Week 92

Hola Everyone!

So this week was definitely a tough week because of the fiesta del pueblo (Mexico town celebration) - like the entire city of Juchitan has a party the whole month of may so there's usually not very many people in the homes. But thank goodness the party is almost over!! Anyways, despite the fact that it was a tough week, we as a mission and companionship have been looking for MIRACLES in our every day lives here - and my goodness, we sure have seen them!!

So like I said, this week was super, super slow. We had many appointments planned out, and we went house to house realizing that NOBODY was home. But we didn't give up. We kept looking and looking for more and more people to teach. We ended up having some really awesome lessons with a few of our investigators!! We put a few baptismal dates as well as we were super excited! As you can see, that is DEFINITELY a MIRACLE, especial here in Juchitan during the fiestas!!

So during the week we invited EVERYONE that we could possibly invite to go to church. Not many of our investigators made it. We just had three and we had invited probably a solid ten people. So we were pretty down about that. But just to show that miracles DO EXIST, we got a call from our Mission President and he told us that in one of the areas - Union Hidalgo - they had just taken out the missionaries, but he told us that a young kid was ready to be baptized! So we went and visited him immediately after he called us and he will be baptized next week!! Goodness, miracles sure do exist, that is for sure!!!!

I love you guys all so dang much. I know that this is the ONLY true church - The Church of JESUS CHRIST! I know that the Book of Mormon has POWER to CHANGE the lives of those around us, but more importantly to CHANGE OUR LIVES!! I hope you all have such an amazing week and that you can all see MIRACLES in your lives this week!!

Elder Blake

Week 91

Hola Everyone!

Sorry I don’t have much time so this is going to be a really short message. But anyways, this week was great and we finished it with a boom!! We had Stake Conference here and Elder Pino of the Seventy and one more Seventy was there! Goodness, the spirit was so dang strong there, that is for sure!!

And just a few super funny things that happened with my first and only American companion! So we were going to buy orange juice in the morning. They always sell it here and it’s so dang good. And like out of nowhere, this guy started telling us he’s like killed 5 Mormons and he’s going to kill 5 million more. So that was super interesting. And then we were just walking down the street to an appointment and some guys in a car about hit us on purpose! They drive off like crazy calling us a lot of awesome names - haha!!

It was a great week and I love to be here in the mission. It’s so awesome. And I also love my new companion, Elder Johnson! We’re having a heck of a good time working in the Lord’s work here in Juchitan!! I sure do love you all so much and I hope you all have an amazing week!!

Elder Blake

Week 90

Hola Everyone!

Well, it's been another good, crazy, insane week here! So we were supposed to have two baptisms this week, but they both fell through. And it literally broke our hearts, that is for sure! But one of them fell through because of physical problems, so she will be baptized here on the 25th! We are also working with so dang many other families here, so that they can COME to Christ! And it's just such a blessing as we do so!!

My companion and I also had the amazing opportunity to talk yesterday in church. Yes, they did let us know Saturday - Saturday night at about 10:00 - but that just teaches us that we need to be ready at ALL TIMES!! Anyways, we both talked and took about 15 minutes each and we shared powerful testimony! I told my companion before we gave our talks that if we can just touch the heart of ONE person and help them want to make changes in their life than we did our job! And as we finished up an amazing Brother (his name is Brother Pedro) came up to us. We actually helped him get reactivated as a member because he wasn't going to church. Anyway, he congratulated us for our talks and told us that we are two powerful missionaries! Hearing his words gave me goosebumps and helped me realize that by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass!!

Goodness, I sure do love all of you so dang much and I sure do love my family so dang much as well!! Keep on keepin' on! This is the ONLY path that will lead us back to our Heavenly Father and I sure do know that is true!! I love you all so much. Have a super amazing week!!

Elder Blake

Week 89

Hola Everyone!

It’s been another great and exciting week here in good ol Juchitan!! I sure do love this place! Anyways, we have had a few heart touching experiences this week - well I know that I sure have been touched!

So to start it off, I got to eat lunch today with President and Sister Conde. Goodness, what an awesome blessing that was! We had a challenge in the Zone to see who could memorize the most scriptures. And Sister Conde told us that the prize would be getting to eat lunch with President Conde. So I put my goal right away that I was going to eat lunch with President Conde and the Lord blessed me to be able to today!

Well, we have been working and working here in our area and we have seen many fruits of our labors! This week we should have two more baptisms - Sister Anaberta and Brother Esteban!!

Anyway, an amazing experience we had was sharing our testimonies on Sunday! As Jacob of old and Elder Holland of todays’s time has said, but BOLD we must be!! So hearing this all of the members testimonies on Sunday and every Sunday since I’ve been here in the mission learning, I have learned that a lot of members do not know how to share their testimonies, let alone what a testimony is. So we shared our testimonies on Sunday and as my companion and I shared our testimonies, I could feel the spirit testifying of the truthfulness of what was said!

Our amazing Mission President once taught us that the Holy Ghost will not testify that we love our families and that we are grateful to be members of the church. But the Holy Ghost WILL testify that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, that He loves us, and that He has called President Nelson today to lead and guide us. That Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ and that he restored that gospel once again on earth! That he also received power and authority from Peter, James, and John! And also that the Book of Mormon is true! I have learned that we need to focus our testimony on JESUS CHRIST, our SAVIOR and REDEEMER! I know that as we do this, as members of the church, we will have more powerful sacrament meetings and we will strengthen our testimonies by hearing the testimonies of everyone else!

We also had a heart touching experience as we listened to a Sister and her family share their testimony last night as we held a family home evening in her home. As she concluded, Sister Benita told us how grateful she was to have the presence of two missionaries in her home, she told us that she could see the Light of Christ in our eyes and that just us being in her home brightened her day!

I know that I'm not even close to perfect. I have sinned many times, but I know that I’m trying my best to be better. For that reason, even though I do fall very often, the Lord has blessed me and my companion! I love you all so very much and I hope you all have such an amazing week!!

Elder Blake