April29, 2013

Hola todos, esta semana estuvo chido. y no me juzguen por mi jerga chilango/mexicano. Mi compañero está tratando de dejar su jerga de aquí porque se van a burlar un buen de él en su casa cuando regrese... de hecho, se va en dos semanas. que extraño... Hey family and everyone, this week was really cool. We had a family we were about to drop, but we brought them to a tour of the church on tuesday where they met a ton of members, and got there just in time for the choir practice. Several awesome members went and sat by them, explained how to read the music a bit, helped them out, and we left them there with the members. The next day we taught them with a recent convert (vicky) and another member who was the friend who gave us the reference of vicky, and they got so excited, decided they can beat their smoking and other problems, and now have baptismal dates for this saturday. Members make the difference. I love members. It has been really cool to see the change in them. the 23 year old daughter is a single mother and has been really depressed for a long time. When we got there it looked pretty bad, but just living the gospel, reading daily, etc. she is now really happy. I haven't seen her without a huge smile in the last week, and we went by every day. In part for reading. We've been realizing more and more how important it is that investigators, members, and converts are reading the book of mormon every day. It applies to all of us! If we stop doing it, we start to los everything. Life becomes less full of good things without us noticing, we begin to have doubts, and that just makes us even less happy. My grandpa told me, "Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts, because if you believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs, you don't have anything." I liked that. I also like Ether 12:4.  4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with ^asurety ^bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which ^chope cometh of ^dfaith, maketh an ^eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in ^fgood works, being led to ^gglorify God. Those that believe in God might with a surety hope for a better world. This is what makes us steadfast and abounding in good works, and this is what makes us happy even in the worst of times. I know that if we do the little things, if we are really reading the BoM every day, really praying to God to communicate with him, going to church, the temple, etc. We will be happy! Sadness and challenges will last only moments, and God will make them light. No matter how deep in we get, there is always a  way out, and it is a simple one. The gospel. Even in the moments where we seem like nothing, like we are alone, remember that "to God, you are everything," and he wants you to be happy. And if God wants it, all that lacks is our own effort to live his gospel Love you All, Elder West 

April 22, 2013
So one lovely Sunday night we were in the offices reporting with the zone leaders and suddenly I felt like i was getting car sick or something. I looked up and the pictures were moving. I look over and my companion jumps up and yells earthquake. I guess it's probably amplified the feeling when you're on the top floor, but we all ran outside (don't judge our lack of protocall, we did go to the doorframe first...) All of the other buildings around us emptied. turns out we just were in a 6.25 magnitude earthquake on the richter scale, while in the middle of the 2nd or 3rd largest city in the world. And officially the first earthquake i've ever really felt. But don't worry. We're all good (or i guess we're all "well"). And Elder Quiñones is a bit traumatized. turns out it isn't quite as pleasant to be the guy in the bathroom when a 6.25 magnitude earthquake hits. The rest of us thought it was pretty funny. The epicenter wasn't too far either. so that was fun... this week has been crazy. Visiting other zones, training the new missionaries (which is actually really stressful because you have to do everything perfectly) but cool, and several miracles. We had the baptism of Jonathan, a guy who has been going to church in DF, but lives in Chalco and now is coming to church here. He was a former investigator from people a year ago. No effort is wasted. My companion completed 2 years in the mission this saturday. He officially has served 2 years. And he baptized that day. And the funny part was that he forgot to bring an extra shirt. 2 years of experience and still forgetting the shirt. We had some fun with that. There are going to be a lot of major changes in the mission these next few months. There are now going to be sisters that have leadership possisions to help other sisters, and we are getting everything ready for the new mission. And my companion and i have to get everything (calendar, trainings, meetings, etc) for the next months to the new mission president. I'm really enjoying the work. A lot more than ever, but enjoying it a lot. hope you all are well, Love Elder West             p.s. yo creo misioneros se vuelven más locos lo más que se acerca dos años... ejemplo:Elder Tovar. ¡les amo!


April 15, 2013
Hola todos, this week was crazy. Definitely a lot of trials. We were on splits the entire week, so i still feel like i haven't had more than just temporary companions for 4 weeks, but it does help people get going. This week we had a family of 4 that were awesome. They were another one of those contacts that i just felt like i had to say something, and they told us we were the answers to their prayers. It was awesome. But Satan was also working pretty hard this week. First off, someone sold them a falty gas tank, which blew up in their house. Luckily no one was hurt, but the fireman told them they had to be out of the house for 8 days... So we haven't been able to see them since. And it gets tougher because they are now staying with their super catholic family that is apparently telling them the usual lies and rumors about mormons. But we're still working on things. We also had an awesome familiy contact us in the street, but they couldn't come to church, and we can't really set an appointment because their dad/grandpa's heart is failing, and they are just waiting with him in the hospital. There are always trials when we try to do something good. Satan wants everything but that, but the good news is, God knows everything, and if we really just humble ourselves and follow him, he will lead us out andn over. The trick is the humbling part. I feel like pride is the biggest obstacle we have in life, and we put it there ourselves... But that's what service is for, right? the "weapon against pride". General Conference also really helps. Keep studying it, the prophet really is guided by God, really tells us what to do to be happy. Love you all. Cuidense, Elder West

April 8, 2013

Holah todos, i forgot to mention the semana santa (Holy Week, the week before easter). Everyone goes crazy. They reenact everything about the last week of Christ's ministry, and add a lot of other things. For example, saturday is called saturday of Glory, and it means everyone needs to get wet. In pools or simply because everyone jst throws buckets of water on anyone who isn't soaked already. Luckily we managed to escape... There are a ton of traditions. And EVERYONE is with on vacation visiting family near by, or just "on vacation" and ignore the world. And we had transfers.... Most of the mission had transfers, and everything was pretty crazy. Most crazy of all: I am the new assistant to the President. I have never felt so humbled or inadequate in my life, but I'm not  going to lie, General conference helped a ton. The pressure definitely goes up, now responsable for a mission instead of a zone, and it didn't go so hot this week for the mission. But I am really excited to be around president more, to learn a ton, and to help a new president open a new mission!!! It is almost gaurenteed that i will be the assitant in the new mission, Mexico City Chalco! I am so excited. It is going to be a ton of work, i am just seeing the tip of the ice berg. And P-day no longer exists. But I am really excited. I really love how we can always get answers to our questions, any question, in general conference. It rocks. I am also pretty excited to be able to go get the new missionaries from the airport, mtc, and the new mtc they are opening here, that was the church's school. It is going to be a ton of work, which we're already seeing a bit, we don't have much time to sleep or eat, but I guess God just helps us out. So far so good. Also going to have less time to email, and it will be early monday mornings. My companion is Elder Tovar, he's 24, from Bogota Columbia, and he teaches really well. Happy Birthday Lucy!!! Les amo, Elder West

April 1, 2013
hola todos, this week was crazy. again. my companion was in our area a total of 8 hours this week. I was with Elder Vasquez from monday to thursday. Elder Pleites and Scott from thursday to friday, and Elder Tovar (the asistant to the president) from friday to sunday afternoon. It was crazy. My companion only knows one of our investigators that we are currently teaching, and doesn't even know her very well. This week Lizeth got baptized! I taught her with four different missionaries, and she asked us to change her baptismal date from next saturday to this last saturday. President said to do it, and she got baptized on Saturday (and no, my companion was not present in her baptism or confirmation...)! She is going to go to the temple with the ward this week and is really excited. During her baptism we had to wait a bit because the water had become too hot (never had that problem before), not helped by the sun, so we had to sing hymns while we poured in cold water. During this time a little boy was hanging on the soccer goal outside, fell and cut his head, was bleeding a ton, and all of the adults were just watching him and saying"he is going to die!" that was a fun one... luckily Elder Whitehead and i actually did something (both of us were lifeguards, so at least we know a tiny bit). The kids shirt was pretty soaked in blood, and we got his head bandaged up and managed to stop the bleeding. The only thing that really scared us was blood loss, there was a ton (we gave him a gatorade, all we could find), and also that he might go into shock, made worse by everyone telling him he was going to die. But in the end we got him to the hospital. During this whole time Elder Tovar just played a guitar and sang hymns. Finally we were able to have the baptism, and Lizeth was really happy. Her whole family and extended family came. And elder Tovar came to church with me, and officially knows our investigators better than my comp. We had an awesome contact. Elder Vasquez and i were walking when we passed a lady buying fruits and vegetables in the street, we kept walking... After a street and a half, i just turned around and started walking back. Luckily Elder Vasquez already knows i`m crazy, so he just followed. I told him we have to contact that lady. We did. It was awesome. We taught her nad her family saturday night, the mom said she had been praying God would send her someone, the daughter who is married has been feeling an emptiness and thinks we can fill it, and the husband really loves what we teach. The other son is 5. It was awesome. THey came to church and are really excited. On top of all of this we have transfers this week. Made even more fun by the fact they keep changin them on us. The new assistants of the Mexico Chalco mission, the new one they are going to open, are coming to our ward, and taking my area.... Last night they called me to give us the transfers, and said first, Elder Medina has transfers. Then they said, i messed up. Elder WEst has transfers and needs to bring his suitcases (meaning i would be leaving the zone), and then today called again to tell me that my comp and i both have transfers and neither should bring their suitcases (meaning we are staying in the zone). I am confused out of my mind. THis whole new mission thing has taken all predictability out of the transfers. I'll let you know what happens next week. Love you all. Elder Wes