Letter: December 16th, 2013

Family,

So well, this last week hasn't been too different, but it has put me into deep thinking, with the time that I had, that I shouldn't have had. So Mexico, the missions in Mexico, have different expectations than different missions. If we don't have baptisms, we are planched (or like getting told that what you're doing is wrong and what not), and we haven't been having baptisms. I also found out this last week that we have in Camargo one of the hardest areas in the whole mission...there's just not success, and the members just do NOT want to help at all. So therefore, we get planched for not having baptisms, even though they know our area is the hardest area. And then comes a new problem, the missionaries start to hate the mission, get homesick and what not......so then it just forms more problems. I haven't really been getting too homesick, but I'm not going to lie about the fact that I have thought about that I could go home if I wanted to......have clean running water, washer, SAFETY, English, the ability to walk down a street without being made fun of, a house that isn't made out of stone blocks......my family.......but then we watched a short clip thing this morning with the zone. It was about Christ, and his atonement, and what he did for us.

In this clip, Elder Holland talks, and he says that the mission isn't supposed to be easy, it was never meant to be easy, but we should think about Christ. He, Christ, was the most perfect missionary there Ever was. He suffered ALL of the sins and pains of the world....so that He could complete His mission. We should never think that we can't do it, because Christ gave everything he could, and we have the promise that if we do all we can do, Christ, the only begotten son of God, will help us the rest of the way. We're never going to suffer as He did, and so we should as missionaries always remember that as servants of God we have an obligation to be examples of Him, and to be able to give all we have so that other souls can feel the same peace we feel. A few months ago Elder Todd D. Christofferson talked to the mission, before I was here, and he said that every missionary they send to Mexico Chihuahua, they pray for them to be strong, because it is one of the hardest AND scariest missions in the whole world.....and trust me....I've seen nightmares. But now I think, I won't stop.....in this part of the world where there is so much violence and vulgarness, I have to be here to save the souls of the people here. THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING SPIRITUALLY (and literally) ON EACH SIDE OF US WHILE WE MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH LIFE, AND SO WE HAVE TO HELP THEM.

I know that I have given two years of my life to the Lord, and there's no turning back now, now all I can do is try my hardest. I know that this church is true, because I have seen the blessings of it in my life, and the lives of others. And that is it....because of the belief in the church, I therefore believe in everything we believe to be true. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that the gospel is simple. As long as we believe, we will be saved. What more do people need to know?

So yeah, but other then my thoughts this week, we didn't have the most successful week, but we have plans to do better.

Q.A.

1.  I haven't received any more packages.....not yet.

2. On this upcoming Saturday, so in 5 days, we are all going to Chihuahua to have a mission dinner, so that will be fun!

3. For Christmas, President said that if we can find a member with a computer which we can use, we can skype, but if not we'll call. Problem is Camargo is pretty poor, so we'll see. Next week will be more details about time and everything.

4. This last week we helped these older gentlemen carry a tree across the road, so that was pretty fun :) We don't get to do much service very much!

5. So yesterday we went to this family's house, just to talk, and I've never really went into their house before, and they're one of the rich families, so their house was nice! But they did this bienvenidos thing, or welcome thing, and so we did cheers with this drink stuff. So by now I know what alcohol smells like very well, and this stuff smelled exactly like alcohol. The family are members, and so they were like, duh, we wouldn't give you alcohol...but we're still not sure....so I might have had alcohol...it was super disgusting. It was so little amount though that if it was alcohol it wouldn't affect me.....but who knows.

6. So I started the 12 days of Christmas countdown, thanks so much :) I have my little tree set up in the room!
 

So yeah, taking one day at a time, I am able to do this. Thanks for all the love and support of everyone! Always remember and thank God for what you have...I can't stress that enough!!! I love you all! Always remember that!
 

-Elder Loveless