8/14/2017
This week was a pretty good one to be honest. We started the week out with the zone conferencias and Sister Palmer gave a pretty bomb talk during it. She talked about her trip to Jerusalem and she related the 3-4 gates there to the mission. She told us that a lot of people don't enter the gates because they are to scared cuz they are the most dangerous parts of this city and a bunch of other stuff. She then said but when you have a guide to lead you through the gate you feel a lot better about it and its a little safer. After all of that she related that to us in the mission field because a bunch of us have been asking about the rules and the changes if we had any. She related all of this to this. She asked us why we should be allowed to play sports and we all gave our reasons, and she said well those are all great reasons but you still can't play sports. It's was really hard to take but it was said in a really funny manner. She then said it is all because we need to be taking people into the gate and leaving the other side with them, but if we are playing sports we are running the risk of never getting to the gate or not making it all the way through. She then said with a bunch of the other rules that we have here is because we need to forget ourselves and see the beauty in the work. It's not about us--its about the people that want to go through the gate of baptism but are to scared. We are the guards that help and guide them through, so they can receive all the beauty in the journey, and wont have any regrets. It was just a great  little talk that she gave to us.

Story one:

So after the conference I went down to go to Piedras Negras to help the missionaries out down there and to see how they were doing with everything. So I left my companion here and the other missionary's companion here as well and we went down to his area. So I just went down with the things I had during the conference so I didn't have any extra clothes our anything else-just my scriptures. And to make it all worse, I was still in my sandals. So I was originally just thinking about going down working with one missionary for the rest of the day and then coming back the next morning. So anyways, I get a call from the ZLs and they tell me that I dont have permission to return to my house until the afternoon.  I was all good with that cuz--yeah whatever. So we worked all day long and it was pouring down rain so that just sucked, and then I get a call saying that I don't have permission to leave the area until the following day cuz a hurricane was coming into the port and it wasn't safe to return. That was the worst news ever. Cuz I didn't have any clothes, and all of my clothes were soaking wet, it sucked. So I just suck it up and I kept on working. So anyways this area has been struggling recently and hasn't had really any success in this transfer. So I got talking to this missionary and he started telling me all about his mission (he has 21 months) because I have heard some stuff about him and not a lot of missionaries like him. So we got to talking and he tells me the story of why people don't like him, and he says that the whole entire situation sucks because the majority of the missionaries don't even know the real story. So he tells me the story and tells me that only like 3 other missionaries know the real story behind it, and how even though he didn't really do anything it was just a crazy chick that had a crush on him in his area and she started spreading the rumors that he had told her that he was returning for her after the mission. And it spread and he got an emergency transfer and he just hasn't cared if people know the real story here or the made up one cuz he's not here to serve the missionaries but the people. So I gained big respect for him when he told me that. And when I was working with him I gave him a new little spark and we just set the area on fire. In two days we found like 12 people and just revived the area. The whole transfer they were reporting '0s' and this week when I called he reported like 5-7 people in church, and all wanting to be baptized. It was just a really, really cool experience. 

Meanwhile in my area my comp just  killed the area. I came back with literally like nothing in the area hahaha. I was really mad but I decided to suck it up, take a deep breath, and reconstruct the area. So I pushed him to the breaking point and by the end of the week we had a pretty good teaching pool and a handful of people in church so that was great. 

Story two:

Got bit by a dog on my hand the other day--it was Friday. It was during a contact and I was just talking to the lady and the dog jumped up and got a good grab on my hand and finger and he tore down and 'boom' got me pretty dang good. So yeah that was just a fun little experience--its actually healing pretty fast. SO, maybe the dog was actually a werewolf and I'm turning into a werewolf.  I'm pretty sure I am. 

So this week I have learned that before you judge a person or label a person due to an other person's comments, you first need to get to know the person and give them a chance. You will find that the person is much more than what you know, and is actually way different than what you originally thought. But you really would have never known if you never gave them that shot to build a relationship. 

Well "the church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley

8/7/2017

This week has been a pretty good week, like always. We started off with the ZL getting transferred and getting a new ZL. So now we have two American ZLs and it is actually really really fun. We had divisions on Wednesday and it was an absolute blast. I first thought that this new zone leader was a complete nerd, and just like a weird kid. But then we start to talk and I found out that he is actually like a pretty cool guy. He doesn't look like it right now cuz hes like 170ish, but he played football before the mission. We were just talking and he tells me how before the mission he was actually weighing about 205-210 and was an inside linebacker. I didn't believe him, but he showed me a picture and he was pretty big haha. He has dropped so much weight (like every American kid in the mission), and he doesn't want to waste money on shirts that fit, so the collar is actually so incredibly big on him haha it is so funny. He then shows me another picture of him before the mission and he had long hair down to his shoulders and a full grown beard hahaha. It was just a great day, and we actually got a ton of work done in my area so it was a productive day. 

What else happened this week? Well to be honest I don't remember a whole lot of stuff from this week cuz it went by so fast. But I did have my ingrown toenails cut out once again cuz the 1st doctor didn't really do the job correctly so they grew back and were a lot worse hahaha.  It was actually really funny. And the lady that cut my toenails out was actually really nice and we were just cracking jokes back and forth the whole entire time. And when I looked over at my companion he was just white in the face and put his face in his hands and just stayed like that until we were finished up with it all. Then when I was waddling home I asked him what's up and he said "I felt my arms and legs go numb and I was pretty close to passing out so it was better if I just didn't watch" hahaha. I was laughing so incredibly hard, so incredibly hard. 

So we just spent all of Saturday in the house and also Sunday, and I just have been drawing all day long and yeah its getting my mind going. 

One thing that has happened is there is this sister in the ward, and she is actually kinda depressed, and told me that she really has no desire to live, and she is just waiting for her day to come. Its because her daughter died, and then this week her brother died as well, so it has been pretty hard. She is also like 70 years old and can't do a lot of stuff. So I'm trying really hard to just install a little piece of hope in her life, and I just am not able to get through to her. So I'm trying a new tactic of just talking about dancing and singing with her, because she usually feels a little better when we talk about that, and she just has a light shining about these subjects.

So anyways just know that hope is never lost. When we have lost all things there is still a few things that we still have. We have God, Jesus Christ, and we got hope. so I mean that's a pretty great list right there. Just don't let the world get the best of you, you gotta get the best of the world. ('Boom' make that a Mormon Meme) SO anyways that's all i got for this week.

"Church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley

7/31/2017

This week was pretty good, just like always. We started off with my companion pretty mad at me for literally no reason. I was asking him to do practices and then he would say yeah on sec, and then he was start "thinking" for like 10 minutes just to waste time. And I kept asking why and he said I just need to think of a good first question to ask and I just cant. So then I said do you have faith? And he said yeah. I then said don't think. Just give me the scripture and trust that the Lord will give you the words and questions that you need to ask. He then said that's not how god works, and I said that is how He works.  He gives us the questions and the words we need to say--not your brain. He then just kept fighting and I said you just don't have the faith that's required to receive these things. This just kept passing over and over again, and just like everything on the mission it was just testing my patience haha. 

So anyways I finally just was drained and tired cuz I am literally babysitting at this point. One night when I was verifying with the LZ, he said oiga Elder Hall you sound a bit different.  What's the problem? I just said I'm just tired.  I'm just babysitting and dragging my comp to every cita and doing everything. I have tried everything and nothing is changing and nothing's getting better.  I don't know what more I can do. So anyways they didn't say anything but the next morning the LZ showed up at my house at like 9:30 and he had a talk with us--really just my comp. We then had to do an activity to try to help. It was like the stuff you don't like that your comp does, why, and what you want your comp to do and why. So anyways I was just being nice and just really complimenting and he was just went off, and said a list of things I was "doing", but in reality they were all just a bunch of lies to get me in trouble. So the LZ left the house and then shot me a text and said don't worry.  We know that you're not doing any of those things. 

Story one:

Sooooo, I mean not a lot has happened this week so I don't have a good story sorry ´bout that. 

This week I have learned that God just doesn't give you a random little trial, He gives you trials that you need to receive. He puts things in your path to help you grow. For ejemplo, I don't have much patience--or I didn't have a bunch of patience. However, literally every single thing that I have received that involves the mission has been a constant trial of patience. First off, I had to wait a bunch of time just to receive my mission call. And then when I received it, I had to literally wait 6 months just to leave. Boom patience. On top of all of that I have had to deal with a bunch of stuff hear that has tried my patience. But just like a muscle you gotta push yourself to the breaking point to get stronger. You aren't always gonna lift the weights that are easy for you to do because you will gradually become weaker and weaker. So you always got push it and stretch the limit. Its the same with the things in life. If we are always staying in the same place and never actually getting pushed to the limit we will never progress--we will actually be moving backwards. 

God won't give a trial that we don't need. 

Another thing that I have learned this week is to trust in the Lord. He is gonna give us answers to prayers but we have to be ready to receive these answers. I have been praying about a certain subject recently, and He has responded many times. The thing is, I was too stubborn to receive and accept this answer, due to the fear of what others would think or how they would react. It started off with my President saying in my interview "Its gonna be like an automatic door just walk up and it won't open up until you are at the door." So I walked up the this fictional door and made the decision and the next day a scripture came into my head just out of nowhere. 1 Nefi 4. I knew it to be an answer but I was ready to accept the answer. So I continued to pray for another answer to assure the first answer, but all week this scripture was in my head, and a bunch of members and people were giving examples in this life and using this scripture. But I just kept praying for an answer. And I got a very direct answer that was just put right in my face. I went to bed one night and had been praying like no other for an answer and I fell asleep and had a dream. This dream was very very very direct and very vivid about what I needed to do. And it resolved all of the doubts about what would happen after the decision was made. 

So anyways, this just shows the power of prayer. And how we always need to except the answers that God gives us. Just don't be Elder Hall and except the first answer that you receive. Don't give our Heavenly Father a headache by being hard in the heart.

"Church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley

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

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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)

So this week was another great week

So this week was another great week, not a lot happened though. All we are doing is teaching and teaching 

and more teaching. Our contacting method is making it a little easier and less stressful on our legs now a days. 

All of our lessons are like three streets apart for most of the day, with the occasional long walk to another 

person's house just a few blocks away. Its been pretty dang good, and a lot of them are actually progressing 

and committing to going to church, and are reading praying and following the commandments. 

The first story for today is quite funny. So we found these two people a mom and her daughter. 

They had heard the missionaries before in mexico DF, and had really liked the messages. 

So anyways the missionaries were teaching them and all, but they "weren't progressing" 

like the missionaries wanted them to. They explained more and told us that they had talked for two weeks 

with the missionaries and didn't feel ready to be baptized. There was another girl that had only been talking 

them for like a week or two and got baptized. So the missionaries started to lecture them how they weren't 

going to heaven and stuff like that. Well the story continues and they told them that that's not true, and said 

we will be baptized when we feel ready, when we have received an answer. The missionaries got really mad 

at this and more or less never returned to talk with them, but they continued to go to church and everything. 

Well one day, a Monday, they went to the mall to buy some stuff, and when they entered the mall the 

two missionaries were leaving with the girl that had been baptized, and one of the missionaries and her were 

holding hands and all over each other. And a bunch of other stuff happened during this time and after 

everything had passed they decided to leave the church and not be baptized. So anyways we contacted them 

and started talking to them, and we were trying to gain their confidence back, and boy did they just open 

up one day and went on for like an hour and a half about all of the problems and doubts that they had. 

So anyways we were just talking about this all, and then I popped the baptismal invitation and they said 

that they know if they do everything they are suppose to do they will be ready in three weeks to be baptized, 

so whoop whoop. 

Another thing that happened this week was with the family we had baptized. The mother was raised and 

studied the the iglesia evangelista. So it has been really hard for her to except the BOM, and she told us 

this week that she doesn't know she can go all in with the church if she doesn't find something in the Bible 

that talks about the BOM. And my companion, love him but is more prideful then I have ever been, and 

thinks he's the best missionary, starts talking about a passage in John that talks about Jesus doing a lot 

of other things that it wouldn't all fit in one book, and she cut him off and said well yeah we know that 

but its not saying that there's another book. He starts getting mad and I say, 'Hermana Podemos tener un 

vaso de agua'. This was just an excuse to get us alone. and my companion turns to me and says she's 

gonna go inactive and other stuff like that. And I said, 'Just shut up and don't say anything for the rest of the 

lesson, cuz with that attitude you can't teach correctly and aren't in the right mind set'.  So I share two passages 

in the Bible that clearly talk about the BOM. The one the talks about the Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph 

being one in the hands of man, and another that talks about a sealed book that God will unseal in His own 

due time. I've always known about these two passages but my companion just always uses the same one, 

so its just whatever. Afterwards she looks up and tells us that its all true that the Book of Mormon in 

true and the evidence has been right in front of her the whole time. And then said 'I'm now a Super Mormon 

and am never leaving this church'. After the lesson my companion asked me how long I knew about 

these scriptures, and I said 'Ummm like three or four years'.  Then he said, 'Why didn't you ever share them?' 

And I said, 'You'll learn one day on your mission that you can't expect to get results if you use the same 

things every day'. He didn't take that too well but he got the point and every lesson we have been 

shaking it up and using different teaching techniques. 

That's really all I got for this week to be honest. One thing that I learned this week is that Joseph Smith 

restored the church, well obviously. But what a lot of people overlook is his wife Emma. We overlook the 

fact that she really sacrificed her whole entire life to help restore the church as well. She didn't translate 

anything or baptize but she kept care of the family and helped uplift him when he was down. Man if every 

married couple had the dedication and sacrifice willingly for God and for the other that would be a 

great world. 

That's all I got to say this week.  Have a great week.

Love you all. 

Church is true go be awesome (#annebagley)

Oops--forgot to push PUBLISH last week!

This week was a little bit better then the last week so that is great. 

however nothing too great or grand happened this week, so lo siento. Where shall 

we begin?

Story One:

So this week was pretty good cuz we had the opportunity to baptize another person. He has had 

17 years with missionaries, and he finally came around and felt ready to be baptized. Yesterday 

I asked him why he decided to be baptized, and what took him seventeen years to come around? 

He started to tell me that when he first started out he never completed any of the invitations that 

the missionaries had invited. He had never read the Book of Mormon, and he only attended church 

one time the first time around with the missionaries. And this time around he started to take it a 

little more seriously and started to read and started to attend church regularly. Through all of this 

he slowly started to progress and feel more ready to be baptized, and wanting to be baptized. He 

also told us how the first time around his life was going good, he was "Catholic" and he was all 

good cuz there wasn't anything bad about his life. However, life goes on and things change. So 

anyways he told us that life started to get harder. He told me that he told us that he just didn't 

feel God in his life so he started to give it another try with the missionaries. Anyways, he finally 

completed everything, and he had a trial of his faith as well. Before his baptism he had to fulfill 

with his repentance process (which was very difficult), and only Elder Stewart and I know about 

what he had to do to get forgiven. And he had to put all of his faith in God to complete this 

and it took him like three weeks to complete this, but he finally did and oh man his character 

just changed. Everything about him changed. He just looked more light and more full of 

light--it was great to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNQC-_srxH8

I know that this is a Christmas video, but its all good. Its about service--so its all good and 

perfect year around. And if we always give service we will always see Christ in them, and also 

in our lives. Also when we give service the people that will receive it sees God and Jesus in their lives. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znzx2HXY8fo

I like this video. Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven are sitting and waiting for us. We might not 

feel them, see them, or believe they are there, but they always are. When we take leaps of faith 

we will always fall short, and they will always grab us and pull us all the way up and we will 

overcome and accomplish all of the leaps of faith. Also, when we make mistakes, errors, and 

commit sins, God will always be here for us. He will pick us up and save us from spiritual death. 

We don't deserve it, but we have it because we are all His children and all of Christ's younger siblings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR8qIrJcJh4

I like this video as well. I like how he says that the scriptures and science are two witnesses of 

the creation. And that in the Bible it says by the mouth of two witnesses we will know the truth. 

And that we need to know both the science of the creation and also the spiritual side of it. 

It just makes sense that its all true, cuz God has laws and He can't break those laws or He will 

cease to be God. And one of the laws is the laws of science, and He knows all of it and He 

has to follow it cuz its a law.

That's all I got this week. Have a great day and week. 

Church is true. Go be awesome  (Anne Bagley)