"Us with the youth."

"Ana, our convert, and her family!!!"

"With one of the little girls from Guerrero!!!"

"With my new piano trumpet."

June 8th, 2015 - Weekly Letter

Family,

    What Sister Randall said is probably actually why I am companions with Elder Vasquez.  I hadn't really thought about that until just now. Tell Sister Randall thanks!!!  I can't believe that everyone is getting married.  That's kinda weird to me......but it’s okay.  I guess that's one of the next steps after the mission.  And that makes me so happy that dad is going to take off work for a few days to help me out.  That's good because I'll probably need a translator!!!  Oh and also, shout out to Jon for becoming assistant manager at Tenny's.  He's working a lot harder than I did before the mission, and that's going to help him a lot during the mission!!!

    So this last week was pretty good.  On Wednesday we had a really cool meeting with President Chavez.  He taught us about the difference between principles and doctrines, and he used the example of the Word of Wisdom.  The principle behind the Word of Wisdom is not just what we shouldn't consume, but it's that our body is a temple.  Principles are laws that have and will exist forever, and so some people wonder why the Word of Wisdom is a principle if it didn't always exist but it did.  In Noah's time, cigarettes didn't exist, and Christ....He also drank wine.....but it's because it was different.  They couldn't eat certain meats, and things like that.  The Word of Wisdom is to help us have our bodies healthy, and for us in our days it's different than back then.  So that was really cool what President taught us. 

    Then it was also way cool on Friday.  So the week before one of the assistants and Elder Zarco went to talk with one of our 'eternal investigators' and still couldn't crack her, but they did get her to commit to baptism this last week....Friday. So we actually didn't have any time to talk with her until Friday. So we arrived and she was acting a little weird but her husband told us that she wanted to get baptized but didn't want to admit it, so at 6 that night they arrived.....but it took her 2 hours to finally enter the chapel.  It was good though, because on Sunday they all arrived.....with their little boys in tuxes and everything!!!  Her husband is a member, but very inactive, so Ana getting baptized was amazing!!!  That was a miracle!!! :)

    So yeah....that was my week!  It was a lot better than the week before.  Thanks for everything my amazing family!!! I love you all so much!!!  Have a great week!!!!

-Elder Loveless

Training in Cuahutemoc.

June 1st, 2015 - Weekly Letter

Family,

    I'm so glad that you were able to see that video mom! I was just about to leave to go back to La Junta and Elder Clayton came up and told me to say a few things and then he was going to show you when you went to his homecoming!  Sounds like last week was pretty crazy for you all, but it's probably a great feeling that it's finally summer, and you can all finally rest a bit.  It's finally starting to feel like summer here too. This last week was one of the first weeks since last summer that almost every day was pretty hot, but everyone is saying that June is the rainy month, so this month I'm hoping that it rains a lot! 

    So this last week was alright, but I think that it was more of a learning week for me.  At the beginning of the week I was super excited, and then after about a day or two I wasn't as excited any more. I guess my companion’s story is that he didn't want to serve a mission, but his bishop tricked him into filling out the papers, telling him that they were for something else. So then his call got there and his bishop told him that he was going to serve a mission, and so they kind of trapped him.  Poor kid still doesn't act like a missionary even after 13 months, and he doesn't have any desires to work.  I'm going to try to help him the best I can, because I know that Christ can change anyone through his Atonement. 

    I also was wrong though in the way I acted. I just kind of was sad the whole week. With Elder Hansen we knew and talked with every single person in La Junta, and everybody loved us.  So when we went to church yesterday, the members were all like, oh now that Elder Hansen left Elder Loveless doesn't want to interact with us, and stuff like that.....and I knew it wasn't true. So I started to think. First, even after the stressful week, we had 5 investigators at church which is pretty good.  And then second, why should I be acting like that if this is the Lord's work, not mine.  It doesn't matter who I'm with, or where I'm act. If I have faith in Christ, everything is possible.  So I told myself yesterday that I wasn't going to change for anybody.  All of the members love me, but not how I was acting.  Also, two more of our recent converts, Luis and Gilberto, received the Aaronic Priesthood this last week! That was super exciting to see that 3 of my recent converts here in La Junta have the Priesthood! That made me super happy!

    I also had a really cool experience that really touched me deeply.  So I don't know if you guys remember my first convert here in La Junta, Rafael.  So I think it was the first week of May or April, for fast and testimony meeting, I went up and bore my testimony.  I bore my testimony about trials, and I shared Emma's story.  I remember getting teary eyed, and as I looked out at the members, a lot of them were teary eyed too.  So all was spiritual, but then I kind of forgot.  Yesterday though, we were just finishing church, and Rafael comes up to me and tells me he wanted to ask me something, so I said of course, whatever you want to ask me.  So then he asked me how Emma was doing, and I said that she was doing really good, better than before. And then he said, that's awesome. He told me that every single night since the time I bore my testimony he had been praying to God to protect my sister, and to bless her.  And I started getting teary eyed.  My recent convert, only has 2 months as a member, and doesn't understand too much still, had been praying to God.....to bless my sister.  That was a huge testimony to me. I knew that he knew that God existed. He doesn't even know my sister, but he has the pure love of Christ, worrying about people he doesn't know.  He has to be one of my favorite people that I have come to know here in Chihuahua.  He's definitely somebody that I will never forget!!! 

    So yeah, in the end of the week I took the sacrament and told myself that I was going to be better. There's no point in being sad....just gotta keep moving forward, working as hard as ever, because I only have 8 more weeks.  8 More times of writing to you all on Monday!!! 

   Thanks for everything that you all do for me! I love you all so much, and miss you tons too!!!  Have a great summer!!!!!!!  Enjoy every moment!!!

-Elder Loveless