Well, another week in the mission....and changes again! First of all, I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to work in Toluca in the Centro. It wasn´t easy, but we were just starting to see that the seeds we planted there were starting to grow. We found a lot of new investigators, we basically reopened Centro, we hardly even visited the former investigators until near the end of the change, but then we saw really if they wanted to hear us or not, because we had literally no time to waste. We were always anxiously engaged in a good cause....and it felt good! That is how the mission should be. I haven´t learned everything I have to to be a good missionary....if that were the case I would have already completed my two years....but I feel that I have learned a lot about how to work. The key is to get started, and then you never want to stop.
I learned a ton from Elder Lauritzen, I know he will be a good missionary. The week before I had gotten a little discouraged, and he knew exactly what to say. His Spanish is a little limited, but he is truly mastering the gift of tongues...because he can talk with the tongue of angels. He will be successful in Centro, I know he will be able to harvest all the fruits that we planted seeds for.
I guess I spoiled the changes. I left Toluca. Elder Lauritzen will have recieved Elder Gutirrez in Centro. I am now writing from Naucalpan. Basically we´re right there by the Distrito Federal, even though were technically in the State of Mexico...it is still the same Urban zone of Mexico City. My ward is called Molinito 1, and there are four elders working in this ward because it´s pretty big(well, for Mexico City.....Centro is more than ten times bigger than this...but here everything is houses, there aren´t little towns scattered around like in Toluca.), so I expect that we´ll have some work to do since my companion Elder Quiroga and I are opening what is the area Molinito 1-A, so we´ll be working hard.
Yeah, my companion is Elder Quiroga, and he is from Jalapa, Veracruz. Right now we´re staying in the house the four of us, along with Elder Nauahi(the district Leader, he´s American but his grandparents are Hawaiian), and Elder Mercado(he´s from Cuzco, Peru), but eventually they will have to look for another house because where we´re living will be part of our area when the division is officially made.
Well, I have very little time left. I´ll tell you more about Molinito in a week! Thanks for everything! Keep praying for me!
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Weekly Letter: January 11-17, 2011
Well, another week in the mission. I cannot believe that we have
changes (transfers) in the next week. I really hope they don´t change me. I know
that I have a lot of time here in this area, but we can achieve so
much here! Elder Lauritzen and I have been as close to perfect in
obedience as I have seen in my mission. We´ve had our personal
study-time, study time as companionship, daily and weekly planning
sessions, and EVERYTHING! Well, maybe not everything. We can always
improve. But really, we have been so diligent that I´m actually
dreaming about the mission.....I don´t think it´s revelation, because
I doubt that some of the members from Plateros are going to move here
to Centro...and I doubt we have to re-baptize some of the members that
have about 12 years in the church, and I don´t think some of the
elders that are already home from their mission are going to come back
any time soon....but who knows!
I guess this is what it means to lose yourself. I´m really starting to
understand the concept. I don´t even care what people think about me
in the street. I was often scared to contact people because I thought
that would be too forward...and I´m a little shy in personality(maybe
you guys in home are like....well yeah! I knew that!), but it´s weird
how you become somebody else when you put that badge on with your name
and the Savior´s name. It´s a total change!
This week, we could have had more fruits. I was a little disappointed
when we found out that there was no water or power in the Church
yesterday. Concepción, who was going to be baptized, took it well. She
said "Everything is a trial. Trying to see if I´m really going to do
this." she will be baptized Wednesday night. She really has such faith
that it is incredible!
This week has kind of been like that situation. With the new people we
taught, some of them weren´t there for the other appointment. Another,
their family is pressuring them...saying that its a sin to listen to
us. And the golden family....they got stranded when their car broke
down on them, and they didn´t get home until 9:30 that night, and the
car got back this morning from the shop. Our appointment Saturday
at 6:00 to invite them to church and to be baptized.....fell through,
and when we tried to call them to invite them to church Sunday
morning.....they didn´t answer because Benjamín had left his phone in
the car overnight in the shop.
But like Concepción said, these are trials to see if we are going to
do the things that we should do. If we´re going end the change like we
began: diligent, and working with the hope of finding the people
prepared to receive His message.
This is life as a missionary. I love it. And we keep on going.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
changes (transfers) in the next week. I really hope they don´t change me. I know
that I have a lot of time here in this area, but we can achieve so
much here! Elder Lauritzen and I have been as close to perfect in
obedience as I have seen in my mission. We´ve had our personal
study-time, study time as companionship, daily and weekly planning
sessions, and EVERYTHING! Well, maybe not everything. We can always
improve. But really, we have been so diligent that I´m actually
dreaming about the mission.....I don´t think it´s revelation, because
I doubt that some of the members from Plateros are going to move here
to Centro...and I doubt we have to re-baptize some of the members that
have about 12 years in the church, and I don´t think some of the
elders that are already home from their mission are going to come back
any time soon....but who knows!
I guess this is what it means to lose yourself. I´m really starting to
understand the concept. I don´t even care what people think about me
in the street. I was often scared to contact people because I thought
that would be too forward...and I´m a little shy in personality(maybe
you guys in home are like....well yeah! I knew that!), but it´s weird
how you become somebody else when you put that badge on with your name
and the Savior´s name. It´s a total change!
This week, we could have had more fruits. I was a little disappointed
when we found out that there was no water or power in the Church
yesterday. Concepción, who was going to be baptized, took it well. She
said "Everything is a trial. Trying to see if I´m really going to do
this." she will be baptized Wednesday night. She really has such faith
that it is incredible!
This week has kind of been like that situation. With the new people we
taught, some of them weren´t there for the other appointment. Another,
their family is pressuring them...saying that its a sin to listen to
us. And the golden family....they got stranded when their car broke
down on them, and they didn´t get home until 9:30 that night, and the
car got back this morning from the shop. Our appointment Saturday
at 6:00 to invite them to church and to be baptized.....fell through,
and when we tried to call them to invite them to church Sunday
morning.....they didn´t answer because Benjamín had left his phone in
the car overnight in the shop.
But like Concepción said, these are trials to see if we are going to
do the things that we should do. If we´re going end the change like we
began: diligent, and working with the hope of finding the people
prepared to receive His message.
This is life as a missionary. I love it. And we keep on going.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Monday, January 10, 2011
Weekly Letter: January 4-10, 2011
para todos uds:
Another week in the mission. So I thought that after Christmas, New
Years, and my birthday, everything would set in that I´m about to
complete a year in the mission......well, not really. However, it did
give me an opportunity to look back at what I´ve acheived. I now feel
really comfortable teaching the lessons...and talking in Spanish. I
feel that I can basically express myself, however, I feel that I have
been slacking a bit in two things: accent, and learning new words.
Until a few weeks ago, I didn´t realize that my pronunciation wasn't the
hottest in Spanish. I can´t tell when I´m talking, but when I record
myself and listen to the playback, I can hear a lot of Gringo accent.
I have asked a few members in the church to help me with it. I think
it´s that I have to pay more attention to the way I´m speaking. I´ve
recorded myself reading some material in Spanish, and my accent has
improved in that, but when I start talking from whatever I´m thinking
about, it´s harder to focus on it and thus, I start talking with a
little more accent. The sounds are really subtle, like "ul" in words
like dificultaba, or Atlacomulco, and "ui" in words like destuirá.
But, I´ve been working on that, and it´s getting easier. I had to give
a talk in Sacrament yesterday (they told us Saturday at night...I love
being a missionary!), and the same brother that has been helping me,
said that it was a lot better. I don´t know if that was because I´m
really making progress or if he´s trying to encourage to keep going.
Also with the words, I had tucked away my notebook of new
words....I think I might need to take it out again. I understand what
everybody is saying, and the words they´re using, but later when I
want to say the same word....I forget! So I have made a lot a progress
in Spanish....and have worsened in my English people say. But yeah, I
feel like this next year I will focus more to hone in on the little
details to be able to communicate with the people here like a true
Mexican!
So yeah, I was able to think a little bit about goals for this next
year, but I didn´t lose sight of the goals for this week. We did okay,
we had three investigators in church yesterday, an eternal that can´t
get married because of paper problems(she has to get divorced with her
ex-husband, but doesn´t have her papers, and she hasn´t been able find
them), and a mother and her grandchild that have come several times to
Church (I think yesterday was the fourth time she has come.) One of
her sons recently got baptized and he will be receiving the Aaronic
Priesthood soon. I hope it works out for this week in the services, so
that he can be able to baptize his mom this Sunday after church!
We were able to improve a lot in our contacting, and one person we
contacted, I had such a strong impression to contact him that, even
though it was my comp´s turn to contact, I was about to contact him
anyway. I was very pleased when my comp decided to contact him. We
were there for about ten minutes talking about the restoration, and he
wanted us to come whenever we were able to. However, then he
remembered that his brother-in-law and other relatives had come from
Guadalajara for this week, and so he said that this week would be more
difficult. We then set an appointment for the following week, and even
though it´s really far away, I feel really really good about this
person, that he´s prepared to receive the gospel.
We also were able to find 11 new investigators this week. Including
two complete families. One is a couple in their forties that has two
daughters in their teens, and a son that is 10 years old. All of them
were really interested, including a friend(boyfriend, I think) of one
of their daughters who also was there. The other family is a younger
couple...I think in their thirties, with a 10 year-old son and a 4
year old daughter. I really feel like, if they go to Church this week,
that we will be able to baptize them the following week. They have
family that is part of the Church, but in another ward. We went with
the Zone Leaders to get to know them(because the Zone Leaders had
previously known them, because their relatives are from their ward),
and then we had possibly the best lesson I´ve had in my mission.
Anyway, things are looking pretty nice here in Toluca. I´ll keep you
all posted, and hope to be able to send photos of the baptism next
week, lately my camera has had troubles connecting with the computers
here, but we´ll see.
Thanks for everything! Please keep praying for me and the other
missionaries. Your prayers literally send Angels here to prepare the
people to recieve this message from us.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Another week in the mission. So I thought that after Christmas, New
Years, and my birthday, everything would set in that I´m about to
complete a year in the mission......well, not really. However, it did
give me an opportunity to look back at what I´ve acheived. I now feel
really comfortable teaching the lessons...and talking in Spanish. I
feel that I can basically express myself, however, I feel that I have
been slacking a bit in two things: accent, and learning new words.
Until a few weeks ago, I didn´t realize that my pronunciation wasn't the
hottest in Spanish. I can´t tell when I´m talking, but when I record
myself and listen to the playback, I can hear a lot of Gringo accent.
I have asked a few members in the church to help me with it. I think
it´s that I have to pay more attention to the way I´m speaking. I´ve
recorded myself reading some material in Spanish, and my accent has
improved in that, but when I start talking from whatever I´m thinking
about, it´s harder to focus on it and thus, I start talking with a
little more accent. The sounds are really subtle, like "ul" in words
like dificultaba, or Atlacomulco, and "ui" in words like destuirá.
But, I´ve been working on that, and it´s getting easier. I had to give
a talk in Sacrament yesterday (they told us Saturday at night...I love
being a missionary!), and the same brother that has been helping me,
said that it was a lot better. I don´t know if that was because I´m
really making progress or if he´s trying to encourage to keep going.
Also with the words, I had tucked away my notebook of new
words....I think I might need to take it out again. I understand what
everybody is saying, and the words they´re using, but later when I
want to say the same word....I forget! So I have made a lot a progress
in Spanish....and have worsened in my English people say. But yeah, I
feel like this next year I will focus more to hone in on the little
details to be able to communicate with the people here like a true
Mexican!
So yeah, I was able to think a little bit about goals for this next
year, but I didn´t lose sight of the goals for this week. We did okay,
we had three investigators in church yesterday, an eternal that can´t
get married because of paper problems(she has to get divorced with her
ex-husband, but doesn´t have her papers, and she hasn´t been able find
them), and a mother and her grandchild that have come several times to
Church (I think yesterday was the fourth time she has come.) One of
her sons recently got baptized and he will be receiving the Aaronic
Priesthood soon. I hope it works out for this week in the services, so
that he can be able to baptize his mom this Sunday after church!
We were able to improve a lot in our contacting, and one person we
contacted, I had such a strong impression to contact him that, even
though it was my comp´s turn to contact, I was about to contact him
anyway. I was very pleased when my comp decided to contact him. We
were there for about ten minutes talking about the restoration, and he
wanted us to come whenever we were able to. However, then he
remembered that his brother-in-law and other relatives had come from
Guadalajara for this week, and so he said that this week would be more
difficult. We then set an appointment for the following week, and even
though it´s really far away, I feel really really good about this
person, that he´s prepared to receive the gospel.
We also were able to find 11 new investigators this week. Including
two complete families. One is a couple in their forties that has two
daughters in their teens, and a son that is 10 years old. All of them
were really interested, including a friend(boyfriend, I think) of one
of their daughters who also was there. The other family is a younger
couple...I think in their thirties, with a 10 year-old son and a 4
year old daughter. I really feel like, if they go to Church this week,
that we will be able to baptize them the following week. They have
family that is part of the Church, but in another ward. We went with
the Zone Leaders to get to know them(because the Zone Leaders had
previously known them, because their relatives are from their ward),
and then we had possibly the best lesson I´ve had in my mission.
Anyway, things are looking pretty nice here in Toluca. I´ll keep you
all posted, and hope to be able to send photos of the baptism next
week, lately my camera has had troubles connecting with the computers
here, but we´ll see.
Thanks for everything! Please keep praying for me and the other
missionaries. Your prayers literally send Angels here to prepare the
people to recieve this message from us.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Weekly Letter: December 28-January 3
para todos uds:
Well, I wish I could share happier news this week, but this week didn´t go as well as the other week. I think because people left for vacations at the end of the last week for Christmas, and then aren´t planning to come back until this week, or later. Some schools here don´t start up again until the 10th of January because of Día de los Reyes Magos on January 6th.(Three Kings Day...which is like another Christmas, but the Three Kings bring gifts instead of Santa....I don´t know what the Mexicans did to get gifts from both Santa and the Three Kings, but oh well, I´m not going to complain.)
It´s absolutely weird thinking that I will be turning twenty in two days. I cannot believe the 2010 is already done, and that I´m no longer going to be nineteen years old! ....and I just finished eleven months in the mission today...I just realized. Time should not go by this fast. I don´t even know how I´ve nearly completed a year in the mission....but I don´t like it. I look at my companion and he´s four months, and I´m like...."Yeah, I´ve got a little more than that," and then I realize that that isn´t true. It´s so weird!
I´ve actually not tried to think about my birthday lately, but it has been weird. We set up a lot of appointments for this week(because they didn´t have time this last week), and a lot of them were like "How about next Wednesday?" I tell them yes, open my planner, look at the date with the big number 5, and I´m like "Wow, that´s really weird." So yeah, but as a missionary the best gift is a day with a bunch of appointments....and that´s just what I have for this Wednesday. So I´m pretty happy.
However, I really am starting to regret telling a bunch of members my birthday when I got here. I thought I wouldn´t still be here....but here I am, and they haven´t forgotten. So everyone is trying to invite me for dinner this week, which is great for the belly, but not so much for the work. Seriously, I don´t even remember telling half of these members when was my birthday, and it seems like EVERYONE KNOWS!!
Oh well, we keep going. This week, I hope we see more fruits from our efforts this last week, because this week we didn´t get hardly any investigators in church. Only one who has gone a lot to church, but won´t get baptized because of a bad example of a member here...sigh. However, it was great seeing him in Church with all his family. His wife is an active member in the church, but his three children, two of which are baptized but don´t really want anything to do with the church (and the other one is about 6 years old sometimes goes with his mom). So it was great seeing them in church.
Anyway, we´ll see how it goes. They live in Almoloya, and we aren´t going to Almoloya until Wednesday....and I don´t know how we´re going to make time with them because we have a lot of appointments and they´re almost always in their Internet Café working. However, I´d like to encourage them to keep this up for the new year.
Well, I have basically no time left. Thanks for everything. I really feel like this is exactly where I need to be, and what I need to be doing in this moment. I feel so...complete in this work with my companion in this area. I don´t know how else to put it. But I like that word....complete. I hope that makes sense. If not, just know that I´m really really happy and enjoying what I´m doing.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Well, I wish I could share happier news this week, but this week didn´t go as well as the other week. I think because people left for vacations at the end of the last week for Christmas, and then aren´t planning to come back until this week, or later. Some schools here don´t start up again until the 10th of January because of Día de los Reyes Magos on January 6th.(Three Kings Day...which is like another Christmas, but the Three Kings bring gifts instead of Santa....I don´t know what the Mexicans did to get gifts from both Santa and the Three Kings, but oh well, I´m not going to complain.)
It´s absolutely weird thinking that I will be turning twenty in two days. I cannot believe the 2010 is already done, and that I´m no longer going to be nineteen years old! ....and I just finished eleven months in the mission today...I just realized. Time should not go by this fast. I don´t even know how I´ve nearly completed a year in the mission....but I don´t like it. I look at my companion and he´s four months, and I´m like...."Yeah, I´ve got a little more than that," and then I realize that that isn´t true. It´s so weird!
I´ve actually not tried to think about my birthday lately, but it has been weird. We set up a lot of appointments for this week(because they didn´t have time this last week), and a lot of them were like "How about next Wednesday?" I tell them yes, open my planner, look at the date with the big number 5, and I´m like "Wow, that´s really weird." So yeah, but as a missionary the best gift is a day with a bunch of appointments....and that´s just what I have for this Wednesday. So I´m pretty happy.
However, I really am starting to regret telling a bunch of members my birthday when I got here. I thought I wouldn´t still be here....but here I am, and they haven´t forgotten. So everyone is trying to invite me for dinner this week, which is great for the belly, but not so much for the work. Seriously, I don´t even remember telling half of these members when was my birthday, and it seems like EVERYONE KNOWS!!
Oh well, we keep going. This week, I hope we see more fruits from our efforts this last week, because this week we didn´t get hardly any investigators in church. Only one who has gone a lot to church, but won´t get baptized because of a bad example of a member here...sigh. However, it was great seeing him in Church with all his family. His wife is an active member in the church, but his three children, two of which are baptized but don´t really want anything to do with the church (and the other one is about 6 years old sometimes goes with his mom). So it was great seeing them in church.
Anyway, we´ll see how it goes. They live in Almoloya, and we aren´t going to Almoloya until Wednesday....and I don´t know how we´re going to make time with them because we have a lot of appointments and they´re almost always in their Internet Café working. However, I´d like to encourage them to keep this up for the new year.
Well, I have basically no time left. Thanks for everything. I really feel like this is exactly where I need to be, and what I need to be doing in this moment. I feel so...complete in this work with my companion in this area. I don´t know how else to put it. But I like that word....complete. I hope that makes sense. If not, just know that I´m really really happy and enjoying what I´m doing.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Monday, December 20, 2010
Weekly Letter: December 14-20, 2010
Well, this week, I got to know my companion´s name and all of that. His name is Elder Lauritzen, he´s from Conneticut(I think I spelled that right), and he has about three weeks here in Mexico. He also arrived late from the MTC due to problems with the visa, but he did arrive two weeks before changes. So he was with one of the Zone Leaders for two weeks in Puerta Grande(sound familiar?) So yeah, I've basically adopted him as my son(in the mission, of course), but it is a really interesting experience having an American son....it almost never happens. However, his spanish is already really good, in fact he knows the names of many objects better than I do...which made me realize that I need to take out that good old dictionary and do some studying.
It´s funny, many times when I don´t understand words in the scriptures, I look it up in the dictionary, only to find that I don't know what the word means in English either. So I might have to invest in a spanish dictionary, because the Spanish-English dictionary doesn't always help me as well as I would like.
Yeah, but being American, I had to put my foot down and tell him we weren´t going to speak in English. But, he seemed totally okay with that. I thought it would be hard because of the lack of ability in Spanish, but he does understand and speak pretty well. However, that said, one time in the Comida I decided that I wasn´t going to talk to the members, that my companion had gotten comfortable hearing me talk and not saying anything himself. So it was a very silent conversation, and I wanted to talk to the members so bad, but I couldn't. However, I think he's realized that and he's working harder on that.
Well, the work goes on. It's something really interesting, teaching with someone with limited use of the language. People actually listen to my companion more than they listen to me, because it's a lot harder to understand him, and they have to pay more attention(haha, I'm asking my companion to help me with my English, I had no idea how to say that sentence). Also, we knocked on some doors, and I realized that the people are more honest with him than they are with me. We knocked on the doors, and they told him "I´m really not interested sorry, but thanks for your time." But when it was my turn to make the contact, they said "Not right now, but some other day." I would then make an appointment with them, to which they readily agreed to, and then we would return for the appointment and.....no one! So there are a lot of blessings with the fact that my companion is harder to understand.
This week we worked hard, but we had very little fruits. However, what I love about my companion is that he came to work, and hasn't lost sight of that. He doesn't get discouraged, which encourages me to improve myself in my attitude. This week, we weren't able to obtain any references, and we had a lot of appointments fall on us, but I know that our efforts were organized and diligent, and I have no doubt that the fruits will come if we continue working like this. I'm actually starting to see some fruits already, this ward is beginning to trust us more. I don't know how many times yesterday the brothers and sisters talked to us about how they had seen us in the street talking to someone, and how they loved seeing us working.
So, I believe that we'll have more success this week. It'll be interesting working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, already, we've see some people try to avoid setting appointments for this week due to the holidays, but we just have to keep working on it, because the miracles only come by faith...and faith means we have to ACT!! For example, if we believe that God answers prayers, but we never pray....what happens? Nothing! And this faith begins to die slowly because we can't obtain a testimony if we haven't lived it. So we have to have faith that work brings miracles....and then we have to WORK!
Well, that's basically it for this week. I hope you all have a great Christmas and that you remember why we celebrate this day. I can't remember who said it but someone once said "there wouldn't be a Christmas if it weren't for Easter."
Thank you all for everything. Please continue praying for my companion and me. We need those prayers.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
It´s funny, many times when I don´t understand words in the scriptures, I look it up in the dictionary, only to find that I don't know what the word means in English either. So I might have to invest in a spanish dictionary, because the Spanish-English dictionary doesn't always help me as well as I would like.
Yeah, but being American, I had to put my foot down and tell him we weren´t going to speak in English. But, he seemed totally okay with that. I thought it would be hard because of the lack of ability in Spanish, but he does understand and speak pretty well. However, that said, one time in the Comida I decided that I wasn´t going to talk to the members, that my companion had gotten comfortable hearing me talk and not saying anything himself. So it was a very silent conversation, and I wanted to talk to the members so bad, but I couldn't. However, I think he's realized that and he's working harder on that.
Well, the work goes on. It's something really interesting, teaching with someone with limited use of the language. People actually listen to my companion more than they listen to me, because it's a lot harder to understand him, and they have to pay more attention(haha, I'm asking my companion to help me with my English, I had no idea how to say that sentence). Also, we knocked on some doors, and I realized that the people are more honest with him than they are with me. We knocked on the doors, and they told him "I´m really not interested sorry, but thanks for your time." But when it was my turn to make the contact, they said "Not right now, but some other day." I would then make an appointment with them, to which they readily agreed to, and then we would return for the appointment and.....no one! So there are a lot of blessings with the fact that my companion is harder to understand.
This week we worked hard, but we had very little fruits. However, what I love about my companion is that he came to work, and hasn't lost sight of that. He doesn't get discouraged, which encourages me to improve myself in my attitude. This week, we weren't able to obtain any references, and we had a lot of appointments fall on us, but I know that our efforts were organized and diligent, and I have no doubt that the fruits will come if we continue working like this. I'm actually starting to see some fruits already, this ward is beginning to trust us more. I don't know how many times yesterday the brothers and sisters talked to us about how they had seen us in the street talking to someone, and how they loved seeing us working.
So, I believe that we'll have more success this week. It'll be interesting working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, already, we've see some people try to avoid setting appointments for this week due to the holidays, but we just have to keep working on it, because the miracles only come by faith...and faith means we have to ACT!! For example, if we believe that God answers prayers, but we never pray....what happens? Nothing! And this faith begins to die slowly because we can't obtain a testimony if we haven't lived it. So we have to have faith that work brings miracles....and then we have to WORK!
Well, that's basically it for this week. I hope you all have a great Christmas and that you remember why we celebrate this day. I can't remember who said it but someone once said "there wouldn't be a Christmas if it weren't for Easter."
Thank you all for everything. Please continue praying for my companion and me. We need those prayers.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Weekly Letter: December 7-13, 2010
Another week, another cambio, another companion, and another experience in the mission field. Yeah, today we have changes again. I can hardly believe that Elder Mendoza and I already have had a month and a half together. I seems like the time has just flown by. However, I'm incredibly excited, because we've seen the area grow quite a bit while we were working together. However, Elder Mendoza got changed to Mexico, to the Zone Tacubaya(where I was the first six months in the field.) I get to stay here in Toluca-Centro. It's pretty interesting, it seems like neither one of my mission presidents is in any hurry to change me from area to area. I was in my first area for six months, and now I have about 3 months in this area....and at least another month and a half more...
Maybe I'll end up the same way as Elder Leavitt, who started his mission in Plateros about a year before I did, six months later, he came to Centro, and was there for another six months. Who knows? I know it's pretty weird that I'm going to be in my second area in the mission for Christmas and my birthday....and maybe when I complete a year too! Wow, a year in the mission, and two areas? I didn't think that would happen.
Here in Centro, I'm going to receive an Elder.....something. He's an American, but because my Mexican companion received the changes by phone from my Mexican District Leader, they didn't get the last name of my new companion very well. Oh well, so I have no idea if I know my companion or not. My companion told me about 7 last names that could be my companion's last name, but to spare you guys all the drama and everything of which of the seven(if any of them) is indeed my companion, I will just send it in the email next week.
Anyway, I'm pretty excited, I don't know how it'll be working with a "gringo," all of my other companions have been Mexican....except Elder Childers, but he's half Peruvian, and had almost finished his mission, so in all aspects: culture, language, hair color, everyone always thought he was Mexican. Anyway, I'm excited, but nervous. However, I think it will be a good experience.
So yeah, we also had a baptism yesterday. Elder Mendoza baptized Javier, a sixteen year-old who is a cousin of some of the members in our ward. His mom and nephew are also coming to church, and they both want to be baptized, but the mom wants to wait until January, and we haven't really talked to the nephew outside of church because he's always with his mom because he's only 8. But, yeah, we're starting to have some work here in Centro. We just have to find more. That's the thing with missionary work, you can never be too pleased with everything that has happened in an area, or else, the area begins to die. I think I learned that too late in Plateros, but I´ve learned that we have to focus every week in the area, as if we were opening the area, because the majority of the people you find aren't going to progress really fast, or they aren't going to want to listen after a while. Like the mission president says, you have to be constantly filling the tank, and if we do that, the fruits will come on their own.
So, we finished the change on a good note with the baptism. The only thing that Elder Mendoza doesn´t like about leaving right now is that he never got to activate his family. We visited them a lot...maybe too much, but they don't seem to be motivated to go to church. I'll see what I can do with my other companion, but I think that if a family member-missionary couldn't do it, I better not waste too much time going with them day after day. But, I can't just leave them either. So we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, it's getting late, and I've got to go to Metepec in like thirty minutes.
Thanks for everything! See you all next week!(not literally, but in email format)
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Maybe I'll end up the same way as Elder Leavitt, who started his mission in Plateros about a year before I did, six months later, he came to Centro, and was there for another six months. Who knows? I know it's pretty weird that I'm going to be in my second area in the mission for Christmas and my birthday....and maybe when I complete a year too! Wow, a year in the mission, and two areas? I didn't think that would happen.
Here in Centro, I'm going to receive an Elder.....something. He's an American, but because my Mexican companion received the changes by phone from my Mexican District Leader, they didn't get the last name of my new companion very well. Oh well, so I have no idea if I know my companion or not. My companion told me about 7 last names that could be my companion's last name, but to spare you guys all the drama and everything of which of the seven(if any of them) is indeed my companion, I will just send it in the email next week.
Anyway, I'm pretty excited, I don't know how it'll be working with a "gringo," all of my other companions have been Mexican....except Elder Childers, but he's half Peruvian, and had almost finished his mission, so in all aspects: culture, language, hair color, everyone always thought he was Mexican. Anyway, I'm excited, but nervous. However, I think it will be a good experience.
So yeah, we also had a baptism yesterday. Elder Mendoza baptized Javier, a sixteen year-old who is a cousin of some of the members in our ward. His mom and nephew are also coming to church, and they both want to be baptized, but the mom wants to wait until January, and we haven't really talked to the nephew outside of church because he's always with his mom because he's only 8. But, yeah, we're starting to have some work here in Centro. We just have to find more. That's the thing with missionary work, you can never be too pleased with everything that has happened in an area, or else, the area begins to die. I think I learned that too late in Plateros, but I´ve learned that we have to focus every week in the area, as if we were opening the area, because the majority of the people you find aren't going to progress really fast, or they aren't going to want to listen after a while. Like the mission president says, you have to be constantly filling the tank, and if we do that, the fruits will come on their own.
So, we finished the change on a good note with the baptism. The only thing that Elder Mendoza doesn´t like about leaving right now is that he never got to activate his family. We visited them a lot...maybe too much, but they don't seem to be motivated to go to church. I'll see what I can do with my other companion, but I think that if a family member-missionary couldn't do it, I better not waste too much time going with them day after day. But, I can't just leave them either. So we'll see how it goes.
Anyway, it's getting late, and I've got to go to Metepec in like thirty minutes.
Thanks for everything! See you all next week!(not literally, but in email format)
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Weekly Letter: November 30-December 6, 2010
It´s official, I´m old in the mission field. Friday, we were going to have a baptismal interview (it fell through), and when the District Leader arrived(who´s from my same generation of missionaries...but is Mexican so he has more time in the field than I do), Elder Loya congratulated me. I was like "what?! Our appointment fell through and you´re congratulating me?" He laughed and said, "No, not that, congratulations! We completed 10 months in the mission today."
Wow. How weird, huh? It is so weird to think that I´m near to being halfway done with my missionary service. Everyone says that the second year goes faster than the first, and if that´s true, I´m in trouble! It´s going way too fast as it is. The months seem to fly by. Yesterday when a member mentioned the Christmas devotional, I was like, "Oh yeah, I guess it´s December." It´s really weird reading about home and how there is a bunch of snow and all that stuff. Here in Toluca, it´s pretty calm. November gave us a scare when it reached like 34 degrees Farenheit or something like that, I though it was going to get COLD, but it´s pretty warm now, and basically nothing like what I´m used to this time of the year.
Well, the time keeps going and all you can do is 1) look at the marvel of it, or 2) get to work!
This week, we could have done better on option two. I don´t what happens, but every appointment we have with investigators seems to fall through....including the baptismal interview we were going to have Friday, and a trip to the temple on Saturday. This week could have gone a lot better, and unfortunately, my companion got quite a bit discouraged because of it. I tried not to, but when your companion is discouraged, it´s hard to keep your head up. When you´re discouraged, that´s when the adversary works harder on you, because you are already likely to look at your failures, and your inadequacies. (which are multiplied when you're in another country and speaking another language.)
That is, discouragement is a downward spiral. Luckily, I was able to recognize that early on, and the next day, although, it wasn´t the best day, did get a lot better. I think I will start doing what Elder Javier and I did whenever we got discouraged. We would stop what we were doing, read a passage together in the Book of Mormon, say a prayer, and then get to work. After those moments, we were able to find investigators like Irene Sanchez, the Family Orea Zavaleta, and other golden investigators. I think the adversary really tries to get down on us when we are at the point of doing something important, the key is that we don´t get down on ourselves and find out what miracle is about to happen that Satan doesn´t want to happen.
We keep hearing stories of missionaries in the rain and deciding to knock on that last door, and finding investigators that want to be baptized in that last door that they were thinking about leaving unknocked. I don´t have experiences exactly like those....maybe I need to knock on more doors in the rain(and not a cloud in sight), but I believe it´s the same concept.
That said, I´m incredibly excited about this next week, I really feel like we´re filling the tank with new investigators. Finally, we are doing what we should have done all along, looking for new investigators. Only when we have people in teaching, can we be the best we can be.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. Please continue praying for us. We need the help.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
Wow. How weird, huh? It is so weird to think that I´m near to being halfway done with my missionary service. Everyone says that the second year goes faster than the first, and if that´s true, I´m in trouble! It´s going way too fast as it is. The months seem to fly by. Yesterday when a member mentioned the Christmas devotional, I was like, "Oh yeah, I guess it´s December." It´s really weird reading about home and how there is a bunch of snow and all that stuff. Here in Toluca, it´s pretty calm. November gave us a scare when it reached like 34 degrees Farenheit or something like that, I though it was going to get COLD, but it´s pretty warm now, and basically nothing like what I´m used to this time of the year.
Well, the time keeps going and all you can do is 1) look at the marvel of it, or 2) get to work!
This week, we could have done better on option two. I don´t what happens, but every appointment we have with investigators seems to fall through....including the baptismal interview we were going to have Friday, and a trip to the temple on Saturday. This week could have gone a lot better, and unfortunately, my companion got quite a bit discouraged because of it. I tried not to, but when your companion is discouraged, it´s hard to keep your head up. When you´re discouraged, that´s when the adversary works harder on you, because you are already likely to look at your failures, and your inadequacies. (which are multiplied when you're in another country and speaking another language.)
That is, discouragement is a downward spiral. Luckily, I was able to recognize that early on, and the next day, although, it wasn´t the best day, did get a lot better. I think I will start doing what Elder Javier and I did whenever we got discouraged. We would stop what we were doing, read a passage together in the Book of Mormon, say a prayer, and then get to work. After those moments, we were able to find investigators like Irene Sanchez, the Family Orea Zavaleta, and other golden investigators. I think the adversary really tries to get down on us when we are at the point of doing something important, the key is that we don´t get down on ourselves and find out what miracle is about to happen that Satan doesn´t want to happen.
We keep hearing stories of missionaries in the rain and deciding to knock on that last door, and finding investigators that want to be baptized in that last door that they were thinking about leaving unknocked. I don´t have experiences exactly like those....maybe I need to knock on more doors in the rain(and not a cloud in sight), but I believe it´s the same concept.
That said, I´m incredibly excited about this next week, I really feel like we´re filling the tank with new investigators. Finally, we are doing what we should have done all along, looking for new investigators. Only when we have people in teaching, can we be the best we can be.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. Please continue praying for us. We need the help.
Cariños,
Elder Blackham
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