Week 31 - I Mean.... I Guess it's Hot

Sup my homies? How's it going? Here? It is just pretty dang hot so that's fun! It's not as everyone says though, so there's that.... My desire to go swimming has dramatically increased in my first week here. But it's ok because... well, it's not ok. Oh well.

Monday: Last day in Ozumba :( As a district, we went to a "park" nearby and made a fire, roasted marshmallows, hot dogs, had some chill music playing (gospel music, missionary appropriate, don't worry guys). It was fun!

Tuesday: Went to the changes and saw Christopher and Angeles, my first converts! They are the best! So I am going down to Cuatla to a small town called Jonacatepec. It's pretty hot down there. My new companion is super chill, Elder Palomares (I'm really excited cause he's my first comp that doesn't speak English). He's super nice. He has 15 months in the mission, from San Luis Potosi. He wants to learn how to speak like a black so he says, "What's up nigga" a lot (but it isn't offensive as it sounds cause he sounds funny when he says it, don't worry). Good first day. And we got two baptismal dates!

Wednesday: Funny story from today - We were at a member's house for lunch and a close family friend of theirs showed up form the US with some of his friends. Only this friend knows spanish. The other 3 are refugees from Syria. They speak some english. It was so hard to talk to them in english! My english is not that great anymore. 

Thursday: Our area is pretty big again. The cities in our area are: Jonacatepec, Tenango, Tetililla, Chalcatzingo, Apotonilgo and San Gabriel. Pretty cool names, I suppose. Today we taught the Candelara Salazar Family. Super humble and super nice. All 4 of them accepted a baptismal date! They need your prayers.

Friday: So all the pueblos we have are far away and today we found out there is a "trail" that connects two of them. We decided to try it and long story short, it did NOT work. It was fun though.

Saturday: We had a lesson with this girl, Atziri, this morning. She's been through a lot, but she knows God can help her. Super cool. We put a baptismal date with her too. Please send some prayers her way too.

Sunday: I gave a talk today (it is just a branch here, by the way. Good people, awesome area). I killed it, I think. No one came :( but it was a good day. 

A good first week! We worked hard and there is a lot of potential here. Did I mention that it is pretty hot here?;) 

Love y'all! Have a good week!

- Elder Quist

First sunrise in Jonacatepec

Week 30 - Changes Again

Hard week honestly. Didn't really get a ton done. We were getting ready all week for the 4 baptisms we had planned. Let me tell y'all what happened.

Monday: We went to this place called Ixtapaluca last week to go to Sam's Club (it's out of the mission boundaries, but we are allowed to go). We went to Burger King and walked around this nice mall. Later we went to a cave with some members called "The Cave of the Devil." Cool stuff.

Tuesday: So our church flooded and we spent hours cleaning it up. It was crazy. But hey, now the church is super clean so there's that. haha  Later we had a lesson with Erik and Yamileth. Here's their story: They have been receiving lessons from missionaries for 4 years and have been waiting 6 months to get baptized. Erik grew up in a huge polygamist colony nearby and the church has been having problems with them for awhile. So he needs a special interview with a Seventy. It's taken awhile, but it's finally going to happen this week!

Wednesday: We went to Ecatzingo today. We committed Grizelda to baptism! She was a contact from last week. Her date is for the 12th of May. Pray for her. :)

Thursday: We just filled out a ton of papers today so I will just share a few thoughts from the week: We are never alone when we stand with our Father in Heaven (Thomas S. Monson); Be a representative of Jesus, not just a member of His church; It may have already happened, or maybe it will happen in the future, but we all must pass through Gethsemane; I believe the Lord does everything He can so we can truly, honestly, and deeply change. Becoming a Latter-day Saint and a disciple of Christ is not just a question of deciding to adopt certain attitudes, it is to witness a profound change in ourselves; And I'll finish with this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley: "It is not enough to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world." 

Friday: We had Erik's interview this morning with Elder Dyches. He now has to pass that info to President Nelson! The prophet is going to give Erik permission to be baptized. That's freakin legit! But he can't get baptized for a few weeks, so those 2 baptisms were cancelled for this week. Later we had the interviews for Kenya and Fidelia. One passed and one didn't. They want to wait until they can be baptized the same day. So all 4 baptisms were postponed. :( That's ok though. God's will, not mine.

Saturday: Just the usual.

Sunday: So today was the last Sunday of this cycle. We got our changes. I thought that I would be staying and Elder Gastelum would leave. But I am going down to the state of Morelos to Cuatla! Super sad actually because I love it here.

Until next week! Love y'all!

Elder Quist

 After our district bonfire in the morning

After cleaning the flooded church.

Week 29 - Hakuna Matata

Hi All!

This week was good so let's get to it...

Last Monday, we went to Chalco to get more Book of Mormons and pamphlets (cause we are teaching machines - no big deal). Then we went to Ixtapaluca and bought some brownies at Sam's Club, aka, missionary heaven.

 Harmless entertainment at Sam's Club

Tuesday: Everyone go read "The Donaldson Papers." Even if you aren't a missionary, it'll help you understand the gospel better. It's fuego.

Wednesday: MIRACLES. We have been trying to find this chick, Cecilia, in Ecatzingo, for about a month and today we just ran into her and talked for awhile. THEN, we were trying to find a house, but we both felt like we weren't close. So we knelt down and said a prayer and found the house like 5 minutes later. THEN! So background: Ecatzingo is about 40 minutes away driving, or 2 hours walking. The combi's from there to our house end around 7 pm. Ok so we finished a lesson at 6:50... and we LITERALLY SPRINTED to the road where they pass by. There weren't any around. Like 10 minutes later, a combi passed by that wasn't officially working and asked if we needed a ride. Miracles.

Thursday: Just the usual.

Friday: Got some carnitas today. Then I went with Elder Britez to Cuijingo and contacted for a bit. We put a baptismal date for Erik and Yamileth, super cool people.

Saturday: I really like this scripture I found while reading: 2 Nephi 1:21, "Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men..." Besides finding that scripture, we just walked around a ton.

Sunday: Church was good. No investigators came, but it was still good. We went to Tepecoculco today. Good time. 

Good week this week! Sorry it's so short. I love y'all. You are in my prayers!

- Elder Quist

 a cool painting in Ecatzingo

 and a cool sunset

 and a cool cave outing

Week 28 - Keeping Busy in México!

Hey all!

A week ago p-day, we went to a place called Paso De Cortez and then to this cool waterfall! Also, General Conference was the bomb. It is such a blessing to have a living prophet on the earth to lead and guide us. He is the only person that can receive revelation for the whole church. I hope we all remember to listen to him, the apostles and the other leaders of the church.

This last week was awesome! Lots of work! Elder Gastelum and I are honestly too busy to study a lot some days. Blessing and a curse. 

Monday: Elder Gastelum stayed with the assistants in Chalco for the night and I stayed with the Zone Leaders because he needed to go to Mexico City to renew his visa and I couldn't go. We went to some cool waterfalls in the morning and then played pool as a zone. I had some Chinese food for the first time since September. Chill day.

Tuesday: Temple trip!! So last week we met some cool people in Ecatzingo... Fidelia and her daughter, Kenya. They are planning on getting baptized April 21st! They came to one session of Conference and today we are going to the temple with them! They brought their cousins too (and we committed them to baptism later this week too!). So all in all, we had 5 investigators go to the temple. It was the bomb!

Wednesday: Lots of walking.

Thursday: Interviews with President Zapata. It was good. President is a super cool guy. I wish you all could meet him. 

Friday: Today I did divisions with Elder Britez. He's cool. This is his first cycle in the mission, so he is still pretty new. We practiced how to teach and contact. 

Saturday: We taught Fidelia and Kenya as well as Denis, Alexis and Carla today. Literally their only doubt about the church why there are oxen under the font in the temple. haha! We explained that so now we're good. I also ate the feet of a chicken today. So that was fun.

Sunday: We had 5 investigators come to church! It was awesome. They are good people!

It was a busy week! Lots of work here in Ozumba. It makes the time fly by. I miss y'all! Que tengan buena semana!

- Elder Quist

 The volcano with new snow in April!

Week 27 - That One Soul

Hey everyone! 

This week will be a little shorter. I'll fill you in with all the weekly details next week, but today I just wanted to share my testimony.

Being here on a mission has given me a lot of time to think. I am serving a mission. I am not "on my mission." I am on God's mission. In Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 it says:  

  

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

I have realized that the "one soul" is mine. The purpose of serving this mission is to bring souls unto Christ. BUT how great shall be my joy if that soul is mine. I certainly did not come here to Mexico completely converted. I should say, I did have amazing experiences spiritually and I know the church is true, but converted? Honestly, no. Did I pray every day? No. Read the scriptures? Really only in seminary. Know what it was like to follow the spirit? Not really. The biggest and best convert on this mission of God is and will be myself. The amount of miracles I have seen and the amazing experiences I have had teaching others has literally changed my life. I forget at the moment who said it but someone in Conference said, "Things that don't change remain the same." I don't want to go on a 2 year "fun time teaching people, we baptized a few times" experience. I want to go on a mission. And I want to come back changed and converted. I know I am doing the Lord's work for 2 years of my life, and I am doing it because I love Him. I know that the Book Of Mormon is the most correct of any book on the planet and it contains the fulness of the Gospel, and that by and through that book any person can gain a testimony through diligent scripture study and prayer. I have seen the changes people have made in their lives to have the message that this Gospel brings. I know that God will give us trials and afflictions to test our patience and faith and that by enduring those hard times we can gain a new and special witness for ourselves that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. He is at the head of this church and directs the work of salvation through his living prophet Russell M. Nelson, and through the apostles. I know that if we put every ounce of our faith in Him, we will never be led down the wrong path and that we can withstand the temptations of everyday life. 

I hope everyone felt spiritually uplifted and had an amazing conference weekend! This regularly scheduled program will continue next week...

Love you all!

Elder Davis Quist