hey everyone. things are going really good here in chilpo. we had two baptisms yesterday of the daughters of the second counselor in the bishopric. somehow their records got lost and no one remembered who did the ordinance, the witnesses etc, so we baptized them again. and the zone for the third time in a row has completed its baptism goal. no other zone that i know of is completing right now. i heard from my old zone leaders, and they said that sadly cuautla is struggling pretty bad. the goal was 35 and they ended with like 20... we finished with 34 when our goal was 32! we also have baptisms planned for every week in october! this area is really blessed, and also we are doing good to work hard. in church yesterday i gave a brief introduction and shared my testimony with the ward. i think that is my favorite part. i like teaching and sharing thoughts on specific things, but i definately prefer to take 5 or 10 mins to share my testimony. also i have been having a lot of people tell me that my spanish is doing really good, and that i have a very good accent. take that joseph and alyssa that thought i would never get it down! haha jk.
the only bad thing really, is that elder cardenas is pretty tough to work with. we teach well together, and are good friends, but he is just really fried.... he goes to sleep with an ipod of who knows what music, wakes up around 715, studies a little, then makes breakfast during companionship study. his parents sent him an 8gb ipod touch, with some church music and some not, the bad thing is that it also has internet.... i have told him how i feel about that stuff, and that to receive the blessings, we need to try to be obedient. he agrees, but still isnt willing to give it up. elder snyder told me something, that you cant force obedience on your companions. you do all you can, get up at 630, teach short effective lessons, eat for only an hour, be home at 9/930 and in bed by 1030. but when it comes to your companion, all you can do is suggest, and be a good example. if you try to force it, it can really tear apart your companionship. D&C 88: 42? that is unrighteous dominion. and that is how you lose trust, and confidence from someone.
i still try to do what i can for him, to serve etc, but he just has bad influences, such as our district leader, and they talk a lot. sorry i dont mean to be a gossiper, but just if you have any more advice, it would be very appreciated.
we are still doing really good though. its mostly because we have an amazing ward. they want to help and give us references, and also they really prepare their friends etc to receive us, or to go to church. they are so friendly, and we have very good teachers in the classes that actually prepare lessons! man i am so excited. haha. everything is going really good, and i am enjoying the mission. i love moving houses too, because in every one, there are old ensigns. i have sadly never realized the gold that they are. i told myself that when i return, i will never let another home teaching appointment go by without being really prepared for every person. there is something in every ensign for every person. i especially love the conference editions. they are first come first serve, so when i come across one, i will gladly take it.
sadly we are still getting a lot of rain here, and parts of sun. in the morning its really cold, the midmorning its really hot, midday very comfortable, midafternoon rainy, and night very comfortable. but thanks to the rain, its so beautiful here, everything is so green and flourishing. even though a lot of it is city, there are a ton of mountains. its also very hard to find peopple in the morning, so we are going to have to be smart and diligent to get more new investigators. well sadly my time is up for today. i hope all is well for every one of you that are able to read my short message, and also for those of you who choose not to. but i love you all, and still pray for you all night and day. keep up the great work and get jeff and joseph out on missions!!!!!!!!!!! haha. but seriously.
love
elder facer
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Adios to Anencuilco
you wouldnt believe what a great week we had! the last few weeks, me and elder leyva have really struggled to find new people to teach and get them to church, but our zone leaders promised us that it would pay off if we kept working hard and trusting in the lord. and wow were they right. we found 34 nuevos and got 10 investigators in church. it was incredible. there is one family we taught that had received missionaries before, but never were really interested. well they had a big family problem, and went to a life long friend who is a strong member in the church, hermana isabel. she directed them to us, and we have been teaching them for this past week. there are about 35 people in this family over the age of 8. and the other 15 or 20 are under. they are all willing to do whatever we ask, because they really feel diferent when we come and teach. we gave three blessings to their family, and they are so willing to do whatevery we ask. so far we have only taught 20 of these 35.
well today i am writing late, because i am now in guerrero, chilpancingo Guerrero. it is kinda the capital of guerrero and it is so awesome! i was incredibly sad to leave elder leyva after only 4 weeks, but president and the lord know what goes on. i actually just arrived, unpacked and went to write. i am with elder cardenas, he was in zone cuautla with me, and i went on exchanges with him once before, so we knew eachother a little bit before. he has been here for 3 months, and has 6 months left in his mission. i am excited to be with him, and our house is sweet!!°!!! when i can, i will take lots of pictures of our house, the area, and my comp and me. once again, i have a huge area, we will be working almost all of it, because there are members in all parts. there is a member in the centro that has an indoor soccr field, and the missionaries play there every monday for free! like the ones at timpanogos indoor! also elder leyva was right next to my area before he came to anenecuilco, and so he filled me in on a lot of what goes on, and the climate, etc. its really almost the same as anenecuilco, except everything is in hills, big hills! but i am accustomed to it. i hope.....we have an active ward of 160 and usually bring 10 investigators every week. its also a brand new chapel. every thing is way green, and its really windy which keeps everything a little cooler, and also everyone says chilpa is the best zone in the mission. they have great support, great area, weather, leaders, etc the only bad thing is that elder cardenas might be a little fried, but with me on his side, we will be fuerte trabajadores! or really excellent tools in the lord's hands. i am really excited to be here, but also sad to leave my first area, i only had 4 months there. speaking of time, can you believe 1/4 of my mission is gone! i feel like i havent done near enough in this short time. today in the morning, i talked with elder harley, he was in my district in the mtc. he was also in the same area and ward as elder smith and nelson, the other missionaries from my district in this mission. he filled me in on how they are doing, and i guess everything is good. i also talked with the old executive secretary of the mission, and he told me a little about the visa problem, i guess its because every month you have to go to mexico city to renew your visa, and if not, deported...... elder harley was also in the mtc for 13 weeks, then a month in ogden for a visa waiting mission... but he said everything was good, and that he was one of the last few to get his visa to mexico. its sad, but also they are trying to keep mexicans in mexico, and get rid of some americans. sadly, i will be one of the last americans in mexico i think.
if you want, the next zone conference for me is in november, so if you would like to prepare a package, with a little help of elder snyder, that would be wonderful, also be sure to include my camera cord to attach to the computer so i can send pictures faster. as of right now, i am happy and still working hard, and a little tired and hungry. in a little bit, the whole district is going to eat with a member in the stake! haha i love you all tons, and when i find out more about my area and companion etc i will write. until next time, i love you all, and keep praying for yourselves. final quote:elder bednar, generalconference of may 2009 (or 2008 i dont remember) pray with faith. dont pray for me to find people to teach. its your job to find the people for the missionaries, and pray for the opportunity and strength to open your mouth to a friend, neighbor, coworker etc. i would recommend reading the real thing, because i probably slaughtered it, but you all understand what im trying to say. haha love you tons!
elder facer
well today i am writing late, because i am now in guerrero, chilpancingo Guerrero. it is kinda the capital of guerrero and it is so awesome! i was incredibly sad to leave elder leyva after only 4 weeks, but president and the lord know what goes on. i actually just arrived, unpacked and went to write. i am with elder cardenas, he was in zone cuautla with me, and i went on exchanges with him once before, so we knew eachother a little bit before. he has been here for 3 months, and has 6 months left in his mission. i am excited to be with him, and our house is sweet!!°!!! when i can, i will take lots of pictures of our house, the area, and my comp and me. once again, i have a huge area, we will be working almost all of it, because there are members in all parts. there is a member in the centro that has an indoor soccr field, and the missionaries play there every monday for free! like the ones at timpanogos indoor! also elder leyva was right next to my area before he came to anenecuilco, and so he filled me in on a lot of what goes on, and the climate, etc. its really almost the same as anenecuilco, except everything is in hills, big hills! but i am accustomed to it. i hope.....we have an active ward of 160 and usually bring 10 investigators every week. its also a brand new chapel. every thing is way green, and its really windy which keeps everything a little cooler, and also everyone says chilpa is the best zone in the mission. they have great support, great area, weather, leaders, etc the only bad thing is that elder cardenas might be a little fried, but with me on his side, we will be fuerte trabajadores! or really excellent tools in the lord's hands. i am really excited to be here, but also sad to leave my first area, i only had 4 months there. speaking of time, can you believe 1/4 of my mission is gone! i feel like i havent done near enough in this short time. today in the morning, i talked with elder harley, he was in my district in the mtc. he was also in the same area and ward as elder smith and nelson, the other missionaries from my district in this mission. he filled me in on how they are doing, and i guess everything is good. i also talked with the old executive secretary of the mission, and he told me a little about the visa problem, i guess its because every month you have to go to mexico city to renew your visa, and if not, deported...... elder harley was also in the mtc for 13 weeks, then a month in ogden for a visa waiting mission... but he said everything was good, and that he was one of the last few to get his visa to mexico. its sad, but also they are trying to keep mexicans in mexico, and get rid of some americans. sadly, i will be one of the last americans in mexico i think.
if you want, the next zone conference for me is in november, so if you would like to prepare a package, with a little help of elder snyder, that would be wonderful, also be sure to include my camera cord to attach to the computer so i can send pictures faster. as of right now, i am happy and still working hard, and a little tired and hungry. in a little bit, the whole district is going to eat with a member in the stake! haha i love you all tons, and when i find out more about my area and companion etc i will write. until next time, i love you all, and keep praying for yourselves. final quote:elder bednar, generalconference of may 2009 (or 2008 i dont remember) pray with faith. dont pray for me to find people to teach. its your job to find the people for the missionaries, and pray for the opportunity and strength to open your mouth to a friend, neighbor, coworker etc. i would recommend reading the real thing, because i probably slaughtered it, but you all understand what im trying to say. haha love you tons!
elder facer
Monday, September 13, 2010
How Great Shall Be Your Joy...
buenas dias. thank you all, especially alyssa, for the pics and info on the new baby Andrew! what will you call him? i heard a new name yesterday, in spanish it sounded good, its eliazar. but sadly you already have a name.... haha jk im way excited!! congratulations lys and manuel, you're parents! i had a pretty great week with some rough spots, but what can you expect, not everything can go perfect for a missionary. but i do think i have grown a little!!!!!! and i am losing a little weight, i was on hole three of my belt and sometimes im on hole 4! the mission works wonders.
on saturday, we had the baptism of yta andegui sayonara rojas de la cruz:) hope you all enjoyed that, because i baptized her and its a fun mouthful to say! me and elder snyder found her i think in the second week, and then couldnt find her for a long time, then when elder leyva came, we decided to go back with her. she had broken the law of chastity, and wasnt super willing to tell us. she tried to hide it, but after being 4 months pregnant, its not so easy anymore for her. so one day when we were trying to get her prepared for the baptismal comitment, i was promped to ask a certain question and not directly come out and ask if she broke the law of chastity. then later she just asked, do you want to know why i cant do it? and she explained it all to us. this last thursday we went on divisions, i will tell about that in a minute, and elder murdock, from bountiful, came to my area and we talked with sayo, we got her to commit and she was so excited afterward. when we came back on friday, she said she practically couldnt sleep because she was so excited and couldnt wait to be clean again! i had the opportunity to do the ordinance, and during and after i was just so happy, i think i felt for a minute the undescribable joy that ammon and alma talk about in the book of mormon. i really just had to stop and thank the lord.
splits with elder murdock went great! he is our district leader, and i learned a ton from him! i learned examples to share, like with sins and rocks in a backpack that cant be taken off but the rocks can be taken out only by christ. how to explain prophets are the key point to revelation and modern day revelation. also how the church christ formed and fell, and the restoration on paper so its easy for them to see and understand. i learned a ton from him and hope to be able to apply what i learn.
we found about 18 people this week, but for some reason we couldnt get one of them to come to church yesterday.... it was a little frustrating, but its ok, at times it happens and you just need to keep going forward. we will keep working and moving forward. our other dentist appointment for elder leyva was going to be on saturday, but the dentist for some reason called elder murdock saturday morning and told him he doesnt have time today, and he will do it next tuesday. so we will go tomorrow and finish up for good!
well another hot and rainy week has passed, but we have been lucky that it is only raining at around 935 right after we are home! but some mornings when we get up, the entire street is filled with water and heading towards the bridge that is on our street. mexico is very poorly run in some things. especially drainage.
i hope everyone is happy and keeps moving forward! dont worry too much about me, im still doing great and loving the work everyday! dont worry dad, i can still do a pull up;) i love you all so much and hope everythings going well. i still pray for you all. remember that we will always be small in numbers but we have the lord on our side, and anything is possible with him!
elder facer
on saturday, we had the baptism of yta andegui sayonara rojas de la cruz:) hope you all enjoyed that, because i baptized her and its a fun mouthful to say! me and elder snyder found her i think in the second week, and then couldnt find her for a long time, then when elder leyva came, we decided to go back with her. she had broken the law of chastity, and wasnt super willing to tell us. she tried to hide it, but after being 4 months pregnant, its not so easy anymore for her. so one day when we were trying to get her prepared for the baptismal comitment, i was promped to ask a certain question and not directly come out and ask if she broke the law of chastity. then later she just asked, do you want to know why i cant do it? and she explained it all to us. this last thursday we went on divisions, i will tell about that in a minute, and elder murdock, from bountiful, came to my area and we talked with sayo, we got her to commit and she was so excited afterward. when we came back on friday, she said she practically couldnt sleep because she was so excited and couldnt wait to be clean again! i had the opportunity to do the ordinance, and during and after i was just so happy, i think i felt for a minute the undescribable joy that ammon and alma talk about in the book of mormon. i really just had to stop and thank the lord.
splits with elder murdock went great! he is our district leader, and i learned a ton from him! i learned examples to share, like with sins and rocks in a backpack that cant be taken off but the rocks can be taken out only by christ. how to explain prophets are the key point to revelation and modern day revelation. also how the church christ formed and fell, and the restoration on paper so its easy for them to see and understand. i learned a ton from him and hope to be able to apply what i learn.
we found about 18 people this week, but for some reason we couldnt get one of them to come to church yesterday.... it was a little frustrating, but its ok, at times it happens and you just need to keep going forward. we will keep working and moving forward. our other dentist appointment for elder leyva was going to be on saturday, but the dentist for some reason called elder murdock saturday morning and told him he doesnt have time today, and he will do it next tuesday. so we will go tomorrow and finish up for good!
well another hot and rainy week has passed, but we have been lucky that it is only raining at around 935 right after we are home! but some mornings when we get up, the entire street is filled with water and heading towards the bridge that is on our street. mexico is very poorly run in some things. especially drainage.
i hope everyone is happy and keeps moving forward! dont worry too much about me, im still doing great and loving the work everyday! dont worry dad, i can still do a pull up;) i love you all so much and hope everythings going well. i still pray for you all. remember that we will always be small in numbers but we have the lord on our side, and anything is possible with him!
elder facer
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
one step forward...
Hey everyone! hope you have had a good week to cancel out my rough week. we were so booked with things to do, that we werent able to complete any of our weekly goals. we had a service project on tuesday with the zone leaders, and after that the same day we needed to go to the bishops storehouse for our bishop and bring a ton of food; that lasted almost all day.
wednesday was zone conference, and that went amazing. i love zone conference so much, there are so many incredible things to learn and apply. mostly in this conference, we were focusing on how to start a lesson, and that president wants that we start with a five minute introduction to get to know the person better and to find what they need to be taught. also we talked on the importance of finding at the bare minimum 15 nuevos every week. i was also able to share some of the knowledge elder snyder shared with me. alma 29 4-5. elder longi and ramirez tell elder snyder hi, and that i have huge shoes to fill, being the last of the generation, practically. i was used in the practice example in front of all the other elders teaching the president...... so intense, but he said i did pretty good. president told us to try for a baptism this week, so we will see what we can do.
thursday and friday were ok days, but we never heard from hna spannaus when we needed to go to cuernavaca, and so we didnt put any appointments down during those days, so it was really hard to get ahold of our investigators. also we struggled to find people this week, we did find some really good complete families, but they have been hard to stay in touch with. it was a really cool experience we had this week with an investigator named sayonara, i know a bit wierd. she broke the law of chastity when me and elder snyder were teaching her and just kind of faded away from us and never told us, but me and elder leyva decided to go back with her and if she would be willing to tell us whats up and if we could help her, and she really just came out and said im pregnant {4 months along now, its getting quite obvious} but it was all because we were able to ask the right questions to make her feel comfortable telling us, and trusting us. it was really cool to follow the spirits guide during that lesson and watch what happend.
also on friday, we talked with sofia and david to try to prep them to be the baptism this week like president wanted, sofia straight up said no, and david said i want to get baptized, but i still want to go to church more first. so we will wait on him a little longer.
saturday, we left our area at 12 for cuernavaca, and didnt get back until 8.... we went for a molar problem for elder leyva, and the procedure took about 3 hours! we have to go back next saturday again, but luckily it wont take as long..... still raining a ton, but it has definately lightened up from what it used to be. the sky is usually cloudy, and it feels really good not to have hot and humid.
well thats about all the time i have for today..... but next week will be better, i love you all, and am so thankful for your updates! stay strong and remember we are on the winning side of the battle!
elder facer
wednesday was zone conference, and that went amazing. i love zone conference so much, there are so many incredible things to learn and apply. mostly in this conference, we were focusing on how to start a lesson, and that president wants that we start with a five minute introduction to get to know the person better and to find what they need to be taught. also we talked on the importance of finding at the bare minimum 15 nuevos every week. i was also able to share some of the knowledge elder snyder shared with me. alma 29 4-5. elder longi and ramirez tell elder snyder hi, and that i have huge shoes to fill, being the last of the generation, practically. i was used in the practice example in front of all the other elders teaching the president...... so intense, but he said i did pretty good. president told us to try for a baptism this week, so we will see what we can do.
thursday and friday were ok days, but we never heard from hna spannaus when we needed to go to cuernavaca, and so we didnt put any appointments down during those days, so it was really hard to get ahold of our investigators. also we struggled to find people this week, we did find some really good complete families, but they have been hard to stay in touch with. it was a really cool experience we had this week with an investigator named sayonara, i know a bit wierd. she broke the law of chastity when me and elder snyder were teaching her and just kind of faded away from us and never told us, but me and elder leyva decided to go back with her and if she would be willing to tell us whats up and if we could help her, and she really just came out and said im pregnant {4 months along now, its getting quite obvious} but it was all because we were able to ask the right questions to make her feel comfortable telling us, and trusting us. it was really cool to follow the spirits guide during that lesson and watch what happend.
also on friday, we talked with sofia and david to try to prep them to be the baptism this week like president wanted, sofia straight up said no, and david said i want to get baptized, but i still want to go to church more first. so we will wait on him a little longer.
saturday, we left our area at 12 for cuernavaca, and didnt get back until 8.... we went for a molar problem for elder leyva, and the procedure took about 3 hours! we have to go back next saturday again, but luckily it wont take as long..... still raining a ton, but it has definately lightened up from what it used to be. the sky is usually cloudy, and it feels really good not to have hot and humid.
well thats about all the time i have for today..... but next week will be better, i love you all, and am so thankful for your updates! stay strong and remember we are on the winning side of the battle!
elder facer
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