2015-8-3 Weatherford and Lind, Week 2

Ok, so, first of all, Enrique got baptized! Passed his interview on Tuesday, baptized on Thursday. When we ask people who they want to baptize them, we always put emphasis on the members, especially the ones that were involved in the teaching and fellowshipping. But, when we asked him who he wanted to do it, he looked at me, and said, "You're the one that started all this, it makes sense for you to finish it." I had a flashback to six weeks previous when Elder Tirado and I knocked on his door. He lives at the end of a little pathway where they are about six houses. We knocked on every other house and either no one was home or they didn't want to talk to us, but the last house we knocked on, Enrique's, he accepted the invitation to talk. And now, after all that time, he finally was ready for that decision. That was a lot of worry that I'd had that's been lifted.

Now, we're working with Fernando and his son Alejandro to get baptized this month. He's a friend of a less active member that she brought to an activity we invited her to, and he's progressing great! Interesting story, he's actually a member of the church the bishop attended in his youth... The plot thickens! The story's actually pretty intricate, but I won't get into that right now. The point is, he and his son are progressing well. The other family we're teaching, la familia Serena Alejandro, didn't come to church... We had a lesson during the week in the church to show them around and help them feel the Spirit there, but they still didn't come. We're going to have to help them, if they can progress, to attend. But, if not, maybe other missionaries down the road will be able to help them. I think so. But the truth is, I want it to be us :)

Elder Christofferson's going to come visit on the 22nd of this month! Our mission president's been sending us his talks to study to prepare ourselves.

Ok, that's all for now, folks!

Con amor,

Élder Rob Weatherford

P.S. Those of you that want to add your prayers to our cause, please pray that the Serena Alejandro family can come to church, and like it, and that we can iron out the details in Néstor and Georgina's marriage soon. Much appreciated! 

2015-7-27 Weatherford and Lind, Week1

First up, a note from me, Kathy: 
Me: Sometimes, spanishdict.com just doesn’t work for me.  “Echarle all the ganas”…throw all the wishes?
Rob:  Haha echarle all the ganas. It was joke, kind of. "Échale ganas" is like "work hard" or "give it your best," and so I'm going to "echar" ALL the ganas. It really doesn't translate literally, and even less when I made weird jokes in Spanglish. Sorry :)

In case you were wondering...

Now, on to this week's letter...

¿Quiúbole? Haven't heard that one in a while, actually...

Starting Week Two of Gringolandia, Tuxtepec style. Seriously, it's a very different experience with an American companion. We made nachos this week. Who'd have thought, a traditional Mexican food that I hadn't had a single time in ten months in Mexico?

But, jokes and nachos aside, this was a good week. We saw a few miracles from the Lord, I think designed to keep our faith and efforts up, including a surprise decision by Enrique. We had divisions with the Elder that would do his baptismal interview to see if he would be ready, but the interview didn't even happen. He's ready, and has a testimony, but still wanted to wait for an undefined future point to get baptized. This happened last week, and so we just decided we'd keep teaching and helping him to have spiritual experiences with the Book of Mormon. He'd shied away from the baptismal record form (sorry, not sure what it's called in English) in the past, and so it was a huge surprise when on Saturday after the lesson he said, "So, are we going to fill out the form or not?" It sure took me by surprise. And then, yesterday, we passed by with the bishop to help address his needs and concerns. And we set a baptismal date for this Thursday! If all goes well with the interview tomorrow, he should get baptized this week! 

And even though we found out we need to update Georgina's birth certificate, hopefully that should be the last obstacle to her getting married! I hope... and pray...

Ok, sorry, that's all the time for today. Keep praying, or start it you don't, and read the scriptures!

Élder Rob Weatherford

P.S. They told us today that Élder Cristofferson's going to visit the mission in August... We'll see how that goes!

2015-7-21 Transfers!

Ok, sorry, I know, it's not Monday. We had transfers yesterday, which took up a lot of time, so we got permission to write today.

I'm still in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, in the Moctezuma ward. Elder Tirado, however, has "gone the way of all the earth," or rather, the way of all the missionaries, and is currently residing in another area. And I'm with a gringo again! Elder Lind, from Burley, Idaho, is my companion, and he has just one transfer less than I do. He's actually from the same generation as my other gringo companion, Elder Dawson. This transfer should be fun! I'm excited!

This week we're going to do all we can to tie up legal complications for the wedding. Prayers would be appreciated!

This past week we were still looking really hard for new people to teach, and even though we were meeting a lot of people, we weren't finding new investigators. People weren't interested, people weren't able, people were a little crazy, the usual. Also, something that happens a lot here is that the parents get their kids to lie for them. We knocked on a door one day when we could see an adult man sitting on a couch with his back to the window. We didn't knock on the window even though we had seen him because that would be a little weird, so we pretended that we hadn't seen him and knocked on the door. But when we knocked, I saw him stiffen. He did that "I'm-going-to-move-real-slowly-so-the-motion-won't-catch-their-eye" thing and slid off the couch. Keep in mind the window is really near the door. I roll my eyes at my companion and knock again, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Nothing. Jeffrey R. Holland tells us, knock three times. I knock again. The window slides open a tiny bit and a kid, maybe six years old, says, "My dad's not here!" Again, I give "the look" at my companion. "Are you sure?" I ask him. "Uh-huh!" he says. And then, inside, we hear another voice, maybe three, four years old, "Dad, dad!! They want to talk to you! Dad!" Ah. The innocence of childhood. I had the desire to do what another elder told me he had done once in that kind of situation: tell the kid, "Tell your dad that lying's a sin!" But in that situation, he told me, the kid said, "Ok!" and ran back inside. And the elders left hurriedly.

Another time, we knock on a gate that has a view of the house to the left, a shed directly in front of us, and a car in front of the shed. There were also clothes hanging in between the car and the shed. We could see a man standing in front of the shed, partly hidden behind the clothes, but clearly in view. When we knocked on the gate, a girl came out of the house and asked us what we wanted. We asked her if her parents were home. She walks through the clothes to talk to her dad, and we clearly hear, "Diles que nadie está." (Tell them nobody's home.) And then, what made me lose it (I didn't burst out laughing, but I definitely snorted back a chuckle), her reply, "¡Pero papá, me da pena!" (But dad, do I have to? It's embarrassing!) The dad said something else, more quietly, and then the girl sticks her head out through the clothes, yells, "No está nadie!" and then we see her hide behind the car. Yeah. She hid behind the car.

Another one: We knock on a gate where we see a woman out back, and a man sticks his head out of a window, sees us, and yells, "Nobody's home!" Then he hesitates, rethinks the absurdity of that statement, and yells, "We're busy!" And then sticks his head back inside. 

But, we keep working. There are a few promising new investigators, and we still hope to get Néstor and Georgina married. Elder Lind and I are going to echarle all the ganas (that's right, all of them) this week, and we're not going to stop. I hit ten months on Friday!

This scriptural thought might be a little stronger than usual, but it's something I was meditating earlier this week, and even though I'm not sure why, I feel like I should share it. It's probably more for those that are in the mission field right now, but it applies to us all. As a mission, our president has placed some high goals for us to reach. In this area, I was having a lot more trouble reaching them. My initial reaction was more along the lines of, "Well, for other areas it's easier, but for this area I don't know if we can reach those kinds of numbers." But, in that moment, I started thinking about a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants:

29 But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with  doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.

I hope I wasn't keeping it with slothfulness, but maybe my heart was a little doubtful. The attitude that we often have, "I don't know if I can do that, but I'll try," is something that weakens us from the beginning. Maybe we're not going to succeed perfectly. But we can commit ourselves, and if we do that the Lord will help us. If not, we will be damned. Our progression will be halted. There won't be growth or improvement. And when I read that scripture again, I kept on reading:

29 But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.

 30 Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments?

 31 Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled?

 32 I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing.

 33 Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled. But wo unto such, for their reward lurketh beneath, and not from above.

So, that's even stronger. The goals our president gives us are to help us expand our vision and help us stretch, but they're not impossible (1 Nephi 3:7). If we receive these commandments, like any commandment, with a doubtful heart, we're not going to be able to receive those blessings. For many, that's a stumblingblock: "I did this, and nothing happened." That leads to resentment, anger, frustration, and a loss of faith. Like Alma says, it's not because this wasn't the work of the Lord, a "good seed," it's because we didn't take the care necessary to really bring it to pass, or because we didn't persevere. We gave up. Don't give up. Keep working, keep stretching, whatever the commandment may be, and you'll receive the blessings the Lord has promised. Who is the Lord, that has promised and has not fulfilled? Whether it be for missionaries, or members with little time in the church, for investigators or those members with decades in the Gospel, for whatever kind of promise He makes, He always fulfills.

I hope everybody's doing well. I am, and I love you all.

Con amor,

Élder Rob Weatherford

2015-07-13 "Does the Pope know about this?" (Not you, Jeff. The other one.)

Another week in Tuxtepec, Oaxashington. And the transfer's almost over! That one really flew by... 

Enrique's still progressing, but right now he's the only one. Well, and Georgina, really she's totally ready but like I said, marriages are really hard here. Got to keep looking for people to teach! If you want to add in the Serena Alejandro family to your prayers ( a family we found last week), that they'll feel the desire to go to church and get baptized, that couldn't hurt. They're a "golden" family, situationally at least, and they're really nice, but we need to see if they can find a desire to progress. If not, we're going to have to drop them and keep looking, and that would break my heart. But, that's what happens sometimes when people use their agency. I also know that I can't even imagine how God feels when that happens, if I feel like that after just meeting them and teaching a couple of lessons. I "stand all amazed," at times, not just at the love that God has for me, but also for the trust He puts in His missionaries. How many times do we as missionaries, or we as members of His church, disappoint Him with what we do, or what we don't do? I really want to be worthy of that kind of trust, both as a missionary and in whatever other kind of... "mayordomía" (can't remember how that one translates...) that He gives me, not just in the Church but in life as well. In missionary work, the salvation of souls is at stake. And actually, in life as well. Every member a missionary.

So yeah. This week's been mostly looking for people to teach, and fighting to retain those we have. Quote of the week: We found a family when we were out contacting, and at first the dad, an older gentleman, told us firmly that he was Catholic and there was no point in talking with him. We chatted briefly about the message, though, and he let us in to talk with him, his wife, and his daughter-in-law. We talked about the Restoration and shared the First Vision, and then asked them what they were feeling. The daughter-in-law said, "I don't know, I feel kind of a peaceful, calm feeling, really strongly. Is that what you were talking about?" "Yeah, it is." And then the señor, completely seriously: "Does the Pope know about this? I mean, about Joseph Smith and everything?" I was almost literally speechless. I think I managed to choke out something about how it was probable that somebody had shared it with him, but that I wasn't sure. The truth is, I don't know what I said. I was trying super hard not to laugh.

Ah, sorry, I don't have anything else to say. Here are some pictures of wacky fruit. The first one's called maracuyá, and even though it looks really disgusting, it tastes really good. I made a fruit smoothie.

The second one's called "baina" (I think that's spelled right), and it looks like a snap pea the size of my forearm. Inside, there are seeds with a cotton-like covering that you eat. It tastes super sweet, but it really is the consistency of wet cotton.

We also eat a lot of mango. 

That's all, folks!

Élder Rob Weatherford

2015-07-06 Chaquistepec Q&A

Ok, I know it's been a little while... Where to begin...

In the picture, my comp, Elder Tirado (Fun Fact: translates to dropped, thrown-out) de Tijuana, is on the far left. I'm on the far right. In the middle, the man holding the baby and his wife in the striped dress just got baptized (my first Sunday here). He's Oscar, she's Nayelly, the baby's Gael, and their "tremendo" son (Note: Doesn't translate to "tremendous" as in "great." More like, a "tremendous" handful) is Oscarín. He's the one that always shouts when we arrive, "The Mormons are here!" They got confirmed the next Sunday, and they're still going strong! 

The only problem is, they were the only investigators that the other missionaries had, so we had literally nothing. So, we've been looking! And we've been finding, little by little, which is good, and there're a few investigators with promise. The truth is, I've kind of avoided talking about investigators in the past, because there have been a lot of disappointments with people that can't or won't progress. But, I don't know, I feel like I should talk a little bit more about the work here. Our four investigators with the most promise (and, therefore, in need of prayers :)) are Enrique, Eduardo, Georgina, and Margarita. Enrique was a contact that we made a few weeks ago who accepted us and so far everything we've taught him. He's been to church, and although he's having a bit of trouble looking for a job that'll let him keep the Sabbath day, he's progressing well. Eduardo is the boyfriend of a member in the ward who's been attending with her for over two months, but only accepted more recently talking with us. He's got some doubts, but he's got the desire to resolve them, so that's fine. Georgina's husband and two of her kids are already members (all three recently reactivated), but she hasn't been baptized because she and her husband aren't legally married, just living together. First the wedding (extremely complicated and expensive here), then the baptism. But she's solid, and apart from some other familial complications, I hope they can get sealed in the temple before I finish my mission. Margarita... probably the most difficult of the four. Her husband is a member, for a long time inactive, who one morning just showed up for church and asked that we visit his wife. If that's not the Lord's hand in something, I don't know what is. He actually had been inactive for a long time, but had a powerful life-changing (life-threatening, actually) experience that made him decide to go to church again and put his life back in order with God. His wife, Margarita, is really nice, and she listens to us, but she has a lot of personal obstacles to work through before she'll feel ready to attend church with us. She's progressing, but it's slow, and everything's complicated by the fact that they live really far away in a ranch that's 30, 40 minutes out by bus from the area we usually work. The ranch, Paso Canoa, doesn't have cell service, and they don't have a phone, so that also doesn't help. Also, if you don't catch the 7:00 pm bus (that sometimes passes by at 6:40, as we found out) there aren't any more buses to the main town until 5:00 the next morning. So we have to visit them earlier in the day. But because she's progressing more slowly we have to visit them less often. So it's more difficult. But it's worth it, if she's progressing toward the temple with her husband.

Ok, time for some Q&A with my mother...

How are you doing? Well, thanks :) Seriously, well, even if it is too hot here. The sun's a lot more strong, here, too, which doesn't help. But I've gotten used to it. Health-wise, well, mental-wise, tired (nothing new, there), spiritual-wise, learning more every day, wise-wise, still no, unfortunately.

How are you feeling? See above post... Tired, hot, but good!

What do you love about your new area? The ward is supportive, which is always a good thing. The ward councils especially I like. Also, the iguanas, and the wacky fruit. 

Anything not-so-great? Well, the people aren't always nice to us, but you kind of have to get used to that...

Having fun with your new companion? Yeah, once we spent more time together I think he opened up a little more. Also, he reminds me of someone... Ask David, I told him.

What size is your new town? It's actually a few towns... Kind of. It's the smaller, almost rural part of Tuxtepec, but it also includes a huge area that we rarely ever visit because there aren't members there, and those areas are usually a little more dangerous, and it takes time to visit places by bus. I don't know square mileage, sorry, and would be really bad at guessing. I would say, what size? Medium. Medium size.

What’s it like to grocery shop there? We go downtown! To a different area, where there are Costco-like stores. The peanut butter costs way too much to buy, though, although recently I've been craving Nutella more.

Meet any interesting people? Every day. It's the interested people that are far and few between. So many stories, so little time... Suffice it to say that there are a lot more prophets and apostles here than I think Jesus is aware of...

Will you finally get to play piano in your new area? Not really... Well, in priesthood they usually ask me to play the opening hymn. So that's something! But it's ok.

I've eaten new fruit, heart of chicken, and have been extremely disappointed to learn that iguana season is over. But, we did see and kind-of help a family of strangers in the street to trap an iguana (a medium-sized one... I'm not sure how to describe size... Like a weiner dog, but longer. It's tail was about the size of my arm, it's head the size of both my fists together). They're going to eat it, but they didn't invite us :(

I saw a pig the size of a shetland pony, and learned that the end piece of a loaf of bread is commonly called "la suegra." The mother-in-law. ¿Por qué? ¡Porque nadie la quiere! Sorry, not as funny in English.

I hope everybody's doing well, health-wise, spiritually-wise, and wise-wise. I love you all, and would love to hear more about how each of you are doing! Sorry, I know, I know, take out the beam first... But I would like to know!

Con amor,

Elder Rob Weatherford

2015-6-8 Quick Change!

Ok, so here's a story. Sunday afternoon, I get a call from our leader, who tells me that I'm leaving for Los Tuxtlas the next day. NO, just kidding, I'm actually staying.

Seriously, Elder? You're sure this time?
Nope, he's still kidding, he still doesn't have that information. So we wait. Later that afternoon, I get another call. Yeah, I'm leaving. For sure. To a different zone that's still in the port. Area that's called Las Palmas, Reforma, close to the temple in Mocambo. I get his promise that this time he's telling the truth. And everything's good, when we get to the house I pack up my stuff and say my goodbyes. Fast forward to this morning. Here I am, at the bus station where we all meet for the companion exchange, thinking I'm just going to have to take a ten, fifteen-minute taxi ride to my new area.
Oh, oops, actually Elder, you're going to Tuxtepec.
Oh, haha Elder, very funny.
No, really, here's your bus ticket. 

So there I am, an hour later, riding alone on a three-hour bus trip to Tuxtepec, Oaxaca. Area called Moctezuma. Really hot, and humid, and very "pueblo." But I like it, and I'm excited to work. We're neighbors with the bishop, and live about a thirty-second walk from the church. 

Well. Today's been a little unexpected, to say the least. My new companion's name is Elder Tirado; he's from Tijuana and has just finished his training. We're going to work hard, and I'm going to see if the "oaxaqueños" are anything like the "jarochos."

Elder Rob Weatherford

2015-6-1 Ugh...:)

Well, things have been heating up here in 5 de Mayo ever since I learned the Spanish equivalent of "Slug Bug." And the fists began to fly. Seriously, there are A LOT of Volkswagon Beetles here. We started on Wednesday, just on the way to lessons and in between contacts, and here's where the score stands:

Elder González: 35

Elder Weatherford: 68... Nope, I literally just saw another one after I wrote that. 69.

But we talked about it, and after P-day finishes we're going to stop taking count. It wasn't detracting from our work or anything, but it's better to not even have a chance of distraction from finding the people the Lord's prepared for us. 

70.

Transfers are coming in a week, so I don't know if I'll still be here next Monday. Honestly, I think it's unlikely... so I guess we'll see! We've seen some results with our work with less active members, but we're fighting hard so that progress doesn't stagnate. 

71.

I love you all, a lot, and hope everything's going well. I could use your prayers in my personal efforts to change, to become a better missionary. I guess I could just use some strength. Strength of will, strength of character, spiritual strength. Physical strength, I'm still holding out, don't worry :)

Thanks, and with love,

Élder Rob Weatherford