P-Day update week 102 y 103, 05/02/2024

Muy buenos días a todos! Espero que no hayan olvidado de mi jaja!!

These past couple weeks have been super busy, and really rewarding! We finished off the transfer and are starting off the next 6 weeks of miracles here in Xalapa!!

My companion and me

Last week was the week of interviews and Zone Conference here in Xalapa, just like in the North we had to be there to help with phone audits with all the missionaries. We also had our own interviews with President! After having seen everyone else have their interviews it's always exciting to have one-on-one time with President, even though we're always with him!! 

That also gave us the opportunity to do divisions with the two sets of Zone Leaders here in Xalapa! They were two days of miracles!! The first ones with the ZLs from Macuiltepetl was great!! I stayed here with an Elder from Guadalajara, el paisano!! We went and visited a recent convert here in the area and got a really good reference from them of a girl who wants to be baptized! We taught them and set a time to come back but when her whole family could be there!!

The other divisions with the ZLs here in Xalapa were also great, I went to my old area (of only 2 weeks haha) Americas! We started right when we finished the Zone Conference, and headed back to their house to get changed into regular proselyting clothes. When we arrived we got a call from the Land Lady, she is a member and told us that the daughter of her secretary wanted to meet with us! We actually taught this little girl when I was here and she had a lot of potential but didn't want to be baptized :/. But when we passed by the first thing she told us was that she wanted to be baptized! We talk about a few commandments and set a date for her, so exciting!!

Photo of us picking up the Peruvians at the airport (taken by a man from North Carolina!)

Picking up the two Americans

President shining the shoes of the missionaries

Actually I wanted to talk about this new focus we've been putting the past couple weeks. I think I mentioned that in the Zone Conference, President, Elder Morales, and I shared three trainings: 

-Find

-Convert

-Baptize

Well I had the opportunity to train the missionaries on how they can be more courageous in inviting people to be baptized! We talked about how important it is that our friends go back to live with God, the is our ultimate goal. And the only way that can happen is if they are baptized. So we have been putting a focus on helping our friends accomplish that goal, and one of the tools that has helped us is a talk called "The Challenging and Testifying Missionary" 

This talk elaborates the point of teaching by the spirit and challenging our friends to be baptized as soon as we can so they can enjoy the blessings of the Gospel!! It's kinda terrifying when you just met someone a day or two ago and they are beginning their journey and you invite them to be baptized! The nice thing about that is they then have a goal to reach and something specific to stretch for! For us it has worked wonders and in the whole mission we are seeing a change of mindset and a new focus on our missionary purpose!!

Another thing that has been going on these past couple weeks is I've been doubling down on my Spanish learning! One of the greatest blessings of having Elder Morales as my companion is that he speaks perfect English and Spanish. We often find ourselves jumping in between the two languages throughout the day, and he has been giving me tips on how I can improve my Spanish! And with all that practice came the test! Every 4 months missionaries and take a language assessment called the "EI" which is a spoken exam that tests our listening/comprehension abilities as well as our accent and grammar abilities! I've been really nervous because this EI from February is my last one, that means it's got to be my best score! I studied a lot and on Sunday I took the fateful exam! It went by really fast and was able to get the best score I've ever gotten, in fact I passed my goal! I really hope I can keep up my Spanish after the mission, Spanish speaking friends, I'm gonna need your help!!

Elder Morales and I at Italiani's during the MFHs dinner

Us with the Xalapa ZLs in the offices

Now to finish off, this past week was transfer week, so we had our normal routine of missionaries that go home, transfers, and new missionaries! This time it was a little weird, the Missionary that Finish with Honor (MFHs) was just one sister! This transfer I was originally supposed to go home with 3 other Elders, but they went home one transfer early and I am going home one transfer late, so originally there wasn't going to be anyone finishing their mission! But at the last minute a sister from the previous generation decided to extend her mission! So we had only 1 missionary who went home last week! It made it interesting because we always have a devotional, video, dinner and other activities that require people! So what we did is we made the MFHs video but instead of photos from just the missionaries going home, we asked all her passed and current companions to send us 6 photos and a short video congratulating her! It turned out super cool, and President invited the Secretaries to be there as well so there were other females besides Hermana Villanueva jaja!! After that everything went fine, the next day we took her to the airport, got some breakfast and picked up the new missionaries! 

We had a few missionaries that came in after being reassigned in other missions, so we had to make a few stops at the airport, 3 Peruvians and 2 Americans! We also had 5 other Mexicans that came in straight to Xalapa by bus, that makes it easier because they just stay there. We had a great orientation and got to be with the new missionaries for a bit, it's so strange seeing a missionary in their last day traveling home and then just few short hours later being surrounded by missionaries that are just starting out. Very weird haha! But this group looks super powerful, I'm excited to see how they all grow!!

Cat named Moroni!

Friends I wanted to share a quick thought with you all about our covenants. I have been thinking lately a on the importance and of the covenants we have made with our Heavenly Father. I believe sometimes we can forget, or lose focus, on the greatness and magnitude of the promises we have made before the Lord in the waters of baptism and in his holy temples. We promised him before many witnesses that we would obey him, and keep various laws, and with that promise comes a double edged sword. If we do not keep our end of the deal, begin to shirk our duties, and do not repent, we will not be admitted into the kingdom of God, we will lose everything. But in contrast, if we do our best to live our covenants, quickly repent, and fix our mistakes, the blessings are endless. If we keep the commandments and remember our covenants the Lord promises us not only prosperity in the land (2 Nephi 4:4) but salvation in the Celestial Kingdom (D&C 14:7). This is the greatest blessing known to man, the promise of living with God the Father, his Begotten son Jesus Christ and all our Heavenly Family. I know that this is possible by obedience to commandments and the magnification of our covenants! God wants us to live with him again, he wants so badly to bless us, be we must open the door to him. And show him by our works that we are willing and able to be in his presence for all of time!

I love you all so much, I hope you have a wonderful week full of blessings and I will see you soon!!

-Elder Garnica