This week was a pretty good week for the most part. It was my second week here in 1 de Mayo, and it was a tough one I think. All in all I only had 2 days to work in the area for various different reasons. We started off Tuesday with a 'Mormon Battalion', which means all of the companionships go to one area and we contact for like 3-4 hours. These are usually really fun cuz we are just walking around in like 35-45 degree weather (Celcius). But this week it was every single person just slamming the door in our face. The funny thing was that during it all a bunch of people were using their intercoms and telling us "right now no." This happened almost every single time, so we decided to try something different. When they said that, me or my companion would say "entonces cuando"--almost every single time they hung up on us. One or two people gave us a day and a time. hahaha  It was so incredibly funny and it made it more tolerable. Then after that I went on divisions with the zone leader and we were in his area cuz I don't know my area too well haha.  Then Wednesday we worked hard in our area but didn't find a lot of success, but we did find one person.  So that was pretty great.   Thursday my companion woke up with a fever of like 103, so I said well, 'Lets just go to the interview that we have with President and then we will come home and see how you feel'.  So we went to the interview, and in the interview I talked with President for like half an hour about 'stuff' with the area district companion.  He gave me some pretty great advice on all the matters. And then he finished it by saying you need to go home and your comp needs to stay inside all day cuz he looks like crap hahaha.   I told him,  'Yeah, I told him that we were just gonna talk to you then return home and sleep'. Then Friday we worked in our area. I was trying to keep my companion healthy, so I had to play a little Doc McMissionary all day. But we found some people so that was good. Saturday we had less than half a day cuz I had an interview in Piedras Negras, which is two hours por autobus to get there and then two hours to get back. So it was a busy day. But hey--she passed the interview, so it was worth the 100 pesos and 4 hours in camión. Sunday--well yeah, it was Sunday.  We went to church and then visited the people after church. 

Story time:

So while i was waiting to be interviewed by President.  I was in the room with Hermana Palmer, his wife. I was talking with another elder from Canada (in Spanish cuz its actually really hard to talk in English now), and she goes, 'Yeah guys.  So I don't understand any of this'. And we start talking and she is just so carefree. She says, 'Well while I'm trying to learn this language.  I'll just talk to you guys in English so I can understand you guys'. So we are talking in English (I thought that I was talking in English). After a couple of minutes she stops me and says, 'Yeah, I didn't catch any of that. You guys gotta help me out.  Talk in English'. It was actually really funny. So then the other missionary goes into his interview and his companion comes back and Sister Palmer says, 'Okay.  Well I'm gonna teach English to the people that don't know it so I can communicate with everyone'.  So she starts getting to know the missionaries, but tells them, 'You can only answer in English. And if you need to, one of the gringos can help you out'. 

I was having such a good time cuz she is just like a ni modo--I don't know Spanish so I'll just have some fun and cherish the time that I can actually talk to people and understand people in English.

That's really all I got this week to be honest--its short and sweet. Let's all just remember to be nice to everyone. If you are finding it hard to get along with someone just write down one good thing about that person. And gradually you'll start to like that person. 

Church is true.  Go be awesome-anne bagley

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7PoGNaV2s0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=rZxEbm4bcU0

This week was a pretty good week. It was very frustrating though. So we start off with transfers and I was obviously transferred, but sadly I'm still in the Port, so I'm still in the city. I'm like five minutes away from the Temple so that's pretty cool. We have permission to take people to Temple and do tours if they want to. On top of that, we have an extremely small area and it only takes like 20-30 minutes to walk from one end to the other So that is a huge change for me. My other areas was at least 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours to walk from one end to the other. I was also put as the District Leader here, so that's been pretty fun. I was put in charge of companionships that  the Senor Companions have like 2-3 months left on their missions so they are a little dead with the work. Hahaha   So I guess I'm being put in charge of reviving them before it is too late.   Haha

My new companion is pretty different to say the least. He is the first white companion that I have had here in the field and I think I'll prefer my other companions that were native. hahaha  It is really, really hard to connect with him, but I am trying the hardest I can. 

Story one:

So my companion just got done with his training, and he knows a little Spanish but it isn't to the point where I can say good or sufficient. So anyways, his trainer also didn't tell him how to teach or contact, or to follow the rules. So I'll start with the rules. So I come on Tuesday and I ask Oiga,  'Do we got any food in the house?'  He then tells me, 'No, but its all good.  We can just go to the store and buy more food.' My response, 'Uh no we can't.  Its 9:45 in the night.  We can't leave the house.'   'No its all good.  We always leave the house past like ten with my companion.  He told me its all good if its for food.' I laughed so hard and told him,  'Yeah, you're trainer was a sinner you can't leave the house for any reason after 9:30 in the night.'  The next morning he wasn't getting ready at all and didn't start studying all morning, so I finally asked him,  'Hey, what are you doing? You gonna study?'   He said, 'Well, we don't have to be ready until 8:30.   Then we can study if we want.'  I then said, 'No, that's not true at all.  You need to be ready and studying at 8.' There has been a bunch of stories already like that and every single time he tries to tell me how I'm wrong and I just tell him,  'Stop talking.  I know the rules of the mission before the change and after the change.   I know them cuz I live them.' 

So anyways I'm telling him, 'Hey, we are gonna practice are contacting today during our time in companionship study.' He was all for it and he starts to try and contact me and it was just really bad, so I said, 'We are gonna pause for a second.' And I started to explain how you have to just talk to the person, build a relationship, gain their confidence.  So just talk like friends to start out. So he just didn't understand, and as I've explained with my other companions that didn't understand, I gave an example and said, 'How do you try to talk to a girl if you want her number?'  My Companion: 'I've never gotten a girls number.'   'Okaaaaay. Umm--if you wanna take her on a date?'  MC: 'I've never been on a date in my life.'  'Ahhh--okay.  'Well..hmmmm..How would you talk to one of your crushes?'   MC: 'I have never liked a girl in my whole entire life.'   So now I'm just trying to think of anything, and my last ditch effort: 'How did you talk to your friends?' MC: 'Well, to be honest, I don't like people, so I usually just stayed in my house and played WOW or League of Legends all day.'  So I was out of options and am still trying to help him understand how to gain a person's confidence in a contact. 

So I started helping him with the lessons.  Like, 'Hey if their need is the Family and we are teaching L1, we can do it. All we have to do is show how this aspect or topic will help them.'  He told me he knows,  and 'lets just practice'. So he starts off really well, but very quickly he forgets what the need is and just goes off on the usual routine. I stop him after like 7 minutes and say, 'Hey, the first part was amazing.  You did great. Just don't forget to keep the need in the lesson'. He just gets ticked at me and is just close to yelling  at me in the church building, cuz "you don't know what you're talking about".  I just patiently listen, then say, 'Hey, I'm just trying to help.  You can accept or deny the help'. 

The thing is I know what I'm doing.  So whatevs haha. The thing is I'm never, ever going to tell or say in my whole mission to someone "I know what I'm talking about because I have more experience." I won't do it.  I want to but i wont. So I'm just handling it with patience and trying to find away to get to him. If I don't, well Ni Modo. I'll try to make this the best six weeks of his mission. Cuz he also said, 'The only reason he is here is because God gave this commandment, and its not because I want to.'  Haha sooo yeah. 

But hey--its all good.   We all get good companions and we all get companions that could be better, but it doesn't matter cuz we are together for a reason. Even if it is for like six weeks. So we can either have a bad attitude about it and look at the bad, or we can have a good attitude and look for the good in the situation. That means that I will look at the good in the situation. I get the opportunity to learn from this time, and deal with a different type of person. And I also get the opportunity to teach another person the ways of 'the force'. And I guess I'm gonna be having to pull out my geeky Star Wars (even though he tells me he doesn't like the last four movies--which is pretty offensive to me cuz those were and all high quality movies that helped expand the Universe and bring joy back into the movie world) and video game side to get along with him. So yeah I'm gonna grow in the next six weeks. 

Lastly, the purpose of this life is to progress and to better ourselves. So if we never take the times that are difficult and look for the chance to grow, we really are not doing much with life. The only reason why times are "dark" is because we aren't looking for the light. If we look for the light we will find it. 

Just remember "church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley

This week was a pretty good week, yeah it was a good week. 

We started the week off in the Clase de Ingles.  This week was the Fourth of July so we decided to teach the folks here the National Anthem in English.  The next day (4th of July), we had divisions for an interview. Elder Olson was here with me and we decided to live it up as much as we could--that just meant hot dogs and good old Mormon Tabernacle Choir music about the USA haha. After that nothing really excited happened hahaha.

Story One: So we had two baptisms this week. The first person was an old lady named Evelia Fomperosa Rodriguez--she is 70 years old. She is also one of the funniest people you will ever meet. She appears to just be a sweet, innocent, old lady.  But oh man, are you so incredibly wrong. We were talking about what she needed  to bring with her to her baptism. And Elder Olson said, 'You need to bring another change of under garments', and she said, 'Nah, I'm all good! I'm not gonna wear any'. Elder Olson's face just dropped, and she started to bust up laughing. Her neighbor and myself were laughing too! hahaha   Elder Olson didn't catch on at all though! hahaha. Then after that we were talking to her on Saturday and she told us, 'Pasu Mecha--I have the worst gas right now. I don't wanna go to church. I'll just be letting off little bombers, and other people have to smell it all through church'. And she was just going off for like ten minutes about her gas and her stomach problems. hahaha. 

So anyways she was baptized on Thursday. That was extremely stressful because the whole entire ward (including the Bishop) forgot about the baptism for her. And also because the LM (Ward Mission Leader) gave me the wrong password for the alarm system, so it was going off.  The police showed up as well. So I called the Bishop and he asked, 'Oh really, its at 5?  Well I can't make it'.   I asked him why, and he said, 'Well, I thought it was at 7, so I'm at my house and to be honest, don't really feel like going right now'. SO anyways, we were left with just me, my companion, Evelia, her son, her granddaughter, and two sisters from the ward. So we didn't have enough people to have the baptism. But don't worry, I'm an Eagle Scout!  I can fix this problem. So I called the missionaries that are in Progresso, and in half an hour they arrived and we had the baptism for Hermana Evelia. To be honest--it was actually a beautiful experience.

Story Two:

We had the baptism as well for the jovencita Ana Claudia. That was actually really, freaking awesome. And that went off without a hitch and was perfect. We had her baptism at 7 in the night on Thursday, and a good chunk of people showed up to her baptism. She was just super, super excited to be baptized, and is actually a better member missionary already than almost all of the ward. She is talking to all of her friends about the church, and is working really hard to get her sister to change and be baptized as well. It is pretty awesome. I just know that she is gonna be a killer missionary when the time comes for her to go on a mission. 

Other than that not much has happened this week besides the fact that I had three ingrown toenails removed as well. So I spent the week in my Jesus sandals. 

Oh yeah, I also bought a fanny pack to put all my stuff in--its nice sleek black leather!! 

There is nothing else for this week besides the fact that "the church is true go be awesome"-anne bagley

Tanner

Local Aquarium

This was a pretty good week....

This week was a pretty good week but at the same time a little stressful. But its all good dude cuz I'm still here still alive and still sharing the Gospel. First off, we got a new President this week, so that's pretty fun.  We haven't had a meeting or a conference yet, so that's boring.  Nor have I met the President yet. 

Story one: So I am not sure if you guys remember (or if I've told you about) a family we are teaching with a grandson by the name of Alexis. Well now you know. So anyways, this family was the first family that Elder Flores and I found here in Sotavento about four months ago. We are teaching them for these four months, but they need to get a divorce from their previous marriages and get remarried in order to be baptized. So we pass by their house Tuesday to talk with them, and then at the end of the lesson Hermana Sabina  (the Grandma), asks us if we can take a look at Alexis' neck. We aren't doctors, but we say, 'sure. Why?'  She shows us his neck and there is a lump the size of like a mandarine on his neck that appeared out of nowhere. So we looked at it and a thought came into my head that said, 'That's cancer'. So I say, 'I'm not a doctor hermana, but I believe that's a tumor and cancer'. She tells me that his sister had the same thing when she was a baby and it was a tumor that was cancerous. But she said we will look at it tomorrow and see how it is. So anyways we pass by the next day and the day after and Alexis isn't there. We ask her where he is at and he is at his mom's house because he needs to go to the doctor. We asked her why and she told us that the lump had grown to the size of an orange on his neck. And so he was diagnosed with cancer on his neck by the doctor the next day and they are going to do surgery today or tomorrow. I believe he will be fine in the long run, but who knows. But I now know that the thought that I had wasn't my thoughts, it was definitely another person's thoughts (if you know what I mean).

Story two: So we are here teaching a family and the daughter is wanting to be baptized, but her parents don't want to do the things necessary to be baptized. However, the daughter is doing everything possible to be baptized. So anyways our leaders were being jerks and saying we aren't going to baptize her because she is going to be inactive after her baptism, and they are just not being very kind or supportive. So anyways, we were on divisions with the leaders and I planned a visit with this family and with their daughter just to show them. I wasn't even planning on talking about her baptism, but my leader said, 'Well Ana, we aren't going to baptize you without your parents being baptized'. Right as he finished the sentence she says, 'Oh, so I cant be baptized due to the sins of my parents? Well that's not fair, and I'm not going to listen to that.  I'm going to be baptized. And I want to be baptized this Thursday so my parents can see my example'. Then this other elder tries to say something about it and she cuts him off and says, 'Well when are we going to talk and have my interview? hahaha   I laughed so hard, and this elder said, 'Well, ummm, right now we can have the interview'. They then talked and when we left the house we were talking and he apologized for all of the bad, rude, and disrespectful comments that he had made. He said the interview that he had with her was one of the most powerful interviews that he has had, and he has no doubt that she will always be active and will serve a mission. 

We are having even more problems with the bishop and everyone in the Ward Council. They were talking about why she couldn't be baptized and why she was going to be inactive and just a bunch of other rude things that I was ticked off about. I could just feel my face turn red and my ears doing the weird thing they do when I get mad. So I just cut everyone off and said "Well you guys can be a unkind and have little faith in people, or you can change your attitude. She is going to be baptized whether you want her to or not. Stop saying its a baptism for the ward, or for the YW.  Its not YOUR baptism, nor is it OUR baptism. It is Anna's baptism and the Lord;s baptism.  Its not yours and you do not have anything to do with the decision.  Nor do we.  It is her decision. Another thing-- if you guys have this mentality that she is going to be inactive then she is going to be inactive. Or you can change your mind (which is the Lord's mind), and can say she is going to be active for this reason and this reason because we are going to work with her." And then I went on the share that, 'Oh yeah--my mom was baptized when she had 8 years, and oh yeah--she's active in the church and has nine kids that are all active.  3 have served missions, 5 of them are sealed in the temple, and all of her grand kids are active as well. Oh and her mom and dad and siblings never went to church and were against the church. So please tell me what's the difference between these two people?'  Everyone just got quiet and didn't say anything else on the subject.  So we said, 'She has decided to be baptized this Thursday. We hope you attend'. Then we said, 'I hope you understood everything. That's all have on the agenda. Nos vemos Thursday.'  And we walked out.

So this week I have learned a lot. I learned that the Spirit can turn you into a doctor for a brief moment if God needs you to be a doctor. Also--'it' is not about you.  The mission really has nothing to do with you, or with anyone else. The only person the mission is about is the person you are teaching, and the next visit the mission is about that person. You can't make a difference if you try to generalize the people, the area, or the mission. Every visit has to be different because every person is different. Also you need to focus on one person at a time. You can't be sitting in a visit thinking of another person--you have to be sitting in the lesson thinking of the person you are teaching and only that person. We can use this technique every day of our life with every person. If we do it then we will see that our relationships will take a new form.  They will grow and grow until the are unbreakable. 

That's all I got for today. 

"Church is true.  Go be awesome"  (Anne Bagley)