WEEK THREE

Our First Baptism....La Basura?

So before I start, I just want to calmly state my thoughts on the happenings of the BYU Football game this past weekend! Our branch president got up in the middle of sacrament meeting and announced what happened to my beloved BYU football team, and WOW! I mean how crazy is it that the first BYU game I am gone for, that happens!? All I will say is that I really really love this work a ton because it is more important to me than any sport! For those of you who know me at all, you know following my sports teams is my passion, but being a missionary is even an even greater passion of mine! Anyways...

So I can and also can't believe I have been here over three weeks already! I am so glad I have been able to spend these three weeks at the CCM, because I have been shaped into such a better person as I strive to a better representative of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I honestly have the strongest desire to get out of the CCM and go to Merida and teach the people I have been called to teach! One of my teachers, Hermano Trejo served in Merida about 3 years ago, and he is so awesome and spent like an hour showing us pictures and videos Merida when he was there! He said the heat there is like a pressure cooker, the hottest heat you can imagine all year long. Every time someone asks me ¿De donde va? I reply Yo voy a Merida! And without fail, they all go ahhhh Hace mucho mucho mucho calor! Buena suerte! Haha, but it is great knowing I am over half way done with my training here, I leave for Merida September 28th! I am antsy to leave but I know that I need as much training as I can possibly get. The language is becoming a little easier, it is nice that I finally know more tenses than just the present tense because my range of what I can say is opening up big time! OREN!!!! I just commanded everyone to pray! Haha, but seriously do!

So a little update, so the latinos that we live with are actually baller once I look past the difference in lifestyle and the smell! We talk to them every night and day and it is fun because we can practice our Spanish and they like to practice their little english they know. It has been great to get to know these latinos more and how they interact, because those are who I will be living with for the next two years! Also, random, but when I got here my bed was a literal rock, but you have absolutely no idea the miracles that can be made when you work hard for the Lord! I now have the most comfortable bed in the world! The Lord truly works miracles... haha!

So every day we do the same exact thing pretty much so my companion and I try to find better ways to make it more interesting, so we try to memorize about anywhere between 30 to 40 new vocab words every day, and while doing so we literally sing the words and answers and make sentences with the words to make a little song out of it all. I mean when learning a language you gotta make it fun right!? We also play a fun game as a district called Mafia if any of you know what that is, but we must speak in Spanish and practice commands! It is so fun honestly.

So, I want to share a scripture that applied to me big time and can to you too. Alma 26:12 states: Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

How can this apply to us? For me as a missionary, this would be impossible without Him. Because of Him he helps me to do all things, and this is truly a miracle. Whenever I write these letters, I do not boast in myself because of my success. Know that I am boasting in the Lord, and I will forever boast of my God. How could I be given so many things and not show my gratefulness for it? The Lord is truly amazing, and I will boast that to the world for the rest of my life. And all of you can do all things through his strength if ye will have faith.

So this past week we had 3 quote on quote investigators. All three of them turned out to be our teachers later on, but they basically act exactly as investigators and make us do all we can to teach them the gospel. I have received so much help from the Lord and the holy ghost during these lessons that help me to understand what is being said, but most of all how to express my feelings to the investigator. Every person is different, and through these practices I learn how to make what I am saying more personal. We committed all three to baptism, and I know that they are already baptized, but the joy I feel when asking the question and hearing the commitment is beyond compare! I cant wait to feel that in Merida.

On Sunday we had the chance to watch Meet the Mormons at night, and it is so nice just to relax but also the spirit was SO strong. The people of this church and this world are all so unique and different and we have our own struggles, but we all have the same plan to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I know this to be true. Oh also this week was our first fast Sunday! We didn't eat for exactly 24 hours to focus on spiritual needs instead of physical and wow the results were crazy! I fasted for help with language and other personal things and I know through this effort the Lord helps us and will not ever forget us.

I want everyone to look up a 10 minute video online called The Atonement and Missionary Work, we watched it in class the other night and it made me cry so much. How lucky are we to have a Savior? Seriously please watch this video. It can apply to everyone when life is hard, I promise you that. Every one of you, no matter what the circumstance.

Now when it comes to our gym time... I feel like I know a lot of Spanish until I get on the soccer field with latinos and only understand like one word... so yeah. But playing with the latinos and my district is so fun.

Last night we taught an investigator, yes a real one! She was a volunteer and her Spanish was crazy fast but I know that because of the gift of tongues and the spirit I could understand and help her with her needs!

This morning we left at like 6 am and drove two hours to the migration offices in Mexico City and hey good news, I actually have a visa and am allowed to live here for two years now! I just want to share how crazy it was that I felt like I literally wanted to talk to every person possible there and share the gospel with them! My companion and I sat next to a lady and got to know her a bit (she spoke english, blessings come in all shapes and forms) and one of the first things she tells us is that we have zero chance at converting her and that she used to be catholic but renounces everything and says she is 100 percent atheist and will not budge. So with this being my first experience with a real person outside of this MTC, I didn't really know what to do at first. This lady was originally from France. I felt and told her that I am not there to make her do anything she doesn't want to do, but that she is loved by her Heavenly Father. And I simply testified if she tried and opened her heart, she would reconsider and told her this church is different. But after that I was a missionary by the service of showing kindess and love to her, by getting to know her. There are many forms of missionary work, loving one another is the most important. I am thankful for the Lord for giving me the strength to talk to the lady the best I could, with the help of my companion.

Also one last thing, shoutout to my mom for sending me a package in the middle of this week! If any of you want, go visit missionarypackage.com... you wont regret it!

Okay I will leave you with my testimony that I know this church is true. I love all of you so much! Without the Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, we are truly nothing. I love all of you.

Elder Plowman