20 Julio 2013

This week Elder Jaussi tells us that he has had the opportunity to pray with the mission president and assistants about assignments in the mission and that he has enjoyed his interaction with them there in the office.  He said, "At the end President asked us, 'How do you feel? Is this what the Lord wants?' We all felt that it was, so we went along with the decision.  It was really neat because it helped me understand one of the ways that the Spirit talks to me:  I just feel really happy."

The two investigators that they began working with last week have fallen from their teaching pool. One was interested mostly in financial help and the other turned out to live outside of their area.  They will give M.'s information to the missionaries where he lives and Taylor hopes that he will continue to progress.

Elder Jaussi went on to say, "I have been reading talks and doing personal study from the Book of Mormon. One is by Henry B Eyring entitled Act in all Diligence and the other one is by Jeffrey R. Holland entitled Missionary work and the Atonement. There is a video that was on a DVD we have here in the mission that has pieces of those two talks...it is pretty powerful. I read those two talks this morning and they are so awesome. Henry B. Eyring's talk gave me some much needed energy and it really had some good stuff. He talks about after the Savior finished His work here on the earth He could have taken some time to rest. After all, He had just saved all mankind from the two things that impede us from returning to our Heavenly Father. If anyone has earned a few minutes of rest, it was Him. However, we know that He went instead to the spirit world and started organizing the mission work there! "

 

"I really want to follow His perfect example in everything I do, especially with my efforts here in the mission. I don't want to waste one minute being slothful or not working as hard as I know I should. I want to be able to tell Him that I've given it my all when the buzzer sounds..."

To view the video click here. 

Bueeeeennnnoss Dias!

13 July 2013

 Hola todos!

It has been quite the great week.  This Sunday after church, our ward mission leader and his sister invited a friend to their house to listen to us and we had the most powerful lesson. At first, I had the idea to just talk about the Restoration but for some reason I kept feeling like we should talk about Christ and his gospel. We changed the plans and it turned out to definitely be the Spirit telling me to change the lesson. The Spirit was so strong in the lesson and I just wanted to hug everyone in the room because I felt so happy.  I can't remember ever feeling exactly like that.  M., the investigator, accepted all of the invitations we gave him, to pray, come to church, read, etc. He said he would accept a baptismal date if God answered his prayers but wasn't too sure about the baptism thing.  A miracle happened yesterday though. 

We were talking to our ward mission leader and he told us that M. passed by his house to visit his sister. When he was there he told them that he was sure that he wanted to get baptized. He wants to finish hearing all of the lessons but he said he really wants to get baptized. Pray for us please that we are able to continue teaching him with the spirit and that he is able to do all the things necessary to get baptized. (Such as stay away from temptations, jobs that work Sunday....) I am pretty excited for him because he said that he wants his mom to hear the lessons too.   

Also, the other day we were walking around with no one to visit and out of the corner of my eye I saw an older man sitting in front of his house with his foot wrapped up in ace bandage.  I felt like we should go visit it him and it turns out he is a nice old guy. He just had his toe removed because he has diabetes (something that happens so much here in Mexico) and he is really lonely. We went back to visit him yesterday after leaving him a pamphlet of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and when we asked him if he had read, he said he read it all. I wasn't so sure of that at the beginning but then when we asked him what he had read, he definitely knew what he read. When he passed me the pamphlet, I saw in the back that he had even written answers to the questions that appear at the end. We invited him to be baptized the 3rd of August and he said he would because he wants to follow Christ and serve Him for the rest of his life. I shared with him Mosiah 18 where it says something like "Si éste es el deseo de vuestros corazones, ¿qué os impide ser bautizados?" (if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized…) and I put his name in the question and he said, "Well nothing really. I want to get baptized.  The only thing is, I need crutches because I can't walk."   We set the baptismal date and then we ran to a member's house to find crutches. Tomorrow we're going to pass by his house so we can bring him to church with us.  Pray for him too, because he really does seem golden.  

Things are going well here in Centro and even with all of the days without any appointments, and no one letting us come in (even members) the Lord sure is merciful with us and gives us great moments here and there.  It really is difficult sometimes but I don't know how to explain it... I'm happy.  Things are good.  I love Mérida.  President Garcia and his wife are so very nice and I am so blessed.  I almost feel like Laman and Lemuel for how often I complain when the Lord keeps sending me my own "angels" so that I stop complaining. 

 

Baptism of N. in Hunucmá.

  We have to rent a pool because the house we rent as the chapel doesn't have a font. As soon as the baptism is over, all of the kids jump in as fast as they can! Good stuff.

Cotton candy tower with Hno. A. in Hunucmá.  He is the counselor that leads the services there in Hunucmá.  He is also the reason that Hunucmá is going to have missionaries next week permanently. He is working so hard and really wants the members to succeed there.

 

A silly sign that is close to our house. 

"We're Halfway There--Livin' on Many Prayers..."

Hola todos!!!

 It was quite the week this week. The reign of President Garcia has begun and it is very different.  He and his wife are so nice and loving and I'm not even sure if President Garcia knows what planching means... His wife will come in and sit down and chat with us in the offices and is just like a momma for us.  She is from Idaho and so she always talks in English with me and Elder S., the assistant.  I miss President Salinas for a lot of things, but any time I start to think that I think that it would be just like having an awesome bishop leave and a new one come in.  Both are my leaders but the current one is the one I have to support and sustain. I really like President Garcia though and his laugh and smile just make me want to give him a big anaconda squeeze.  No really, they do!  This week, I was helping him with some techno stuff and after he said in his accent, "Oh Elder Jaussi, I love you."  It was kinda funny.

The 4th of July came and went and it was pretty weird to be honest. I woke up and saw my watch say "4" and it was weird to think that just a year before I was eating in front with the whole neighborhood... The only thing patriotic I did was sing the national anthem really loud in the house. Elder R. sure enjoyed that and got quite a laugh with me and my lighter. 

The year mark also came and went but I didn´t end up doing anything crazy like burning something... It was raining buckets outside and I didn't want to burn anything inside the house... Call me a party pooper but I figured it would also be pretty dumb burning a shirt after just asking momma to send me more shirts.  Haha  I'm sure we have some old ones sitting around from other missionaries so maybe I'll end up burning one here soon.  Either way though, I've finished a year and burning a shirt won't change that at all I reckon.

Also.... We are baptizing today!!!!  The pueblo I told you about, Hunucmá has a lot of prospective investigators but today N. is going to get baptized.  She said she has been looking for a permanent change for a long time and she feels like she has finally found it.  She told me that her old pastor always come to her house to tell her not to get baptized but she tells him that she doesn't know why she is going to get baptized, she just FEELS why she is going to get baptized.  She is really great and we're hoping that her family will come today too so they will accept the gospel.  Her daughters always tend to run away when we go to their house to teach them.  I was hoping to write later today to send you pictures but Elder R. decided it would be best just to do it all in the morning.  I'll be sure to send fotos (photos) next week. 

We're trying to put in place everything that was said in the worldwide broadcast the other week but it's tough here in Centro. Everyone in Hunucmá is participating, just like in the videos, and it shows with all of the investigators there.  We arrive to Hunucmá, a member is there waiting for us and he always leads us around the pueblo so we don't ever worry about getting lost.  I'm kind of at a loss as far as what we need to do here in Mérida but I'm planning on fasting tomorrow to see what we need to change, improve, and do more of.  At one point, we even went to a funeral home to see if they had a list of clergy members to contact if the family members needed support.  It turns out it was a Catholic funeral home... Good stuff though!

Well my beloved fam, I don't know what more to say so I'll try to tell the love story of Pres. Garcia and his wifey as best I can. (Taylor goes on to tell us the story.  We'll leave it to Pte. Garcia and his wife to share that with others)  They're really funny though and I'm excited to see the changes that will come in the next few months.

I luff you guys and don't you ever forget it!!!  Even though I haven't received a real letter for over a month, I understand... I didn't write much either... You're all in my prayers and I hope you are all just loving life! 

Luff, 

Elder Jaussi

Sea feliz, sea Mormón

[Elder Jaussi receives e-mails each week and letters via DearElder regularly from home.  He apparently isn't receiving much snail-mail sent through the postal service.]

 

Elder Jaussi belting out "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the 4th of July 

 With a fellow missionary at the gathering of zones

Elders Jaussi and L.

 Elders Jaussi and J.  They were MTC companions in Provo

 The Merida Mission zones minus the Campeche Zone.

Taylor with photos of new nephew, Conner.  Sean and Caitlin sent a package to T with a member of their ward who is from Merida.  It was a nice surprise for him.