This week has been a pretty good. 

It was so incredibly quick I didn't even realize it was Saturday until the middle of the day of Saturday. Man time just keeps going on and its getting more fun every week. I've got a little over a year left here in Mexico and its gonna go by really, really quick. I just hope I keep getting good companions. And I have been getting along really well with President haha. 

Story one: I had the chance to see another person that I've been teaching be baptized this week--that was pretty special. She's the sister of a member that was baptized like a year and a half ago, and it was actually just a really cool experience through the whole process. Her mom is super like anti for some reason, and gets really mad at her kids for being members of the church.  When we asked the daughter if that was gonna be a problem she gave a great response. She told us,  'Well to me no it won't be.  If she's got a problem pues vaya la goma a mi mama'. which means like 'Go fly a kite' (but a little bit stronger). So anyways, she also said she wasn't gonna be baptized until she was sure that this was the true church of God. So we said,  'That's perfect.  So that means you gotta put all of your efforts into this to know if its true. You need to read, pray, and attend church'. And so the next week we asked how she was doing and she said,  'I'm great'.  We asked if she had received an answer, and she said,  'Well no, but I just really hope that this is all true. I'm gonna keep working'.  And then the next week we asked how it was going and she said, 'I'm doing better and better than last week'.  And then we asked if she had received an answer and she said,  'It's true.  I know that it is all true.  Every single part of it.  Let's get baptized'.  It was super cool. And she asked if President Palmer could baptize her cuz they just got along really well, and because he had helped us teach her as well. So the the next week we were talking with her and asking how she was doing and she said great. and then she was talking to us about how she hopes that she can go on a mission in a year or so as well as her brother. So how cool would that be if she goes on a mission in a year? I would have a person that I've been teaching on the mission at the same time as me. Sick dude--sick. 

Also another thing that was pretty cool this week was just talking to President. President and I have got a pretty awesome friendship going on right now jaja. Tuesday he was scheduled to go on visits with us and I had set up this with him. And this is like the third or fourth time that he's come to my area to work with us. Every single time I had been out of the area on divisions or interviews. So this time I had one interview and I purposely put it at a time so I could go out with President. However, I went to this interview and 'boom' she wasn't there and asked us to return in an hour.  So we returned in an hour and she said she couldn't have the interview in her house, but 'Saturday I'll have the interview'. So we just taught a lesson with her and then we started our 90 minute journey back to my area. No hombre-we got on the wrong bus thanks to a member in the other ward, and it took us all the way through centro, and I didn't return to the area until 930 at night. So that night I sent an email to President that said, "Thank you for helping us today.  However, I'm really mad because I'm always gone when you're here." He then responded "Well yeah, what's your problem?  Do you just not wanna see me or something? jaja"   I then responded,  "Well I wasn't gonna say that, but yeah..."   We gotta a pretty good laugh out of that, and the conversation went on. 

Also I saved two lives this week. One guy hit his head in the street and started having a seizure, so me and my companion were the only ones around and we saved his life. There was a bunch of blood and a bunch of shaking, but when we got it all under control there was like a crowd of 30-35 people just watching, and no one had called and ambulance or nada. We looked at each other and said, 'Well what now?'   I said,  'Well I got an interview so let's go' haha.   

The second one was pretty weird. We got a call from the daughter of Nuestra Mama Galleta and she was crying and told us that her mom had collapsed and they didn't know what to do. So me and Elder Bettlyon ran to their house to see what we could do. So we did some stuff (worked our magic)  then said,  'Hey-have you guys called a doctor?'  They said, 'No.'   I said,  'You gotta be kidding me!  Call a doctor!' jaja.   And ya saved a life mas o menos. 

Its going pretty well these days.  I am really enjoying myself and am truly really happy. Sometimes I get a little worried about what's gonna happen after the mission, but then I just tell myself to live in the moment and just don't worry about a thing #bobmarley. 

When we live in the moment we start seeing a lot of things that are really awesome, and we don't miss out on anything. Time starts to go by without us even noticing and we start enjoying life even more.

So hey--just keep on keeping on, and remember "the church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley.

Well as you guys can all guess, this week was a pretty great week. It was actually so incredibly fun, and I really enjoyed myself.

The things of this world that happened this week were pretty darn fun, now weren't they?

I don't remember when, but one of these days this week we had an earthquake of 8.2 in the middle of the night. That was actually really funny. I was knocked out cold and in a deep sleep when my companion starts calling my name.  I was just trying to ignore him cuz I hadn't had much sleep and just wanted to sleep. So I finally woke up after like 15 seconds, and he tells me,  'Hey, I think we are having an earthquake right now.'  I said, 'No its just your fan or something.'  I sat up and we were getting shaken pretty good and I say, 'Oh yeah we are having an earthquake.'   He then says,  'Well, what should we do?'   My response: 'Well, just wait it out and enjoy it.  But I really gotta go to the bathroom, so I hope it ends soon' haha. So after it stopped, I got up to go to the bathroom and I was so incredibly dizzy and almost fell just walking to the bathroom.  Going to the bathroom [was not easy either]. Haha

So all that night I was trying to sleep, but my body was still feeling the earthquake.  It was just wild haha. I didn't know that your body did that after earthquakes.

We went out the next day and worked all day.  The next day we had Little Miss Katia #hurricane haha. That was pretty fun.  It wasn't even that bad.  We just got a bunch of wind and rain and nothing else--so that was all good. After all of that we have just been getting a bunch of wonderful weather here, and its felt amazing. 

So what else happened in this week? Well let's think real quick--cuz I cant remember a lot of things from this week because it went by way way to  quick.

We had another baptism this week, Hno. Antonio. That was pretty fun teaching him and visiting with him. He technically was the investigator from the guys that were here a while back but that left him because during a lesson the cops came and took him to jail on false charges. This guy's life has actually been pretty dang hard. His second wife was murdered while he was at work a few years back and his niece told the police that it was him. So he was taken (literally) underground, like the prison from Batman--no joke. He was there for five years with little to no lights, and contact with only two other people. He was tortured and a whole bunch of other stuff as well. But he said through all of this he was finally able to find God in his life, and he guesses that that was the purpose of this horrible five years. So we were teaching him (and teaching him) and he was progressing a lot. He stopped drinking and smoking and all of that stuff, but it was hard for him with the law of chastity. We were really, really direct with him one day, and said, 'Hey, you know its a commandment, and you know that if you break this commandment its a lot worse than almost all other comandments (and a bunch of other stuff on top of that)'. So he was fighting with this becacuse he honestly wanted to follow Christ, but he said it has always been hard for him, and he just didnt know what to do. So he decided to follow everything, and put all his worries in the hands of God. We told him, 'Hey, you don't have to break up with your girlfriend.  Marry her if you really love her. And she'll get her pension taken away.  If you have faith and are keeping the commandments, God's going to take care of you and you won't have any of these problems.'

So he prayed about it and we came back the next day and he said, 'Alright, let's get baptized.' And (boom!) he was baptized on Saturday. And his girlfriend and her kid came down to see it and everything! whoop whoop.

That's all I have for this week.

Just know "church is true go be awesome"-anne bagley

9/3/2017

This week has been a pretty good week as always. Another stressful one but hey we aren't progressing if we don't push ourselves. So anyways, what happened in this week?  Not a lot to be completely honest with you's all. We have just been working hard as ever and pushing ourselves. 

We have been actually having some success--not having the highest numbers in the mission (or that I had in my other area) but hey, I think we are having a lot more success here. I was talking to President the other day and he asked me how I was doing with everything and I said,  'I'm actually doing really well. We are working really hard.  But more important we are having a bunch of fun in our companionship'. He got a really big smile on his face and he told me,  'That's amazing to hear cuz this work should be really fun'. 

The members are also seeing us, and how we are actually in sync and they are buying in to helping us. Almost all of our investigators and members have commented to us, "There's something different about you two. And just enjoying yourself, and I really like that." We actually have the confidence of like all the members just because we are connecting with them, and connecting with one another.

To be honest I personally think that the two of us may be the best-blended companionship in the mission. We are just like two different colored brothers walking the streets of Veracruz living the dream. The two of us have our weaknesses but our strengths really compliment each other, and the things he can't do I can help him and the other way around. And we just have a bunch of confidence one with another, and we can really just trust one another with a bunch of stuff. Every day is just really enjoyable.   Lots of days something happens that I just get a little annoyed about and we will be sitting in our house at night and he will just say something or I will just say something and everything will just disappear and I'm just not bothered anymore. 

The most important thing of all of this is that because we have the spirit of unity between us we also have the spirit with us. Because we have this during the day we can receive the guidance of the Spirit, we can contact the people we need to contact, and teach with the Spirit as well. Because we have the Spirit with us we have been having what I believe is a lot more success than before. The members are trusting us more and more and they are looking for us to give us references of their friends, and we aren't the ones looking and constantly asking them. All in all we are just enjoying the work like everyone should be. 

So all in all how can we apply this to our lives? Well its pretty simple--we need to get rid of the spirit of contention, because that the spirit of the devil. And the Spirit can't live or be in a place that is always fighting or that always is having problems. If we try better ever day to get rid of this, and replace it with fun, love, the Spirit, well we will have a bunch more success in our lives. 

"33 Mas buscad primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia, y todas estas cosas os serán añadidas.

34 Así que, no os afanéis por el día de mañana, porque el día de mañana traerá su afán por sus propias cosas. Basta el día para su propio mal."

3 Nefi 13:33-34. If we look for the Kingdom of God He will help us with everything else in this life. 

That's all I got for this week.   Hope everyone is doing well. Keep up the good work. Keep being nice to everybody, and God promises you all His Spirit and also a bunch of success in your life. 

"Church is true go be awesome"-Anne Bagley

9/28/17

This week was another great week of course. How could it not be?  I'm serving the Lord and the people of Veracruz. Don't get me wrong, it was a really, really hard week, but hey life isn't meant to be easy, right? 

So the good news is I got a new companion--Elder Gonzalez.   He is from Guatemala City, Guatemala, and he is already my home boy. The members can already see the difference in the area with the new companionship, and can tell that we are a lot happier, and are having a lot more success than before.  It was a great week and he has really helped me out this week cuz it was not an easy week let me tell you. 

Story one:

So we had transfers (which I was pumped for) and I went to the offices and I asked who were the new people in my district--and that instantly put a bunch of questions into my head. So I looked on the paper and I saw that Elder Dickson was transferred into my district. I was pumped--his comp is a little weird but i am dealing with that. And then I look at the other companionship that are my district and I see that my trainer is in my district. Basu mecha no hombre. I just got a little down there cuz then knew that I was going to be in for a really good six weeks. But then I settled down and thought, 'Wells its better that he is in my district so nobody else will have to deal with him. I know how he is so I know what I will need to do and its better that I suffer than the other district leaders.' And also I think I know why he was put into my district and not the other districts in the mission. First off, the Zone leader knows how he is  (he was his companion), and I was also his companion. So we know how he works, so the other people won't have to figure it out as they go--we already know. On top of all of that I know with out doubt in my heart that the Lord is just trying to show me and teach me (more like force me) to have patience. I do not know the purpose of it, and I do not know why He is trying to develop a lot of patience in me, but there is a purpose in it. I know that I will see the purpose of it further on in my life, and I will be glad for the opportunities that God has given me to progress and get better in my attributes as a man. It sucks in the moment but hey, it'll be great in the future.

It has also really helped that my Zone Leader is an absolute homeboy and someone that I can confide everything in and just vent to him. We were just talking for like half an hour last night on the phone cuz I was done with the week. I just couldn't take anymore cuz everyone was just being so incredibly rude to me, and I just let it all out the the ZL, and he just took it all in and then helped and just made it a little better. I was still really annoyed after it but he did help a bunch. 

That is really what I have learned this week. There is really no time in life to get mad as well. I have been close to getting mad this week but I have swallowed it up. There's no reason to get mad--if you get mad that means the other person wins and has gotten the better of you. I have just been trying to put a smile and my face and think happy this week with everything that has been going on and it has helped me a bunch. I think that God has given me the gift to be able to look at the good side of things or find the good in times even when it is the worst of times. This has helped me a bunch on my mission as God has been giving me things to help me with my patience. 

Story two: 

Last night after I was done talking to Elder Bettlyon I was just drained and I honestly could not handle anything more. So I was just had a bunch of things in my mind and I just couldn't sleep, so I had the thought just to read all of my notes that I have taken from the Christmas Devotional, and also from Conference. And I found a bunch of things that helped me a bunch last night. And then I said a prayer and just said, 'Hey I have no clue why you are just putting a bunch of things in my life to try my patience.  I know its to help me but its hard. So you need to help me cuz I am trying to do everything I can and I can't do anything else. And almost instantly I just felt a weight lifted off my shoulders and I couldn't feel any of the things that have been going on, and I fell right to sleep after that. 

So that is all I got this week.  Have a great week.  

Remember that "the church is true and go be awesome."-Anne Bagley

This week was a pretty good week here in Veracruz, Mexico

This week was a pretty good week here in Veracruz Mexico. It wasn't that entertaining though to be completely honest. Not a lot happened at all so well...

Tomorrow are cambios (or 'transfers'), and I will be greeting a new companion (well I believe so). But this week started out really, really rough--for the companionship. I believe it was Wednesday and we were in companionship study and he was just refusing to talk to me for no reason. 

And I said, 'Well if you don't want to talk then 'vamos' cuz I need to work'. 

And then he just starts yelling--like a straight mad man for a few minutes. After he was done I just started laughing and saying, 'Alright, you just need to calm down.  You're acting like a child right now. So tell me again why you are mad'. 

So then he's really mad and then turns really, really sad and starts to cry, and then gets mad and then cries again. 

And I'm actually being really nice during all of this and really patient. And then I go, 'Well we need to talk about this cuz these whole emotional breakdowns aren't healthy for you and you need to fix this cuz to be honest--you have a problem and its called bipolar'. 

And we talk about it and I tell him one of my own personal stories from my own life and how I, personally, cant do anything for him because I'm not trained and I have no knowledge of what to do. And how I have seen a person with kinda the same problem almost ruin there life because they were to prideful to ask someone like a therapist for help. So then I said,  'That's why we have a Mission President.  He is here to help us.  He's like our Dad here in Veracruz'. I then explain,  'I have had the thoughts recently (well for the last six weeks) that I needed to talk to president and discuss the problems mentally that I have seen in the way you react and other stuff'. 

After that I said, 'So we have two options here--I can either call the President and force you to go with me, or I can call him and explain the situation and say that we both would like to talk and work on this together'. 


He then told me we could do the second one cuz he could see that i was actually concerned. So we talked to President about all of this and he told us, 'Well I have seen that you both have actually progressed a ton in this cambio'. 

And so I explained the situation and all of that, and we got everything figured out with my companion. Then he told me, 'Well, we are going to have cambios tomorrow!' hahaah   It was actually really funny.   He said, 'Its for a different reason that we have cambios tomorrow and not for the conversation that we had with him'. 

After that he told my companion to leave and that he had to talk to me for a little bit more. So we got talking and he told me that he knew about all of this and that he had put me with him to try and help him, and that I actually did pretty well with it. Then he wanted to talk about something else. And we talked about something else that I had said during the conversations that I didn't realize that I had shared, and man it was really awkward. It was about my training and all the things that happened during that time (and all of that good stuff), and then told me I was dismissed and that he was going to sort out what had happened during that time. 

Not a lot of other things have happened this week to be honest. I have just been working a lot on my patience this whole week. I'm trying to get better at not getting mad. And I honestly don't get mad here, but I'm trying to get better at not getting bothered by stuff. It is because life's too short to get upset and bummed and bothered by things. 

When we have these bad feelings we miss out on a lot of things in life. We all need to work on having a longer fuse and having more love in our heart mind and spirit and in just every aspect of our lives.

That's all I got for this week.  I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish again this week.   I believe that I'm gonna start reading the Book of Mormon in Mam know. 

Church is true go be awesome-Anne Bagley