December 16, 2013 (Week 70)

December 16, 2013

I swear the Relief Society teamed up to give us vegetables and beef in hot water and chicken in slimy gravy every single day this month. It's destroying me! haha.

 

Anyways, Deynni se bautizó [was baptized]. That was pretty cool. Still doesn't top last week, but she sure was converted. It was cool to see her change. She never had a single question for us!! Pretty cool. I love the Plan of Salvation question I made up... Hermana... are you prepared to meet God in this very moment? 99/100 times they say no and the Spirit tells them they need baptism, and they always say baptism and repentance. Read the scriptures Garrett and Riley.  I doubt it will ever click WHY the Book of Mormon has the fullness of the gospel until the mission but it will! It's crazy. Just read and study. Alma 34. Read that as a family. I love it in Spanish.

 

 

As for the weekly apostasy, the Catholics are straight crazy. The 12th of Diciembre is the Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe and boy are they nuts up here. From the 1st to the 12th, fireworks all night, parades, images, singing happy birthday to the virgin, motorcycles.. I've got nothin against the Catholics in the states but they sure are pretty crazy down here in Veracruz. As Maria (my convert) says: a whole bunch of fireworks and parades for the virgin and I bet not a single little firework for Jesus! haahaha. Man, it sure was difficult to sleep with parades at 2 in the morning outside of the house hahaha.

 

The time is going by so fast. Its 10:30 at night before we blink. I feel bad for Elder Cerna. He just started, haha. It's going by faster than I want it to. The days are over before we know it. Not a whole lot is happening. Just praying really hard and finding faith to keep working.

 

I love you all. Gotta go. nos vemos [see you later]!

 

Elder Mortensen

December 9, 2013 (Week 69)

 

December 9, 2013

Just read Alma 26 for me this week, and you'll be able to feel a small portion of what I'm feeling. Better yet, you'll read what I'm feeling.

 

David was a man that I contacted while waiting for a bus. I just knew by the way he looked at me I had to contact him. We did, he turned out to be gold. He is already in 2 nefi 20 in 3 weeks. He loves it. Giving us referencias every day of his family. Speaking of which, he brought his wife and two daughters to church, he says they got really excited about baptism and wanted to do it too. Called the President, he said yep, so.... he got baptized with his two daughters, Marisol, y Estrella Rubi.

 

Alicia is a woman de 25 años that works for a member. She had talked to misioneros before but was a strong catolica and said absolutely no to baptism, but we started up the lessons, taught her with the spirit, and now she's one of the stronger converts I have been blessed with. We are telling her she's going on a mission. She doesn't deny it, and brought 2 friends to church with her haha... She shared her testimony after baptism, and man was it strong.

 

Ruben, got baptized. I don't even know how to describe the feeling of being in the water... it's incredible.

 

Went to the temple and loved it. The new video is incredible. It makes me want to watch it in English though. the Spanish voices don't have the same attitude.

Everything is going really, really well down here. Elder Cerna is progressing fast, and loving the mission. I hope he's proud to call me his "papa" unlike my situation with my papa.... I've got news about Castañeda... just know I've had a weird mission, that's all. The Christmas devotional was great. I loved Nelson's talk. It was great. A 70 came to our stake and planched the members a good one for their lazy work. Us missionaries got off scott-free haha. He comes back in January to talk to the misioneros. I won't get too excited yet... haha.

 

I've got lots of stories for you all, just no time. Let's see how many I can get out on skype. Love you all.

 

Elder Mortensen

December 2, 2013 (Week 68)

December 2, 2013

Hola familia!

Well... we went on another hike today. Another 8 hours, haha. I'm not gonna tell you all what happened or send home fotos of the hole in my arm haha.... That's a story for when I get home hahaha. But it was superrrrr sweet. We went bounding off and I found me another river to wade in haha. Really beautiful country.

 

As for la obra misonal [missionary work], Maria and Rosalia are so converted they cry like mom every time the Spirit is present. It's amazing. I'm so happy for them, and they are really happy too. Ruben has never been better and his interview is Wednesday. David is going to get baptized too, and Alicia. WHAT A WEEKEND THIS SHALL BE!!! 

 

I can't wait to see you all this month. This weekend we are going to the temple so I'll let you all know how that goes.

 

I did get one package. It got "searched" for drugs, soooo... I already know what you guys gave me for Christmas. hahaha freaking tools opened all the gifts... hahah. Send a list of what is in the two packages... Gracias.

 

We got kicked out of the house by our crazy owner, but we moved to the next house, and it was super super small... so, we called the troops, said sorry for coming from Mexico City, but we don't want it. We are gonna get rid of our stuff and go back home... The owner repented and kept the rent normally like it is for another 6 months. freak... What a mess! Slept at 2 last night... tired as gale right now hahah....

 

Love you all, wish I had more time
 

November 25, 2013 (Week 67)

November 25, 2013

Well this week, has been yet another that has come and gone like a snap of a finger, and my friend Keyan already went home... He sent me a picture of his new girlfriend... his KTM 350 [dirt bike]... Oh man, I'd take her over a girl anyday... gee whiz! But anyways the point being, I can't believe he is already home... I'm getting on the countdown too. I don't really want it to end, but we are all talking about coming home a few weeks early. Mom I need you to get in touch with Hermana Smith to find out que in RAYOS [all the details] is goin on with college hahaha.

 

We baptized Avelina. My companion got his first baptism of the mission. That's pretty freakin' cool that all this is happening... it's cool that this time last year I had baptized my first,and we are getting ready to go to the temple. Just this time I'm DL and trainer... Funny how the Lord works. The bishop wasn't too happy we baptized her so fast but I wasn't gonna wait! I wanted her in and she wanted it more than me so we baptized her after stake conference. Ruben and Maria and Rosalia were all crying and Ruben gave me a hug after and told me it's time. It's time for his baptism. I've been working with him, practicing how to tell his friends and brain NO. JUST NO. I DO NOT WANT THAT BEER. I realllly reallllyy hope he gets baptized. I've been waiting for this moment for 11 weeks... just 2 more to go... pray hard for him please. I'm not supposed to ask you guys this but please fast for him (in part) this weekend. He needs the strength. He always falls and drinks in week 3 of his 21 day probation. It's all Satan but this week that's coming up will be week two going to three...

 

It's incredible. We will have 5 baptisms, maybe 6, in the next 2 weeks. This was an area that baptized 1 or 0 a change. man. SO BLESSED.

 

I feel so incredible right now. So humble and so ready to meet God... I just hope I have a good long life ahead of me... but a life without God isn't a life for me now... I feel loved here. Something I haven't felt too much in other areas. But real love. And I feel real love for this people.... I don't know what else to tell you all... Really I can't remember much... just be grateful for what we have. Life goes fast... man.

 

SHOUTOUT to my brother Brad, the biggest sports nut on the planet. Felicidades amigo. espero lo mejor para ti. Realmente me gustaría que tenga esta oportunidad... [Congratulations friend. I hope the best for you. I would really like to have this opportunity]

And hey, I hope Brad gets his gig on sports radio... We all know Brad has a face for radio... ;)

nah. Love you bro echale ganas. Les quiero mucho a todos,
 

[Brad was able to work some tickets to an event sponsored by a sports talk radio station and he and I were able to watch the BYU vs. Notre Dame game with former BYU stars John Beck and Jonny Harline and about 20 other people.  Brad was part of a segment on the radio and the hosts had a good time with it and are considering working with some internship at the station.  Pretty cool to even get invited for something like that!]
 

To the familia, love you lots. December is coming soon. And I think I have a super chill American couple to eat Thanksgiving with and his mom and dad are coming down to eat Thanksgiving dinner and they invited us. I hope turkey and stuffing... and hmm..... Mashed potatoes... Gravy... mmm... :)

Elder "el unico [the only]" Mortensen.

November 18, 2013 (Week 66)

November 18, 2013

Ey que onda familia! mucho tiempo sin vernos eh! [Hey Family, what's up? Long time no see!]

 

Well. This week was pretty uneventful. Working hard. Finally had a good normal interview with president, haha. I don't like it when we have interviews and there is a problem... haha. It doesn't go well for me. 

 

We were praying pretty hard for some newbies. The tanks were pretty dry. The Lord left us without hope Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, when a man looked at me funny while we were waiting for a bus. I felt like I should contact him, so did. He's straight escogido. (chosen). Loves the Book of Mormon, came to church, and has his baptism for the 8th of December. Wow. The next day we found a woman who just didn't get baptized cause she hurt herself and the elders left her, but now she's gonna get baptized this Sunday. That's pretty cool.

 

A girl that is 12 years of age all of a sudden wants to get baptized, but then the bishop told me Tuesday she's gonna get baptized Friday, she's already got the interview.. umm... what interview? WE have to do an interview. She's not a niña enscrita [child of record]! Sheesh. I've got a process to follow and I'm gonna teach her. Cancel the baptism. Nobody was happy but hey I don't want her sins over my head! Her dad is
a Pentecost preacher and doesn't like the Mormons at all because all of her children got baptized before 18 in secret. It's a pretty powerful familia here in Mendoza, and I'm pretty sure I angered them, but who cares. I fear God. haha, but she's gonna get baptized this Wednesday.  It counts for us. That's the cool part haha.

 

I talked this Sunday. We both did. I talked about being an ejemplo [example]. It's funny. It was my comps first time and he told me he noticed my slight loving planch. I told him, that's all discoursing is... planching the ward, with love haha. My lider misonal [ward mission leader] got up and copied my talk. What a tool, haha. The example of the Anti Nefi Lehitas. Cool story. Gotta really love El Libro de Mormon [the Book of Mormon]. Which I do love more than The Book of Mormon. English bores me now. I hate reading it. It's hard helping Elder Cerna read English when I can't even remember it well, haha. Wait... what word? Zarahemla? Who knows? Say it in Spanish. Same thing haha.

 

Well. I think that's it for now. Man it's almost Christmas.Sheesh. And [Grandpa Mortensen's birthday] 89!?!wow!!!! tell him felcidades [congratulations]! I miss them a lot.A few short months and I'll see all four of them again. That's for sure. I hope I'm there for the 90th.

 

Love you all. Que Dios les cuide. [May God watch over you]

 

Elder Mortensen.

November 11, 2013 (Week 65)

November 11, 2013

Welll... Las Lauras got baptized. :) It was pretty cool. In the middle of the week they were still doubting a bit, but we ended up talking a bunch about it and got to the point where they accepted. My comp didn't say much, not like he could. They don't teach this stuff in the MTC, haha. I thought it was pretty cool how much the Lord has progressed me in the mission. Cool experiences when you talk with the Spirit. Makes it allll worth it.

 

[I questioned Conner why he baptized Maria and not Elder Bixler...]

But as for Maria, nah she said she felt like I needed to do it. I'm super happy. It was the best baptism I've ever done or had. Besides Esperanza. She will always be special.

 

I took the bus with Elder Bixler (for transfers) and I ended up seeing  Elder Westhoff one last time. I told you I was his only comp he had for a full 2 changes? Prettyyyy crazy haha. We had a good laugh about that. But me and Elder Cerna are working here. Trying to find new people to teach. That's always the key. You can't teach someone unless you have someone, haha. [I gave Conner a bad time about his companion doing all the cleaning...] And hey I'm not a pig by any means! It just means he is more punctual in getting things clean, haha. Ruben is gonna get baptized this weekend. I kinda want Elder Cerna to do it. I can give Ruben a hug outside of the font. I'm gonna have him do it.. 

 

Other than that, not a whole lot happened. Time is going super fast. It's pretty crazy....

Well... I'm gonna get out of this place. Some guy is screaming and swearing at his FIFA 2013. Good luck in life buddy.

 

Adios haha

 

Elder Monsters Inc.

November 4, 2012 (Week 64)

November 4, 2013

Well.... Red Sox did win. Man. Everyone was watchin it down here! Sheesh. Elder Bixler planched [got after] me a few times. "I'm only seeing the score calm down" haha.

 

I got me a newspaper from the day after. I'll save it for you guys to read. It's pretty cool.

Well.... Maria got baptized. And Hiossio. And Yetzabeth. And they got confirmed Sunday. I got to do the baptism of Maria and her confirmation. Wow. If THAT wasn't a neat experience... I promised her the blessing of a temple familia if she held strong. I felt impressed to say it. I want it to come true. I wish I could tell you all about it but its all just feelings. The only words are that they got baptized. It's just something that I feel. I can't describe it. But I know her and her familia will be active for the rest of their lives.

Laura y Laura should be getting baptized this weekend. Gonna fast I think. Man. I reallllly hope she does. She is kind of scared and indecisive. Only through el señor [the Lord]... only through Him...

 

As for Dia de Los muertos [Halloween], yeah they celebrate it. It's pretty pagan though. Literally. They put offerings up to their dead, and sometimes to statues and paintings of the Virgin Maria. It's a backwards pueblo down here... pretty nuts. They are all idol worshipers but won't accept it haha. It's sometimes dificil [difficult]. well.. all the time.

 

Not too much else happened this week. Training mi hijo [my Junior]. That's fun. The best part about him, he's patient, and a clean freak. My apartments have never looked so clean... hahaha. He's 25, from the state of Mexico. a town called Charco. He came out a little late because of work and saving money, but he's here and wants so bad to know everything. He always asks me to have patience with him. I tell him he's about the first I haven't had to have patience with haha.  He's gotta have patience with himself. He's a cool cat. Elder Cerna. I realized how crappy my Spanish had gotten. It's hard for my brain to hop back into 24/7 Spanish mode now...

 

Well. I have no clue what else to tell ya. Ruben drank, and he thought he was still on the same level as his famiila. I had to rebuke him for that. He doesn't get it yet. Oh well, we are planning a pretty hard lesson for him. The feel good stuff isn't working. As long as the Spirit is with me I can say what the Lord wants. Interesting experience with that.

 

Love you all. Que Big Papi Viva!

 

Adios. Elder Mortensen.