Week 20 in the field (whaaaa???)

What? Did you hear that? 20 WEEKS IN THE FIELD, BABY. Now there's something to celebrate.

Let me put it another way: I'm gonna complete 6 MONTHS in the mission TOMORROW! That's nuts. How has the time gone so fast? I feel like I just said goodbye to all you goofballs!

Lots of fun stuff happened this week. I´ll try to give you a good review.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: When we pray, we pray for OPPORTUNITIES, not solutions. In my experience here in the mission, it has been the case 100% of the time that, after asking for a blessing in prayer, it is necessary to DO SOMETHING to receive the blessing. If we don't take the opportunity God gives us, we can't expect that everything will be perfectly fine.

Just a few days ago, Luis, our new convert and son of Marvel, accompanied us to visit Ernesto, another 12-year-old in the ward. We had to travel a ways to get to the kid's house, and after finishing the lesson, Luis had about 45 minutes before he needed to leave for school. He was worried about having enough time to get all the way ready, so I stopped him right there in the road and said a prayer with him. I prayed that he would be able to arrive home with enough time to get ready and still make it to school before the bell. To tell you the truth, I was worried, too. I didn't want to make Luis late for offering his time so selflessly (see the first point below), but I tried to have faith.

Just then, a little bus passed. I had the distinct impression that THAT was the opportunity God had provided, so I stopped the bus and we all got on. Turns out, I had exactly enough money to pay for the two of us, and my companion had just enough to pay for himself. We made it to Luis's house on time. 

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When we got to Luis's house that morning, he was fast asleep, having forgotten his commitment to join us. :) Hno. Paul, however, let us into the house, and we started rocking his hammock back and forth. It was hilarious to see the look of confusion on his face when he woke up to see the missionaries standing above him.

Paola (daughter of Hna. Arely) got baptized! She's only 8 years old, but she still needed to be taught by the missionaries because TECHNICALLY her parents aren't members. The service was beautiful, and at the last second, one of the young women in the ward asked if my companion and I could sing a special number as she played ukelele. It actually worked really nicely. :D

Samantha (granddaughter of Hna. Flor de Lis) also got baptized! She got baptized the day after Paola because it was the only day her dad could come. Because it wasn't ward night, almost nobody could come, but I learned that a small, family service can be just as touching as a service on Ward Night.

We found a dude who, by coincidence, has done construction work on the Mexico City Temple! What's more, he lives super close to us! His name is Felipe Rodrigues - he's a big, husky guy with tattoos and everything, but he's friendly and wants to learn about the gospel.

Hna. Dulce and her whole family need to get baptized again! I don't know what happened, but the other ward elders went looking for their records and... they don't exist! So that´s going to happen this next week.

Hno. Rolando, our ward mission leader, invited us to breakfast the other day. We went to a really tasty taco joint. Just so you guys know - Tacos here are nothing like Taco Bell. Not even close. They're incredibly delicious and NOT hard-shelled.

There's more to tell, but a lack of time prevents me from telling it. Alas, this session of reflection has come to a close. I wish you all a merry week. As the weather gets nice over there in the states, it's getting rather hot, here XD. Here's to hoping your missionary in Cancún doesn't melt.

Until next week,

Elder Carson

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Welp.... My SD card reader is being a little tonto, so this week I don't have pictures. Sorry, friends. I'll try a different computer next week!

Week 19 in the field!!!

HELLO MY FRIENDS. I AM ELDER ROBOT CARSON. 

Hehe. This week has been absolutely WONDERFUL and full of surprises! I am astonished every day by the wisdom with which God directs his servants, the prophets, as well as local church leaders and mission presidents. 

LECCIÒN DE LA SEMANA: Trust is one of our most valuable assets, and it feels darn good to have it. This past week, unfortunately, it fell upon me to inform President Reynoso of some frituras (wrong-doings) that had occurred at the had of a certain missionary. It was a little uncomfortable to approach him, but he was very supportive and thanked me for standing up for what's right. 

As a result of what I said, there were emergency transfers in the mission, and I got sent BACK to Palmas. I was surprised - I had been super ready to embrace life in the new ward, Cancùn - but I was super happy to be able to go back to the investigators and awesome members of Palmas. 

Apparently, President was worried about me, so he called me and told me that if anyone tries to call me a tattle, he'll go to war XD Later, the bishop of the ward called me (because he had been discussing the problem with President) to congratulate me for being open. In that moment, all my worries and stresses disappeared. The elder involved in the incident had gotten mad at me for exposing him, but I realized that I now had the trust of three VERY important people in the work - President, the bishop, and God, and I couldn't help but feel grateful to my Heavenly Father for prompting me to do the right thing. 

I hope that as we go about our daily lives, we can all recognize the importance of trust. Having trust amongst friends is great, but the trust that matters most is between us and God. That relationship is irreplaceable. I can tell you all that it's WORTH IT to do the right thing, even when someone might get mad. The Lord will build you up as others try to tear you down. 

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This week, on Monday, President trained all of us trainers in preparation to receive our new companions. When the new missionaries arrived, we sang to them, and I was reminded of my own first day in the field. I got assigned Elder Coello as my new companion - a missionary fresh from Honduras - and have been working with him since then. He's AWESOME (his accent and all) and he already extended his first baptismal invitation! The only thing is he likes to sleep, but I can understand that XD I only have to turn on the lights and start singing hymns in the morning... bwahahaha

I HAD TWO DAYS OF HOT SHOWERS. That was a blessing from heaven, let me tell you. I wasn't expecting it, either - we got to the house in Cancùn Ward, I stepped in the shower and turned on the water, and BAM - gloriously warm liquid poured out upon me. I almost melted. 

I SAW THE OCEAN. But only from a distance. We were riding the bus, which mounted a bridge juuuuuuusst tall enough to see between two tall hotel buildings, where a tiny sliver of glittering water shone majestically. Ahhhhh. :) 

President Reynoso accompanied us to an appointment this week! One of our investigators, 12-year-old Aleyda, was going to get baptized this past week, but she was fearful of ruining her relationship with her Catholic father. President and his wife wanted to go to try and encourage her. I think she was a little intimidated, though XD President can be very direct. haha. Soo she didn't get baptized this week, but we`re still working with her and her family. 

One visited one investigator named Hugo in his taco stand and had a quick lesson. At the end of the lesson, we were teaching him how to pray, when suddenly, he just WENT for it! Right there, without even having to invite him! It was awesome XD We set a baptismal date and are returning on Wednesday to continue teaching. 

I listened to the story of how Hno. Pech met his wife..... again. I think it's the fourth time. I love the guy to death, but MAN, he can go for an hour telling it, and he's ALWAYS equally excited. 

I have lots of other things to talk about, but the time's just about up. I hope you guys loved conference as much as I did - it was super uplifting and gave me the confidence I need for these coming weeks. Remember what it means to be a disciple of Christ - we're ALL IN. 

Stay strong and hungry, my friends. 

Love, 

Elder Carson 

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Four generations of excellence: Elder Vargas (my dear gran-pappy in the mish - he just went home), Elder Melena (papi), yours truly, annnd mi chan hijo (hooray, Maya!)

Back in the homeland... :) Always happy feels in Ciudad Natura.

Week 18 (17.5) in the field!!!!! WAAAHOOO! (From March 25th)

Hey, guys, guess what????

We got the news about transfers ANNNNDDDD..........

(buhm bumh buhm... suspenseful music..... buhm buhm BUHHHMMM)

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED! The assistants called to let me know that I'll be TRAINING a new missionary in the Cancún Stake! I told them "what the heck? I'M a new missionary!!" That's a joke. I told them thanks and that I'll give my best and all that sweet stuff.

I'll be in the Cancún ward, which was the first ward ever established here in the city. It's also the ward CLOSEST to the ocean, which is definitely a change. Zona Hotelera will be in my area! Apparently, we eat there every Sunday with some members. Awesome, huh? I got a little rush when they told me that. I know, I know... careful, Elder.

More importantly, everyone tells me it's one of the strongest wards in the mission, which means we'll have plenty of support as we open the area.

Okay. That's the news. And now, for the weekly review.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: There's a GARGANTUAN difference between "inner" commitments and "outer" commitments.

Following up with a reference, we passed by the house of a less-active member a few days ago, and the person who opened the door looked nothing like a member of the church. They told us that, although they had been baptized, confirmed, ordained, and SEALED in the temple, that they had no interest in attending church meetings or accepting visits. They reluctantly chatted with us for about five minutes, and then hinted for us to get going. They had been offended by a member, and consequently decided that the church must not be true.

Friends..... please remember that when we make covenants - when we attend church, study the scriptures, and say our prayers - we are not doing it for the members. That would be an "outer" commitment - a commitment to maintain a good image. We make promises with GOD. We talk with GOD. We act for GOD, and He is the only one we are accountable to in the end. When we accept that - when we jump social, physical, and mental hurdles to keep the commandments - THEN we have truly made an inner commitment.

Make inner commitments, and let the strength of your image equal the strength of your character.

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ANDREA GOT BAPTIZED!! WOOO!!! Everything I said about the Lord paying triple last week also applies to this week - lots of things went wrong, but we kept the faith and had a beautiful baptismal service. The only thing is the water-level was a little low. I think her dad got a little exercise lowering her to the point of complete immersion XD

Ana Camas, one of our investigators, came to church last week even though she had the flu!! Que potente, ¿no? 

We did exchanges with the elders of Leona Vicario because they are coming to Palmas to be the THIRD companionship of the ward! We helped them all day to get to know the area, and they slept over at our house.

We went house-hunting, and found a new apartment in Prado Norte for the new elders.

While on exchanges, we went to the house of a young less-active, Samuel, who started laughing when he saw my companion's face and couldn't stop for LITERALLY half an hour....... LOLZ.

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Here's the happy family!! :D Doesn't her dad look like a psychologist?

Fer and Juan and the rest of the gang at the bishop's house for music lessons! I gotta say, the bishop can SHRED. XD

MUSICAL POSE. My companion's a drummer.

Week WHAT 17 in the field!!

Week WHAT? Time's a-flyin like nothing else out here. 

Hello dearest friends. 

This week, we had a wonderfully-delicious and spiritually-rich bite of success, and I'm super happy for this chance to tell you all about it. I won't have time for much else, today, but remember: the next PDay is THIS SATURDAY because it's the last week of this transfer. 

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: The Lord pays TRIPLE for our efforts! After lots of time teaching, committing, re-committing, interviewing, and worrying, LUIS AND BLANCA GOT BAPTIZED!!! WOOOOOOHOOOO! It was honestly a wonderful experience. 

We arrived at the church building at 6:30, the prescribed hour, but the gates surrounding the church were locked, and nobody arrived to open them until 6:50. Wonderful. the baptism was supposed to be at 7:00. I took a deep breath and relaxed. The guests still hadn't arrived. 

Next, we went to check the font, and SURPRISE, it was empty!! So E. Gallegos and I rushed to turn on the valves and shut the drain. When we tried to enter the font to get to the water controls, the door wouldn't open! Needless to say, I was panicking a little bit at this point, but I tried to keep myself focused on the purpose of being there. 

We got it done. E. Gallegos maaaaayyyy have had to vault the barrier in front of the font to get it done, but we got it done. The font was filled when the guests arrived, and the program proceeded as normal. 

Turns out, those who were supposed to give the intermediary message didn't show up, so E. Gallegos and I shared an abbreviated version of the Restoration with the crowd. To my surprise, the words left my lips perfectly and with ease. Same with my companion. We didn't have to backtrack or re-explain anything for lack of clarity. We NAILED IT. 

After all was said and done, Luis and Blanca looked super happy. The Spirit was felt SUPER strong, and Hna. Marvel, our dear investigator (and mom of Luis and Blanca) began to cry as she offered the closing prayer. After the service, she began to cry AGAIN thanking us for what we had done. 

We set appointments with ALL the family members and extended-family members who came to the baptism. We felt good. 

As we were leaving the building, it occurred to me how much the Lord had blessed us during those brief minutes. At the beginning, it seemed like everything was going south, but looking back, it was honestly one of the most special baptismal services I had ever had the pleasure to attend. We put in our time and effort, and the Lord payed back BIG TIME. 

That's how it is, folks - put in your effort, and the blessings will overflow your life. 

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Like I said, I don't have much time today. I hope this experience helped you guys somehow to grow and improve in your personal life. Maybe you´re not organizing baptisms, but you might be organizing family home evenings or ward activities. The Lord is there for you. Reach out to him!

Until Saturday, friends - I'll tell you about the rest of the biz then.

Love, 

Elder Carson

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There's the fam :)

Hno. Rolando (Batman) takes blurry photos, but we love him anyway.

And here's Luis, the man of the hour. Don't worry, the smile in his heart, voice, and everything but his face was much bigger X)

Week 16 in the field!

Ohhh say can you SEEEE, BYY --

Oh, sorry, my good friends, I was just singing the national anthem because I found the English hymn book in the house of a member and it reminded me of how fortunate I am to be American :) For now, though, I feel good soaking up the Mexican culture and working harder than the sun is hot. This week was great. Here's the review. 

LECCIÒN DE LA SEMANA: FASTING HAS REAL POWER. If I were to choose a commandment that I have historically minimalized, it would probably be that one. The fast. What's the point? Does it REALLY REALLY make a difference if we fast on top of all our urgent prayers? After this week, I can honestly tell you that yes, it does. 

We had a special fast last Sunday for lots of things, and among these things was the plea that one of our beloved less-actives, Hna. Dulce, could find a job to support her and her family. She had been going through a faith-crisis when the hotel she worked for suddenly decided to drop her, but she agreed to fast with us, and we just found out that she got her dream position in one of the most pretigious hotels in Cancùn! She was so happy when she told us (and so proud of her ability to go without her husbands Veracruzano food). Now I just have to teach her a little English to help her stay put in the job X). 

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- We had exchanges this week! I stayed in our area and received Elder Reyes, one of the Zone Leaders. We had lots of laughs and worked hard to find new people to teach. 

- During exchanges, we were having a language study in the park when a Jehovah's Witness came up to us and started chewing us out about our beliefs (specifically, that Jehovah and Jesus Christ are the same person). Elder Reyes had the ganas to scripture-battle, but together, we managed to defuse the situation and invite her to act on her doubts. 

- We had a Stake Conference yesterday where an area seventy spoke! It was cool, and he had some heated words for those who had supposedly been openly rebellious against church leaders. That's the kind of stuff we like to hear, as missionaries ;D. 

- We found a young man, Isaac (16 years old) who was living on his own with his brothers for a while, inactive in the church. He has a lot of interest to return and even accompanied us to various appointments! 

- I feel more and more confident speaking in our zone conferences each time. We had a conference this week, and I was able to speak out about some issues I had noticed among the missionaries. I heard lots of sounds of agreement, so I know I didn't ONLY say goofball things :) 

- We found a young investigator named Leyvi, and she is awesome! She does all her homework, and immediately retains the things we teach. She couldn't attend church this week, but its because she already had plans made for Sunday... This next week, she committed to go. 

- One of our investigators, Lizbeth, couldn't attend our ward because she went with her husband to Tizimin to visit family. But, like the dedicated and COMMITTED investigator she is, she attended church in TIZIMIN so that she can keep with her goal of being baptized the 14th of April! Woohoo!

That's all for this week, my wonderful friendlies. Keep your heads up and remember that you've got an omnipotent God to turn to if you need help with the stuff life throws at you. 

Much love from the tropics. 

Elder Carson 

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.. AHA!! taking notes during a meeting.....

Thinking...

... More thinking... 

In the house of Marvel and Paul with Elder Reyes. COCHINITA BAYBAY :D

An iguana standing proudly in front of a local supermarket.

Playing volleyball with the Hermanas.... they told us to go easy on em, but they forgot to tell the hermanas that we`re also human.... O.O

Week 15 in the field!

Queridos amigos, 

I was informed that my last mail felt a little rushed. X) This week, I have a bit more time to tell you all what's goin' down.

LECCIÓN DE LA SEMANA: When you lead, lead for DESIRE. If you try to lead people directly to an action, it's likely that they´re not going to follow through. 

This is big in the mission. A lot of times, we're tempted to think someone who smokes needs to hear about the Word of Wisdom, and someone living with a partner unmarried The Law of Chastity. But it's not always so. 

This week, we visited Hno. Efraín and Hna. Ana. He´s a less-active member and she's an investigator. They need to get married, but instead of teaching the Law of Chastity, we decided to show them a cute little video called "Expressions of Love," where a bunch of couples recite the dorky nothings that they do to pass time together. It was actually perfect. They were smiling the whole time, and at the end of the video they were VISIBLY more committed to get married and pursue their goal to be sealed in the temple. THEY HAVE THE GANAS, YO!

They also had a friend there, and HE was super interested to hear from us after the video! 

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We went on splits with the assistants! It was awesome (and unplanned - they stayed on the bus too long and ended up in our area). I went with Elder Tejeda, because Elder Carlson thought we would confuse the world with our names (I agree, but I thought it would be kinda fun). We visited lots of people in a really short period of time. He talks fast, but he´s really nice and told me I speak the language well. :) 

We suggested to President Reynoso that a young women from the ward be put in as a temporary missionary and he agreed! The young woman, Adela, was super grateful because she's in the process of filling out her papers but it's taking a lot of time because she´s got health problems. She was a little discouraged, but we were able to set her up for at least one transfer. 

We visited Alejandro and Natalia (less-active and non-member, respectively) and had a great lesson about families and the temple! Also, their dog vomitted on the floor in front of us while we were starting.... woo. 

I started reading Our Heritage. I'm actually really enjoying the history of the Church. It struck me how faithful the Saints were in the beginning. They were willing to sacrifice their homes, their time, their LIVES to follow the Prophet. What changed, guys?? That's a joke - I know you're all as faithful as the Pope (Mormon style) ;D. 

We had EIGHT investigators attend church! I FEEEL GOOD (nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh). It was wonderful to see some of them for the SECOND time in a row keeping their commitments. Now, here's to a lifetime of attendance!! Yeah! 

We really really REALLY didn't have many new investigators this week.... we think God's sending us a message that we need to work with less-actives more, because we found about five families (by pure miracles) that we didn't know existed that are members. 

That's all folks! I´m as happy as Bugs Bunny here in the best mission in the world. While you're all going about your daily lives this week, remember to pray to your Heavenly Father and tell him what's goin' on - your worries, fears, hopes and dreams. He's more than happy to help you.

Love, 

Elder Carson

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Mexican styyyyyyyyllllleeeee. We call it Flow. Faith without flow is dead.

Jeremías got baptized (my amigo and investigator from Chac Mool)!! We got to see him because Elder Gallegos did the interview.

When a cloud gives birth to a star...

Then the star is to close to the Earth and a house burns down.

Week 14, I think!

Hello, goofballs! 

What a wondeful thing it is to be able to write you all each week! This time, there ain`t much time, so I`m gonna keep things relatively short, but just know that I`m working hard and learning lots. 

LECCIÒN DE LA SEMANA: Be opportune. Among the many strengths of my super-elder companion, I`ve managed to detect something very important that he ALWAYS does. He acts without hesitation when prompted by the Spirit. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to get trapped in my own little world, and when that happens in the mission-field, I miss opportunities to serve. When we serve the Lord with our heart, might, MIND, and strength, unexpected teaching situations pop up, there are more people to talk to, and we learn much, much more each day. 

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We had TWO Family Home Evenings this week where members invited their friends. The first was with the family Balam Tec, who invited their neighbor. We had a nice lesson, and, acting on a prompting, I had everyone pause and share something they love about a member of their family. It actually worked really well. Little Mauricio loves his mommy because she always makes yummy food :) 

The second was with the Hermana Paty Pool, and she invited HOSTS of neighbors. It was awesome. We watched a video (of Todd Sylvester) and handed out cards with our sumber, offering free service to anyone who needed it. 

We visited Abel, and he was feeling down, so we finished the lesson early and spent 15 minutes drawing and coloring with him. He cheered up quick!

We found a less-active member miraculously by contacting him in a park! His name is Alejandro, and he`s got a girlfriend who is not a member! Woohoo! They`re getting married and BAPTIZED! (so they say - we`ll see) 

I gave candy to the Elders to bribe them to complete their goals for language-learning this week! Bwahahaha.... 

We literally had to talk an investigator out of hiring a hit-man. Yeah. 

We had NINE investigators attend church! Busiest meeting of my life!! Woohoo!

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Whhaaaaat, it's true!

If we don't have pizza, we don't have life.

Finished work of art with Abel and Arely.