Second Christmas in the Mission...

¡Hola!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas...We had an excellant Christmas....We ate tons..I think we gained about 10 pounds just this week...haha

We spent the day with lots of members and investigators...We also contacted lots of people on the street, they all seemed to be a lot nicer this week...haha...

Monday we were able to go to Hermosillo for a Special Christmas Conference with the President and Sister Robinson...We heard lots of talks and sang lots of songs all about Christmas...We also ate a dinner of Mole with Chicken which was really good haha...you can just imagine how much chicken they had to make to feed 180 missionaries that of course eat a lot... We were able to feel a sweet Christmas Spirit with us that day...That same Spirit stayed with us for all week long...

Tuesday I had a meeting with some other leaders of the Mission in Hermosillo and I arrived late Tuesday night to Caborca to meet back up with my companion...So this week went by really fast...

Christmas Eve we ate Tamales, Chicken wrapped in Bacon, Pork Loin, Potatoes and other salads...haha Poor Elder Wilson could barely walk afterwards haha...Christmas Morning we woke up and did our regular studies...for a part of our Companionship Study we read out loud the Story of the Birth Of Jesus Christ...and it brought back tons of memories of being home with the family reading out loud the same story year after year...we were also able to read this story lots of times throughout the day with the Members and Investigators...

We were able to talk to our families Christmas Day...I loved it...I finally got to meet my new Sister In Law haha and see how all of my brothers are growing...To end our Skype call we said a family prayer and never have I felt so close to home but so far away...I am getting excited for the next Christmas when we can all be at home and pray as a family...

We did tons of things this week but all day long on Christmas I was able to feel the Love of Christ for me and for the rest of my brothers and sisters here on Earth...I will never forget the experiences and feelings that I have had on these Christmases away from home...

Love You All

Elder Child

 

                  Christmas Devotional with President and Sister Robinson...kind of fuzzy

 

 

                                                       Nativity outside of the Temple

 

 

                                                   Our Little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree...

 

 

                                                                Me and My Family

 

 

Spreading the Christmas Spirit in Caborca...

Hello Everyone...

Hope Everyone is getting the last preparations finished for their Christmas celebration...Here in Caborca everyone is just about ready...the weather is cold, their are lights all around, now we just need snow haha...We will see what happens haha in other parts of the mission it has been snowing ya I know...kind of weird it snows in Mexico...and gets really stinkin cold...this past week a cold front came through and it got down to -4 degrees celsius which is about 25 degrees Farenheit...

This past week we were able to do a lot of things to share the Christmas Spirit and message about the Birth of Jesus Christ...In this week all the missionaries and the youth of Caborca sang in the Town Center where there were lots of people to listen to us...We sang all of the Christmas hymns that come in the Spanish Hymn Book...we also watched videos about the Birth Of Christ...it was great...We were able to feel a wonderful spirit that night...I was able to be one of the people who bore their testimony at the end of the program...I felt like I was one of the first missionaries in this dispensation who stood on boxes in the Center of a Town and testified of the Restoration...it was an amazing feeling...Afterwards all of the missionaries ran and contacted everyone in that center...It was crazy how many people accepted a visit...I will always remember that night....

We have also been going crazy contacting people with the Iniciative A Savior is Born...We have found tons of people with of this wonderful initiative....In this past week we were on a bus and Elder Wilson suprised me when he turned to the person sitting on the side of him and started talking to him about the initiative and gave him a pass along card...It made me pretty proud to be his trainer...haha we started out this transfer (about 2 weeks ago) with 400 pass along cards and we are down to our last 30 haha It has been pretty fun to contact really everyone in our path and to share a message about the Birth of Jesus Christ...

Thanks for all of your prayers and support....Love you guys

Merry Christmas!

Elder Child

 

                                Found a Sub Division named after us..MISSIONARIES

 

 

         Got my Christmas Packages the other day...Now just finding a way to carry them haha...

 

 

                                                            Funny Missionary Cartoon

 

 

Practice makes Perfect

Hello Everyone...

This week has been a little dificult trying to get everything done...We have spent almost everyday this week contacting and finding the members of our Branch, and training Elder Wilson...We have been arriving to the house so exhausted haha...I feel so bad for Elder Wilson that is being thrown into everything all at one time.. and he still gets up at 6 30 every morning...maybe a little slower and with his blanket around him but gets up...WITH A SMILE...talk about a humble and pacient Elder to have to deal with me as his trainer haha... We have done so many things this week it is crazy...We have been reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish out loud in all of our free time, to help with the pronunciation and so that we sound less American...It is working haha Elder Wilson is also practicing rolling his Rs which is one thing that is hard to teach but little by little his is getting it...

We also had the opportunity to be apart of the Tijuana Mexico Temple Dedication yesterday...It was amazing...I told Elder Wilson that we had to go to all 3 sessions because these Dedications are the closest thing to going to the temple for real, something I havent done in more than 15.  So we enjoyed 3 lovely sessions in the presence of President Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks... They talked about many things but one thing I liked is that Pres. Uchtdorf related the temple to a lighthouse for all of the world...And this temple and the temple grounds just light up like a lighthouse in darkness...it is amazing...

Here are a few things from this week...Hope everyone has a great week this week and that everyone is sharing the new iniciative of the Church ¨A Savior is Born¨   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_TEOyhy7Bg

Love you all

Elder Child

 

                           Elder Garcia and I in the Offices on our last day together...Magdalena 

                                               was alot of work...just look at the shoes...

 

 

                                       Elder Wilson practicing with his pronunciation  haha

 

 

                       Zone Activity today with the youngsters of Caborca...They are GREAT!!!

 

 

                   Tijuana Mexico Temple...One of the 149 true lighthouses in the world today...

 

 

Second Son and Opening Area....

Hello Everyone...

Hope everyone had a great week this week recovering from all of the food that was eaten 2 weeks ago...

Yesterday was Transfer Day in the mission and they have reassigned me to the city of Caborca which is in between Hermosillo and Penasco haha...So I will be opening area here in Caborca (This will be the 5th area that I have helped open in all of my mission) Also I will be training a New Missionary...His name is Elder Wilson he is from Yakima Washington...He is a great young missionary...So we spent all day yesterday (Monday) On the buses and in a conference for new missionaries with the President....When we were leaving the offices the President gave me a big ol hug and he said...Elder Child you have 12 weeks to get him speaking spanish....and gave me a smile and we left...So this should be really interesting haha...Elder Wilson is very limited with his spanish..but he does pray with sincerity and simplicity...So once again God is challenging me by giving me more opportunities to serve...

Elder Garcia stayed in Magdalena...and I am confident that he will do great things as Senior Companion...I had mixed emotions on Sunday as I was feeling happy/excited because I would be able to train again and open area but feeling a little sad because I would be leaving an area and a small branch which I love...I am excited for Elder Garcia and his new companion to be able to baptise quite a few people like Karin and Cesar Martines from the Martinez family and others...Attached you will find a photo of this wonderful family.....I know that I was able to help a little with the leadership...now the branch is being successfull at having their Branch Counsel every week...And the branch is running a lot smoothly... I feel that I completed my purpose in Magdalena...

As I am sad for leaving Magdalena I am just as excited to start off yet again in a city that I dont know with a very new companion....

Well Thats it for this week...thanks so much for all of your support and love..

Love Elder Child

 

                                                         My Favorite Potatoes

 

                  Family Martinez...We are not sure where the Brother Martinez was haha...

 

 

Blowing "Smoke"

Hello Everyone...

I sure hope everyone could have an enjoyable time eating and spending time with family...For us it was a normal day...We ran to my little American Store and bought a few food items like mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce...They had ran out of stuffing unfortunately and I couldnt find a small quantity of turkey...haha everyone was selling whole 25 lb turkeys...I thought that it would be a little dificult to cook 25 lbs  on a little skillet so we cooked 2 huge chicken legs and the rest of the things when we finished the day at about 9:45 pm It was wonderful...:)

It has really been cooling off lately...I am not sure how cold it has gotten but yesterday when we went to church there was Ice on the windows of the cars and we were like little trains on our bikes blowing big clouds of vapor out of our mouths...Elder Garcia got quite a kick out of that haha...and of course we turned into little kids as we acted as trains all the way to church haha...I have been getting over a cold this past week which hasnt been that fun but I am getting better every day...In the mornings I have been getting up running to the kitchen making a bowl full of Cream of Wheat and then running back to my bed to put my blankets around me again haha...

Also these past couple weeks we have been visiting the Family Martinez...the Dad is a member but the rest of the family arent...they are a miracle from heaven...The Brother found us as we were walking to an appointment almost a month ago...since then we have taught them lots and this past week they accepted a Baptismal Date for the 19 of December, 2 weeks after transfers I am not sure if I will be here for another transfer but I know that this family will be a great help to the branch here in Magdalena

Saying that Transfers are this next Monday...we will have to see what happens but I know that I have helped a little with the Work of Salvation here in Magdalena and the surounding areas....

I am thankful for all of your prayers and support...Love You All

Elder Child

 

Helping a Sister clean her kitchen...I didnt think you could stand on stoves like that...haha

 

 

                                            Me and my Thanksgiving Dinner....mmmmmm!

 

 

                                        Me offering a can of Cranberry sauce to our Friend...

 

 

A Week of Service...

¡¡¡¡Hola!!!!

This week was a very interesting one...haha We had lots of appointments already set at the beginning of this week and one by one they were canceled...It was alittle frustrating everyone seemed to be super busy doing something...haha We used that to our advantage...I got a little of tired of people saying they were too busy because they were washing clothes, dishes or cleaning the house or even making lunch and we always offered to help them but they never accepted our help....So Wednesday, being a little frustrated, I decided to be a little more persistent...haha...When we arrived at a house and when they would tell us they didnt have time because they were busy cleaning the house we would be pretty persistent and entered into the house cleaned the house, washed the dishes, and even made their lunch....we were able to talk a little about the gospel in between and they usually let us stay and share a full lesson...This worked so well...even at times i felt a little weird with pruny hands all day long from washing so many clothes and dishes haha...We continued with this method for the whole week...and we were able to teach more lessons then we had last week, when we werent that persistent....People might think that we are a little annoying a little grosero (impolite) but I do this because I know something that the majority of the people here dont know...that is that We have something that no one else has on the face of this earth...We have the true gospel of Jesus Christ...It is also cool to see the attitudes of the people change when you offer service or do some service..Its crazy...

So we will keep on being persistent in this week...in offering service....

We keep on teaching many people members and nonmembers about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration...I am so grateful for these wonderful blessings in my Life....Sorry my letter was kind of short but I sure hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and eats lots!!!! and to give thanks for all of our wonderful blessings....

Love You All

Elder Child

                     Everyone Enjoying the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Family!

 Making tortillas on a wood stove...Elder Garcia took forever to take the picture so here is me burning my hand instead of me making tortillas...haha

                                                 A Parade for the Mexican Revolution