my crazy week. This week will be even crazier I believe. I will send some pictures here in a sec. I love you all. 

 

Elder George

 

 My comp making a silly face.

 Ronny's baptism.

Villahermosa: Week 73 "Conferencia General!!!!!!"

6 de abril de 2015

It is so weird not to get a weekly letter from Allison anymore. I enjoyed reading her emails. Oh well. I bet she is doing well at home. Has Alec gotten home yet? I haven't heard anything about him. And where is Johnny going on his mission? I am pretty sure y'all told me he got his mission call.

Oh man. What a crazy week I have had. I love my new calling. I love working so close to the President and his assistants. I am learning so much. It's an incredible experience. I can feel my spiritual growth continuing. Man I love my mission so much.

What a huge blessing it was to hear from the Prophet and Apostles and all the other church leaders. I remember before the mission how much I looked forward to conferences because it was an opportunity to sleep in on Sundays and we did not have to leave the house. Now I look forward to it for a completely different reason. This whole week, my heart yearned for the opportunity to hear the voice of the prophet and to receive once again the confirmation of knowing that the heavens are not shut and God still talks to His servants here on earth. I love the General Authorities of this church. They are such a strength for me. I just wanted to give each one of them a hug of appreciation after hearing their talks. 

This Saturday night, I took some time to really ponder and study about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Especially His resurrection. I honestly cannot describe in words the gratitude that I feel towards my Savior for what He has done for me and for my family and for all the people that I love. The testimony of Elder Holland on Sunday really moved me. I know he is a Apostle of Jesus Christ. I hope that all of you were able to feel the spirit as you listened to the words of the prophet and the other church leaders and were able to make goals to change your lives and put them more in harmony with the Gospel. 

There was one pretty funny experience I had this week with my companion. Elder Lopez is trying very hard to learn English. More than any other Latin companion that I have had. He asked me how to say that he had gas. I was about to tell him when he answered his own question. He said would it be, 'I'm farty?' I literally died there in the street. I am going to use that phrase more often. 

Well I love you all very much and I can't wait to tell you about what awesome experiences I have this next week in my mission. Stay true to the faith!

 

Elder George

Villahermosa: Week 72 "Mi nueva asignación"

1 de abril de 2015

I am alive! Sorry I did not have time to write on Monday or Tuesday. I have been super busy. And that is the truth. I am only going to share with you all these past couple of days because I still don't have much time.

Well on Sunday night, I got the phone call at like 10 at night saying that I had transfers. I was very surprised. I was already going to leave Acayucan. I had a very short stay there for the second time. But on the phone, the assistant told me that I was to report to Villahermosa and my new assignment would be given to me there along with my new companion. So at 7 in the morning, I was out of Acayucan and on my way to Villahermosa.

 

So when I got to the bus station in Villa, they sent me to the offices and they said there I would receive my new calling. So we went and when I got there, there were tons and tons of missionaries. I ran into one of my old companions, Elder Gomez. It was nice seeing him again. So after hours of waiting, one of the assistants called me out and told me to come with him. So he took me into the Presidents office and there he started to talk to me. He told me that the President has a lot of confidence in me and that he thinks that I can help out a lot of missionaries with my experiences and trials that I have had in the mission. Then he asked me if I would accept the calling of being Zone Leader in Villahermosa, area Espejo. Of course I agreed. And then he introduced me to my new companion, Elder Lopez. We have the same amount of time in the mission. He is a great guy. He is from Guanajuato. So for the rest of the day, he filled me in on our responsibilities and who is in our Zone and all of that good stuff. We have 34 elders and sisters in our Zone. Including all the assistants and secretaries from the offices. I have to admit that it is kind of intimidating having the best of the best in my Zone but I am confident that I can do the job.

 

So these past couple of days were super busy. Yesterday, we had leadership council with the President and his wife. It is for all of the Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leaders. It was so awesome. The spirit was incredible. And  President bought us Carls Jr. That is the other thing that is awesome about my area. We have everything. Fast Food and Malls. I have never had an area even close to this. And so today we had Zone Class where I had the opportunity to teach and help the missionaries of my Zone to get excited about the work and to work even harder. It was a great class.

 

I am very excited about these last 6 months of my mission. The Lord is requiring a lot of me and I am going to give Him my all. I love the mission so much. And I love all of you. Have a great week.

 

Elder George

 

 Breakfast appointment with Elder Enriquez y Aguilar.

 Half of a habanero down the pipe. (I lost a bet)