P-Day update week 71, 06/27/2023

Muy buenos dias amigos y amigas!

This was a pretty good week here in Independencia! It wasn't as hot as last week so we got a little break from the heat and we were able to make a lot of big strides with our friends! Some strides backwards but necessary steps!

Divisions with Elder Garcia

Zona Martinez

The Funeral

To start off, like I mentioned last week we had MLC on Tuesday! Monday morning we drove down and spent the day in Xalapa! We went to Plaza Animas first and had some great food, and like last time I ran into some friends from my time in Xalapa! We also used some of our day shopping in Plaza Americas and in this little alley in Centro called "El callejón de Diamantes". After a good nights rest we studied the talk President sent to all of us and headed to the Council! There are a few new Zone Leaders this transfer, one of them is and Elder that was already Zone Leader before and has come back to the assignment. He's actually my mission brother (his trainer was Elder Nielson)! And one of the other ones is my son Elder Galvez! So there was some new blood on the council this go around! It turned out to be one of if the not the best MLCs I've ever been too! We talked about a few things, but the main focus was on a talk given by Elder Lynn G. Robbins called "Be 100 Percent Responsible. None of the funds for this living allowance come from the tithing of Church members, but instead from proceeds of the Church's financial investments". It is a great talk, albeit about 50 min in duration, but it is so worth it! The main focus we put on it during the council was that every missionary is 100% responsible for what happens in his area good or bad, his companion, his results, his encouragement and basically everything else! The talks explains a list of "Anti-Responsibility" which is a list of things someone might do which removes the responsibility form them. It was said list of 19 points, I will briefly write down a few:

-Excuses

-Lying

-Blaming others

-Complaining

-Rationalizing or Justifying.

Elder Robbins in this talk explains that we as human beings have agency and we need to be responsible or that agency will lead us to committing iniquity and wickedness. So we need to be 100% responsible for what happens in our life, and not use this list of Anti-Responsibility. EVEN IF WE'RE RIGHT. that's the key, even if we are right and the reason we don't have our homework is because the dog ate it, it is still our responsibility and we need to try and get it fixed. That was the focus in the Conference, making sure each missionary is being 100 responsible! At the end of the council we had a very sad goodbye from President Day, since this is his last MLC. It's going to be sad to see him go. After the conference we headed back to Martinez in a trio because a missionary in our zone went home so we were bringing a new Elder to be the companion of the other missionary! 

After the MLC we were very excited for this week and getting some things done around here in the area. Knowing that everything is on us we have been trying to focus up and get to work. And part of our duties as I've mentioned before is going on companion Exchanges! This week I was on exchanges with a good friend of mine named Elder Mitchell! Elder Mitchell is in his last transfer and will be home in a little more than a week, so I was able to go on exchanges with him and learn a lot!! We started after our Zone Council where we talked about being 100% responsible. I stayed here with Elder Mitchell and my companion Elder Perez went to Vega de Alatorre with the companion of Elder Mitchell, Elder Gardner. The divisions were super fun! Elder Mitchell and I have grown to be good friends during these last couple of weeks here in Martinez, and it was nice to have a full day to work with my buddy! And we started off on a good note with our food appointment! Okay so for a little bit of context, last Sunday one of the members in the ward grabbed us and told us she had a dream that Elder Perez got sent home. She told us to be careful and let us know if anything happened. We didn't really think about it but the day of the divisions was the day we were supposed to eat with her and her family. Now she is a returned missionary, she got home just a few months ago and is one of our best friends in the ward, so we couldn't help it get a little exited to convince her she had the gift of prophecy! We walked in and greeted them without making mention to the fact that I had a new companion! Then they hit us with the "y su compañero?" (And your companion?). We didn't really say anything, we just said "oh hermana" then she remembered her dream and got really excited thinking that she was able to guess it, and then she got sad thinking Elder Perez gad left. We could only let it go on for about ten seconds before we told her he didn't go home and we were just on Divisiones jaja! She let out a laugh and sighed, it was a good one! After we ate with them Elder Mitchell and I went to go do a Baptismal interview for our friend that got baptized yesterday! The interview was quick and we headed straight to a few different appointments. That is when the day started to turn a little rough. Our first lesson was with our friends Mary and Lily! They haven't been progressing very well, and we didn't really know what was going on. So we decided we were going to stop by and talk a little bit about the Priesthood and the fact that our church us the only Church with the authority to officiate baptisms and other ordinances that allow us to live with Heavenly Father! It was a going great, and we decided we needed to invite them to he baptized! We did the baptismal invitation and they said no. Very rarely do you hear no here in Mexico, people believe themselves too polite to say something so strong, but that's what we got. She explained how she is already baptized in the Catholic church and how she doesn't feel ready to take this step. We explained the baptism of Jesus and the requirements that need to be met for the baptism to be valid. Such as: Age of accountability, immersion, authority, and for it to be followed by the receiving the Gift of The Holy Ghost. We taught her about this need to make covenants with God when we understand the promise we are making, and having sins that need to be cleaned. But she wasn't having any of it. It was clear that right now was not her time, we gave her the final invitation to pray and ask God if she should be baptized and headed to out next lesson. Out next lesson followed a similar trajectory, we arrived and talked about our purpose as missionaries and the desire our Father in Heaven has for them to enter into his fold and be baptized. Once again they gave us their reasonings, and once again we began to respond with Scrupture and Testimony. But they were firm in their decision. We thanked them for their time and made our way out. Once we finished up we felt spiritually beat after those last couple lessons, but we had to go to the church because it was out turn to help with the cleaning. As we were cleaning, Elder Mitchell and I talked a lot about the mission, our companions, what we've learned and a little about what comes next. We had a nice chat as we cleaned the church and got to know each other a little bit better. He actually plans on studying at Utah State as well, so I will see him there! After our clean and chat we headed home and got ready for bed! It was a sad day, but now we know, and from here we can find more people and have time to visit more friends!

So like I mentioned, on Divisiones we had a baptismal interview! Yesterday was the baptism of our friend Kings! I'm not sure if I've talked about him before, and I'll be honest he was a sleeper! Or rather we haven't been putting our 100% focus on him. He is the father of two young men in the ward, they were both baptized a few years ago but they fell inactive and hadn't come to church in a while. But thanks to the ministering efforts of a brother in the ward we were able to meet them and start teaching their father! So over the past couple weeks we have invited them to a few activities and they have come to church a couple times and technically had everything he needed to be baptized. So on Wednesday of last week we stopped by and casually invite him to be baptized on Sunday, and he said yes! We were a little surprised with his clear answer especially with short notice but we congratulated him for his desire, set up a time to go over the baptismal interview questions, have the interview itself, and have his baptismal service! Once we got oit we started to scramble to find people for the baptismal program, we started calling and texting everyone and got the program all ready for the big day! We made sure to pass by everyday with him to get everything ready and answer any questions he had, and when Sunday rolled around we had everything set up! We got up nice and early to full up the font, got ready for the day and waited for everyone to arrive. Once everyone was there we started and had a beautiful baptismal service! Honestly one of the best baptismal services I've had during my mission!! After the baptismal service all congratulated Brother Kings and headed to the sacrament meeting for his confirmation! We are so proud of him and this step he took and we are excited to see all that he does in the church!!

King's baptism!

Stuffed animal I pulled out of the Munelocos on my mission

Kitty wants a Book of Mormon!

Really it was a great week, it was hard to let some friends go but we're going to really work hard this week to find new friends to teach and I will let you know how it goes this coming Monday! 

My spiritual thought this week is about diligence in the little things. Here in our mission everyone is in love with this claw machine called "Muñelocos". Everyone tries to pull out their stuffed animals whenever the opportunity presents itself. But as you all know you almost never can get one. One day when my companion and I were using the claw machine a passerby came and began to talk with us, and began to explain that the claw machine had a trick. When you first use it, the claw doesn't have any strength, the mechanism is weak, but with each turn it gains more and more strength, and once every 10 turns or so it has sufficient strength to pull something out. Obviously they do it like that so they don't lose all their money, but people still pull them our every now and then so people know it's possible. I would like to equate that to the gospel. Often times when we are seeking spiritual strength, a greater testimony, a stronger connection with the spirit we easily get discouraged because it doesn't come over night. We think that if I read my scriptures once a week, as soon as I am done I can start prophesying, but we know that's not how it works. The gospel is about steady constant efforts heading in the right direction, daily study, prayer, weekly partaking of the sacrament, and serving others. It's like our claw machine, each time we stretch ourselves to live the commandments, or in this case play the claw machine. We slowly begin to collect spiritual strength, each positive step, even though it may not give us everything, is helping us grow stronger and stronger. Until one day we are able to grab and feel what we had been searching for. We get our little stuffed animal! That is the secret to growth. Constant turns on the claw machine, even though it's hard to use that machine once, not get what we're searching for and try again. But that's how the Lord tests our faith and allows us to build diligence and patience! I know that if we do the small things, every day, we will receive our reward. I know that if we can get just a little stronger each day, we can achieve what the Lord has in store for us. Don't give up, keep pushing forward and the Lord will bless you!!

I love you all so much and I hope you have a fantastic week! 

P.s. I know my spiritual thought only used it as an analogy but try a claw a machine this week, sometimes you can get it out on the first try like I did yesterday jeje!!

-Elder Garnica