Dogs and Sacrament

This week was really hard and funny and good. We had more investigators in church and more progressing investigators than I have had in my whole mission but only taught 19 lessons (half what we normally teach) because we had to go search a bunch of referals from the internet that don't exist. The family with the 45 year old woman is pretty funny, the son (golden) went to seminary every day this week and 2 days the teacher and other students didn't go but he still went and waited outside 20 minutes until deciding to leave. They brought their dog to sacrement meeting and it kept coming back in the building and my companion was trying to carry it out and it peed on him. Yes a dog peed on my companion in sacrament meeting! Good stories.

This week the stake president gave us the chance to train the whole ward in the 3rd hour of how they can improve in their missionary efforts. We showed the video La Expiacion y la Obra Misional which I think in English is The Atonement and Missionary Work, watch it and you'll get hyped. After we got like 12 referals from the members and we have FHEs with members every Monday for the next 2 months where they're gonna invite families to hear us! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spGtVY6L5jY

My district had a pretty hard week though, Linda Vista 2 had a baptism and they went for the investigator in the morning and she said she changed her mind and doesn't want anything to do with the church and the next day I went to do their other baptismal interview and the guy didn't show up   :((((. Satan is working hard in district 3. 

When all is said and done though I feel good with this week. We are starting to teach a lot more with the spirit, the patriarch goes to lessons with us like twice a week and helps a lot with that. I think were gonna drop J and M because they have had an excuse to not go to church every week for more than a month and they still aren't married :(. 

Ya I want to get back into exercise but it's cold in the morning now so I just do pushups and situps in the house. I have been here long enough that some members have noticed me getting fat. My companion is a good guy, he's beside me writing in 100% cap locks right now - not sure why. I'm starting to get some real good stories under my belt, some of which I will explain in more detail when I get home.

Sunny days here in Teotlaltzingo :) 

Questions answered:

Have things settled down since the gas price protestors were out?

Yes :)

Were the Canada mitts a bit overkill for your winter?!

Yes :) I havent used them yet but one day I will and Im excited for that day

Did you mail the tie? Copy the address from the email…I’m sure the post office can help you.

No but I have it with me all ready to go right after this

Any special message you want me to put on your blog? Missionary words or council?

Watch the video "The Atonement and Missionary Work" (I think its called that in English) and after ask yourself "¿What have I given?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spGtVY6L5jY

Are your new converts being fellowshipped by the ward? Being invited to homes, or to go to church together? FHE?New convert not new converts :( but ya a bit, we brought him to an FHE last week and he goes to church an hour early to help clean or picks up our blind investigator.

Do the members get “persecuted” or teased by others?Depends on the town, some not at all, some we arent allowed to enter because their catholic extremests and will physically remove you from their town if you arent catholic, all in the same area. 

Do you want Object Lesson ideas? Tell me what lessons and I’ll think of some for you.

Ya that would be good, Repentance and Obediance. 

Favourite experience of the week?

When the dog peed on Elder Salinas

Favourite person of the week?

Brother C. Does everything it takes to get to church even with oposition from his mom sometimes. 

So paying light bills is important? (pictures)

Ahh love hearing about adventures with the boiz!

I have one of my own to share: 

I don't know if you heard about what's happening in Mexico right now in the news but I guess gas went up like a lot a lot and the people are really mad about it so they've been like breaking into stores and vandalizing a lot, more in Mexico City, but also a bit here, like every store in San Martin (15 minutes away from our area) was closed and all of my district was told to stay home for 2 days. We were only like 2 half days but ye still pretty crazy. Everyone says nothing was actually happening but President isn't gonna take risks.

We also forgot to pay the light bill with some very inconvenient timing so they cut the light and we were in the house for like 8 hours on Thursday without light. SO GRATEFUL that you sent us flashlights mom! We were drinking a lot of milk so it wouldn't go bad. Pretty funny honestly. We have light again.

The son of that family I told you about like 2 or 3 weeks ago is really progressing nicely. He says he still doesn't have his answer, but he reads the Book of Mormon lots every day and prays every day and goes to church, so I think he will get his answer real soon/ he probably already has it but he just doesn't know. It was pretty rough though on Sunday, we were expecting 11 people at church and 2 showed up :(( everyone's sick ugh. 

My companion is doing good, really into object lessons which is cool, getting better at asking questions, now were just working on teaching faster because we always arrive late everywhere and I feel v bad about it. 

We had a very interesting week, finding lots of new investigators but honestly a lot of them are really weird, like they accept a baptismal date and the next time we look for them they hide in trees and stuff like that. It was a bit rough because in the first few days we were finding lots and lots of new investigators who all seemed really excited but then they gave us false directions or didn't go to church. We have gotten a lot better at getting the members motivated though, we shared with them in the Book of Mormon in Alma 4 how the church started to stop progressing and what Alma did after was share pure testimony against them. We taught that if they have faith they should not be afraid to be direct and blunt but still loving when giving correction. We shared this lesson with our recent convert, the bishop and the family of the patriarch. The bishop went with us to lessons the next day and went really early in the morning to bring our blind investigator to church, the patriarch gave us a referral, and the next day when we went to visit our recent convert he brought his son in law to hear us and he accepted a baptismal date. These three experiences all came from reading and searching for Book of Mormon stories specifically of missionaries who baptized a lot. In the zone conference they asked if we had prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true as a missionary and I honestly hadn't, but as I see it working miracles in this area I can't deny the power of it. The ward is getting more excited to work and so are we! 

Your email with all the boiz got me hyped! Idk why but I don't think I understood they were all actually on missions with lots of the same experiences as I have. 

Other cool thing I want people to know is that my companion comes from a town where there aren't mirrors, like probably in cars but it's really frowned upon to look at yourself (considered shameful) but now he's getting really into it, sometimes he stops in the street to look at himself in the mirror, very eye opening for me. 

Good week, feeling good.

Elder Lethaby

Questions Answered:

Do you have cockroaches? As big as Tim’s (in the Philippines)? They’re inches across!!

Nahhhh I've seen like 2 and they're small.

Do you get invited to speak at church much? Or give lessons?Mmm we teach gospel principles every week, we're gonna start teaching a missionary class once a month and one time I was asked to speak 5 minutes before sacrament meeting, classic.

Are there interesting nativity sets there? Hand made?

Interesting yes, like super, bloody Catholic baby Jesus ones. Yes handmade

Do you have companionship goals?Yeee we wanna baptize 4 every month

Who helped you this week…either spiritually or physically?The bishop honestly got really hyped after the message we shared with him this week and went and showed us how missionary work is done. He brought our blind investigator "J" to church and is really stepping it up.

Found any Mexican candy you love?I'm getting into the weird chili candy that I hated before, these mango chili lolipops are pretty good, Sam probably knows the ones. 

Favourite scripture this week?Alma 4

1 Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla;

 2 But the people were afflicted, yea, greatly afflicted for the loss of their brethren, and also for the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of grain, which were trodden under foot and destroyed by the Lamanites.

 3 And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.

 4 And they began to establish the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon and were joined to the church of God; yea, they were baptized by the hand of Alma, who had been consecrated the high priestover the people of the church, by the hand of his father Alma.

 5 And it came to pass in the seventh year of the reign of the judges there were about three thousand five hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God and were baptized. And thus ended the seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that time.

 6 And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.

 7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.

 8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure.

 9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.

 10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

 11 And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people.

 12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.

 13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy;

 14 Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remissionof their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

 15 And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.

 16 And he selected a wise man who was among the eldersof the church, and gave him power according to the voiceof the people, that he might have power to enact lawsaccording to the laws which had been given, and to put them in force according to the wickedness and the crimes of the people.

 17 Now this man’s name was Nephihah, and he was appointed chief judge; and he sat in the judgment-seat to judge and to govern the people.

 18 Now Alma did not grant unto him the office of being high priest over the church, but he retained the office of high priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment-seat unto Nephihah.

 19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

 20 And thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.

Tlaxcala Zone

Feliz año nuevo!! And a message to the youth!

Hi everyone :) 

Got the packages this week mom! The socks are super comfy and I aprreciate the treats and the tie is really, really nice, one of my favourites, wore it twice already. Christmas at home is so awesome but I liked it here too.

Mmm as you can imagine lots and lots of fireworks here, and the people are really into having huge bon fires on their front lawn like 5 feet from the front door which was funny. My companion doesn't get why it's funny but it is. 

This week my companion got pretty sick with a sore throut to the point where he couldn't talk which was kinda lonely and also kinda hard to have unity in the teaching because I did 100% of it. I honestly learn so much as a trainer because I can't trust that my companion knows everything like I did before. For that reason I have really been praying harder this week, putting more trust in the Lord and he has helped us. 

We are going to the registry with J and M today so they can finally get married and then were gonna baptize them. They got back from vacacions with rings and I was so hyped because it's actually gonna happen now I think. We have lots of meetings right now but I like it a lot because I understand what they are talking about now so I learn a lot. 

We found a mom and her two kids this week who all want to be baptized through an 11 year old boy in the ward, so tell all the niños in the ward to get going. They have to talk with the dad though because he works far away and she doesn't wanna bring it up over the phone because his family is SUPER catholic and she's nervous he won't be ok with it because it might be hard on his family so we are fasting and praying really hard for them because they are awesome. The 11 year old son was reading the BoM and taking notes and the mom was asking about the difference between the Aaronic and Melcez. Priesthood in the second lesson. They get it, and we have really spiritual lessons with them. Pray for them!

Pretty good week, working hard, animados!

Much love :))

Elder Lethaby

Note from mum:

The following are photos sent from a family feeding the missionaries! How grateful I am!!!

First Christmas in Mexico

This week was crazy because we were barely in our area with the conference, my districts baptisms (I got to perform the ordinance at one pre cool), and just stuff, but we still got some new investis going :) Christmas here is awesome because everyone is fam time lovin. We got invited to eat with members and investig8rs and every single person, some better than others. Christmas eve we had tacos. 

Super super busy still, but it's teaching me to pray harder so that I can find time to do everything. When you have to not only know, but teach someone else how to do something like this, you start learning a lot really quick. Talking to the fam helped me see my own progress and feel better haha. So many powerful examples of other missionaries in this mission and our ward. 

GETS ME SO HYPED to see the boys all leaving. Can't wait to hear about what happens. 

Questions answered:

Saw a few pics of the Christmas party in Puebla…and even found you in a couple. Why were they wrestling on the floor (in their white shirts no less!!)?

Didn't see them wrestling but the Christmas party was surprisingly rowdy

Did you get any presents?

Got a scarf and socks and candy, forgot the scarf in the convi on the way home :(

Have you gained weight? I think maybe the angle of the tablet made things look a bit distorted!! Should I ask, “Do you want to gain weight?”!!! Haha!

I think I have, and I want to but not the kind I'm gaining - haha

Did you go to church on Christmas?

Yee just an hour but we went and so did some new investigators for the first time :)

Ham for dinner tonight…what are you having?

We don't eat with members on pday so we bought dominos pizza just now, last night some weird fish with J family

Miracle

Wow the group is small! (mom here...Joel's....ahem...Elder Lethaby's response to the group of kids at church is getting smaller as many head off to school or missions!)

This week was crazy wowsers! Honestly my mind doesn't stop now, like I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of ways we can teach something, or members we can bring to a lesson or things like that. I don't have time to think about home or Christmas or anything and I LOVE IT! I am so much more busy now with responsibilities but also with progress in the area this week. We had some really good days to start off the mission of my hijo. \

I want to tell you about a miracle!

We were at the church on Saturday for a baptismal interview with the Zone Leaders and a lady and her daughter walk up and knock on the gate so we go greet them, she asks if we have a picture of Jesus, I told her no but we have pamphlets with him, can I show you the pamphlet and explain a bit about it? She was excited and accepted, then she asked for a "special prayer" because she has been sick for 4 years. My companion gave her a blessing, and we then taught her about the restoration of the authority by which we gave that blessing. After the lesson she told us that she was starting to feel better after 4 years of being sick! She then asked if we could go to her house and give her family special prayers too! So we went and taught her other son. The 3 of them accepted baptismal dates and live close to the church and want to come this week! They have 2 more family members who weren't there too! 

We are never at the church at 6:00 on Saturdays, but because we were being obedient, the Lord put us in the right place in the exact moment to find this family. I have seen their faces before. God lives. 

My companion is awesome; he is a convert of 3 years, and knows the scripture really well and applies them to people. He came pretrained. Glad president knew I needed a pretrained comp. He teaches me lots about hard work. He's funny hahaha. 

We got a little cactus with a star on top and we are getting all ready for Christmas, will send pix next week. 

Dios nos ama, mucho animo aquí,

Elder Lethaby

Questions answered:

What do you cook for yourselves? Anything? Do you have time?

No time, pure frosted flakes

History’s most powerful lessons weren’t taught in a classroom, but on a hillside, aboard a ship, and along the dusty roads of Palestine. Like Jesus, we can find important teaching moments anywhere. Where have some of your interesting teaching places been?

Mmm we have taught in the street with dogs fighting between us and the investigators!

Shane wants to know about your transfers and where you’re at.

I'm staying in Teotlaltzingo and I will be here total 6 months (or more), training Elder S.

How do they decorate for Christmas in Mexico?

Pretty much the same haha, but less real trees. There's red white and green all year though- the flag.

Do you have somewhere to go Christmas day? Will you be taken care of?

Hoping giving lots of lessons, but to skype there's 2 families who said we can come, so we will be with one of them I guess, but I like one a lot so probs them.

What new doctrine have you learned about this week?

hahah I guess the doctrine of time management haha it's really busy as DL and trainer especially when you don't speak the language 100%

What are your new responsibilities as a DL?

Baptismal interviews, nightly calls with every companionship and zone leaders, plan district meetings, teach district meeting, umm probably more but I'm learning.

ESTE ES MI HIJO AMADO (This is my beloved son)

On Wednesday President Nelson called me and said "Elder I have some news for you, ready? You're gonna train a new missionary next week." I was like WOW OK and then he said, "Elder I have more news, you're gonna be district leader too."

So yee here I am with my baby boy Elder S from Mexico and he is a treat! Super hyped, 19 years young, 3 years in the church and puro animo! We are gonna have a lot of fun and get a lot done, I think we will get along well. 

I am super excited that the Lord trusts me with the responsibility to teach such a great missionary already. He honestly is gonna kill it. I don't have much time because we just got here and we have to be home at 8 tonight because it's a catholic celebracion of the virgin Guadalupe so I guess it's dangerous, but ye we hyped! 

Elder Lethaby sporting "the tie"

#LIGHTtheWORLD even in Puebla, Mexico

Ahh yes I was wondering how to say #iluminaelmundo in English haha. But ya we have been sharing that with members and less actives and even investigators like every day. Puro poder in that video. Dang lots of Christmas hyped going on here. Gotta get a picture of the hacienda (no idea how to say that in English) with all the lights. Our neighbours have singing lights so we listen to them all night. 

J blessed the sacrament this week with a white shirt and Samuel the lamanite tie that I gave him. Honestly so cool to find someone, teach them, and then see them perform an ordinance for me like that. He memorised the prayer. His grandson started listening this week too and wants to get baptised. Hoping I can stay here another change to see someone I baptised baptise someone else. Leaving would be cool though too, I like change. 

Last night we were watching the devotional (https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/christmas-devotional/2016/12?lang=eng&cid=HP_SU_4-12-2016_dCN_fEVT_xLIDyL1-B_) and listening to a talk (forget by who oops) but he talked about how weird it would be if we all gathered around the tree on Christmas morning, looked at the presents and then left and continued with our day without opening or using them. That's what we do with spiritual gifts all the time! Yesterday we were also with this member who can't walk too well, lives alone in a very humble home, but has the strongest testimony and fights through the pain to take the convi to church every week. I have a hard time understanding him so I normally don't talk much, but yesterday when we were about to leave he told me to come to him. Then he said to me that I don't talk much, but when I do it's exactly what he needs to hear. He then gave me a kiss on the hand (don't think that's normal here either but in the moment it was really tender). I have this gift of being in tune with the spirit and receiving the guide of the spirit but I haven't opened the gift (opened my mouth to speak more). I don't have the language barrier to hide behind really anymore, so gotta go full commit and just talk a lot! I also learned that the secret to happiness in the mission is contacting, the only indicator that I can control and still leave people with their agency. 

Overall pretty good week, love living here. They are so into parties. Like this week one day they had a block party on every street with like 6 foot tall stages with bands playing, pretty unexpected in a little town but pretty cool. 

Dios nos ama :)

Yo les amo

Feliz Navidad  

Elder Lethaby

Questions Answered:

When are transfers?

Next monday the 12th! 

Did you get your box that E was mailing?

No not yet but could be in the offices who knows! I did however get a letter from the primary, a letter from Oma and the tie and sunnies from Elder Palmer! Still haven't read it all but much appreciated. 

Any traditions you’re going to miss this time of year? Chill!! You’re making new ones!!

snow hahaha. But no like they have lights up and stuff and we watched the broudcast last night and we don't have hot chocolate but we have atole which is better :)

Are you and the ‘boys’ writing each other? Even if just a line or two?

Some of them send me like the whole letter but I don't have time sry boys but ya like a few of them a line or two.

How goes the “get happy and smile on my mission”? Having more fun?!

getting more into it, we call that "animo" here :)

What acts of service have you observed this week?

Elder P is really into serving me which is nice, almost every day when I get out of the shower he has my shoes shined or my shirt ironed or something like that. Good guy. Also we have been doing some of the ideas in the thing on lds.org

What does the Saviour’s birth mean to you? (yes…a heavy one!)

Pure hope. Pretty cool to think that even from His birth we have such a perfect example.

Love ya

Who should I send the tie to next and can you get me their address plz!? I will send pics nex week. (Promises, promises!)