Special. Monday, March 28, 2011
9 Months!
March 28, 2011 WOW! Is it really 9 months? Where has the time gone? When I say that right now I am entirely serious! It was actually pretty sad. Elder Chatú had a little sad moment yesterday morning. I was helping him pack while getting ready for church and when he finished with his suitcase he just looked at me really sadly and opened his arms for a hug and he just grabbed me and started crying. It was way sad. As weird as it may sound, because of him, I feel like that day will never come and that I´m just gonna be here forever. I know it´s not true, but I kind of want it to be right now. It just feels too real. It was cool though. Saturday he had his last interview with President Clark and Elder Larsen was out tracting with other missionaries and after the interview, President told me in Spanish: Well Elder Alexander... All too soon, You´ll be in this last interview and receive your certificate of completion.... Wow. That was a little hard for me to handle. If all is well though, Elder Chatú is hanging out with his family right now in Tuxla, Gutierrez, Mexico and loving life. I hope he makes the transition alright.... Oh and mom, thanks for mentioning that I´m 3/8 of the way through. Haha I´m glad that you´re excited to see me. You´ll be the first one I hug in the airport! That´s for sure! So everybody clear the way when I´m heading down the escalator because mom comes first! haha (Sorry everyone, but that made me (Cami) really happy. Since I'm the one publishing the blog for Parker, I had to make sure this info is clear to everyone! Hehe.) Other than dying a little bit with Elder Chatú this week, all was pretty normal. It was actually pretty fun! We were way busy all week until Elder Chatú shut down a bit on Friday and we visited an awesome family from a ward he used to be in from this stake. It was way cool and here is the story of the week! They were talking about how their daughter is in a church school in Mexico City called Benemerito. It´s a way cool school and it´s basically BYU-Mexico for High School kids. It´s cool. Anyway, they said that the daughter wants to go to BYU when she graduates and, being prepared with a getintoweber.com pen, I put in a little plug for the Lord´s real university and guess what!!! They had already been looking into Weber because of the criminal science department! They had a college show or something in the school and mentioned that it´s one of the best! How amazinglyawesome is that!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! GO CATS! (that was what was going on in my brain) I think they need to make me international recruiter for Mexico or something! It was so cool! I couldn´t even sleep Friday night I was so excited! Go cats! Anywho, another cool story is that we have an investigator right now who understands English more easily than Spanish and last night, because it was just Elder Larsen and I so he just started talking to us in English and asking all this stuff in English. It was way cool! He was living in Texas for like 29 years or something like that so he actually doesn´t speak Spanish very well. It was a really cool lesson. It felt incredibly different teaching doctrine in English without my scriptures in English, but since I don´t get another comp until tomorrow, we´re heading over tonight with him again and we´re giving him a Book of Mormon in English. I don´t know how easy it would be, but it would be awesome if you guys could send a triple combination to me so that he can have all that. I just think it would be cool. It doesn´t need to be a really nice one or anything, but the thought came to my mind last night in the lesson and I think he would love that. Maybe even a bible if that´s not gettin’ too expensive. He´s an amazing guy with an insane story, but I´ve learned to love him. He rocks. Oh, his name´s Fermin Hernandez by the way so you can have him in your prayers! Anywho, that´s about it! I´m gettin’ a new companion tomorrow and General conference is this week! Woo Hoo! I don´t think I´ll be able to study the talks with you until I get a Liahona down here which might be June or if you all send an ensign to me in may. That would be sweet so I can get studying sooner! We´re gonna see about going every session. We´re gonna have to work our tails off to have some people in the teaching pool and have results so we can go so pray for us that we can! I love you all soo much! Elder Alexander P.S. (birthday hint.... Sour patch kids) haha and maybe another missionary mall short sleeve shirt. I love those shirts! Just to get the creative juices flowing.)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Holy Cow!
Hey guys!
First of all, I just wanted to thank mom for slowly killing me.... I cannot believe I´m going to be 20 in 2 months from today! That´s crazy! haha I feel like an old fogey now... also, another thing I realized this week is that Guys and Dolls was 2 years ago! That is something hard for me to swallow. Next thing you know, I´ll be packing up my bags to come home.... Scary thought. haha
So this week was a little normal, but holy cow it passed by fast. It was pretty cool though. We worked our tails off. It´s a little difficult right now because Elder Chatu is heading out in 7 days and he´s thinking a ton about his house which makes me think about home a little bit too. Kind of lame, I know, right? It´s all good. I´m really enjoying myself. We did have some cool experiences this past week. We celebrated the aniversary of the Relief Society on Saturday as a big huge stake activity and it was pretty nuts. What happened was that each ward was assigned a country and the sisters of the relief society had to do a cultural dance from that country. It was pretty hilarious. The whole time I was thinking about how it would have been if Mom and Sandy were up there dancing in front of everyone. It was a pretty funny thought. That should definitely happen sometime soon! haha. We were there for a few hours watching it all. It was pretty sweet. Our ward was assigned Argentina and it was pretty sweet.
Something else I found out this week was that our new Mission President is only about 45 years old or something like that! Nuts, huh? He´ll be living here with his kids and everything. I imagine they´re still fairly small, but who knows? Pretty sweet, eh?
We had a funny experience this week. We contacted a lady in the street this week and we had an appointment with them, but Elder Larsen and I didn´t go because Elder Chatu went on splits with a future missionary who´s heading out in a month. So they teach a lesson and we had a return appointment with them Friday which is a good sign. We get there and Elder Larsen starts teaching, to get the hang of starting it all up, and the dad of the family was acting really strange. He asked for a Book of Mormon and read a scripture from it and asked it what it meant to us each individually. He was going on really strange for about five minutes like that and just contending with us. I had seen something like that before so I had some suspicions, but Elder Larsen had no clue. Come to find out that this guy is a returned missionary and wanted to teach us and help us grow our testimonies. It was cool. It worked. I thought it was hilarious, but Elder Larsen kind of wigged out and got really nervous because he didn´t really get what was going on. It was a funny and fairly spiritual experience. Good times.
Today was pretty sweet too! I had the best meat I´ve had since the Timbermine! An elder in our zone has his own taco restaurant in his house (Cancun) and he made carne asada for us today....... AMAZING! He has his own marinade and salsa and all this stuff. So amazing.
Well, that´s about it for me! I love you all so much! Take care of yourselves!
Elder Alexander
First of all, I just wanted to thank mom for slowly killing me.... I cannot believe I´m going to be 20 in 2 months from today! That´s crazy! haha I feel like an old fogey now... also, another thing I realized this week is that Guys and Dolls was 2 years ago! That is something hard for me to swallow. Next thing you know, I´ll be packing up my bags to come home.... Scary thought. haha
So this week was a little normal, but holy cow it passed by fast. It was pretty cool though. We worked our tails off. It´s a little difficult right now because Elder Chatu is heading out in 7 days and he´s thinking a ton about his house which makes me think about home a little bit too. Kind of lame, I know, right? It´s all good. I´m really enjoying myself. We did have some cool experiences this past week. We celebrated the aniversary of the Relief Society on Saturday as a big huge stake activity and it was pretty nuts. What happened was that each ward was assigned a country and the sisters of the relief society had to do a cultural dance from that country. It was pretty hilarious. The whole time I was thinking about how it would have been if Mom and Sandy were up there dancing in front of everyone. It was a pretty funny thought. That should definitely happen sometime soon! haha. We were there for a few hours watching it all. It was pretty sweet. Our ward was assigned Argentina and it was pretty sweet.
Something else I found out this week was that our new Mission President is only about 45 years old or something like that! Nuts, huh? He´ll be living here with his kids and everything. I imagine they´re still fairly small, but who knows? Pretty sweet, eh?
We had a funny experience this week. We contacted a lady in the street this week and we had an appointment with them, but Elder Larsen and I didn´t go because Elder Chatu went on splits with a future missionary who´s heading out in a month. So they teach a lesson and we had a return appointment with them Friday which is a good sign. We get there and Elder Larsen starts teaching, to get the hang of starting it all up, and the dad of the family was acting really strange. He asked for a Book of Mormon and read a scripture from it and asked it what it meant to us each individually. He was going on really strange for about five minutes like that and just contending with us. I had seen something like that before so I had some suspicions, but Elder Larsen had no clue. Come to find out that this guy is a returned missionary and wanted to teach us and help us grow our testimonies. It was cool. It worked. I thought it was hilarious, but Elder Larsen kind of wigged out and got really nervous because he didn´t really get what was going on. It was a funny and fairly spiritual experience. Good times.
Today was pretty sweet too! I had the best meat I´ve had since the Timbermine! An elder in our zone has his own taco restaurant in his house (Cancun) and he made carne asada for us today....... AMAZING! He has his own marinade and salsa and all this stuff. So amazing.
Well, that´s about it for me! I love you all so much! Take care of yourselves!
Elder Alexander
Monday, March 14, 2011
Happy Birthday, Dad and Other Stuff
Hey guys! First off, let me tell you that I love you all and you rock! Secondly, Happy birthday, Dad! 56 years old! Woooooooow! haha
This week was pretty sweet. Wanna know why? I got the package! Thanks so much for all that stuff! Simba is right at home in Mexico and I wear the Packers shirt in the house all the time! It´s pretty funny because I was going to ask for more Weber pens in the next one because I´m running out. You guys just are psychics or something! haha It was cool though to read those articles about the Jazz and about Weber. It seems like everything is going well with Weber, but te Jazz are lacking a bit. Oh well. It´s the end of an era with the retirement of Sloan. That´s crazy. I don´t ever remember Layden as coach so the Jazz are pretty much not the Jazz to me now. Weird, huh? Thanks for the package though and those baptismal programs. They were pretty sweet. I got extremely happy when I saw those pictures!
This week was way busy because we had a ton of meetings and a bunch of stuff so it was hard this week to get lessons in, but it was a fun one. We actually had Zone conference this week and I realized that as we were in front explaining everything that was going on, that it was my first Zone Conference as a zone leader. Crazy stuff, no. It was cool. We did end up learning a bunch because President Clark let us in on his insights. He´s a great man. That´s for sure. It was a cool cool day.
We ended up baptizing someone this week too! What happened was that some other Elders were teaching this couple forever, but they weren´t married so they had to wait, but then they moved to our area and the wife got baptized this Saturday. It was pretty sweet. Elder Larsen was able to do the honors so he was way happy to baptize someone for the first time in his life. It was kind of cool! I helped them out practicing right before he got in and he was way nervous, but he did a great job and she got baptized! It was a happy day.
That´s about it for me. Life is good in Mexico. It´s hot, but we´re enjoying it. Elder Chatu only has one p-day left in the mission after today which is nuts, but he´s happy. I forgot to mention one thing. A few weeks ago, I sent a letter home for Mishy Kirby and I don´t know when it´s gonna arrive, but when it gets there, could you take it to her?
It´s kind of weird that someone else is living at home, but it´s cool! He´s a cool guy so I´m not too worried about it. I just want a bed to sleep in when I get home. That´s all I ask! haha Oh and thanks for sending that quote book. It´s pretty much the coolest thing ever!
Love ya!
Elder Alexander
This week was pretty sweet. Wanna know why? I got the package! Thanks so much for all that stuff! Simba is right at home in Mexico and I wear the Packers shirt in the house all the time! It´s pretty funny because I was going to ask for more Weber pens in the next one because I´m running out. You guys just are psychics or something! haha It was cool though to read those articles about the Jazz and about Weber. It seems like everything is going well with Weber, but te Jazz are lacking a bit. Oh well. It´s the end of an era with the retirement of Sloan. That´s crazy. I don´t ever remember Layden as coach so the Jazz are pretty much not the Jazz to me now. Weird, huh? Thanks for the package though and those baptismal programs. They were pretty sweet. I got extremely happy when I saw those pictures!
This week was way busy because we had a ton of meetings and a bunch of stuff so it was hard this week to get lessons in, but it was a fun one. We actually had Zone conference this week and I realized that as we were in front explaining everything that was going on, that it was my first Zone Conference as a zone leader. Crazy stuff, no. It was cool. We did end up learning a bunch because President Clark let us in on his insights. He´s a great man. That´s for sure. It was a cool cool day.
We ended up baptizing someone this week too! What happened was that some other Elders were teaching this couple forever, but they weren´t married so they had to wait, but then they moved to our area and the wife got baptized this Saturday. It was pretty sweet. Elder Larsen was able to do the honors so he was way happy to baptize someone for the first time in his life. It was kind of cool! I helped them out practicing right before he got in and he was way nervous, but he did a great job and she got baptized! It was a happy day.
That´s about it for me. Life is good in Mexico. It´s hot, but we´re enjoying it. Elder Chatu only has one p-day left in the mission after today which is nuts, but he´s happy. I forgot to mention one thing. A few weeks ago, I sent a letter home for Mishy Kirby and I don´t know when it´s gonna arrive, but when it gets there, could you take it to her?
It´s kind of weird that someone else is living at home, but it´s cool! He´s a cool guy so I´m not too worried about it. I just want a bed to sleep in when I get home. That´s all I ask! haha Oh and thanks for sending that quote book. It´s pretty much the coolest thing ever!
Love ya!
Elder Alexander
Monday, March 7, 2011
A big Hola to mi familia!
Hey! Guys!
So I don´t know if you all realized it, but the 3rd of March marked the one year mark from when I opened my call! How nuts is that! I spent the day Thursday thinking about how crazy that day was and how excited I was! So many emotions were going on that day and so many phone calls were made. It was a crazy day. It was cool to think about this past year and everything I have gone through since I received my call. So much has changed. It was kind of weird. This week I spent a lot of time just reflecting when I had an extra minute or writing in my journal about my life and you guys. I´m not homesick or anything. It was just a really reflective week and my testimony of the Lord´s plan for me has definitely grown. I was thinking about all the seemingly little things have brought me here with the friends I have and the knowledge I have gained. Maybe it hasn´t been the easiest journey and I know it hasn´t been the hardest journey, but I do know that the Lord has his plans and I will be forever grateful for all the things that He has brought to me in my life... good or bad, I´ve learned from each experience and I have grown into who I am now and I will continue to do so. Every choice we make really makes a difference. I was reading a talk and it basically says that who we are in this instant is the sum of everything we´ve seen, heard, done, thought, and said and that we will always be changing and evolving. I will be forever grateful for those things that have brought me to this point in my life. Even the small things or the dumb decisions have brought me to this point and I have explicit trust in the Lord that He will guide me and shape me into the man I need to be. With that being said, it´s been a pretty cool week. haha
Anyway, this Wednesday, we had another one of those leadership counsels that all the Zone Leaders go to which was way cool. We learned a bunch about the things we need to do to boost up our district leaders and help our zone succeed. It was pretty sweet and the best part above all was that we had a Thanksgiving dinner! Sister Clark made turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all that good stuff and we ate our little hearts out. It was pretty funny. There ended up being like 6 Americans at the table in the kitchen celebrating the Thanksgiving we never had in the mission. It was a good time!
Something else pretty cool is that Elder Larsen and I have gotten to know each other a lot better because we did exchanges where Elder Chatu went with a priest from the ward and I headed with Elder Larsen. He´s a really good kid and I´m glad he´s with us. I´ve learned from him a lot in this week we´ve been together and I hope he´s learned a bit from me. He was really wanting to speak english because we never do so for a few hours, we were talking back and forth in english and it was just a cool experience. That hasn´t happened since my first change with Elder Layland so it was fun.
Other than that, it was a pretty normal week. We didn´t have a ton of success. All the people we were teaching didn´t come to church so we´re gonna have to start over this week with a clean sheet of paper. This week is kind of the key because with how things work out, this week is the last chance Elder Chatu is going to have to find people to baptize because the investigators have to go to church 3 times before they get baptized so be praying for us that we can find someone this week who can get baptized the 27th of March. It would be really cool.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I know it´s a few days from now, but still, enjoy it! I love you all tons and I will talk to you in about 2 months!
Love you!
Elder Alexander
So I don´t know if you all realized it, but the 3rd of March marked the one year mark from when I opened my call! How nuts is that! I spent the day Thursday thinking about how crazy that day was and how excited I was! So many emotions were going on that day and so many phone calls were made. It was a crazy day. It was cool to think about this past year and everything I have gone through since I received my call. So much has changed. It was kind of weird. This week I spent a lot of time just reflecting when I had an extra minute or writing in my journal about my life and you guys. I´m not homesick or anything. It was just a really reflective week and my testimony of the Lord´s plan for me has definitely grown. I was thinking about all the seemingly little things have brought me here with the friends I have and the knowledge I have gained. Maybe it hasn´t been the easiest journey and I know it hasn´t been the hardest journey, but I do know that the Lord has his plans and I will be forever grateful for all the things that He has brought to me in my life... good or bad, I´ve learned from each experience and I have grown into who I am now and I will continue to do so. Every choice we make really makes a difference. I was reading a talk and it basically says that who we are in this instant is the sum of everything we´ve seen, heard, done, thought, and said and that we will always be changing and evolving. I will be forever grateful for those things that have brought me to this point in my life. Even the small things or the dumb decisions have brought me to this point and I have explicit trust in the Lord that He will guide me and shape me into the man I need to be. With that being said, it´s been a pretty cool week. haha
Anyway, this Wednesday, we had another one of those leadership counsels that all the Zone Leaders go to which was way cool. We learned a bunch about the things we need to do to boost up our district leaders and help our zone succeed. It was pretty sweet and the best part above all was that we had a Thanksgiving dinner! Sister Clark made turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all that good stuff and we ate our little hearts out. It was pretty funny. There ended up being like 6 Americans at the table in the kitchen celebrating the Thanksgiving we never had in the mission. It was a good time!
Something else pretty cool is that Elder Larsen and I have gotten to know each other a lot better because we did exchanges where Elder Chatu went with a priest from the ward and I headed with Elder Larsen. He´s a really good kid and I´m glad he´s with us. I´ve learned from him a lot in this week we´ve been together and I hope he´s learned a bit from me. He was really wanting to speak english because we never do so for a few hours, we were talking back and forth in english and it was just a cool experience. That hasn´t happened since my first change with Elder Layland so it was fun.
Other than that, it was a pretty normal week. We didn´t have a ton of success. All the people we were teaching didn´t come to church so we´re gonna have to start over this week with a clean sheet of paper. This week is kind of the key because with how things work out, this week is the last chance Elder Chatu is going to have to find people to baptize because the investigators have to go to church 3 times before they get baptized so be praying for us that we can find someone this week who can get baptized the 27th of March. It would be really cool.
Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I know it´s a few days from now, but still, enjoy it! I love you all tons and I will talk to you in about 2 months!
Love you!
Elder Alexander
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