the day of jon, luis and litzy´s baptism, a dog ripped my pants, but i sewed it up, and i got burnt.
baptism of esteffani
baptism of jon, luis and litzy with hna flor and her husband that helped us.
its very interesting that you wrote me about being a peacemaker in the last letter, because there have been a few big changes in our companionship this last week. for the better, thankfully. last monday, i wrote to president spannaus and told him what was going on, my feelings, and for advice. he was just going to write me, but decided he should talk to us both individually then together. i explained everything to him and he asked a lot of questions and gave a lot of advice. i told him my concerns about obedience, and the desire to have a good companionship, and he told me what i needed to do. and just like you told me mom, i needed to worry about my changes first, he told me the same thing. one advice you said in specific made me realize what my big error was. i wasnt being humble. you said that i should try to realize how god wants me to use my spiritual gifts and not how i think he wants me to use them. also that an obedient companion loves the lord more than being right. also e. zazueta had a few things contra-banned that i told president about, then we all talked together. he helped us put goals and line things up so that we could talk. we stayed in the house for a time talking and getting things better, then we also did it the same night. we talked about a lot, and why our companionship wasnt succeeding like it should, and what we needed to do to fix it. it went really well, and we have done a whole lot better in this last week! we found more new investigators and had some really good laughs and talks together.
this week, we were really busy and worried about preparing magali and jorge for their baptism this next thursday. they are both really excited, but need a little help keeping a few commandments, i ask for your prayers for them in specific, and that they pass their interviews. we taught them the commandments and realized their problems and explained to them why they had to stop in that moment, it took a little time for them to understand good, but they both accepted it, realizing that by accepting and keeping the commandments, they would grow closer to god and receive more help as a family. they are great, and really excited for their baptism, both elder zazueta and i will baptize one of them each. also jorge says he wants to be a missionary, so we will help him get a mentor and that the bishop watches out for him.
also we found a little old man named ramon who has one of the saddest stories i have ever heard. he has no family except for his little brother that is actually struggling for his life to live. his parents and other siblings have died. his other relatives dont have any care or concern for him, and he also is sick and has a disease in his feet. he is 59 and doesnt work and usually doesnt eat. last week, he just showed up in another ward wanting to get closer to god, and luckily we found him. he is extremely humble and does all that we have asked him to gain a testimony. i feel really sad to know that i cant help him much, except help him start on the path to salvation. which is a lot i can offer, but i wish there was more physically i could do also. he went to church again and loved it.
this week, i also started reading jesus the christ by james e. talmage, and have read about 57 pages to this point. i have really enjoyed it, and have been reading and applying the scriptures that he explains. one word that stuck out to me in specific is meekness. i realized that i havent looked at that word since my time with elder snyder, and am sad i didnt write down a good definition of it. if anyone could help me to understand it better with a definition or scriptures i would like the help. any way, not a whole lot is going on right now. we as a companionship completed our goal of 3 baptisms with an overall 5, but the zone fell short of the goal of 20 by only getting 15... that is the best that zone acapulco has been in almost 6 months, so we were happy, and have good feelings that we will complete it this next month. well thanks everyone for your help through your prayers. i really needed it, and i know that everything worked out much better because of your faith and dedication to help the lord in his work. thank you and may god bless you all.
ps. im super excited for general conference this next week, but its a little annoying that saturday is 10 am, 2pm, and 6pm, but sunday is 11am, and 3pm. i dont like the time change in utah... haha but whatever. it will still be great! love you all, all these blessings we have right now are from this time of season, the resurrection of jesus christ and his birth, the foundation of the church in this last dispensation, and other things that have happened on these dates. love you all.
elder facer

Searching for the Pure Love of Christ

hey everyone! all is somewhat well here in acapulco. all is really good, because we did complete with the four baptisms we had planned, but sadly i left the camera cord in the house, so ill send the pics next week. bad news is that we still arent finding many people to continue finding and teaching, so we are going to have to focus this week on finding, and see how good our willingness to the lord is. we are still struggling to get better in our companionship, and that is why the time feels a lot longer, but it is still moving along.
this week had a few things that were kinda interesting. monday, i bought some new tennis shoes, because my other ones broke, but dont worry mom, they were cheap. haha. tuesday, when we went to talk with three of the people we were getting ready for baptism this week, and as we challenged them for saturday, they asked ´well, could we do it on thursday?´ haha of course we didnt decline, and they all got baptized thursday happily. i did the ordinance for them three. in the afternoon, i went on changes with an elder pond from flagstaff, and he helped me ration things out with the zone and my companion. we talked for a long time and he helped me realize better what i needed to do. mostly have better, more humble prayers about love and really praying for my companion. sadly he told me that most of the zone is also upset with elder zazueta, because he tries to take everything into his own hands.... i have tried to mention it to him discreetly, but he still hasnt accepted that fact that he is uptight. wednesday later in the night, i actually politely asked elder zazueta to not do something he was doing(that was strictly against the rules), and he got mad at me for saying that if he didnt stop, i would have to talk to president. he told me dont be so fariseo(pharisee? from the new testament) just because i was trying to take care of him and me... but i think i did the right thing. then thursday, we talked with our other baptism possibility, and she was willing to accept her date for friday, and got pretty excited, because she thought it was going to have to be postponed, becuase she didnt go to church the last week. the only reason she didnt go, is because her family didnt have money to go. but we helped them get rides arranged and everything for friday and sunday, so it all went well! but as we entered into her house, one if her dogs got scared and jumped and attacked me. i dodged out of the way a little so it didnt bite me, but as it fell, its nail cut my left pant leg right above the knee. i didnt really get cut, but i was pretty sad.... i now have it sewed up and it looks pretty bad, but i had to have it open during the baptism. also when we went to eat lunch, i burnt myself pretty bad on a hot plate and it blistered immediatley... i will send pics next week of the two things. friday the baptism went well for esteffani, but sunday is when it was a little odd. one girl, of the three that were baptized, wasnt completely sure about her full name, so we called her aunt(because her mom was working) and she told us her name, and we baptized her. but sunday, during the confirmation, the man said her name wrong, so elder zazu went to correct him. then the lady that has helped us with them also went up and said that the middle name wasnt correct, it was just a nickname.... so we stopped her confirmation and after sacrament went to her house to dig and dig for her birth certificate. we found that it was actually her middle name, and we didnt have to baptize her again, just do the confirmation right. then later in the day, we got planched(rebuked) pretty bad by the assistants because the whole zone is suffering to find and complete with baptisms. we had 9 that were going to be sure in the zone, but only 5 got confirmed.... and president doesnt like that. he wants that if we say 9, 9 get confirmed. so they also yelled for that.
i was pretty happy with this week, except that it felt like two weeks... i just ask for your prayers that elder zazueta and i can be more united in this week. also, does anyone know the first name of elder miller(jeffs companion) im not remembering anyone with the last name miller right now.. he wrote me today saying that all is well and slow. (he is still finding less investigators than me) i wonder what it would be like in a eastern states mission... i think the lord calls his best missionaries there, because they can handle it. im not sure if i could. haha. love you all tons. hope all is well..
elder facer
ps please tell pj im really proud of him if you guys go to the ordination. and happy birthday!

FOTO GIRA MISIONAL 2

dun dun dun dun..... 1 year.....

wow, well this week is a big one.. not only because i will complete a year in the mission, but because we should have 4 baptisms, or more! haha.
all is well here in acapulquito. this last week, on our 5 hour trail to cuernavaca for zone leader council, i talked with the zone leaders in chilpancingo and they said elder wilding is doing great, and that he is also training right now a new elder from peru! i dont remember exactly where he is from, but he said it is close to lima, so manuel probably didnt know him, and also for the age difference... haha. zlc was great, president johnson, area president, was there and we talked the entire two hours about lehis dream, and how to apply it to the missionary work. i remember in august of last year, president packer talked on it, but i learned a lot more on how to apply it now. we focused on two different terms cling, and hold fast continually. in spanish it is the same word, so he explained it in english a little to get his point across. then we talked about 1 nefi 8:7. i want you to read it and think what about this verse is important, because i couldnt find the importance at the beginning.. the one word, followed. we realized that is the only big difference between cling to and hold fast continually(2 nefi 31:13) read the verse and realize how following makes the difference. when we are focused on the fruit(glory, pat on the back from president etc) and not on the tree(Jesus Christ) we get to the tree, eat and turn away. but when we focus on christ and the main reasons of getting there, those are the people that stay at the tree and dont fall into mockery. very interesting stuff!!!!
then the next day we had a tri zone conference and we were in charge of it. elder zazueta being a control freak, took over it and got really stressed out and blew up on me a few times... but when he got the pat on the back from president, he felt like he did good and relaxed a little. we talked about faith in the conference: what is faith, how do we exercise faith, and why is it the first principle of the gospel. we talked about what really is real faith, or why people have ´faith´ in the virgen maria etc, its because real faith is centered on jesus christ and his atonement. that is when we can have real faith and act on it and increase. faith to keep the commandments must be done with love for god and to do his will of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, or it isnt exercising faith, just being ´restricted´. we learned a lot, but i just cant put everything here, because i dont have enough time, but i wrote everything down in my notes. we talked about having a change of heart also, and repentance, and how to apply it with faith. mosiah 5:2-5 and it really straightened me up in obedience. sadly we havent been super obedient before with elder zazueta, and after being planced(rebuked) by elder johnson and the scriptures, i realized my need for repentance. when i talked with elder zazueta about it, he tried to change it a little to make it look like we are fine and dont need to follow all the little rules exactly because its too strict, i got a little frustrated and told him we are going to be 100% obedient from now on. he is still a little hesitant to push himself to be better, but i have tried to be better at the little things i have come to be a little slack on. but it wont happen again in this next year. i will be an excellent missionary to complete with my calling D&C 29:7 to find and baptize the chosen sons and daughters of god only, even if i had a rough or fried companion.
we had a few good lessons friday and saturday, with good hope for getting all of them to church, but almost no one went. so we called them up to see what happened and got some odd excuses.... but the three that went are brothers and sisters and are going to be baptized this week.... with a lot of prayers. their names are jon, luis, and litzi. pray that they will be willing to keep all the commandments and feel ready for this saturday. the other possibility is estefani, a little girl whose family went inactive years ago, and realize that they need to go back to church to live happier. sadly they are very poor, and need help to get to church, thats why they didnt go.... but we will see. thanks for your prayers and faith to help keep the work going well here.
by the way, there is a lady here in ward centro that said about 6 years ago that a ryan facer from mesa arizona baptized her. does anyone know him? anywho.... haha thats all the time i have for this week. love you all tons, and im praying that all is well at home. thanks for your christmas letters and pictures in the package i got this last week, and i want you to know that im still praying for you all. trying to do it by name too. i know the lord loves each of you, and is willing to help you. have faith, trust, and act. much love
elder facer

p.s. here are the answers to your questions:
1. i recommend drylux low neck and drylux bottom or mesh both
2. yeah my clothes are starting to wear out, but just slower than most missionaries, because as i have come to notice, i take better care of my clothes than most missionaries. my other suitcase has 9 nice white shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 8 pairs of new socks. the reason i havent used many white shirts, is because elder arevalo gave me three of his shirts(that have been altered a little to fit me better) and that is all that i really use every week with one pair of pants. i have really reduced my laundry load because i only use 3-4 garment tops, 7 bottoms, 7 socks, 3 shirts, and one pant every week.
3. i am sad to say that your last package didnt arrive as we hoped it would. a mouse had eaten its way in, in some waiting process, and ate almost all the homemade cookies and a part of the new white shirt. i was pretty sad, but thats a risk we got lucky on before. i would recommend that you dont send any more packages in this next year unless i ask for it, because it is getting pretty risky(so they say).

shirlys baptism

monday after writing, we went on a hike all the way above acapulco with our tour guide who we may baptize. so cool!!!!!! im definately coming back to rock climb in this area later haha
me above all acapulco. next time we go up, i will go to the highest point! there is a lake of pure water that the colony drinks from

Guess Who's Coming to Mexico?

no manches!!! mi mano va a ser chilango cuate!!!! im sooooo excited!!! wow! im not going to lie, but i was very shocked.... elder zazueta tells me that the temple is in his mission, but the only problem is that i might be going to the temple in june or july... haha. hopefully we could talk for a little together. advice.....only buy one pair of shoes and buy the other pair here. in el DF (his mission)(distrito federal) everything is really cheap. there, its the cheapest in all mexico. pack light at home, because leaving the mtc, you dont want to be overweight on luggage it costs a lot. you may want a sweater actually, or a sweater vest, because its close to the estado de mexico, and there it actually can get snow, or -5 deg celcius. only bring what you need for the first year, and then get the other part from packages. i have still been using the same garments and socks (10 pairs) since the beginning, and i really think i might be able to go my whole mission with just these. socks were the only thing i needed more, and i have another 9 pairs for the second year that mom and rusty have sent me. also, i only use three white shirts per week, every week. all the others, are there in my luggage waiting for these first three to wear out, then i will change. i might only buy one long sleeve shirt, and a few less for short sleeve, and here you can buy the rest if you need it. i have never needed an umbrella, and very rarely my jacket for rain. usually we just suck it up and get wet, because it came down hard, and a jacket or umbrella didnt help with much. enough about you joseph..... haha jk, im really so excited and so proud of you. you will love your time here, but just start praying for love for the mexican people. the faster you can get it, the faster you will be a more effective misisonary. i love you little brother, and i know the lord has sent you there, in a specific time of your life, to find specific people, to influence and be influenced by specific people, etc. you are in the right place.
dad, the two words you learned are arriba and abajo(above and below). very good!! im also proud of you hahaha.
well, our week has been stressful, but very very progressive. in this month, just from the people we have found in these past few weeks, and in this last week especially, we should baptize 7 in this month! almost every one of them is for sure, and we just need time to teach them! the week was stressful, because we were preparing for this week that is coming. today, we had zone changes, but we only had one guy leave, and one come. tomorrow, we leave for cuerna for consejo, then thursday we have a conference that we are directing of the zones acapulco, costa azul and guacamayas, because elder johnson(area president) is coming to talk with us, and we are in charge.... very nerve racking! president spannaus is also kinda worried about it, so he is stressing us that everything is prepared and perfect.... ill tell you about it next week though.
this week, we had the baptism of just shirly. she is incredible, and another perfect 12 year old daughter of god. she is completely focused on family and doing what god wants her to do. she helps her single mom work in a paper store, and take care of her little baby sister of 6 months. she is great, ill send pics afterwards. we sadly didnt have the baptism of michel, because she was too scared to talk to her dad about it.... she only needs permission of her mom, because she lives with her mom, but she just doesnt want to disappoint her dad if she gets baptized. she wants to, but also doesnt want to tell her dad, or ask permission to do it, so we hit a wall with her. we will still try to visit her the end of this week, but who knows if anything will change. please keep praying for her... the good news of this week, is that me and elder zazueta didnt really fight this week, so thanks for your prayers, they are helping! really its kinda sad that not much is happening, just that god is really blessing us with a lot of great member help, and we are getting some really good references from them, that are progressing really well. as far as i can think of,(not very far, because i need to go to the bathroom, and there isnt one here) we didnt have a really cool experience this week.... i will have to talk later, because im starting to sweat bullets. i love you all tons, and hope all is great. congratulations joseph!
love elder facer