The Small Things that Strengthen My Testimony

Hola

This week was a good week. Just working hard here in the Rama Juarez. This week Elder Callirgos and I were super excited because there more than 50 in the Rama yesterday and it was a good feeling with seeing families that we have activated and our 4 converts here in the Rama. The best part was Elena and Rodolfo that got baptized 2 weeks ago were confirmed yesterday and the Hno Rodolfo also got up to share his testimonio. It was so awesome seeing him up there and being able to go up with him and just really share my love for this Gospel. Something that strengthened my testimony too was seeing all our converts with the members and just enjoying their time together. All these little things are what make me so happy as a missionary really seeing the blessings that come from the converts and seeing the change in their life. I love Alma 37:6-7 they say: 

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

These little moments in the mission have been the greatest ones for me. The misión is the greatest thing ever and I really love just seeing changes in peoples lives and these changes change mine as well and make me a better person. These are experiencias that I will remember forever!

This week we found some more investigadores that are super cool. We found una familia that has una hija that passed away and we taught them about el Plan de Salvacion and the templo. It was such an awesome cita with them and the Spirit was super strong as we testified of the importance and that they would see their sister/daughter again. We also had a reference this week that has been looking and wondering to find out which is the true church and was super excited when we taught her about the Book of Mormon. I love this week work and I love it because we have the clave El Libro de Mormón that really changes lives and helps others to have a different perspectiva in their lives. There is nothing better than hearing an investigador say that they prayed and got an answer from Dios that everything we have taught them is true. I love this work!!!

There is a quote that I really like and it is that we have to critize less and be more models in this life. So true be an example and help others to find the right path!!!!! Hope alll have a good week! 

Elder McCain

Battle Week

Hola

This week was pretty good. This week we had a lot of meetings because Elder Pino a seventy came to the mission and we had Conferencia with him and Consejo de Misión. It was super awesome because you could just feel his presencia being there. He really helped me and answered a lot of questions that all of us have had in how to help the mission and make it a better place. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to the Conferencia because I woke up sick on Thursday and was battling with my stomach jajajja. I think one of the most important things that I learned in being a good leader in the mission was something that Elder Pino said many times. It is a quote from Boyd K Packer that says that if you see someone doing something they shouldn´t and don´t correct them then you are only thinking about yourself. I feel like this can be true in our lives too, we have to stop being espejos and just do what we know is right. This week I was reading in Alma and Moroni is just a great example of a leader. He does what is right and doesn´t do it to be recognized but because he knows that he will help other people and himself if he sticks firm to what he believes.

This week we have been battling with the area. We contacted a lot this week but we weren´t able to find many people but I know that they are out there we just have to keep working and pushing on. This week I had a super cool experience in los Clases de Inglés. This week there was un Señor that showed up for the first time that wanted to practice speaking in English so we split the classes up in two and I had the oportunidad to work with the people that are more advanced in English. We began to talk and we had a talk in English about the Restoration of the Church and the Book Of Mormon. I had never thought that preaching would be so hard in English. It was so hard jajjaja but you could feel the spirit there and also one of the people that were there in the English Class went to church yesterday and loved it. This work is so awesome and I love just feeling the Spirit testify to me what I am teaching is true. I have no doubt and know that the Lord is preparing his Reino here on the Earth. This work is so great! 

Alma 34:40-41

40 And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them;

41 But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.

Hope all is well and that you all have a great week! The pics are from playing football today

Elder McCain

Another Cycle in the Rama Juarez

Hola

This week was a good one as I wasn´t sure if I were to stay here in the Rama or if they were going to change me but it all turned out great. We worked hard this week working with the investigadores we have and spending lots of time contacting looking for more people para enseñar. This week we had una leccion with Rodolfo and Elena they are people that we contacted a while ago and they are progressing really well. They are Cristianos but they love the Iglesia. They are reading the Book of Mormon and say that they want to be baptized in the Iglesia but they want to read and learn more. They have una fecha para el 23 de este mes. It is so awesome to see there progreso en el Evangelio, I love watching the change that the Evangelio brings in people´s lives. This cycle I am so excited tyo see what the Lord has prepared for Elder Callirgos and I. The time is going by really fast that is for sure. 

This week we are going to go to the templo and I am super excited. We haven´t gone in forever it has been like 8 months. I am so excited to go and feel the peace and love that the Savior has for all of us in the house of the Lord. This week we were studying the discurso "Heridos" from the Conferencia and it is so true that the pruebas and all these things that we pass through in our lives is to make us stronger. I have heard and seen some really hard things in the mission but it has made me a better person and stronger along with everyone one of us in this life. Always look unto the Lord in all thought and he will bless you. I am so grateful for this Gospel and the blessings that it brings to me and my family and those around me. You can never be scared to bring this felicidad in others lives! Sorry this week not much happened but I am so grateful for the Señor and his blessings. Always look forward and permanezca en lugares santos!!! The way to do that is to do the small and simple things right! Hope you guys have a great week! 

Elder McCain

(Sorry there are no photos. the computer won´t let me)

The Faith that We Really Have

Hola

This week was such a good week, we are seeing the blessings here in the Rama that is for sure! This week we did an Ataque de Zona in nuestra area where all the missionaries came and we contacted lots of people. There is a part of our area where Elder Callirgos and I haven´t had the chance to work in called Frente Guelatao. We decided to aprovechar having the misioneros in our area to go there and contact because there are no miembros there. The whole week we were super excited to enter and see the blessings that the Lord had for us. It was so awesome we found 4 new people to teach and some Elders entered a house and put a fecha with un investigador. Elder Callirgos and I were so excited to see that as the Lord definitely had people prepared there and he was just waiting for us to enter there and find them. This week Enrique and Bryan were also given el Espiritu Santo. I had the oportunidad to confirm Enrique and as I finished I could just feel the love that I have for him and his familia as he gave me a big hug. I love the people here so much, I am going to miss them so much when I go home. 

This week in the Consejo de Distrito we studied un discurso called "Dos Niveles de Fe." It is such a good talk and it talks about two types of faith. There is the faith to intend to do the things and there is the faith to actually do it. I love that because that is so true and we should really evaluate what type or level of faith we have. One of my favorite quotes by Elder Bednard says that we should step into the dark having faith that the light will come instead of waiting for the light to come and then stepping. It is so true we need to just do everything with faith and with all that we can. One we are showing our love for Dios and that we are willing to do whatever it takes to become more like him. A scripure that called my attetnion this week is in Alma 37:46. It says 

46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever. 

The way is prepared we just have to have the faith that is true and act according to that faith. I know that this Gospel is true and I have no doubt that it was Retored through Jose Smith. I am so grateful for the oportunidad I have to share mi testimonio everyday and see how this Gospel impacts others lives. 

 This Sunday we had 5 in la capilla and we were so happy about that. We were able to bring a 90 year old that is super renuente and doesn´t want to go to church because he can just be like that sometimes. But yesterday Elder Callirgos and I decided to wake up early and pass by for our investigadores. I went with un Hno to pick up Justino the 90 year old that has a fecha para bautizarse. The first thing he says when he sees me that he is not going to go to church but I didn´t let that go by and told him that he needed to go at least once to see how it is. He was very renuente but he finally decided to go and I basically carried him out of his house and into the taxi to go to the capilla. The best part about it all was that he said that if he didn´t like it that he would leave by himself but he stayed for all of sacrament meeting. When I was talking to the members about how we got him to go to church because apparently a lot of misioneros have tried and have never been able to get him there. I told them he stayed because I was next to him and he was hearing my beautiful voice as I was singing the hymns with him and he didn´t leave. All the members of the Consejo just started laughing at me jajajja. I am surprised he could aguantar (don´t know how to say that in English jajajajja) my voice and stayed. I was so happy to have him there though by my side. I love the people so much here. Una Hna in the Rama also brought an investigator to church and she is de oro. She bore her testimony first Sunday there and said that she wanted to be baptized. We are so excited for that and the opportunidad to work with her this week. I hope you are all well! 

Elder McCain

Week Full of Blessings

Hola

This week was fantastic and went by super fast. I am going to start off with the highlight of the week. On Saturday Elder Callirgos and I had the oportunidad to have the servicio bautismal del Hno Enrique and Bryan. Just a little story on them both. Enrique had an interview with Pres Mann back in October and the First Presidency said that he needed 4 months to really prepare for the bautismo and show that he was ready to take these steps. These last 4 months for Enrique have not been easy at all for him. Honestly for us either it has not been easy because there has been many temptations in his life but I am so proud of Enrique as he got there and was able to enter the waters del bautismo. This week was a lot of fighting and passing by everyday with Enrique to keep animandole and encouraging him. A scary moment for us was on Thursday when we show up to talk with Enrique and he tells us that he doesn´t want to be baptized anymore. As soon as he said that my heart dropped but then I felt the prompting to not give up. We ended up telling him that he had come all this way and he couldn´t just give up now because he had so much in front of him and baptism was exactly what he needed in his life. In this time we have also been preparing Bryan his son to be baptized on the same day and Bryan is so awesome. Bryan is 25 years old but works so hard and worked so hard to get to the point of baptism. They both Enrique and bryan have hard lives in the past but the changes we have seen in the past are so awesome. Seeing their change was honestly a blessing to me that and helped me to strengthen my testimony that the Lord really paied for our sins and it doesn´t matter how a person is in the moment because anyone can change if they have the desires. On Saturday at the baptism I had the oportunidad to baptize Bryan and it was so awesome because all of the familia de Enrique showed up and the mayoria aren´t miembros. The baptismal service was so awesome. After baptizing Bryan and him coming out of the water I could just feel the love for the Savior has for him and the decision that Enrique and him made. The best part after baptizing Bryan was feeling un abrazo de Bryan and seeing how happy he was. He could not stop smiling it was so awesome! It was such an amazing experiencia!!!!

This week we had Conferencia de Estaca en Oriental. It was so awesome as the Setenta Elder Cordova came and talked about the importance of ministrar and preaching the gospel because the Lord everyday is preparing more and more people. It was a great Conferencia and I learned a lot about how important the obra misional really is. This week I also ate Armadillo and that tasted interesting but I really liked it. I love trying new things, everyone hear says that I am not American because I eat evrything and want to try ecerything. Hay que aprovechar el momento!!! JAjajajja I love the mission so much more and more experiencias everyday!!! I hope you all have a great week! 

Elder McCain

Miracle Week

Hola

This week was such a good week. This week Elder Callirgos and I saw so many blessings in our area. This week we almost baptized Enrique but he had an interview with President Mann and he is going to wait until the next weekend to be baptized. This Saturday el 26 ewe are going to baptize 2. We are going to baptize Enrique and his son Bryan and I am so excited. This week we founda lot of new investigadores as well that could really progress towards el bautismo. I think the best thing about the week was seeing the way that Enrique is determined to be baptized and is willing to work for it. This week Enrique had a hard time accepting that he had to wait so long for the baptism because he has been preapring since October. There were 3 scriptures that came to my mind when we we were talking with him this week. They are in Mormoni 6:2-4. They say:

2 Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.

3 And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.

4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.

I love these scriptures because everything that we get in the life should have been worked for. Even the baptism is necessary to work for and that the blessings of the Lord doen´t always come without us working or doing our part. Heavenly Father could easily take away all the druhgs and temptaions in the world but he wants us to work and to see how obedient we are. The Lord´s promises are always waiting for us some just require more work or effort than others. We do not see what God sees so always keep working hard and the promise is that we will see the blessings. I know that is true because I have seen it so much here in the mission. After 2 weeks of no investigadores in the capilla we finally had success and Enrique´s daughter also wants to be baptized. The Lord is just putting the fruits in front of us and he is always recognizing our work and always grants desires. If you ever feel like things aren´t going your way it might be true because our way is not always the right way but the Lord´s way is always perfect and benefits us more. Keep working hard and trust in the Lord´s plan because it is perfect and can´t be confused. 

We are sup'er excited for the baptisms this week and I will have photos to send next week. We are super excited Elder Callirgos and I because the Zona Oriental is getting a lot better and we arestarting to see the fruits in all the Zone. Remember to trust in the Lord and his plan! Have a great week and enjoy the pic of the eclipse last night here In Mexico. I am loving it here so much! 

Elder McCain

La Rama Juarez

Hola

Well this week has been a good one even though Elder Alamea and I have had gripa all week. It has been a week of pushing through and we definitely have seen the blessings from pushing through the illness and finding the people that the Lord has prepared for us. This week was a lot of getting to know the area and the members. We also found quite a few very cool people to teach and we actually entered one house and we asked to share a message with them and before we knew it there were like 8 people sitting down in front of us ready to listen to a message over Jesus Christ. I am sorry guys I am really trying to get better with my English too I know probably some of you can´t even understand jajja. This family we found is super cool, there name is the Fam Flores and we were only able to get 1 of them to the capilla but we have a cita with them tonight and we are going to comprometerles to go to the capilla este Domingo. We have a couple of families that we are teaching right now and we put a fecha with them to be baptized for the 2 de Diciembre. They acepted and it was so cool because you could see that the family looked reunited when they all acepted the meta to be baptized. I am enjoying being with Elder Alamea again, it is funny because we were talking about it when we got together that it is nice because we don´t have to get to know another person and that we already know each other jajja. 

This week we found out that Presidente doesn´t us and the Asistentes to work in the same area Tepelcates so we are now working in the Rama Juarez. We have a lot of work to do because there are not a ton of members in the Rama (Branch). Right now we want to activate and work with the miembros to see if we can get some references from them and obviously we continue contactando a todos. It is going to be a fun cycle and we have lots of work to do. There is nothing better than the Lord´s work here in Mexico. You could say this week that I went for tacos 3 times. There is a really good taco place and hay que aprovechar! Oh ya funny story when I first got here to this new house I get into the bathroom to brush my teeth and all of a sudden I heard a big boom! I thought someone had just shot or something and wasn´t sure what to do. I came running out of the bathroom and my comp Elder Alamea was laughing so hard. I guess just every once in a while the boyler explodes and it scares me so much. It is the worst when you walk into the bathroom early in the morning and that is the first thing you hear. It wakes you right up jajajja. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this cycle and hope you all have a great week. Today we threw the pigskin around which made me super happy! 

Elder McCain

Fear Only Permits us From Progressing

Hola

Hey guys this week was kind of a tough one honestly. This week we had 3 fechas tell us that they don´t want anything to do with the church anymore and then we didn´t have success in the capilla. We were also going to baptize this Saturday but the family is now having problems and they aren´t telling us anything. We pass by and they say that we can come back another day but we can tell that they are having tough times. There is nothing more sad than seeing investigadores that are progressing so well just stop progressing. The love that I have for this people is so awesome and when one falls off the wrong path it is as if a brother or sister had fallen off the wrong path. This week we had Conferencia de Zona and it went well. We talked about the ways in that we can plan better and better our vocabulary as Representates de JesuCristo. It is so true that when we are prepared we are so more likely to have more success in this life and not have to be worried all the time. We learned about the importance in making plans and I learned how important it is for us to invite our investigadores to make planes as well. This week we had a black up plan for everything and when one of our cita fell we planned to go look for algunos investigadores. On the way there we found una Hna de la Rama and she asked if we wanted to pass by. We told her yes and as we were going in the house another Señora cam down the stairs and the Hna told us that she was a member too. She came in and we talked with them both. We shared una leccion and everything and at the end we find out that the Hna wasn´t actually a member that she was about to get baptized but only her hijos got baptized and that she wanted to be baptized as well but never got the chance. We got another cita with her and we know that the Lord put her in our camino. 

On Sunday the First Councelor in the Stake Presidency gave a talk about how we shouldn´t get down that there are poco miembros yendo a la capilla right now. He talked about bamboo and that it takes time to grow but once it starts to grow that it grows strong and powerful. He compared that to the Rama and told the members that it is going to take time but we have to keep esforzándonos. He also talked about not having fear and that the fear to preach the Gospel and to do our visitas is just preventing that we grow individually and as a Rama. I really liked his talk because it had a lot to do with what I studied this week in Alma when they threw Alma and Amulek in the jail and they kept hitting them, spitting on them, and basically abusing them until they would say all that they had preached wasn´t true. They got hit so many times but they never stood down in what they believed or feared. They were willing to give up their lives for what they believed and this week that has been so true. This week we had many lecciones and members that told us that sometimes that they are scared to be rejected. When I was learning Spanish the teacher in the CCM told us that we have to make at least 10000 mistakes to learn. it is same when we are sharing the gospel. We have to be rejected before we can be accepted and we can´t have fear. Never have fear and always look unto Christ and everything will be okay as long as we keep esforzándonos.

Today was definitely the best Pday that I have had in the mission. We went to the baños de Neza and we entered un temazcal. It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever done, I have definitely never sweat so much in my life jajja. I hope all is well and that you guys have a great week! 

Elder McCain 

 

Count Your Blessings

Hola

This week was a good one with Elder Callirgos. I am getting to know him better and I really enjoy being with him. This week I have had the oportunity to really think about the blessings I have. This week I was reading in Alma 5 and it really helps us to reflect on what we are doing as hijos del Padre to recieve the blessings necesarias. As I was reading this week I really thought about my mission and how it is hard sometimes to teach and be diligent but I do it because I love the Lord and the blessings are what keep me going. There are times in my mission when I have asked myself what I am doing wrong because we aren´t having exito or what I can do better. I think sometimes as humans we ask for a lot of things from our Padre Celestial and he really wants to help us. Sometimes the help that we need is for us to look for an answer ourselves instead of it just being given to us. I have seen in my mission many that pray to know if the messages we teach are true but they aren´t reading the Book of Mormon and trying to find out for themselves. They just want to have the answer without working for it. There are 3 scriptures that really draw my attention and that I have had in my mind most of my mission for when I wonder why after I ask for something and it doesn´t happen the way I asked it. They are in Alma 60:21-23 and they say: 

21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us?

22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?

23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.

Before looking for the answers we need to look at how we can find the way and then the Lord will do the rest. This is so true and I think that sometimes the natural man can beat us through laziness and many things. Maybe instead of asking why something happened or asking for an answer we can try to ask what we need to do to receive an answer. This week was great for Elder Callirgos and I we entered in a lot of houses. We started the week off by asking what we could do to find more people to teach and I know that the Lord put the medios. 

Yesterday unfortunately we had 0 investigadores in the capilla but I know the Lord blessed us because right before we entered Consejo de Rama I heard someone call my name. I turned around and un Hno told me that someone was looking for me. I look and there were 2 señoras and they asked me to do an interview in English jajjaja I have done so many of those here. Also after we did the interview they asked us to go to their house and that they want to learn more what we do and that before the missionaries visited them. It has been frustrating to see many investigadores not progress very fast but the Lord is putting them in our camino. We are really hoping to baptize 5 on the 19th of Enero. This week was a good week and I am looking forward to next week. I would like to share a quote that I heard this week too that I liked jajja and it is also has to do with working. "Work will win when wishy washy washing won´t." Just work hard and the Lord will do the rest. Hope everyone had a good week!

Elder McCain