June 30, 2014 (Week 98)

June 30, 2014

"Well... yeah.  I testify to the truthfulness of my companions words. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Elder Winsor

Ok, well we are gonna keep talking about repentance, open your books to page..." - Me hahaha.

He always used to end every testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. It was funny. I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I told him just a few days ago. We all have our quirks when we start off, haha.

Well... I had one of the most interesting days of my mission Thursday. Can't give out all the details yet, but soon, The parts I can tell you is that we went to Veracruz to say bye to Presidente, That was weird. Adios Familia Treviño! I was gonna miss them until I found out that once he goes, he takes his rules with him. So Monday, before the new president puts out any rules, we are gonna play futbol and drink lots of coca cola, hahaha.

Another part was we saw the "death" videos of everyone going home in July. Man, I have like 2 friends left here.... everyone is leaving me! That's probably the worst part about dying. It kills me to write all my friends that have passed through to the other side of the veil haha...

I got a letter from Maria's family. Man. I was sooooo stoked. I got to call her on the sister misioneras phone for a few minutes :)

I saw Elder Cerna for the first time in 6 months. That was cool. Hijo Chamako Primogenito mio! [My firstborn kid] Ven pa aca! haha. My two hijos [Juniors]! Speaking of hijos, they met their grandfather, Elder Castañeda. He was at the temple working on it. That was interesting.... First time I've seen him in 18 months... I had to stay after for a while so I said bye to everyone and me and Elder Boyd and our two sons took off to Reforma. Boyd was in Laguna, the other side of Magisterio, so we went with converts to go eat. Naturally, I went with Aracely. Boy, was she surprised and happy to see me! That makes me feel good haha. We ate, and hung out for a little bit. Then she gave me a Mexico Jersey her husband bought for 60% or more off in the black market hahaha. that was soo cool of her, and Elder Winsor got to actually see what he only dreamed of seeing, but better than fotos. He got to go in to her house to take pictures [Huge Star Wars collection]. I really think that helped him a lot to get used to things here. Just a touch of normality was good for him. He loved it. I had fun haha. We took off and went to the Temple again to wait in the stake center to talk with a few people. Elder Castañeda ended work, and came over and we talked for quite a bit. That was interesting! but it was cool. He's pretty chill now.

We 8 went to the offices, me, Elder Boyd, and 2 other compañerismos to sleep the night. We had Little Caesers. Friday we woke up and finally got back to Tuxtepec at 12:30. 32 hour round trip. Man, long day. Got back worked, and worked, and worked some more. Ate tacos Saturday and drank a Mountain Dew to help get rid of the headache, but to no avail. Saturday night I didn't sleep much, and Sunday morning I woke up with the worst migraine of my life. I couldn't hardly move without it killing me. Got to church, stayed there for an hour, nothin. Got a shot, nothin. Even worse. I almost passed out actually... Pounding in my head... ay ay ay... after trying without success to sleep, I had to go to some clinic, another shot and a few pills. 5 hours later it took affect, and here I am, slight headache, taking pills, but here. They had to do a blood analysis, thought I might have typhoid or Salmonelosis. whew. quite the scare. I don't have anything but a nasty stomach infection. hmm. Cool beans. Sheesh. I know I have never been in prison like Paul or Peter, or never suffered like Aaron and his brothers, but that truth has not gone away. If you work hard, the Lord is gonna test you. So many trials and problems. I've never gotten so sick in all my life, and never so often... wow. Well, I'm a little better now. Just real grateful I don't have anything too bad.

Aracely is still going super strong! She's just waiting for her baptism. Man, that makes me happy :)

And Dad, I never did say anything for Fathers Day, I didn't even realize it was until people started telling me Monday and Tuesday they went to fiestas instead of church that I found out! Now it's a few weeks late, but still. Feliz Día del Padre! I've learned so much from you in these 21 years I've had, and I wouldn't trade your counsels or advice for anything, Even though everything helpful you've ever told me has always been "8 minutes later" I still appreciate it. You've been my model, and I'm happy to be a fraction of the man you are. Thank you for your example and for your time. I'm glad God gave me the chance to be born in your family.

Love, your son,

ELDER MORTENSEN

June 23, 2014 (Week 97)

June 23, 2014

Do chickens have large talons?...

Well, looks like i lost my checkbook, guess ill have to pay ya in change. - Napoleon Dynamite

Hahaha such a great classic. I felt like Napoleon Dynamite when I caught my chicken. They are gonna let me cut the head of one pretty soon here. Stay tuned for the foto hahaha. 

And I couldn't stop laughing at that quote from Shrek [Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Man, this would be so much easier if I wasn't COLOR-BLIND! -- Donkey]. that show never gets old.

And the "salsa that bites" is great stuff. ay ay ay pica pica me pica! Poor guy. He's never tried Mexican salsa. He has no idea. By the way, I did the same thing Elder Castañeda did to me and Elder Boyd. Here, here's a chilpaya, they are small, y no pica [not hot] hahahaha. He ate it. Classic! I can't believe I got that chance haha. 

This week was pretty hard for us. We worked our butts off. Well, I'm working my gut off. Never really did have a butt to work off. But a gut sí. I'm relief society power walkin this little guy off little by little. You should try it dad!

But yeah. Nobody was home, or didn't WANT to be home. That sucked. We couldn't see like 4 families this week. Frustrating, and a lot of walking to try again at later hours. Time to pull out the bible stories of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. They need to focus on the important things, and not so much the worldly commitments and things they have goin on.

Aracely is still going super strong, even though her life and family is still a mess. Her kids don't want to go to church for the "rules" but she says, because we didn't FOLLOW the rules, We are where and how we are! I'm so glad she gets it. The bishop almost "killed" [made them disinterested] like 3 of our investigators. Man. Sharing long boring bible stories or warning people they need to change doesn't strike much motivation to go to church. Not gonna be workin with him much more... that's always frustrating...  Beside that we found a few others who are really great. One of the which I think the bishop warned too bluntly. "I KNOW you've got sins. They are these these and these, and you need to REPENT, I'm always in my office at 5. You can come talk." OH BOY THAT'S GREAT! We had 5 in church this week, a few people are really progressing. That makes me happy.

I don't know what else to say. Elder Winsor went through culture shock this week when he tried to buy with pesos. The internet and shopping threw him over. Man. I had to teach all the lessons until Friday when I told him that I need my compañero. The spirit isn't present when there is only one person talking. We are working together so he talks more in the lessons, because the load is too big for one. I don't like teaching by myself anyway. Doesn't leave me time to listen or process or listen to the spirit. But now he's still pretty quiet, but knows what I want when I look at him in the lessons haha. Before he looked at me and said in English. "Wait, you want me to speak?" haha. uhhh yeah. He's sharing his testimony now. He needs to know he speaks better than he thinks. He just took to heart all the comments on how he doesn't speak much and now he doesn't talk. Ay ay. It's actually hard training an Americano. 

Mexico is playin right now in el mundial (World Cup) nobody listens to us when the World Cup is on haha. Quite the frustration and temptation! Gotta keep workin'.

Love you all. not much else to say. Going to Veracruz to say bye to presidente this week. That's too bad. Gonna miss la familia Treviño...

Elder Mortensen

June 16, 2014 (Week 96)

June 16, 2014

Well, let's get things straight here. Presidente wants my new hijo [Junior] to be a leader in the future. He just barely got here from the states haha. And is my second hijo in the mission. He has 2 weeks in the mission. Fresh greenie. haha. Poor kid. He's so frustrated. hahahaha. (I'm dying of laughter because I keep hitting the ñ and not the n hahahaha.) He's a good kid. Still in Narnia, but a good little 19 year old with white shirts. His name is Elder Winsor and he's fresh from Arizona. He speaks alright for his short time here, but conversation wise its not too fluent haha. It's been difficult for me to communicate myself, because I can't speak English to him. Which makes it even funnier for me, because I understand whatever nonsense or Spanglish he says hahaha. 

Other than that, I said bye, and got packed, and got on yet another ADO bus to good ol' Tuxtepec. It's the stake center for the Estaca Tuxtepec, I came here when I was in Carlos A. Carrillo, so I was somewhat familiar with it. Doesn't mean that it hasn't required a lot of work to familiarize myself with the huge area haha, but it's been a great test for me. Get to an area with white wash and an hijo. It's been a challenge. I'm pretty happy. We got here, and went with every little "seed" that bonilla [previous Elder??] left. I say "seed" because he hardly focused on baptizing (seeing that this change he's on his way out) and just focused on seeding. Great. haha. So we went to work, started teaching real lessons and inviting everyone we could to get baptized and putting dates. It was a great week for us and I know the Lord is happy with me for my work. That's really the trick to being happy. Gordon B. Hinckley said it thousands of times. If we wanna be happy, we should serve the Lord. Man, these last few months have been the happiest because I have hardly ever worried about me. I've literally forgotten about myself, and been 100% obediente, and now, I'm seeing blessings. I'm not tired, I still have more energy than before, and I'm really magnifying my calling. Presidente put an analogy out there about pure bred horses who give their last breath in the end. And that's me. I'm givin it my all. The weeks are few, the days are short, but I've gotta keep on goin. I know the Lord put me here for a reason, and I know I'm gonna be able to help a lot of his children reach baptism before the Lord sends me home.

 

We were studying in preach my gospel about finding people to teach, and the underlying message of predicad [preach] is that there are people that the Lord has prepared, and He wants us to find them. He will guide us to them or them to us, but we have to be spiritually prepared to see them, and the spirit so that they can "see us", if that makes sense. They can see me as a missionary of the Lord, or they can hear and see the Lord through me. There is a BIG difference. 

But especially there is a little story about a taxista [cabbie] in chapter 9 about how two missionaries contacted him, and he got converted etc. (President is good friends with him actually and he recorded a small video for us to see his testimony. Pretty cool.) But anyways, we took off Saturday morning to go see a taxista we contacted. He wasn't there, but his mom was waiting for us and let us in very quickly. She then started to explain her story. The house they are living in is abandoned. She and her 2 kids and daughter in law live in one room of the house with rats, and they don't have anything to eat. Water one day, and a roll of bread the next. Etc. Wow. Ok. She explained she is at rock bottom, and there is a wall between her and God she just can't climb over. She looks and tries and goes to a Christian church, but she just can't find her way out of the darkness. If that wasn't the coolest chance I've EVER had to testify about the gospel and the light of the truth I've ever had... I don't know what would be. Because the spirit was so strong. Through her tears she just said I've given up. We told her to never give up, and that the truth had been restored and the gospel was once again over the earth and the light had come once again, and we invited her to church. She accepted to come, get baptized, and to serve the Lord all her life. That's all. If the lord gives her the chance to serve, she will take it. I read in Mosiah 18 about the covenant of baptism and she said yes I'll do it. WOW.

If that didn't perfect my faith in that the Lord has been preparing people for me to teach I don't know what will. Because like Alma 32 says, my knowledge is perfect.

 

She came to church. and when she saw the other elders taking fotos of the person to be baptized, she said: when I get baptized I want fotos too.

CLARO QUE SI!!! wow. (of course)

That was a really, really cool experience. And to share the fun, the second counselor had given me the assignment to speak on Sunday about the theme: Do we know what we have? After that experience my testimony was pretty dang strong. I was able to tell the congregation about the darkness of the world and how our brothers and sisters still have no clue how to find their way out of the darkness... it was a really good discourse. I enjoyed it.

 

Man. what else... Inviting everyone to be baptized, workin hard...

Oh yeah. I'm gonna buy a hammock here from the local murderers and robbers in the prison... hahaha. They have nothing else to do so they make hammocks, and sell 'em for dirt cheap, and they are huuuge. All you gotta do is knock the prison gate, say you're here for a hamaka, and the officers come out with all the ones they have hahaha. I love Mexico.

The tacos here are $2.50 pesos here. Dirt cheap too. Needless to say, I've been eating a few.

Love you all, time is short. Gotta go. Pray for me. Much love.

 

Elder Mortensen, el Oaxakeño. 

(I'm no longer jarocho...)

Oaxakeño (people that live in Oaxaca)

Jarocho (Veracruzanos. o sea, the people that live in Veracruz)

June 9, 2014 (Week 95)

June 9, 2014

Well, I'm going to Oaxaca, Tuxtepec to die.

I got a call last night, my services are no longer needed as zone leader, I've got to now make a new kid into the next ZL or AP. The mission really needs leaders, and there aren't any, so Presidente trusts me to help this kid be a leader. I feel pretty honored really. It's cool to think that. Two elders are coming today to the mission, and like President said in my interview, it's probable that I train. Well, here's to the next Entrenador [Coach] Elder Mortensen. I'm sad, but at the same time happy. Now I can focus on my area, and my hijo [junior], and I don't have to worry about the entire zone. I think it'll be a great way to end the mission. Everyone in the zone was sad when I told them. I guess that's how you know if you were a good leader or not, if your zone is gonna miss you after. I still don't know who he is, I'm going in special changes to Tuxtepec with him tomorrow in the morning. Pretty stoked, but I'm going in white wash, which means I have no idea what's going on, and my comp (likely an American) will not have a clue. At least I can speak Spanish, haha. but it should be a lot of fun. And the ex-AP that got called to train baptized like 8 weeks straight. I'm hoping the Lord's got the same thing in mind for me, haha.

 

But, we might have blown that trust. the APs now are pretty angry all the time, and just called because we wanted to go out to eat some hamburgers like half the zone, and another elder "ratted" on us, and now the APs are angry because we didn't ask permission, and now we have to explain ourselves to presidente. Man. Garrett and Riley, don't be like them please! They make life miserable. I love the mission, but arrogant leaders are just too much sometimes... Just be obediente, but chill. Don't freak out over little things haha.

 

Well.... we didn't baptize. Fernando didn't have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon, so we weren't going to baptize him. Not like he wanted to. They are gonna work hard with him to get that testimony. He is just missing a little bit of confidence that God has already answered him...

 

We got super super wet this Friday and Saturday. To be honest, it was crazy. I guess a cyclone hit Veracruz and boy did it rain for hours and hours and hours. Our feet still aren't dry! haha.

 

Well, I'm gonna bounce. Cuidense [Take care] eh! 

Elder Mortensen.

June 2, 2014 (Week 94)

June 2, 2014

[Dad's B-day this week] I'd sing you the Happy Birthday song estilo mexicano [Mexican-style], but it's super dumb haha. it doesn't make sense. Basta con FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS VIEJITO!!!! hahaha (happy birthday old man ;) )

That's crazy. you've already completed close to two años. [years] man.... me too. weird how time goes no?

Well apologies for last week's email/P-day. It was horrible. One weird member from Elder Shearers rama [area] in Los Tuxtlas showed up at 8:30 without a peso in his pocket and was excited to be with us ALLL day. I wasn't to say the least. I was looking forward to a chill last day with Elder Shearer, not being a third wheel. Also, the Internet where we were was filthy and the spirit left, which made me angry, without the spirit to keep me calm, and my camera chip broke, and I lost all my fotos, (Aracley took my camera to Centro, and bought me a new chip and backed everything up. So she saved 9 gigs of unbacked-up fotos... She's a saint. I love her.) and then I had to pay 150 pesos for this kids bus ticket to San Andres because he just HAD to see Elder Shearer one last time... a little desperate to see another man. Like shearer said,"it'd be cool if it was the love of his life, but it's just me. hahaha..." We ate with Aracely that day, and then in the night we got permission to go out to the Boulevard of Veracruz by the ocean with a rich member to eat the best Italian food in the nicest restaurant... man was that great food!! (by the way, he's in Utah right now, and brought a few things home for you guys. So when he calls or something, answer haha. He's got gifts! Santa from Mexico! Send me fotos next week and I'll tell you who it's for.)

 

Shearer left, and I stayed, Elder Gonzalez. He's a cool cat. We laugh a lot haha. We have been working hard, but to baptize we have got to keep pushing the limits and working harder and harder. Time is running out. We also had interviews with president (my last) and I asked him what he thought of me. He said, you've changed a lot Elder Mortensen. You've made big changes, you didn't start like this. I agreed and he told me for the changes I've made I am where I am, and the leadership I hold is because he trusts me. Those are great words to hear. He gave me a blessing at the end and gave me some pretty neat promises. That's something I'll never forget. 

 

This Sunday was super spiritual. I love playing the piano. Too bad I can't play it much. Man, funny how things like that slap ya in the face. But I played this Sunday. How great is the hymn "Where Can I Turn For Peace". If that doesn't bring the spirit, it's time to repent haha. Because it started off the whole day. Sacrament was good, then in Gospel Principles, when the ward mission leader asked various people how they knew the Book of Mormon was true they all looked at me and said because he came over and told me, and when he talks to me, I just feel something different. Man. if that doesn't make you feel good. Just to know that you are doing just one thing right in life. To know you are helping some of your brothers and sisters come towards the light... It was a great class. Then we did an activity in priesthood counting all the time used in the week, and after everything they could think of, the time of lazy hours was 21. Tithing? 2 hours. Then I shared the scripture, not everyone that tells me "Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of my father" and explained that we have to have that love for our brothers and God to give our tithing to find treasures in heaven. Then I had pure revelation and the spirit talked through me and told the priesthood. "You think those treasures are gold? No. Gold means nothing to God. Treasures in heaven are standing in front of the judgment seat of God with neighbors and friends. Clean from sin, and them looking at you and saying: 'thank you for your two hours'" It was super powerful. How much I treasure moments like it. It really is true. We all know people that don't have what we have. They could even be inactives. But their souls are precious to God. We are His treasures, and we can share in His wealth, but we have to "store up" those treasures, by working hard in His vineyard TODAY. 

It was a good Sunday. A great week. Lots of problems in the Zone, but we are faithful and full of hope and are going to work harder every day. Time really is running out. Gotta work harder. It's the last time the Lord will work in His vineyard...

 

ELDER MORTENSEN Loves you all. 

May 26, 2014 (Week 93)

May 26, 2014

Hey family.

Well. Aracely got baptized! That was really cool. She's a straight convert. We went to her wedding a ways a way, and we got there, she got married, and then Saturday she got baptized. It was a good weekend. This stupid computer doesn't work so I cant send home any fotos. well... That's about it.

 

Elder Gonzalez de la Republica Dominicana [from the Dominican Republic] is my next comp. He was with me in Los tuxtlas. He goes home in agosto [August] too. We will see if we end up dying together haha... 

Elder Mortensen

May 19, 2014 (Week 92)

May 19, 2014

27 years of the same compañero. [Mom & Dad's 27th Anniversary] You guys should talk to your Presidente de Mision about that. I'm not sure that's normal... normally its like 2 or 3 changes max... but 27 years!

Felicidades [Congratulations] eh! That's cool. I'm glad you guys have learned how to live together. You're an example for me. Well, mom, thanks for so much patience. I like having dad around hahaha.

 

La Princesita was super good. I'm ready for round 2. I guess only one other person has ever done it.... I'd like to just go back to eat it normally. That'd be fun. It really was a good hamburger... and you'd think I would have learned my lesson, but on divisions we passed by a taco place before going home, and bought a kilo of carne al pastor before catching the bus home hahaha. That's too good with a cold Mountain Dew..

Tacos al pastor + MTN DEW = un Elder Mortensen muyyyy feliz [one veryyyy happy Elder Mortensen]. Like the penguins say in Madagascar (instead of smile and wave, edicion español) = Gorditos y bonitos muchachos... gorditos y bonitos... [Thick and pretty, boys] that's how I felt haha.

 

This week we didn't baptize. Geez. That's a bummer. Oh well. Gotta keep havin faith. We have been workin with a few people. And oh yeah, I did a contact, the lady let us in, and turns out her daughter in law is the daughter of Jose Luis y Blanca of Los Tuxtlas!! She lives here with her husband. We had a good laugh, but I told her after the prayer: "You know, I was thinkin, God hasn't given up on your family. He wants you and your family baptized, and He's sent me here to remind you!" It was so cool. A few other people, and we have been teaching this guy on his bus haha. That's fun. A new experience.

This week was norte [Tropical Flow], and the pollen was just floating EVERYWHERE. And as it turns out, I'm allergic. I was almost dead, and then to make things better, we did 6 interviews with a family right next to a huge swamp of these plants. I'm not even sure they understood me between SNIFF SNIFF ACHOO SNIFF bautismo [baptism]? SNIFF listo[ready]? SNIFF. hahah. It was an experience.

We did have something cool happen this week. This lady with a camera on her door told us she was busy, and to leave something in the little mail box on the door. We left 5 pamphlets and an invitacion to our English class hahaha. She asked for it!

I was studying in Hebrews 10-13 yesterday and boy was my understanding lit up! My oh my! I studied for 5 hours 3 chapters. WHY we have to suffer, what's its purpose, what happens if we don't, and the point of suffering with our faith, hope, and charity. I invite you all to study it. But I'll tell you like the JST says, without afflictions, they couldn't have been made perfect... so, that's why Paul was so stoked to suffer! He welcomed suffering! Because he knew that if he suffered, he was made a little more perfect! And like the scripture says, with suffering, we receive a greater weight of glory in the heavens. Is that a cool subject to study or what!? I wish I could talk over Skype every week and give a class haha... But nope. But study it! It's great!

We had a great class in priesthood. A stake guy came and talked with energy about how Captain Moroni was a man of God, and how he became that man of God. He invited us to study all the attributes of Moroni that made him that man... and how that goes hand in hand with 3 nefi 13, and how God wants us to leave all. That's how you become that man. Not worrying about your own life!

It's been a great week, but its time to go, I'm still not too fat, after all, we didn't have time to buy food Monday cause I was too busy eating la Princesita, so we kinda suffered this week, oh well. More glory for me! hahaha a little more perfect! Wait, that's why the mission is the school of the Gods, because when you aren't thinkin about yourself, you start changing. Huh. The gospel is just a big ol' puzzle hahah. Everything is related. God is smart ... I can't wait to understand and learn from Him again. Love you all!

Elder Mortensen