Power of Prayer

Hola Everyone

This week has been a very crazy and eventful week. So many things
happened haha. I am going to start with our investigators. We placed
another fecha this week with the spouse of Alejandra. We have 3
investigators that are ready for baptism, we just need to get them to
church which is the hardest part here in Mexico. I pray for there
progress as we have baptismal dates for them in November. This week
was honestly kind of rough as far as the work goes. We probably had a
total of 15 appointments dropped in total this week. It just seemed
like there was no one in their houses this week. We have spent a lot
of time this week contacting because our appointments drop. I can
testify that prayer is truly a simple and beautiful thing. Earlier
this week I was a little frustrated that all our appointments were
dropping especially when we walk an hour and a half for an appointment
and they aren`t there. So Wednesday night in our companship prayer, I
asked for guidance and direction to find the people that the Lord had
prepared for us. Later this week we found 7 really cool new
investigators and most of them came up to us and asked to learn more.
Heavenly Father cares for each and everyone of his children and wants
the best for us. We all have challenges but those are given to us for
us to become stronger. I came across a scripture in my studies this
week that really stuck out to me and I have shared it at our meals
this week. Mormon 9:31 it says,

"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father,
because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him;
but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you
our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have
been."

We all have imperfections, no one is perfect in the world but the
imperfections we have give us the opportunity to learn from them. And
if there is ever a time that you want to give up kneel down and ask
for help from our Father in Heaven. I can testify myself that this is
true. The first weeks I had here were probably one of the hardest
weeks I have ever experienced. The Lord cares for us and so does
Heavenly Father. I have been studying a book this week called "The
Teachings of President Hinckley" I admire President Hinckley greatly
and he said this abour prayer, "Prayer gives us the opportunity to
open the gates of heaven." What a great opportunity that is for us. It
is important to build a relationship with our Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ. Start now if you haven`t already, that is something I
wish I did more before the mission is rely on my Savior more. The
ability to pray is truly a blessing.

Okay about the crazy week haha. So this week I was hit by a mototaxi,
told by a guy that was covered in tattos and had Satan tattos
everywhere that I should leave Mexico and he doesn`t want me here, and
Elder Ayala and I got locked out of our house. I will start with the
Moto taxi, the streets here are crazy busy. There are tianguis which
are like little garage sales but they are everyday and all over the
street. There is like no room to walk but in the middle of the street
and mototaxis and cars still try to get by, it is crazy. So I was
walking and the cart the mototaxi was pulling nailed me haha. It hurt
for about 5 min but then I was good haha. So getting locked out of our
house was an experience. So we were in our back patio where we hang
our clothes to dry and the door to the house went flying shut. We had
no keys and had no way of getting out because we were stuck in the
back of our house haha. We tried the windows and they were locked so
finally I said Ayala, I am going to try and throw you up to the next
level of the house and you are going to try the windows up there so I
picked him up and literally threw him haha. He grabbed on to the next
level and thank goodness the windows up there were locked but are
really easy to open which is kind of scary haha. We were locked for
probably 30 min and had to explain what happened in our appointment
because we were late haha.

This week has been a lot better with the language. I am starting to
feel like my understanding is better than my speaking now. The only
problem I have with understanding now is vocab. I still have a lot to
learn though. I love spending time with the young men in our ward
because I teach them English and they teach me Spanish haha. The
members here are so kind and show us so much support. I am very
thankful for them! I hope everyone has a feliz Dia de Muertos
(Halloween)!

Elder McCain

The photos are of Elder Ayala and I, today with Benjamin and Abinadi(young men from the ward), the volcano, and the fruit we had for comida this week. 

This Work Is Awesome!!!!!

Hola

Hey everyone this week was pretty good. The weeks keep getting better and better. This week was pretty busy. We have found a lot of new investigators in our area and it is so awesome, the only problem with our area is progression. We are really trying to work hard on commitments and other things with our investigators. I have felt the Spirit so strong in some of our lessons though. 

I have been reading the Book of Mormon a lot because I want to finish it again and then read in the New Testament. I was reading in 3 Nephi this week and I love chapter 11 and 12. If you have the opportunity, read those this week. We read these chapters with our new investigators when teaching about the Book of Mormon. The guidance and council that the Savior gives in chapter 11 is so awesome. We are promised so many blessings in this life. I am so grateful for my Savior and all that he has sacrificed for us. He suffered for our sins and through the Atonement we can repent. That is so awesome, it is a second chance for us to get back on the right path. It is a process but we are able because of him. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and is the foundation of our religion. Something Ayala and I try to do in all of our lessons is include the Book of Mormon. The scriptures are true doctrine that invite the Spirit and give us hope. I love 2 Nephi 31:20, I probably share that scripture the most because it is important that we put or faith in Christ. My favorite word in there is firm. When something is firm, it is hard to mess with and break. When our faith is strong and firm, we have a foundation that is going to be hard for Satan to mess with. I love that!

The greatest thing about this work is seeing change in people´s lives. There was a baptism in Ciudad Alegre this week and Ayala and I brought one of our investigators to it. It was so awesome to watch this baptism and see this family of four baptized. It brought me back to my baptism when I was 8 years old and the feelings I had of cleanliness and a warmth inside me. I could see the light in this family after, there lives were changed and they are headed on the right path. After the service I asked our investigator what she thought and she responded beautiful. We have a date for baptism with her right now for the 12th of November and she said how excited she was for it. Oh it is so great to see change and see the Savior´s love through other people. There is a quote that I love by President Spencer W. Kimball that says. "The Lord will bless us and help us along the way but sometimes the way he helps us is through other people." I truly believe that and seeing change and happiness in others has made me feel a lot better about things. I love this work!

I had the opportunity on Sunday to speak in church for 10 minutes!!! haha I spoke on Autosuficiente Espiritual (Spiritual Self Reliance).  I didn't catch anyone laughing at me 

while speaking but only when I introduced myself as Elder Guero!! (Elder "Whitey") haha.  

My companion Elder Ayala told me that he understood everything that I said which was 

promising!! 

This week has been better with the language but still hard. I am starting to feel like my understanding is better than my speaking now. I know it will take time and I am really working on my patience with the language. Mexico can be crazy at times haha, it seems like there are no rules for driving here. I have seen some things I never thought I would see haha but it is awesome. I saw 7 people on one motorcycle haha! The food is so good here, the tacos I had today were amazing. We eat so much meat here. This morning I went and played soccer and basketball with my district, it has been a good day! Hope all is well! 

Elder McCain

The pictures are with my district, in front of graffiti, and in the streets

What A Week!!!

Hola!

This week has been pretty awesome. It has been very busy and every night I fall asleep with no problems because I am so tired haha. Well I don`t know where to start this week but Elder Ayala and I are working with a young investigator that has a baptismal date, she seems so interested when we teach her but it is hard to get her to attend the church. We have found some new investigators this week and hope to have progress with them. Something that I have noticed here in Mexico is that you set an appointment with an investigator but they don`t write it down so when you go to meet with them they either can`t or are not home. We have spent a lot of time this week contacting and trying to find new investigators. I hope this next week we can get progress. 

This week was a blast honestly. Friday morning I had my first zone conference and it was so awesome. There are some really cool missionaries and I can`t wait to get to know them better. It was so powerful though there at zone conference because we starting to sing called to serve and oh my the spirit was so strong. I love feeling the spirit, it is the most comfortable and greatest feeling ever. I truly feel that the Lord is watching over me when I feel the spirit and I know for myself that this church is true and it strengthens my testimony. The greatest thing about zone conference was how welcoming the missionaries were here. They asked how I was doing and were willing to help in anyway they could. 

After the zone conference this Friday Elder Ayala and I did divisions with the zone leaders. I tell you what that was the most fun I have had on the mission so far. I was with Elder Clark for all of Friday until Saturday morning. I went and stayed at Elder Clark`s house and we worked hard. It was so nice too because if I had a spanish question he could answer it and it was so nice to be able to communicate to someone fully. We went and taught some investigators of his and the spirit was so strong in those lessons because we testified of the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. It is so awesome to see the reaction on the investigators face when you testify for yourself that you know this church is true and the Book of the Mormon is the foundation/keystone of our religion. Friday night we went and got tacos with Elder Kay and Elder Flores. The tacos are so good here haha but they can definitely mess you stomach up if you are not careful. They are so good though, Al Pastor and Carnitas are the best. After tacos we actually slept over at Elder Kay`s house with permission from President because Elder Clark`s house does not have water or electricity so we couldn`t shower or anything. Oh it was so much fun there, Elder Clark has ping pong so we played that for a while and just talked. I had a blast! Satuday morning we woke up and went and played basketball with other missionaries. That felt so nice to play some basketball. Soccer is fun but I need to use my hands every once in a while too haha. 

After basketball Saturday we had an Attack with the zone which is where the whole zone gets together in one area and does contacting throughout the whole area. We were in Plateros which is a really rough area and the missionaries are struggling. Elder Northrup and I were together, it was interesting haha because he has 9 weeks in the mission and I have 3 haha. We did fine though, got rejected a lot but it is alright you have to just keep trying. I have been reading this book this week that has tips for a missionary and talks a lot about tracting. It says in the book that the Lord has 5 new people everyday that are prepared to hear the Gospel, it is our job to find them. As members of the church we are an example to others and a "Light in the dark" I love that term so much because we can`t strive or move in the dark really well. We need to look towards the light and stay in the light and help bring others into the light. When Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith describes them coming as a pillar of light. We are the light and we are the Lord`s servants, the Lord wants everyone to have the opportunity to hear his Gospel. 

This week has been still tough with the language but it gets better every day. I am really trying to work on my patience because in my reading of the Book of Mormon, patience is so key. The sons of Mosiah were given tribulations and the Lord promised that if they were patient they would recieve blessings. I really try to not get frustrated with myself and just try to work hard to study as much as I can and write down words I hear throughout the day and memorize them. This week Elder Clark showed me a conference talk called "High Priests of Good Things To Come" by Elder Holland. This work is hard, it is not easy but in all aspects of life there is hope and good things to come. I would reccomend this talk for everyone to read or listen too. I love Elder Holland, he is such a powerful speaker! I hope everything is going well! 

-Elder McCain

The Lord's Work

Hola

This week has been very busy for sure but I have learned so much. The most important principle that I have learned this week is that this is the Lord`s work not mine. I had a tough first week but I have really strived to rely on the Lord and forget about myself. This week has been a lot better, the language is still hard but that will take time. I have a testimony that I know that Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ are real and they are always watching over us. God cares for all of his children and his always lending a helpful hand. This week we had the opportunity to teach two young lady`s that are interested in the gospel. There is no better feeling than promising them that there Heavenly father loves them and has made a plan for us to return to live with him again. There is no better promise that we can have than be able to live with our families and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again! 

This week I had an experience that reminded me of my Grandpa McCain. I miss him so much and love him but I know that I will see him again along with my Aunt Becky, my Nana, and Papa who all I truly miss. What a beautiful and reassuring blessing the Plan of Salvation is. As long as we are faithful in this lives and try to live our lives in according with the Savior we can achieve eternal life. I am nowhere perfect, nor is anyone on the Earth but I know that we can all strive to be like Christ and invite others to come unto him. This week we had a meal with a very sweet Hermana. Very sweet but this meal reminded me so much of my Grandpa McCain. We arrive at the meal and usually meals here you have an appetizer and then like an entree. So she brought out a bowl of rice which was very good and then after that she brought out a bowl of soup. The soup had a ton of meat in it and my companion finished his fast. Before I knew it she was bringing out another plate of rice and chicken. I was not even finished with the soup yet and here was another full plate of food. I was so full after the soup but I managed to somehow finish this rice and chicken. At this point my companion and I are breathing in and out trying to release whatever space we had left in our stomachs. My companion was struggling I could tell haha. So we finish this food and before we know it here comes some dessert. I couldn`t believe it, there was no way that I was going to be able to put this fruit salad dessert thing down. I put about half of it down and was dying laughing watching my companion try and eat this dessert hahahaha. He couldn`t do it. So we finish the meal and she asks if we want more and my companion and I gave the most sincere "Estoy bien!" Haha we were so full! On the way out of there Hermana gave us each two apples for the walk home, yeah we didn`t eat those because it was a painful walk back to our next appointment haha. Oh it reminded me so much of my Grandpa haha but I know that my Grandpa is watching over us and especially my grandma. I can`t wait to see him again.

This week was my first Sunday with the ward. I met so many new members and they all have such a strong testimony! We had testimony meeting and even though it was hard to understand it all, the spirit was strong in the meeting. I look forward to working with the members more and getting to know them better. Serving a mission the Lord has definitely shown me my weaknesses and I have so much to learn but as said in Ether 12:27. Through diligent work and relying on the Lord he can make them our strengths. The language is super difficult but I know the Lord is helping me little by little everyday to learn more and more. I am so grateful to be here in Mexico and so greatful to be a servant in the Lord`s hands. I know that I was called to serve the people of Mexico City and I know that through the Lord I can serve them and be the best missionary I can be. I am extremely greatful for this gospel and all that happiness it brings in my life and my family`s life. This work is great and the people of Mexico City are so awesome! 

Earlier today for P-day our district and other missionaries came over and we cooked some meat. It was a good time and I really enjoy spending time with the Elders here. I miss the friends I made in the CCM but will continue to stay in touch with them. The pictures below are the meat we cooked, on top of our house it is so cool because we can see a lot of Mexico City so I took a pictures up there. Hope all is well!

Elder McCain

First Week in the Field!!!!!

Hola Everyone,

This week has been full of different emotions, challenges, excitement, and nervousness. I have seen a lot of things that I have never seen in my life before this week. The biggest thing that I learned this week though is how much I have to be grateful for back home. These people here, most don`t have a bed or kitchen yet they are so happy. They have such a great spirit to them. They care for each other and always care about others before themselves. Some meals that I have had this week were probably all that they had to eat for the week. I am extremely grateful for their efforts though. Everytime that I feel like I am struggling, I am wrong. I have no room to complain, these people are so awesome and are happy all the time. 

Well I haven`t sent a weekly in a while but I left the CCM and so many good friends last Monday that I will stay in touch with for a long time. It was hard but I am getting used to life here now. I learned so much in the CCM and am so grateful for my companion and my district in the CCM, they taught me a lot. This week has been crazy. My trainer/companion is Elder Ayala. He does not speak much English and I have had a really good time with him so far. My area is Arboleda, it is really big it seems like. I live in a nice pink house which is cool haha. The thing about my area is that you always have to keep your eyes open while you are walking, if you don`t you could be hit by a car, truck, motorcycle, moto taxi, cambios, dog, or person. There is so much going on at once here! I was shocked at how many stray dogs there are here. 

Spanish, haha. I definitely had a wake up call when I got here with the language. I knew leaving the CCM that it was going to be hard but I did not think this hard. They speak so fast! I now know that are teachers were taking it easy on us in the CCM haha. It is getting better, my ears are starting to adjust but I still have so much to learn. The other missionaries here are really cool too. It is funny because the other day we were walking and there was a song being played in English and Ayala asked me what it was saying and I told him I had no idea I did not realize it was English. I am trying so hard to listen for Spanish that I didn`t know it was English haha. There is a ton of slang here too. I have no name here either. One it is diffiicult for the people to say McCain so they call me guerro, gringo, or trump. I have been called all of them a lot. This morning I was playing soccer and fronton (I don`t know hpw to spell it haha) with some younger kids. They kept saying Guerro Guerro haha. Guerro means white person. Fronton is really popular here, it is like Wall Ball but with a tennis ball and your hand. It was a lot of fun! I will be playing a lot of soccer here for sure.

We have a couple investigators with a baptismal date and I am enjoying my time with them. I was having a really hard time this week and getting frustrated with myself about the language but I was reading in Alma and I came across a scripture that really was an answer to my prayer. It really gave me comfort. Alma 17:11. It is going to take patience and much trial to have success. Trials give us the chance to become stronger. Through trials we find ways to overcome and push them away. 

On to another week in the field. Sorry I don´t have much time to write today. 

-Elder McCain