Villahermosa: Week 98 "Lluvia"

 28 de septiembre de 2015

This week it has rained every day. But just at night time so by the time we leave in the morning, the humidity is suffocating. But I'm used to it by now. I've learned to put up with it. 

I was not able to have my interview with President Morales but next this week he is coming to a town close to here called Balancan and on Thursday we are going to see him there. I'll tell you all how it goes next week.

I'm very excited for Conference. I hope everyone is preparing themselves for this weekend. 

This week was 10x better than last week. We found 15 new investigators to teach. We worked very hard and were blessed for our efforts. We also have been preparing someone to get baptized this Friday. His name is Ismael Gonzalez. He is 86 years old. Reminds me just like Grandpa Dawson. But Mexican. My companion and me have been able to relate to him very well. He has never been very religious but when his wife passed away about 6 years ago, he went into a depression of sorts because he felt that that was it. That he would never be able to see her again. Since then, he has lived alone, grieving her death. We found him like that. But since we have arrived and told him that families are eternal and that he will be able to see his wife and sons and daughters and other loved ones after death, there has been an obvious change in him. He now has faith and hope of seeing his wife again. I love this gospel. I know it's true. I love seeing the blessings and hope it brings to the family. 

There was also a funny incident with my companion this week. There's this man here in Tenosique that walks around all the colonies and preaches in the streets. But when he preaches, he screams and we can't really understand him that well. And he is pretty old. Maybe like 60s or 70s. And I'm pretty sure he gets drunk a lot. But one day, we were on the way to an appointment and we see him on the street walking towards us. He stops in front of us and takes my companion's agenda out of his pocket and pointed to the picture that my comp had laminated on it. It was a picture of President Thomas S. Monson. The man pointed at him and said, This is Jesus Christ. He paid for my sins.... And then he gave it back and walked away. We just started laughing and walked away. Maybe the man could see Jesus through His prophet. Who knows. 

Well I do believe that there will only be two more of these emails until I will be talking with you all in person. That will be a great day. But its still time to focus on saving souls. So that's what I'll do. Love you all so much!

 

Elder George

 

 

 Beautiful Tenosique

 

Villahermosa: Week 97 "15 de septiembre"

21 de septiembre de 2015

This was a hard week for Elder Davis and I. We worked super hard but didn't have the results that we wanted. But we felt that we did all that we could. But the Lord will bless us according to His will, we just have to keep being diligent and patient. If there is one thing I have learned in the mission, its patience and long suffering. And having hope. I feel that patience and hope are very closely related. In the course of my mission, I have been hopeful of many things. Sometimes the Lord gives us those things immediately, but other things come with time and work. That's where my patience and diligence have been put to the test. 

I am going to keep on giving it my all to the end. These last three weeks are going to be my best three weeks I've had in the mission. 

So this next week are going to be our interviews with President and Sister Morales. I'm excited to see them and learn from them. I'm going to miss them a ton. They have been my Mom and Dad for two years and I feel that they will always have a special place inside of me. 

So this past week we also celebrated Independence day here in Mexico. It was super fun. We got an emailing saying that we had to be home an hour early that night because people get kind of crazy here. All the holidays here are just excuses for people here to get crazy drunk and blow things up. So we had to stay off the streets. So Elder Davis and I decided to go back to the house and to watch a church movie, eat junk food, and do it all in our hammocks. I will send a picture. Good times. 

Also the new missionary that got here to Tenosique is Elder Davidson. He is from Texas and is also very tall. But he doesn't talk. At all. He only has like 5 months in the mission. We have been trying to get him to loosen up a little. Its only his second area. I'll send a picture. 

Well, this next week should be ore eventful. I heard that you all got my flight plans. I haven't even got them yet. That's probably a good thing. I actually got a phone call from one of the secretaries last week from the mission, Elder Castro. He said that he was trying to get in contact with Mom And Dad but he said that the number he had did not work. It was my old number. So I gave him Mom and Dad's number. It was so weird. 

Anyway, I love you all very much. I look forward to your emails next week. 

 

Elder George

 

 Tenosique Elders.

 

 Independence Day 2015. The donut says VIVA MEXICO.

 

Villahermosa: Week 96 "Cambios"

14 de septembre de 2015

Well this week were changes but in our companionship, there were 0 changes. Elder Davis will remain as my companion until I depart from the mission. And I will remain here in Tenosique. It really made me happy to hear the news. Elder Davis and I really get along well. I'm not going to be able to finish his training but it will be all right. There was changes in the other companionship that lives with us. The Dominican, Elder Vizcaino got shipped off to another part of the mission and we will see who the new missionary at night. I am super pumped and excited to start this last transfer of my mission. I promised my companion to stay diligent and obedient and more important, I promised the Lord. 

This past week, we had a Conference with President and Sister Morales. It was a good way to get us hyped and ready to start out the transfer with desires to fulfill our purposes as missionaries. And they bought us Burger King. It was so nice. I hadn't had fast food since I was in Villa. 

We had a very spiritual experience this week contacting. One night, it was late and we were booking it home and I just had the impression to talk to this guy sitting in his smoothie store. He gladly accepted an appointment to return the following morning. When we got there, we got to know him a little bit and taught him the special message of the Restoration. It was exactly what he needed to hear. He accepted everything that we told him because he felt it was true. His name is Hilario Ramos. He accepted to be baptized on the 26th of this month and to receive the Holy Ghost the following Sunday. The whole time he just had this look of amazement. Right as we finished the closing prayer and as we were about to leave, he told us to wait. He had a question. He looked at us almost as if he were about to cry and asked me if that the night before, I had been inspired to talk to him. I told him yes and that the Spirit told me to. He sat there for a couple seconds and then said that he knew that we are messengers of God because only the day before we contacted him, he had decided to change his life. To give up alcohol and to give up his love of money. He told us of his desires to serve his fellow man and to help the poor and the needy. That's why he had opened up that little store in the first place, to give the money that he made to the poor and needy. Then he told us that he knew that he was on the right path listening to us, and he said that he knew that we could help him. So that really increased my testimony that the Lord is still preparing people to hear my voice and that I cannot stop speaking with everyone I see, no, not until the end.

I also had the special opportunity to see over live streaming, the re-dedication of the Mexico City Mexico Temple. President Eyring presided with Elder Holland and some other 70s here in Mexico like Arnulfo Valenzuela and Benjamín de Hoyos. ( I have met them both). I have a new love for the temple and for the blessing it is to have temples. Especially here in Mexico because before the people had to travel all the way to Mesa, Arizona to have these ordinances done. But now they have temples within a couple hours from their homes. I got to see all three sessions and they were all so special. Elder Holland spoke three times. Pure power.

Well I have a full week ahead of me to work and work and work. And you know that's what I'm going to do. The heat is not as intense because the rainy season has started here. So it should be a great week. I love you all so much! 

 

Elder George

Villahermosa: Week 95 "Testimonio"

7 de septembre de 2015

¡Familia!

Great week. Yet challenging. Baptism weeks are always dificult. But very rewarding. 

First off, María Guadalupe Ramírez Inocente entered into the waters of baptism and decided to live the laws and  ordinances of the gospel for the rest of her life. It was a special service. 

I would now like to tell a story of this Sundays Sacrament Meeting. One of my converts(Roberto) wife(Maritoña) got up bear her testimony. I was sitting in the very front row with some investigators that we brought to church. She started off saying that her testimony of Missionary Work had grown a lot in these past couple of months now that her husband and son got baptized after 10 and a half years of waiting. She then said something that kind of scared me. She said she was going to share something about the experience that she hadn't told anyone. She said it was about Elder George. I was like oh no. I honestly had no idea what she was going to say. She started off saying that when I first got there to her house and she saw that my intentions were to help Roberto get baptized, she felt very uncomfortable with me being there and she did not have very good feelings about me. She thought to herself 'who does he think that he is and how is he any different from the other missionaries that have come?' She commented that she didn't like how persistent I was with Roberto and she thought Roberto was not going to want to listen to the missionaries at all after I was through. But then she said that one day she saw us coming and she straight up went to the bathroom and ignored the fact that we were at the door, but her husband came and answered the door and agreed to listen to a message. She never came out. That was the lesson that Roberto accepted to be baptized and also their son Geovany. When she found out, she honestly could not believe it. Then she stopped talking for a couple seconds and started choking up. Then she looked at me and asked me very sincerely if I would forgive her of the bad feelings she had towards me. I of course nodded my head and said yes. I was a choking up too. Then she went on and thanked me for being so persistent and for caring for her family even when she had those feelings. And she went on saying that she now saw all missionaries as a blessing and how grateful she is for them and how she wanted her son to be a missionary. That experience was very special for me. I love that family so much. I am going to miss being a missionary. I'm going to take advantage of these next 5 weeks to bring as many people as I can to Christ. Man I love this work.

Also this week I fell in a 3 foot hole full of mud. Very embarrassing. My companion thought it was hysterical and won't let it go. 

I love you all very much. Look forward to hearing from you all next week. 

Elder George

Bautismo de Lupita. Her mom and dad should be getting baptized next. They just need to get married first. 

Rocking matching ties on Sunday. Father and Son.