Hey fam!

So here's the list for the week:

We did not have very good numbers this week for some odd reason...

We had a really cool conference thing with the ward council and a member of the 70 of the area!

We had transfers today, but both me and the comp are staying again! Woo hoo!

I had a really cool experience with repentance this week and the sacrament:) I think I finally realized how we use the sacrament. Ever day we have to ask ourselves if we have sinned, and every day we have to repent. at the end of the week, before we partake of the sacrament, we ask ourselves the baptismal qs, found in the back of a missionaries planner. If you can answer all of the questions in the affirmative then you are worthy and ready to take the sacrament, and experience the atonement:) I really feel like I was able to do that this week:)

So I had a really good bday:) I opened up Julie's package, which is absolutely incredible, got cake from some members, and just had a good day:)

Well I really don't think that anything else to exciting happened...or did I already say that I can now make tortillas from straight up corn on the stock? Well I can.

I love you guys!

Elder Paz

 Hey fam!

This week was really good. We had some really awesome lessons that I will never forget in my whole life!

So my favorite lesson this week was with one of our investigators named Candalaria. Candalaria is very poor, as in one of her walls is made out of flattened out cardboard. Knowing her poverty, I obviously was a little nervous to each the law of tithing, but I knew that I had to be strong and show my faith for her so that she too, could have the faith to complete with the law of tithing. So when we got to her house, we asked her what she thought about the pamphlet that we had left in the previous appointment. She then proceeded to tell us about how she really wanted to live this law, but did not know if she could do so and feed herself and her husband, who has a disease and has not been able to work for the last 15 years, at the same time. Oh how my heart went out to her! We then told her a little more about the law of tithing and it`s history, shared experiences, and bore our testimonies about how we will be blessed if we live the law. What great faith she has! She told us that she will live the law of tithing after she is baptized! I have a such great love for this woman and am so glad that I have had the opportunity to teach her!

Me and Elder Mora also have gotten loads better at teaching together. I feel like we work very well together and am so glad he is my companion!

Our progressing investigators seem to have moved over to our other towns in our area. We now have one baptism from them, and 4 more investigators that are progressing really well. I really feel like we could have another set of missionaries to work that other area! The work is really starting to progress!

I love this people so much! I am so glad that I even have this opportunity to be a part of their salvation!

Also we baptized Miriam this week!!!!!!!! So cool!!! It`s really special if you know her circumstances: she was a Jehovah`s witness. So on Monday she was excommunicated and now is basically shunned by ALL of her family and friends. What awesome faith she has! She`s one of those converts that will be completely active for the rest of her life!

Also we started the process of making tortillas from scratch at a members house this week. By that I mean that this week we got whole corns on the cob and took off all the kernels with our bare hands. This week on Wednesday we are going to grind it all up by hand:) is is goin` to be metal.

So I would say I had a pretty awesome week! I sure as heck fire hope that you guys did too!!:) I love you all a ton!!

Elder Paz

Elder Pass

 Hey how's it goin folks!!:) So this week was wicked fast...not really sure where it went.

So I am getting really excited for the baptism of Miriam this week!!!!! So exciting to have the opportunity to baptize someone, especially when they are a Jehovah's Witness...:) She is so awesome!!

So we went to a part of our area called Ulapa this week. It was scary. It is exactly like Othello. Exactly. I got there and I was like, did I just go home? It really felt like I went home for a dew hours. Between the farms, cattle and canals, I felt like I was just out of town in Othello again. Anyways we met this guy who was a riding his mule around and talked to him for a little bit. He told us that he doesn't have a house, he just sleeps outside with his cattle. And I was like, I respect that.

Went to Pachuca again today. I bought 6 boxes of cereal at Walmart.

Elder Mora still likes to talk my ear off...

We only have 2 more weeks left in this transfer...

Elder Jones and I talk a lot...

Well to be completely honest I cant think of anything else to exciting that happened to us this week...really weird...

I feel really bad for not writing too much...I'll make it better next week fo sho:)

I love y all so much!!!!:)

Elder Paz

 weeellll this week was a good one..:)

here's what happened:

So here's some funny stuff that my companion does.

He eats one thing on his plate at a time. like first the chicken, and then the salad, etc.

when he has cereal, he has a regular amount of milk, but then he has 1 layer of milk over the top. so like 30 pieces of cereal. and the milk isn't the problem...i have no idea why

he always interrupts me when I'm talking. like ill be talking about one thing, and then he'll just butt in and say something about something that we talked about 5 minutes ago

he absolutely loves talking about Columbia. and his family. like very excessively. sometimes I just don't respond...and he still keeps on talking.

he also always talks in these voices that are supposed to be funny...

well I really do have a good companion, but he has some interesting habits:) there are many more...

so we are teaching a blind guy right now named marco that we think will really progress!

oh so last week I didn't tell you that I lost my wallet... I had no idea where it was. it just wasn't in my pocket when I put my pants on one morning. so I was without some things for over a week, some very very important things that I should not of been carrying around with me in the first place. so I was kind of a little bit worried this week. so then yesterday we were eating at a members house and one of them came down holding my wallet. i then very astoundingly asked him where he got it. he told me that he recouped it or something, i think he works for the police here, and that it was found on a bus. And here's the best part. it still had everything but some money that I had in it in the wallet!!!! it was incredible!!! an awesome answer to my prayers! So my lesson? I don't carry my wallet with me anymore:)

oh I ate heart this week! it had an interesting texture...

also I found out that the church is just another branch of the government and that we as missionaries are working to bring the world under US rule.

Our Jehovah's Witness is doing awesome and we are baptizing this week or the next! 

The mission is really awesome. I am learning so much right now that I cant even describe. It really is more than a blessing. I don't think I can describe how great it is:)

we had a really cool experience this week. so my comp was having some incredible}y intense back pains. like he almost through up from pain. we weren't really sure what to do, so we just said a prayer. after his pain decreased rapidly and the next morning he woke up with very little pain!! How real God is!

Well that's about it folks!!:) I love you all tons and hop that you have a splendid week!!:)

Elder Paz

 Soooo this week we had changes! My new comps name is Elder Mora (blackberry). He is from Columbia, and he's a fruit. I'm not joking that was my first impression of him and then I saw his suitcase, it is completely purple. Yup. Luckily I know that he has a girlfriend. So he has some interesting tendencies...like he always is doing something that includes his mouth when he is thinking alone. he also loves loves loves to talk. like nonstop. Dad you would hate him as a child:) Buuuttt he is much more obedient than my old comp and we work harder:) However that being said I wish we could have some more fun. He is not serious, buutttt his humor isn't my humor:) I find myself laughing at a lot of stuff he does though...:) Oh and he wants to know what part of Columbia uncle Robert served in?

Oh and somethin cool, elder ford my comp from the mtc is in my zone!

So we got 3 new investigators in one day this week!

Oh my comp says my Spanish is really good, and he told me without knowing my roots that I have a Spanish, as in Spain, way of pronouncing things;)

Well not to much else happened this week, except the Americans won for the 3rd time in a row this week against the latinos in our weekly zone soccer game:) oh and we won like about 20 to 5:)

Well that's pretty much all that happened this week...until next week!

Elder Paz

 To be completely honest I have absolutely no idea where this week went...there wasn`t even any big events...oh well here`s the cool stuff that happened:)

So we ended up having a miracle slash gift baptism this week...so what happened is one of the youth in our ward had there records lost and was trying to go to the temple, soooooo we got to rebaptize her and it counted as a convert:) I am not like extremely focused on numbers but it was pretty cool:)

So I forgot to tell you guys that the suit factory for JC Penny and JO S Bank is in my area, sooo basically I can buy a suit for about 55 dollars. A suit that probably would be about 200-400 in the store...I think I`m gonna go for it:) I`m thinking about a charcoal colored one...

So we have 2 golden investigators. One of them is actually a Jehovah`s witness...crazy! So she is actually progressing a ton, and its pretty cool, because I realized this week that if you believe in Christ, then the Church makes a ton of logical sense:)

So we have transfers this week! And my companion is going! I'm going to miss him, but I am excited to take over our area and see how hard I can work:) We have our transfers on Tuesdays, so Ill find out tiomorrow...my comp thinks I might train...it would be awesome and I know I would learn a bumload:) It actually is quite possible because I heard that there are about 40 missionaries coming in, and there are only 120 missionaries or something in our mission...whatever it is I know that I will trust in what the Lord has in store for me!!:)

Well that`s all folks! Until next week!

Elder Paz

 What a weird week! Here`s why:

Like I said before, I have quite an impressive amount of cereal. Let`s just say I have enough to never repeat a cereal in a week. Boom.

Also I got peaches:)

I will have a stone dragon on my doorstep when I have my own house.

I have found a store that sells cheese puffs in bags the size of a 12 year old. I do not exaggerate.

The language is coming!!!

I found a giant meat grinder, like 3 times the size of the one at home. And real cheap too, like 60 bucks. 

This is the last week of this transfer...bien rapido!

We played soccer today. My team consisted of 5 gueros and 1 mexicano. The other 1 guero y 5 mexicanos. We destroyed them. What`s up:)

Sooo my favorite lesson to teach to less actives is the familia: a proclamation to the world. Its so clear when we study that what we need to to to have success and unity in our families! We just need to apply all those things and we will be incredibly happy as families:)

So we had exchanges I think its called in English, and my comp for the exchanges was sick, so we were in the house all day...stunk.

Sooo we had the baptism this week of Yazaira, it was...interesting:) So here`s the deetsa for why:

we couldn't open the door to the boiler, so the water was super cold

because of this, the dad didn't want to baptize

also my companion wasn't there because we did mini exchanges with members from the ward. so I'm here with her dad for 15 minutes having no idea what to do. finally the comp got there. he did some persuasion and we ended up going for it.

so also by now the whole family kinda mad. 

so I'm baptizing, so I get in the water, and then I realize how cold it is. so here I am with  a 9 year old to baptize, and freezing water. so she come s down, doesnt say a word. I say the prayer, and baptize her. now I don't know if she didn't understand the plug your nose part, opened her mouth, or it was just the shock of the cold water, but she came out about ready to die. I'm not joking I was really scared. so with the family's mouths open I very hurriedly rushed Yazaira out of the water apologizing about 50 times. So by the time I got changed and everything we were all good:) and that, was by first experience baptizing:):) Still cool though:)

Well that's all folks!

Elder Paz