Time to Train

So this week has been a new experience for me. Training is tough. My companion will do what I do so I need to be on my guard all the time, which doesn't change anything... but now I have to be conscious of it all. It's a little stressful too because I'm basically doing everything. But what I'm most worried and stressed about are our baptisms. I want to be a great example for my companion and I want to show him that we can baptize every week but yesterday only one of our investigators showed up to church. Thank goodness for that one investigator. That and also the secretaries in the offices lost 2 of our information sheets for a couple baptisms that we had a couple weeks ago, so its as if they weren't even baptized! We will either have to baptize them again or fill out another information sheet for them. I'm hoping for the second option because we have all their information; just need to write it on a new piece of paper and send it in.

 So my new companion is from Zacatecas Mexico. His name is Elder G. and is 25 years old. He has a pretty sick car and BMX bike that he was showing me. He is the oldest of 4. He has two younger sisters ages 15 and 6 and a younger brother age 7. He's a Little short as you can tell from the pictures or I'm just abnormally fat. (Still waiting on the P90X ab ripper X workout dad) Anyways, he is really cool and actually speaks broken English. He lived in California for a year before moving to Reno Nevada where he lived for an additional 4 years.  But its cool that I can speak to him in English and he can understand me. Even though it's getting harder and harder to speak English. I'll be speaking to Elder G. in English and we will end the conversation speaking Spanish. I just hope that in my homecoming I will be able to speak English well enough that the Ward can understand me.

Anyways, the work here is going good. We have a lot of work to do and only ONE YEAR to do it!!!! Ok a Little more than a year but never-the-less, I still have a year. In this last year many great and wonderful things will happen. Thanks for all your support and prayers. Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Dial

Our New Zone

This week Elder S. and Elder J. returned to Boise after serving for 2 years here in Veracruz. They will be missed here in Mexico. 

A few Thank you's

Tell the McBride's thanks for the letters!

And if you remember the Barnes, tell them thanks for the package too! Sam was in choir with me and her parents and her sent me a package of goodies so if you see them tell them thanks! And all the ward members who helped with the Christmas Package and Kent and Samantha for their package and the Lothspeiches and Grandma Freeman, Whitney and Eric and Janna Anderson too. I know I have forgotten people but just let them know that the cards, packages and especially the letters are so great. Just thank everybody for their support.

I'm Going to be a Father...AKA a Trainer

So to some of you, this title might scare you. But here in Mexico, when we are training a new missionary, the new missionary has the title "son." So if you're able to put 2 and 2 together, yes I am going to train a new missionary fresh from the MTC. I don't know his name or who he even is and I won't know until tomorrow. That also means that transfers are tomorrow and I'm going to stay here in Cordoba probably for another 3 months. I'm excited and a little nervous. More excited than nervous but still nervous.

I'm nervous because of the homosexual I told you about last week or the week before. Anyways, we got off the bus and started walking to the cyber because we were going to write our emails, when he comes running up to us from behind and starts talking to me. He's was talking in English because he didn't want my companion to hear or understand. Well, he started telling me about his past and how God made our bodies to feel pleasure and started asking me for my help. He told me he wanted me to read a book and he needs handsome guys like me to help. Well there goes my red flag!!!! I tell him I can't read the book and he starts repeating the same story. He starts crying and then quotes the verse from the Bible that states "when you've done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you've done it unto me." Thinking that that would convince me, he again asked for my help. Again I denied. He then leaves and so we sit down to write. Well, he returns and starts telling me all these blasphemies like Joseph Smith is in Hell and stuff like that. Finally after ignoring his whining for about 5 minutes, he left. AH esta cuate es LOCO!!!!

Anyways, other than that strange experience, my week has been pretty good. Continue to find new people to teach, and the investigators that we have are continuing to progress. They would progress a lot faster if they would attend church though!!!! R. and A. are awesome! They came to church last week but yesterday no. They are reading the Book of Mormon and they have a lot of really great questions. Some of which are as follows: "Is it bad to sell coffee?" "Who gave John the Baptist the authority to Baptize?" and many more very interesting questions. He roasts and sells coffee beans for a living and we were teaching about the Restoration and he had heard that we don't drink coffee, well that inspired the question.

We also have M. and J. They too are reading the Book of Mormon but the thing with them is that M. works Saturdays until about 5-6 AM Sunday morning. And with our meeting starting at 10, she doesn't have the energy to get up.  Well we told her that another ward meets at 1 PM and that she could go to that service. I don't know if she went or not but tomorrow we have an appointment with her to find out.

S. is a little 10 year old boy who went to church last week and yesterday and LOVES it!!!! He went last week and then we visited him Tuesday or Wednesday and he told us "I'm going to be baptized this next Sunday!!" We talked with him a little and found out his birthday is the 17th, so we put a baptismal date for the 15th. His grandma is ok with it and would really like to come too but she is about to retire and doesn't want to ask her bosses to have Sunday off because she claims "never in all my years that I've worked there, have they given anybody a Sunday off."

Anyways, those are just a few of our investigators that we have. Nothing exciting to report except that I'm going to be training a new missionary! Wish me luck!! Love ya and hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

Elder Dial!!!

P.S. A shout out to my best friend serving in Korea!!! Happy Birthday Elder Tyler Hobson!!!!

From trials can come blessings

So this week has been a mix of emotions. My companions negligence has been tough on me this week, but I am learning to deal with it. Last week he lost our Cell pone and then when we returned home we had no way of contacting our District Leader. I asked him if we needed to return to the church and look for it. He said no and not to worry. WHAT?!?!?!?!?! Well sure enough our DL comes knocking on our door at 10:45 PM and is very angry. We should have found someway to call. Then my companion keeps forgetting his name tag.  This is the one thing that sets you apart from every other missionary of every other faith. Then we have been returning home at about 9:20 every night. My companion will sometimes start teaching people at 8:50PM and we have to be in the house by 9. 
But those have just been a few of my frustrations but yes I talked with him about everything and things have been resolved. But all in all this past week has been a great week.

We had another baptism yesterday. We baptized a mother and her daughter. It was a very cool experience.

The only thing is that this week we don't have anyone set up because they didn't attend church. So pray that we can baptize this Sunday.

So yesterday we had a very strange time at church. We had a gay schizophrenic (can't spell) attend church. I don't say that to be rude. He flat out told us he was the "King of the homosexuals" and that he takes medication for his schizophrenia. Anyways, he started dancing in between meetings. And it was awkward. The members faces were priceless!!! He also told me "don't be jealous, but your companion is more handsome than you." I told my companion that he can have that title!

So funny story, so as I mentioned, my companion lost our cell pone. Well, we went to go buy a new one and the lady that works there is an inactive member. Her husband and son aren't members. So we past by their house and have started teaching them and they have accepted a baptismal date! I guess it was a good thing that we lost the cell phone and sometimes Heavenly Father uses our imperfections to bless us. It just shows how important families are and that God wants ALL his sons and Daughters to be able to have an eternal family. And there is only one way to do it, and that is by living the principles of the Gospel of Christ. There is a saying that I love and it goes as follows: "A missionary leaves his family for two years, so that others can be with their families for eternity." That is why I am here in Mexico! To help bring families to the knowledge that "until death do you part" is a law established by man but there is a higher law that God has established and that law is the only way we can achieve and receive true Happiness. This happiness cannot be found in any other place. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to baptize a mother and her daughter yesterday, because I know, they can be an eternal family. I love you all. I am so thankful that I can have an eternal family. There are many people that I want to get to know after this life. One of them is my Uncle Rocky. I know families can be together forever. I love each and every one of you; Aunt, Uncle, cousin, brother, sister, mom, dad, and grandparents!! I am so bless to have a wonderful family!! Love ya.

Elder Dial