Week 9-23-13

WOW!!!  This week there was lots more news from Elder Williams!  He sent 7 emails with pictures and 7 videos!!!  It was really cool!  We spent our whole FHE night just enjoying the wonderful world of Elder Williams!  I didn't include everything he sent, but here are the highlights:

From Elder Williams' letter:
"We had divisions this week and I got to ride the bikes up the awful montains....  I don't know how they do it each day with those horrible bikes that don't change gears easily.

As for new investigators, we have a new referral of a YM.  He has invited his "GF" and she invited her aunt and cousin.  They have been to church and seem to enjoy it.  The only problem is that they live in a "pueblito" and we have to get permission to teach them there.  If we don't get it then we have to teach them in the house of her "BF".  We are still working on Juan but he just doesn't want to come to church......  UGH!!!!!  I don't know how to get these people to understand the importance of church more than what I've been teaching...  I have been starting to read PMG from cover to cover.  I have gotten some very good insight about the power and authority of my calling.  It is amazing to think that young men of 18 years can be trusted with such glorious power.  It makes me really want to show that it wasn't a mistake to give it to me.  We are really trying to find more and more families to teach because PMG says to search specifically for families to become eternal.  Roberto is just having a bunch of family problems.  His mom is JW (Jehovah witness) and his Gpa might have to get his leg cut off to save his life and that's why he didn't go to church yesterday....  oh boy...  We are trying to help him and his family become strong and together in the church."

From Autlan... we thought we had it bad after our one flash flood day...

It seems there is a ritual among missionaries that at their one year mark they get to burn one shirt.  They have a "shirt burning party"!  Oh, my.  Chris says he never knew anything about that and never did one, but all the other return elders he has talked to have all done it.  So here are some pics and a video of that special one year mark!

And the video to go with it!

Area General Authority, Elder Johnson toured the Quad mission and so Elder Williams and Elder Montano had to travel even further south to the coastal city of Manzanillo.  They might not be able to go to the beach, but they did get some relax time?

Hammock in the Zone Leaders house

Here is a video of the Manzanillo beach (that none of the Elders get to enjoy!!)

Just in case you are wondering if this was a fun trip or if they did any work, here is a picture from the mission blog that shows that Elder Williams can scripture chase.  He wasn't a high score on the test they had.  We will have to have him work on that!!

Then there was also the Mexican Independence Day celebration at the Branch.  It was actually on a Sunday, but the ward celebrated on the Saturday with a big Branch Party.  Here are some fun shots of missionaries enveloping the spirit of the country and people they serve!

Traditional Mexican dress up?

Elder Williams sporting a "true Mexican pose"?

VIVA MEXICO!!!!

Now we get to play dress up?  Elders donning the different types of Mexican sombreros!  Which one do you like Elder Williams in?  Leave a comment and vote and we will let him know which sombrero we like on him and he can buy it before he comes home!  :-)

Sombrero #1 - Viva Mexico in Straw

Sombrero #2 - Hat with brim

Sombrero #3 - Black sombrero

And also a video of the great Viva Mexico parade!

And we will leave you with this last picture....

Elders... you need to go home and SHAVE!!!!

Looks like great things are happening in Mexico!!!  Keep Juan and Roberto in your prayers.  And keep Elder Williams in your hearts!  Hopefully we will see a baptism soon!!!!

Week of 9-16-13

Well, this week was really short!!!  There seems to be promise of a longer one with pics and vids next week.

Looks like Mexico is getting the same kind of weather we are having here in Utah!

"We supposedly have a "hurricane" blowing through this part of Mexico and we got hit with a nice rainstorm last night and didn't stop until about 2 this afternoon.  It just started to drizzle again as we are here writing.  We are expecting a lot of rain this week.   Roberto is not progressing well.  I think he was more converted to Elder Vega than the church.  We are trying to change that."

"We have classes in Manzanillo every second tuesday of the month.  We also had a conference with Elder Johnson from our area 70 in Colima.  That was a long day.  We were on a bus or a shuttle for 8 hours on Thursday....  ugh.   The humidity in Manzanillo is deadly.  Even in a hammock sleeping I'm sweating....  YUCK!!!  I'll send you a bunch of videos and pics next week because at the computer place I'm at they don't have a free USB port. "

Well, that is all for now!  Keep Roberto in your prayers! 

Pray for Elder Williams!  See you next week!

On the DOWN HILL slope!!!

This week marks the 1 YEAR mark for Elder Williams!!!!  Can you believe it?????  We didn't get any shirt burning videos like he promised.  Maybe that is a good thing!  I did get some pictures from the Mexico blog when he was have Zone conference.  I didn't write last week because Elder Williams didn't write more than a few sentences because his companion still had things to get done on P-day and wouldn't let Collin spend much time on the computer.  We got more info this week...

Elder Montano, Elder Williams and the other two elders in the Autlan district.

Supposedly practicing a contact on a Taxi driver?  Can't tell if the driver is really feeling that spirit?

Zone conference 2013

Still working on Roberto to get baptized!  Keep him in your prayers!  He needs to get the courage to tell his boss that he needs the week ends off to go to church and to go to his own baptism.  They are also working on another man named Juan Adame.  "We had a member accompany us and he was amazing.  We are really grateful for that brother.  Juan is excited and is reading the BoM.  He didn't come to church but we are excited to work with him. He is really excited about the gospel" but the rule is that they have to attend church 5 times before they can be baptized!  Lots and lots of prayers are needed!

Beautiful Autlan!

 

Can't tell if he is pointing to the city or the clouds???

Happy Companions in a beautiful city!

"Our branch is going to have a party for the Mexican Independence Day.  It's Sunday but Saturday we get to yell "VIVA MEXICO!!!!"  Should be fun."

"The biggest problem here in Autlan is getting bored...  When there is nothing to do and the lessons fall through we can't knock doors to find people, we just have to try to find people at home and go back and forth to find them available.  We have to actualize the branch lists to see who still lives here, who died, who doesn't want anything to do with us, etc.  That has been the most tiring part of the work here.  That is the main focus of the mission is the less actives.  We are trying to get the people that are already members to stay active and then help us find others to teach and become active members.  It's rough and in our half of the area almost all the people don't live there anymore and no one knows where they went....  Tough...  "

Keep Elder Williams and the people of Autlan in your prayers.  This will be the first and final Halloween in Mexico for Elder Williams.  If you want to send him a package send it off in the next little while!  We can't wait to hear of his experiences with "Day of the Dead" in Mexico!

Love you all and thank you for your support!
Angela