Hola Everyone!
So this past week I fasted 3 times! It is
such a good excuse to not eat the food here!! 2 of the days, the members forgot
to make us food so we went to Subway haha my companion loves that place. But I
fasted for my family and for my language because those are the two things that
have been on my mind most over these past few months.
Well we have an investigator, named Denisse who was
supposed to get baptized on Friday. On Wednesday, Elder Silos and I went and
taught her and her mom a lesson and Denisse felt really good about baptism and
she was so ready. Keep in mind throughout this story that this girl is twelve
years old!!! Anyways, at the end of the lesson we were talking to her
about the interview she needs to have before her baptism and she was perfectly
fine with everything. She then asked us "What do I wear?" Elder Silos
explained to her to just wear what you would wear to church. I then showed her
a picture of Christ being baptized and told her that before she entered the
water, she would wear all white just as Christ did. Her mom then looked at her
and said, with a very concerned voice "Denisse, are you sure you want to
do it this week?" Denisse then told us that she wanted to get baptized
next week hahaha Elder Silos and I came to the cnclusion that it was that time
of the month for her hahaha so her baptism will be this Friday.
Rosario, the mom of Denisse is awesome! She reminds
me of Grandma Morgan. She knows the church is true and wants to get baptized
but she is just waiting for that big thing to happen in her life to assure her
that the church is true. She has a big problem with cigarettes and we are
trying super hard to help her stop. 2 weeks ago she was smoking a pack a day
and now she is down to 2 cigarettes a day! I gave her one of the bags of
rootbeer candy and told her that when she felt the temptation to smoke to just
eat one of the candies instead. Well she finished the bag in 4 days!
hahahaha she's a champ though! We are hoping she gets baptized this week with
her daughter but I'm thinking it will most likely be next week.
So this week as Elder Silos and I were walking to
teach someone, we were talking about the Mexican government. Right now, the
elections for the Guadalajara Governor are going on and he was telling me how
much he hates the government here. He said that if Mexico has a good President,
he just gets shot because the only way Mexico can improve it's government is by
stopping the drug trades and if that happens then the drug cartels just shoot
the president. So all the Presidents here are terrible! It is super funny
because there are so many shoes hanging on the telephone wires and there was
one that had like 30 pairs of shoes on it. I stopped to take a picture and
Elder Silos asked me if I knew what that meant. I had no clue. He then told me
that wherever their are shoes hanging on telephone wires, that's where people
sell drugs. Let's just say they could make a mini Nordstrom out here if they
took all the shoes off the telephone wires!
So Elder Silos decided to bring out christmas music
last week... MORE THAN TWO MONTHS EARLY!!! The song "I'll be Home For
Christmas" came on and it made me so homesick so I made him turn it off.
Our Mission President is super cool about music and all that stuff. He says as
long as it brings good feelings into your body you can listen to it.
*Detmers- I loved hearing about how you guys are
doing! I will write you a letter via hand next week hahaha
*Bro Maxwell-Thanks for your email! It is so nice
to know that I have people supporting me!
*Dakota- What's up man?! I love ya! Tell the gang I
say hello and tell them to write me! I will try to write you soon! I have your
diet coke pin that your gave me before I left in my room hahahah
This week I was reading Alma 26 and verses 29 and
30 really stuck out to me. hahaha my mission isn't THAT brutal but I really
like this message because I have never gone through so much affliction and
hatred in my life but if in these next two years I can bring one soul unto the
waters of baptism that would be more important than anything I can be doing at
home. I came on my mission to work hard and feel joy- not to have fun. Having
fun is nice, but Christ didn't come to this earth to have fun. He came to this
earth to fulfill God's plan and help others receive joy and happiness.
Obviously this mission isn't as hard as Christ's life, but I must stay positive
and learn from every experience whether it is good or bad. I am here in Mexico
for a reason and although I may not know why, I must serve my hardest and know that
God knows me better than I know myself. God is "pruning" me. He is
cutting me down because he knows what I can become. We often look at our trials
as "Why me?" Instead we should be thankful for these times because
it's when we learn and grow most. It is a way for us to put all our faith in
the Lord and see his power in our lives. I have felt the blessings of God on my
mission more than I ever have in my life. My spanish is actually improving lots
every day now and I have never worked so hard at anything in my life! We have 8
baptisms in the next 5 weeks and I am honored to wear the name of Jesus Christ
on my heart every day. Right behind my missionary plaque, I have a little photo
album of my family. I have the two most important things in my life always in
my heart and on my mind. Wow that was pretty spiritual...imagine what I will be
like in 21 more months!! hahaha that was pretty long. If that was boring I'm
sorry...kinda ;)
Well I hope you are all doing great and I pray for
you guys every day in every prayer! Keep workin' hard and having fun!
Con Amor,
Elder Mike Payne
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