The Windows of Heaven are Opening...

wow, what a long week! but this time, thats a good thing. we found a lot of people, and really great people too. we are changing our area of contact to the last part of our area and the highest point also. its called guerrero es primero and there are only 2 members up there. but the awesome thing with these 2 members is that they are both recent converts and are super animated to help in the work and want their dear friends to change too. everyone that we have talked to knows them (its kinda like orem where every member knows everyone) and has seen such great and wonderful changes in these new members. we just ask them for an afternoon, and they take us to their friends that have said that they want a change, and also those who may need help in life. we have found some really great couples and families there that really want to change. they are especially magali, angel, gaby, and cherly. magali had seen the change in the two members and really is looking for a change in her life and wants to really be happy with her two kids. angel and gaby are newly weds and have a little girl paulina. they are way good, and fun, just that they baptized their little girl in the catholic church over the weekend...... and cherly was an amazing contact who will be baptized this week! we were going up to guerrero es primero for the first time and had to get on a truck that takes us up. there was a girl there and she contacted us and said that her mom is a member, but cherly never got baptized because she was too young at the time. her mom went inactive because work got really intense and was going to have a baby. now she has had the baby, and changed work, so that she can go to church again. cherly is really excited for her baptizm and is an awesome girl. you will see her pic next week in white!
saturday, president spannaus had the interview with david, and david came out crying. that is a big change. president said that he will be able to progress towards baptism, but just that it will take a long, long time. david said he wants the change, and is willing to wait. also his way to show true repentance is by being a member right now and living the principles until he is found worthy to write to the prophet to ask permission for baptism. we bought him a church pant and elder zazueta gave him a white shirt so he can start going and feeling more included. he only had shorts and tshirts before.
the last two days were stake conference and it was amazing. saturday, we only went to the adult session and really enjoyed the talks. president and hermana spannaus were there with the stake presidency and also an area authority elder zabellos? i think. he is there on the conference issue. president spannaus had my favorite talk. it was about the plan of salvation and how we need to change to complete with gods plan. when someone says well, thats just the way i was born, its basically saying, i dont believe in gods plan that i can change and better my life to live the principles of his gospel better. it was very interesting, and very powerful. he really knows the scriptures(all of them) inside out, and can use them at whatever time he needs. he was cut short on time and was able to turn right to a different topic and close very quickly.
on sunday, we 6 investigators there, and two more that came along with the two members up in guerrero es primero. they are newly wed also and really have some problems that they want to resolve and better their relationship. the same people were presiding with the first counselor and his wife from the mexico city temple presidency. it was really great to hear such great counsel, but at the same time, there was a little girl screaming her guts out almost the entire session, and i didnt hear too well. the mom didnt try to calm her down much nor take her out for the well being of the rest of us in the meeting. a lot of the meeting was focused on missionaries and getting your children prepared to serve. i realized that most of the things they mentioned to help get your kids out, my mom and dad did. teaching me to get up and read the scriptures every day, church every week (even if i tried to fake sick or not have socks), reasonable (at times) curfews, and studying preach my gospel, trying to do splits with the missionaries, talking with ward leaders or ex missionaries. i did all that stuff because i have good parents.
well last night during planning, E Zazueta and I were doing ok, but we had a few breaks to talk about things, and at times it got out of hand. finally after i shared something i really wanted him to change, he answered me then paused, then started to cry. he expressed a lot, and i just listened for about ten minutes. i really started to think about loving him in a different way. what i can do to love him better or even changing my tactics to help him. i really feel like moms mission president friend said, that we will be great, but just as soon as the love comes. after studying, he went to bed tired, and i stayed up studying and thinking through a lot of things on how i can change to help him, and not try to force him to change for his well being. i went to the scriptures and started writing, and i think the best way i can help him is by just doing my part and cheering him on when he does good things. i learned a lot, but i dont have my study journal to share a whole lot right now. we are getting better, but i stll need to learn love for him... keep helping me with your prayers, and also for our wonderful investigators. pray for the names above and michel, david, and jon. thanks a ton everyone. love you all, and i cant wait to hear where my awesome and studly little brother is going to serve the lord!!!!!! be happy with what comes, and remember no hay una area chafa. every area the lord sends you to is for a reason, at times, easy reasons, and at times hard reasons. be happy with what you get from the lord and be positive always. joseph im so full of joy for you to know that you will be receiving the same and many more great and wonderful blessings i have received here in the service of the lord. accept what others tell you always because there is something you can learn from others even if its from a bum on the street. he has knowledge you had never even thought of. love you tons little bro.
elder facer

If you can't say anything nice....

hey, well this was another long week... sadly elder zazueta and i still havent quite found our middle ground, even though we take quite a bit of time to talk about our differences. after talking, we leave happy, but we both keep falling in the things that we said wouldnt happen and then we get mad again. the good thing is that when we get mad, it doesnt last for long. he is a hot headed type, and so when things arent going his way, he kinda loses it. im still prideful and think i know the best way to do things, so we usually have a conflict in important decisions. the good thing is that we are both here in the same goal towards baptism, so that is about the only thing that is still keeping us alive and going....
we had the wonderful baptism of ivan this week, and that also got us a little toed to the edge. he called us and told us he would get there late, so when ivan finally got there, the lights went out. the light crew of acapulco has been going around to all the streets and rewiring them all.... so it just so happens saturday night at 730 they were on the street of the church right while we were changing into white. elder zazueta got really mad and lost his temper and kinda put a lot of other people in bad moods too, but when the lights came back on, he cheered right up and was happy again. haha the baptism went really well, and i did the ordinance. ivan´s mom didnt want him to do it, but because of his testimony, he knew he had to, and did it. he is 20, so he didnt need his parents permission. well like i was saying before, me and elder zazueta have had a few discussions this past week, and they were about various things, which i feel really helped, and we are making improvements, just very little by little. i want to know how little the lines and precepts are that the book of mormon talkes about..... because these are very little lines we are working on and trying to build.. but everytime something comes up between us, i try to calm myself and think patience, positive attitude, and love. i just put those three things in my mind and try not to say anything else. i have struggled not blowing up on him and yelling, but it has been a good thing. im just not quite sure how to translate ´if you cant say anything nice, its better that you say nothing at all´...
well im going to ask for your prayers in a new way this time. i ask that you pray that we are guided to the people that we need to teach. we really need to be finding and teaching more people and preparing them for baptism.. please pray that the members will be excited and willing to help us find the children of god that are ready to accept us in this moment of their lives. thanks for your help. i know that your faith is greater than mine, and with all of you together, you can move mountains. trust in god, and be diligent in all that you do, especially overcoming trials. love you all tons, and hope you have a great week!
elder facer

the baptism of ivan with emmanuel guerrero. he is our mission leader and elder snyders convert

almost the same as the last

elder zazueta, a new member gilardo, and me on one of the last mountains in our area

elder zazueta and i eating pozole at a members house

This is David (I decided to send you a picture anyway.

Learning to Love Trials

hello family and friends! this is another crazy week. somehow, only by the grace of god, we completed this week. we have been running around like nuts for appointments, members, preparation for the zone conference, and trying to reactivate a few members. our membership in the ward had dropped a ton in the past two months, and now we are starting to also help the ward re-activate, because if we stay low, the stake will have to drop us to a branch, and our ward is the oldest. well we had a rough week with finding nuevos and having a lot of lessons, but we did do well with what we had. we also were about to go home and decided to contact a last street on thursday. we had just dropped off a member that was helping us, and went to the street below him. one of the first houses we contacted was an old reference that elder cardenas passed to us, but gave us a bad direction. we came across him and he invited us into his house. he is pretty cool, but a little scary. he lived in los angeles all of his life and came back after being deported for doing a lot of bad stuff. he is a big scary looking guy, but has a good heart. when elder cardenas was in this zone, he taught this guy, named david, and so david accepted us well and really has desires to change. the only problem is that he has killed some one before and the repentance for that isnt easy. so we will really have to take a while with him, before he can write the prophet and ask for forgiveness.. wow its a really long process. i would send a pic of him, but the only one i have of him is for his work that i took for him to send him. it is him breeding his pit bulls. haha so i dont think ill send it. haha. ill take one for you guys when he is in white!
ivan is getting ready for his baptism which is this saturday and he is really excited about it. even though he is really busy, be is willing to take the time to read and go to church and do what is required of him. we are also working on his mom and a sister right now! his sister seems really great and has a ton of interest, but she has to provide for three kids without a husband, so she is even harder to find than him..... but i think they all will be baptized some day!
elder zazueta and i have had some difficulties in our companionship, but its just because he is very hot headed and loses his temper much faster than i do, sadly when we arent finding many new people, sometimes he has blown up in the face of a door contact, and i have gotten pretty mad at him. we are trying to resolve these conflicts, but this is a new challenge. i really cant believe how many challenges the lord can give us in so many different ways. i thought it couldnt have gotten any harder after elder snyder, but with every companion there are new struggles, and i was with the kids of the bishop yesterday, and i cant believe how much patience he has with them. if god can test us with so many trials of patience, love, humility, etc just in the mission, i dont want to see what he has in store for me after the mission.......... but with every trial, he has made me stronger to face the new one. i wonder what it would be like if he had put me with elder zazueta as my first companion. would i have been able to handle it then? who knows but god.
well i ask that you all pray for ivan, david, gaby, luis and jon and their sister, jose guadalupe, because they are the ones that have the possibility of baptism in this month. we really need help and guidance in this, and ask for your humble prayers. thanks and i love you all. i am really so blessed to have you all supporting me. it is hard to think that e. zazueta is the only member in his entire family besides his mom, and uncle.... be thankful that the lord has blessed you with a mormon family with good principles. god speed my friends. much love,
elder facer

president, elder zazueta and me at the conference

Learning (and giving) a lot of lessons--even piano lessons

hey! not a ton happened this week, but we sure learned a ton! all week starting monday night, we were in cold cuernavaca for a mission leadership training from tuesday until friday.... i never realized how much the spirit can wear you out! i dont want to say ´too much´ but i was definitely tired at the end of the day from just listening. i also got really sick from the climate changes from hot and humid acapulco to refreshing and breezy cuernavaca. i got a cold and still have it a little, but i am alright. every day in the conferences we had two special musical numbers, and i participated in them all. i really missed singing, i mean good singing. it really bothers me that mexicans change the song as they like, and all the mexicans do it too.... it doesnt matter how the person plays the song on the piano or how the leader conducts it, they sing it their way even if its off key and wrong..... very frustrating. but for that reason i was happy to do the musical number with americans and sing it well! haha.
speaking of musical numbers, the bishop asked me if i could be able to teach piano to a few people and maybe play in sacrament. i played how firm a foundation two weeks ago in a young mens activity and also brightly beams our fathers mercy (of course nothing like joseph can play it) but i tried and the people were actually able to follow me. the bishop was impressed, and he wants me to start playing in sacrament if i am able to learn the songs during the week..... very nerve racking! also speaking of joseph, i am very, very impressed with your sacrifice that you have made to be able to serve. selling ´extra´ guitars isnt easy especially for you, and i just wanted to say that i was very touched to see how much it meant to you to serve a mission, even if it means sacrificing something that you love so much. i know the lord will strengthen you and give you the means to complete all that he asks you to do. i tip my hat to you.
in the conference also we talked about revelation for our investigators and how to better help them receive revelation, book of mormon, prayer, and church(sacrament). we of course knew that stuff and its what we teach, but they taught us how to teach it more effectively and to be able to apply it better to the investigators. we also learned about the revelation by the spirit, and a quote by president benson that says no missionary will have success in his mission if he doesnt act by the spirit. i think its funny how many elders worry about baptism numbers etc, but really the prophet tells us what success is, completing with the lords will. it was a very inspiring conference, but im not going to share it all yet, i have to organize my thoughts, but i want to share the experience we had on saturday about following the spirit and being direct with the lord in our prayers, just like mom told me to do. (obey mothers!!)
saturday morning during my study i read a talk called the missionary who tesifies and challenges, i dont know who its from or the whole talk, but just found the first page a while ago and read it. it said a few things important to me. this is the missionary god wants in his army, and its the missionary who says in his morning prayer, god, i want to help you better here by finding a family of four(for example) so i can challenge them for baptism and help them get ready for this sacred covenant. we with elder zazueta saturday morning before leaving the house, we made that same prayer to god that those were our desires. we left and luckily elder zazueta followed an impression to talk to an old man on the street, but he wasnt very interested, but another lady passed us and then returned to ask if we could help her rebelious granddaughter get back on track. we taught the grandmother, a daughter, the granddaughter, and another grandson. the four that we asked for and we challenged them to prepare to be baptized the 26 of february. very cool. sadly they didnt come to church, but it really strengthened my testimony that god answers prayers when we ask with real intent and all our desires. moroni 10:4, alma 29:4-5. i was really shocked with the answer, because i havent applied it in a while, and something that president spannaus always says, and i want to say it to you all: you need to have a spiritual experience to be able to really testify of it with power and authority. if you think about a spiritual experience you have had with god, you can almost always remember the date and time when it happened. mine was june 26 at 1:30am last year. it is really important to have these experiences, and it really helps me to trust in god more.
thanks to everyone for your help and your wonderful examples. i love you all and ask that you pray for gaby, ivan, amairani, and german. thanks for everything, ill also send pics right now. love you all! have a wonderful week
elder facer

CAPACITACIÓN (Training) Elder Facer is in the back left, NOT right in the front.