March 10, 2014 (Week 82)

March 10, 2014

Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan.

Haha. Finally got to swing from a vine. Funner than it looks. Fun videos, but too big to send. Another fun trip to Ruiz Cortinez with Jairo. He got mad Sunday and didn't want to go to church. That made me happy... He didn't even know why he was mad. This week was a pretty big disappointment. We worked soooo hard and found new people, put baptismal dates, and worked like dogs climbing up hill after hill to find people, and then Sunday came, and nobody came. Everyone started lying, or putting excuses, or like crabs in a cage, started bullying their family members so they wouldn't go to church... that always makes my day!! Well, we at least have a few more people in teaching. But the crappy part is now they are gonna have to wait another week to get baptized. I hate moving forward dates.

It was sad with Jose y Blanca. He's now going with the Catholic church. He gave up. There's no hope in his eyes. I told him he's in the Catholic church now because its easier. If they never get baptized it's not gonna go well for them. They have had so many witnesses and blessings... Their 16 year old convert son bore his testimony. He's the only active member in his family, and started tearing up and saying its hard going to church alone every week, "I went to an activity and everyone had their parents, and I was there alone. I've always wanted a familia eterna, but I don't have it. I've always wanted to baptize my mom and dad when I was 16, but now I see they are opting for another path, and I know and they know it's not the right one". He bore his testimony about the church and then ended. His dad I don't even think heard him. I hope he did, though... but I want us all to remember just how nice we have it. We enjoy the blessings of an eternal family and I think a whole lot of the time we don't even realize it, or are grateful for it. One of my tactics in a contact is to tell the people what their priest or judge says when you get married...Until death do you part. Have we thought about that? EVERY SINGLE PERSON that has ever lived, unless they accept, will never be with their family forever. It's something rather dramatic that I don't think we as members even realize... well, just think about the blessings we enjoy. Man. It's pretty crazy. We have work to do.

 

I love you all, you are in my prayers, and I know the Lord answers prayers. We just have to ask, wait, and listen for the answer. But it will come. Have a good week, take care of all the new chamakos [babies] in the family... haha. You all keep saying there is more, and I'm just saying I'm fine down here [without all the new nieces and nephews!].

Elder "Tarzan" Mortensen.

March 3, 2014 (Week 81)

March 2, 2014

Robin hood and little john runnin through the forest,... Don't know the rest... haha

 

Great show, and fits pretty well last Monday. We went running through the jungle and bouncing around in a truck to get to cola de caballo, y Posa Reyna [Waters of Mormon]. Pretty cool. I wanna go back already and swim haha.

 

This week, Julio got baptized! Man that was a cool baptism. Apart from being the only one this change, it was cool. When I first met him, he was apostate and said the Book of Mormon is a straight lie. The next time, he had read, prayed, and was completely changed haha. It was super cool. Gave up cigarettes, and alcohol. And when he was sitting down in his white clothes to get baptized I asked him if he was ready, and he said I've been ready for a long time. It was super cool to hear that from him. That's when you know someone is converted or not. When they look to the day of their baptism like it's the only thing they have ever wanted to do in life.

Jose y Blanca got pretty hard. She wants it sooo bad, but Jose has given up. It's sad. Its not all Joses fault. She hasn't come to church, and I straight up told them that's why you haven't been baptized, because you haven't made the sacrifice to come. Pretty sad, I guess we will be working less with them... we had 7 people in church this week. that was sooooo nice. Jairo and Carla came by themselves. They are starting to make it a habit and it will help them so much to get through this next period. I'm sure hoping they can get married here soon. We also found a woman looking for someone else, but she has been waiting for this gospel alllll her life. She knows it and I know she knows it. She came to church and the baptism and I know she's next. It was cool to see her face. Brought a young couple to church. I didn't see them too much, but Elder Anderson sat by them and said she is gonna get baptized. He knows it. Just the way they were in church makes it all. I reallly hope so. We've now been sworn before Elder Oaks that we are gonna baptized every week in April and henceforth.... welll. It's a promise! Gotta start working! Wasn't the best week for lessons or anything. Nobody was home or they were just straight jerks. One guy told me to stop bothering him when he was watching how the earth got made by the big bang hahaha. I'm sure he's catholic... Do you think God made the earth? THAT'S WHAT I'M WATCHING AND LEARNING. SHUT UP AND LEAVE! 

 

Well, my new compañero is...... Elder Parco, from Texas. AY AY AY!!! What do I need to learn from Americans?? His parents are from Korea I think, but it's cool. He's super humble and has been baptizing like 6 weeks straight. I'm excited to learn from him. Maybe my prayers have been answered. I guess we will find out! haha. It's sure been a wild ride with Elder Anderson. I'm glad we baptized once. 

Well, that sucks about BYU [not being accepted for Fall 2014]. Maybe the lord doesn't want me in his school hahahahaha. doesn't matter. I guess I'll find out what happens next. Alaska always did sound like more fun..

 

Love you all, hope you are all well, and mom don't break anything else!

 

Elder Mortensen

February 24, 2014 (Week 80)

February 24, 2014

You all have no idea how hard it is to write the letter home every week [in English]. It takes allll my brain power... I hope you can understand me! But we have been doing divisions with all the compañerismos en la zona. We are going to their areas and doing splits for a night. It's fun because you get out of the routine and can learn from someone else. I like being ZL for that. Lots of people to do divisions with.

This week has been pretty crazy too. Super duper fast... no me diga [don't tell me]. The headaches have gone away, but the after affects are still here. Man, the mission really takes its toll. Blessings though... back is crooked, hurts to breathe when to walk up hills, among other side affects, but I'm willing to do anything for the Lord. He's blessed me with so much, I've gotta give whatever I can to him. Time is running out... but still have a bit left :) Elder Anderson dies this week. freakkkkk.

 

We have been finding a few people lately, the redneck Jairo came to church with his wife and family alone and before most of the members. soooo cool! They are progressing, and they are wanting that eternal familia. They have friends that just got sealed did a 180 degree change in life and they want that too. He's so cool haha. Gonna get me a few skins from some giant squirrels hahahaha, but they are starting to get a testimony..

Julio is progressing really well. He is doing a whole lot of reading and he left behind cigarros and alcohol. Pretty cool. He's gonna be our miracle baptism for this change...

Jose y Blanca. man. They are going through soo much. The Lord has put them through the trial of faith, and I'm afraid their faith is failing them. He started drinking again,, and she's super sad. Man. The songs of a broken hearted mother. I don't have words for that. Keep them in your prayers. We are gonna keep working with them.

 

Remember, ask, and ye shall receive. Don't doubt that promise. I love the Lord and I love all of you. Enjoy the pictures of Salto de Eyipantla, next week. I hope to have photos of the famed Waters of Mormon. On that note, gotta go. Sorry it's been short, been "texting" Garrett and dad haha. Love you all.

 

Elder Mortensen.

February 17, 2014 (Week 79)

February 17, 2014

I'm so tired of shots in the butt. It doesn't even phase me...

"Drop your pants"

"ok." 

"Breathe"

"ok" 

"Sharp point"

"ow" 

"Have a good day" 

"ok"

 

haha.

 

[Brad told Conner they were expecting a little boy...]And I had hope for a better world with a little Shay, but a little Brad, man, I don't know.... hahahah no es cierto [it can't be true]. FELICIDADES!! [CONGRATULATIONS] I'm so stoked for you both. I think that's the funnest part of life. trying new things.  It's just that with parenting, you try it once and it's there for good hahaha. You'll be great papas [parents]. I've already decided I'm gonna speak pure Spanish to all the little ones so they obey me in a language you all don't understand hahahaha. Combinaciones secretas! [Secret Combinations] I'll be the best uncle there ever was. man. Thanks for the graphic images. Scarred for life....

 

Well.... This week I had 4 compañeros. Elder Anderson, Elder Lopez (Asistente), Elder Garcia, y Elder Madrid... haha. people were so confused. They thought Elder Anderson had already left but then another got there, and then I didn't go and then he didn't go, and man. we have no clue what's going on haha.

 

Divisiones with Elder Lopez were good. Taught me a few things and helped me with my teaching skills.  Man I don't know what it is with assistants but they loveeee putting their shoes in my hammock. I hate nothing more in this world. I think I'm gonna ban assistants from my hammock. We will see how that goes... Had to go to Veracruz to pick up my comp who worked in Veracruz for 2 hours the night before. 6 hours wasted for 2 hours of work. Makes a whole lot of sense to me haha... We almost got a couple married, but they couldn't get a dumb document from her little town, so they haven't gotten married. Real bummer because they marry people for free the 14 of Feb. Their testimony has gotten a lot stronger, and his job ends this week so they are gonna go to her little rancho to get married. I feel bad for them. Super poor. Gave a blessing to a man woman as well and we didn't feel good about it after... turns out the misioneras talked to him and he did a few deals with la santa muerte, or basically the devil. We have to go back tonight and rebuke whatever is inside of him because since he started talking to the misioneras, he's pretty close to dying. I'll let ya know how that goes.

 

Elder Garcia is really cool, he's Elder Boyds hijo [trainer]. Cool cat. He's gotta go home for medical problems. Got really bad disease from the humidity on his legs and other areas and it's really affecting his health. He's probably going home for a month this Friday and he will probably get changed to another mission after. The Lord has his way. Too bad though. He's a really good elder.

Elder Madrid y Rubio started butting heads so we did divisions Saturday to Sunday. Walked a ton through 3 pueblos. Pretty cool area. He's a cool kid. I've been in like 5 zones with him. He has 2 months left. Sunday we woke up and went back to San Andres.  Elder Merrill stayed the night, Elder Nelson has salmonelis again... poor guy. That really sucks. I don't think he's as bad as Elder Lehikain yet. And oh yeah, remember that crystal clear lake water from la laguna encantada? Yeah, Elder Madrid told me that the water in Cerro de las Iguanas comes from that lake. Drinking water because they are all poor. I had like 3 huge cups of koolaid water. Man I sure hope my stomach can handle that haha. Estomago de BURRRO [Stomach of a Donkey]!!!! hahaha

We found Julio. 25 years old, the first time we saw him he told us blatantly, I think the Book of Mormon is a lie. Now he has read it, loves it, and is gonna get baptized 2/3/14. We are hoping Jose y Blanca can get married too in her pueblo to get down in the waters of baptism that day too. We can only hope... faith and hope. The Zone is lacking a lot in those aspects. They don't have the urgency to find people. Man. We've gotta undergo some serious modifications. Only through prayer...

 

We brought Jairo and Carla to church. He's the biggest redneck I've ever seen in Mexico. I want to baptize them soooo bad haha. He always goes hunting iguanas or armadillos or somethin exotic in the jungle then comes back, works on his truck and drinks corona beers haha. I want this guy to get baptized. Redneck converts. He actually does have potential. We missed the sacrament because we had to go and help them realize why they had to come to church. Man I hate those Sundays. We got there just in time to see the door close and the prayer start. Man. I hate how that feels. It's the only important thing to do in the week anymore. Oh well.. another long week. As much as I hate how they close the doors and don't open them anymore I like it too. It teaches us about the 10 virgins. Are we really ready? Or will we be left out? Always something to think about...

 

Gotta go. Love you all. Otra vez, FELICIDADED [Again, Congratulations] BRAD Y SHAY!!!! I'm sooooo stoked for you two.

 

Elder Mortensen 

February 10, 2014 (Week 78)

February 10, 2014

[Told Conner the Jazz beat Miami]Classic Jazz.. beat the best, lose to the rest. haha. If only they'd get as stoked up to fight the other teams we might actually have a team! yeah. [Told him how grateful we are to have a mom who keeps a clean house] Mom really does keep a clean house. It's hard for me to keep a small apartment clean, let alone a house immaculate! haha... but yeah. she does a lot. Gotta get me someone like her! There are too many houses that are just horrendous down here. I mean horrible. A little 1 year old baby threw up on the dirt floor. Her mom patted her on the back and said, "it's ok, here's some Coca Cola." We were amazed at the amazing motherhood down here. So enjoy some time with mom. You picked a great wife. Enjoy some quality time with her Mr. Mom [Kristy broke her arm this week]. haha I bet that song has a whole lot more meaning.

 

[Told him about running errands Saturday, including a stop at the 7-11 for a slurpee] 7-11.... man. real quick. I had another dream about Mountain Dew. The whole zone was drinking it, but I was fasting. I said "nahhh mañana [tomorrow]!" and bought a ton. Mañana came.... and then I woke up. I was so angry. No wonder I have migraines!

 

Well, this week things got rough, then a lot better. We are working with more patience and I think things are more relaxed between the two of us. Which is good because I have not had time to breathe. I've had a migraine since last Sunday. I've been getting shots in the butt every day. Complete B cortisone shots to unswell the brain a titch. Man, migraines are horrible. Sure makes it hard to focus I'll tell you that much. We have been working hard and praying hard. Trying to talk to more people every day. Elder Johnson told us we aren't to walk out of a single house without another name of a person to teach. It's really helping the members get a little involved. And we are getting more people to teach. More seeds, more crops, more fruit. We are having difficulties adjusting to the new way to teach. We have to teach God is our loving Father in Heaven,  but super good, super thorough.  We realized this week that we only finished the restauracion 1 time, and got the church of Christ 3 times. There won't be any progression and there isn't anywhere the Spirit can testify and say Joseph Smith really saw God and the church and the blessings are here again... if we never teach it. We are feeling some pressure from the president and the assistants. It's normal. We hardly are having results. Something's gotta give. We are just gonna keep praying and changing and being obedient. It's the only thing we can do. What else happened this week...

 

Did divisions in Baxcatbaltepec this Saturday. At 7:15 we came sneaking through the window, haha. Kinda fun being ZL for that reason. We can just do stuff like that. I worked there for the day, and came back at night. He [Companion??] told me it helped to see me teach, and to know I was there because I cared and wanted to work and not just judge and evaluate. I hope so. I figure it's one of my only strengths. We need to instill more energy in the zone, verfiry [testify] better, and just work harder. God has blessings for us, just gotta wait and progress.. I guess that's a blessing of another calling, the chance to progress. 

 

Well, I love you all. Que les vaya muy bien [Hope all goes well, good luck].

 

Mom, take care of yourself, don't make me hide your pills :)

 

Love you, Elder Mortensen

February 3, 2014 (Week 77)

February 3, 2014

So Dad was a ZL. We are gonna talk about the mission when I get home, eh! I didn't even know that. It'll be interesting to talk about the two missions!

Well this week, I went to Veracruz to a concilio [council]. Pretty cool being in a room with president and 20 other elderes. I learned a lot. Other than that, we talked about what was gonna happen Viernes [Friday] when Elder Johnson came. Area 70 Presidente. Powerful. He came Friday, I was able to play the piano at that meeting, (pretty cool stuff) then he started talking. It was pretty spiritual. He knows what he's talking about. Friday just made me want to get out and baptize the world, but the door broke, and we ended up being in the apartment after until 6. 3 hours waiting for a locksmith. That's a good way to kill the attitude, haha.

 

Saturday we went to another conference in Veracruz. Just the leaders of the mission, like 80 people. He then talked about Lehi's dream and explained it all to us. Then, with love, asked us questions about which group we are in, group two, that made it and fell away, or group 3, that lasted. It was pretty powerful... He said what we learned on the mission has everything to do with what we do when we get home. Pretty powerful. I wish I could tell you more. I don't know where the time goes!!! It's insane! I sure do love you all. Know that I know that the Lord lives, and that he loves us. The knowledge we have is sooo important. Share it with everyone!

 

I really am sorry I can't tell you all, but we are already late to start the day.

Mortensen Elder 

January 27, 2014 (Week 76)

January 27, 2014

Welcome to the Jungle.

Haha I'm here. In San Andres Tuxtlas. It's down south by the ocean by Catemaco and stuff. The city is called San Andres, Tuxtla. I went from one extreme of the mission to the other, haha. It's hot, but not too bad. Still January, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

 

Were you a ZL dad? What advice do you have for me? Haha and no cars [I asked Conner if the Zone Leaders had cars for their area]. I have two. They are shoes, and have custom holes in the bottom. hahaha. It's pretty poor down here. Humble. and no I've always wanted to come down here. I've always heard about Tuxtlas and stuff and wanted to find out. Its super beautiful. Basically what I meant is it's the last area in the mission I haven't been to. Tuxtepec, Veracruz, Tierra Blanca, y Los Tuxtlas. The 5 main areas. So I'm super blessed to be down here. But I'll have one more area before dying. This is my 5th change.

 

Elder Anderson is pretty cool. He's from West Jordan. We came all this way just to meet someone that lived down the street a bit haha. I have no idea what the Lord wants me to learn from all these gringo compañeros. Freak, it's a little annoying, haha. I just want to speak Spanish for more than one comp at a time. It would help to have like 2 or 3 comps to keep the fluidity. Down here its just a rama [area]. They don't have the numbers necessary to be a ward and stake, so they are all branches. They are missing out on a lot of blessings... They don't have high priests or bishops or anything. Mi rama [my area] is pretty small but pretty cool. We are working super hard. Elder Anderson isn't dead which is good, but he's close to home which doesn't make it easy. He is trying to stay away from the end, haha.  Well, Elder Johnson is coming this week. I've gotta go to Veracruz twice and get a nice planch from El presidente del 70 de mexico jaja.... woo! I'm excited. But it's always a real eye opener to get planched and motivated by a 70 haha. Helps keep the mission flowin! 

 

We have a few good investigators, but none of them came to church! One guy was crying and asking how he could come to know God and what he had to give to be baptized, and all we said was come to church and pray. 6 people said without fail they would be there, but nothin'. That sure was frustrating! Well... It's time to head out for the week. I'll try to take more fotos later on. que les vaya muy bien [hope all is going well, good luck].

Elder Mortensen