Week 70 - More Baptisms

Hey everyone! 

This was a fun week, now I am super tired, but it is alllll worth it when you can baptize a couple of people :)

Tuesday: In the district meeting we talked about the importance of Preach My Gospel. Just a sidenote; everyone go read PMG. It's so cool. If you have any desire to be a better member (which you all should) you need to study that book! Anyway, later in the day we went with Mariana and Sergio. They are the bomb! Preparing to be baptized on the 26th! 

Wednesday: The other day we contacted this chick and she invited us to eat breakfast so we went and I ordered a banana smoothie and I am not joking I think it was banana water.. It wasn't very good. 

Thursday: Today was a good day. Very good day. We got new mattresses. My old mattress looks kinda like a banana. Today we found a couple new people, a couple of miracles. We were walking in the street when I got a call from a member who told me that there was a lady in the church who wanted to be baptized. SO. We got there and we taught Gaby. She is super chosen. Without even asking, she told us she knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon. Soooo that was fun!

Friday: Today I went to Mixquic and Tetelco with Elder Cruz! He's a great missionary! It was a great day.

Saturday: We had a baptism this morning! Sergio and Mariana were baptized today! It was awesome. The water was super warm and when Sergio got in he was like "it burns!" and I'm pretty sure it was just his sins hehehehe. 

Sunday: Church was good today. I really like this whole Come, Follow Me program! It's super interesting. Study it! Don't just read it every week, actually study it. You will all become better members and more converted :)

Love ya all!

Elder Quist

Week 69 - Huitzilzingo

Hey everyone! 

Awesome week here in Huitzilzingo. A little slow honestly, but we worked hard. Elder Cabrera is a great missionary so I'm learning a lot from him.

Tuesday: We had our district meeting here in Huitzilzingo. It was great! I talked a lil about knowledge and while I prepared everything I learned a lot. In D&C 130:19, it tells us that through diligence and obedience we can gain knowledge, and seeing as that is the only thing we take with us after we die, it is quite important. Other things came to mind as well but I can't remember right now. After the district meeting we did exchanges with the Elders in Tetelco, I stayed in Huitzilzingo with Elder Borup. It was a great day, we taught a couple of lessons and enjoyed ourselves.

Wednesday: We had interviews with President Zapata today. I love that man, he's great.

Thursday: This morning was one to remember! So last night we called everyone in the zone and told them that President Zapata is not happy with us and that he wants us to talk to them. So we kinda scared all of them. But they are all doing great haha. So we got to the church early and got the mission secretaries to help cause they are in the zone, and we made the zone pancakes and eggs and bought everyone juice and had a good time :) It was awesome! After that we went to the offices for a little training with some other leaders. In the afternoon, we went on divisions with Elder Bahena and Elder Reynolds. It was cool! We saw lots of little miracles.

Friday and Saturday were just kinda meh.

Sunday: Today was pretty cool. Background: my first Sunday here two youth came to church to do an english assignment for school (they have to interview someone in english, it happens all the time). I contacted them after. They are suuuuper cool. Fast forward to today: they came to church! Their names are Mariana and Sergio by the way. After lunch we had meeting with some other elders. Later at night we had a cool lil miracle. We have been teaching a girl named Diana, but she might have moved, we aren't sure, so we went to go check. When we knocked on the door, her neighbor opened her window and started talking to us! She is very nice. 

Honestly it has been a hard week. Not a whole lot of success as far as numbers go, and today, Sunday, I have really felt differently. We have seen many small miracles. I know God is aware of the trials of every single one of us. He wants us to be happy, but he also wants us to be strong. I love this work. I know it is true and I know it is the work of the Lord. 

Also Sunday night was a full moon and a LUNAR ECLIPSE! AND A BLOOD MOON! So that was pretty cool. 

Have a great week!

Elder Quist!

The chapel

Our washer

The Lunar Eclipse 

Week 68 - Declaring His Word

This week we saw a lot of miracles. Lots of people preparing to be baptized, lots of people prepared to listen to this amazing message that we share. I forgot my camera in the house so I don't have any photos, sorry :( But next week I will write a nice good longish email. haha 

I am running out of time. I love all of you and I miss ya! Have an awesome week!

Elder Quist

D.C. 42:5-7 - "And I give unto them a commandment that they shall go forth for a little season, and it shall be given by the power of the Spirit when they shall return. And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God. And ye shall go forth baptizing with water, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Week 67 - Happy New Year! + Transfers

Hi Everyone!

Changes! This time I'm going super far! Just kidding. I just moved to the other side of the stake haha. I am now in the ward Huitzilzingo. I haven't ever been in this zone before, so I am pretty excited. My new companion is Elder Cabrera. He is from Sonora, Mexico. I love being with him - he is an awesome leader. 

Tuesday: Last day with Elder McDowell in the mission! He gets home on Wednesday. It's insane to think about that. When I got to Mexico, he only had about 9 months. The time goes by sooooo fast! Well after saying goodbye to him, Elder Cabrera and I got on our way to our house. After unpacking a little bit, we headed out and got lost for about 5 hours... Might be worth mentioning that Elder Cabrera is also new here. We walked a BUNCH. 

Wednesday: Today we got off to an early start with an appointment at 9:30 am. Later we went to Chalco to take money out of the ATM, then to Mixquic for Elder Cabrera's backpack that he left at another missionary's house... Then we WALKED. A LOT. We walked to one side of the pueblo to the other like 3 times. I mean, it isn't like a large city, but it isn't small. We met Edmundo that night, a neighbor of ours and the dad of some members. He has been meeting with the missionaries for a couple weeks. We got to know him and he expressed his desires to be baptized THIS SATURDAY! So of course, well, we said yes. (: 

Thursday: Lots of walking, calves looking fine, spirit strong, very tired.

Friday: We went all the way to Amecameca today for the leadership meeting. It was awesome! We were able to feel the spirit as we listened to all the messages. Two elders in particular talked about making sacrifices. I really liked what they said about giving up something right now, maybe something good even, for something better in the future. We are all faced with decisions everyday. Some hard and some easy, and our loving Heavenly Father has given us our agency to choose. Many times we can choose to do what would make us happy right now or we can choose to wait. Throughout my time here, I have gained a strong testimony of this principal. 

"Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."  -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

(pics from the mission facebook page)

Saturday: First Saturday in Huitzilzingo, first baptism. Edmundo, the man we met during the week, was baptized by his son-in-law Cesar. It was an awesome service! I could really feel the spirit present.

Sunday: Not gonna lie, it was kinda weird with just 2 hours of church. I liked it though, don't get me wrong. I don't want to get into soooo many details, but we saw so many miracles today. It was a nice tender mercy. 

This week was kinda crazy and kinda busy and very fun. It has been an eye-opening experience to be here in this area with Elder Cabrera. Have a great week! Don't forget to make goals. We can always change for the better. Improve, develop, and become more like the Savior. It's the purpose of life, right?

Love ya all!

Elder Quist (: