Merry Navidad and a Feliz New Year!

Remember this place, the first post office in Mexico that we went to like a year ago? 

We went back! 

Well Hello!

I sure hope you all had a very merry Christmas! Sounds like you did! It was so great to talk to you guys on Christmas. Every call just gets a little bit easier. haha By the time the next call rolls around, I'll be wrapping it all up. haha. Sorry it could only be 40 minutes, we cant all break missionary handbook rules like Regan and talk for 5 hours. haha. jkjk That's just how Pres. Anaya is. Conner said that their president let them watch movies with members, oh how that would never happen here. Oh well my Christmas was all right. I felt kind of crappy after throwing up Christmas Eve turkey dinner. For the rest of the week I was kinda sick to my stomach. But I finally feel more or less normal again. We went to the visitors center on Christmas eve with Javier and Jazmine which was great, but other than that both days we were just working normally all day. There were many times that I just wanted to rest, or play a game, or something but I just had to keep working. . oh well its worth it. Next Christmas will be very different :) Oh and I loved the package and presents from everybody, thanks to all :) 

Well our investigators didnt get baptized. haha during the week they got into a big fight, drunk alchocol, and broke up. But the next day we resolved their issues, went to church together, and now are planning on getting married this week and baptized this Sunday. Hope all goes well. Haha sometimes I feel like a marriage counselor. We had some other frustrations with progressing investigators this week, but oh well, we should have lots of things lined up for January. 

This is the last week of the transfer, and next week are changes, so that means pday is on Wednesday, so plan on that! I have no idea if I'll have changes, I hope not. Since this area has been of zone leaders, there hasn't been a single zone leader that has lasted more than 3 cycles here, so who knows, I would be the first. I am really frustrated with my companion, I remember saying that he was really easy to get along with, but ya not really. We are both very strongwilled and want the things done in our way, and our ways are very different. We are always contending, so I'm kinda sick of that but we just need to work out our differences. I was about ready to do . . very unholy things to him yesterday trying to plan for today, its always a battle. But oh well. . we trying to do better. 

Today we went to downtown Mexico City which was really great. Us and Elder Rodriguez and his comp had planned from a long time ago to go this day, so we went and met up there. We ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking Zocalo, and then shopped a little bit, and it was pretty fun. Good little break. 

Well I love you all, and hope you have a very happy new year! It will be the best year ever :) Thanks for all the pics, the call, and the love! Have a great week! Talk to you on Wednesday, hopefully from Victoria! 

Love Elder Elgan

¡Feliz Navidad! :D

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! 

Cant believe Christmas is already here again. The year sure went by fast! Last Christmas away from home. . And in 7 more months and a week I'll be home! Crazy. Well I'm glad I'm not home if there is no snow! That's just depressing. It better snow next year. . It makes it a lot easier being in Mexico because it just feels the same as the rest of the year. At home the spirit in the air seems to change,  here it doesn't. But oh well Christmas is a great opportunity in the mission to focus on the true meaning, and realize how grateful I am for the life we have at home, it's seriously the best. 

This week was pretty good, we seemed to have lots of distractions and things that took us out of our area but overall it was pretty good. We had Jose's baptism! It was super good, we had it on Saturday so he could be confirmed on Sunday because he left for vacations today. Last year the week of and after Christmas were the worst ever because everybody and their dog goes on vacation, and want to leave this awful city and to to the beaches. Hope it all goes well. Not many people went to his baptism, but it turned out pretty good nonetheless. His grandpa baptized him, and got an infection from the nasty Mexico tap water. So he was in the hospital Sunday afternoon, but they gave him some shots and he's ok now. Ha so that was interesting. 

Today was our mission Christmas activity! Well for 4 zones at least. We had half a pday on Saturday and had the activity until 3:00 today. It was good, we had a little devotional, talent show, and ate carnitas. (tacos of pig). I decided to take a little risk and put one of the advices in my patriarchal blessing to the test about music. Elder Guillen sings really good and loves David Archulletas Glorious (in the new meet the Mormons movie??) So I went online and printed off the sheet music, and it's not the easiest song to play and I only had about 2 or 3 hours of practice in total but I learned it and we preformed it today! It wasn't perfect, but it turned out pretty dang good for the little practice we had. 

We continue finding many new people to teach, almost too many its hard to keep them all straight. Next week if everything goes good we should baptize a couple named Javier and Jazmine. Really great both of them, but they need to overcome their alcohol addiction. Shouldn't be a problem though, they've already progressed a ton, and with this week they should be good. 

Well I guess I will talk to y'all Thursday!! So you want me to call at 3 or 4 our time... deal. I will call around 5:00 my time which is 4:00 Your time. I think we are gonna call from our converts Jose and Martha's house. So I'm super excited for that!!

Well I love you all tons, I'm gonna miss you guys a lot this week but its ok, next Christmas I'll be there. haha I just hope we can all can take a minute, a day, or the whole week to be thinking about Christ and his great sacrifice for us and how much our Heavenly Father loves us for giving him. 

Love you all, have a super merry Christmas, and talk to you on Thursday!!!

Love Elder Elgan

Lot's of Work!

Hello Again!

Well this was sure a crazy week. It was super busy, so many things happened. First off Friday was day of the Virgen and the Bascilla of the Virgen is in our zona, so the missionaries in that area worked with us in our area for 2 and a half days. It was super great because we had tons of success. Having 2 companionships here we were able to have more than 60 lessons, 54 contacts, and 23 new investigators. We did all sorts of new things like putting on santa hats and singing at peoples doors. Went really well! They always want their whole family to come out and hear. Its a great opportunity to contact. Almost all of them accepted a return visit. It stresses me out a little bit having 4 missionaries in our house, because I hate when things are dirty and unorganized, like my companion is haha, but its all good its all back to normal. 

We had our stake Christmas activity which was pretty good. A bunch of dorky skits from the wards and then 1 awesome musical number from our zone :). Since we have 2 zones in the stake we both did a number. The other zone was really lame and just sang a hymn. They looked all unorganized and sloppy. But our zone was all organized, coordinated in red and black clothes and we combined Angels we have Heard on High, Away in a Manger, and the First Noel with guitar and piano. I played the piano and my comp the guitar. It was really good. It was a headache getting the song all ready and combined good, but turned out great. 

Sunday we had Alberto's baptism! It was really great. His daughter could finally get to church after her surgery so we could do it. He has a strong testimony and ready to start this new journey. I baptized him. 

Everything is going really great in the area, we have baptisms the next two weeks. We have various families and couples that we are teaching. We had a good number in church on Sunday which was great to see. 

Today was a bit crazy. We got up cleaned the house, some studies, then went to Plaza Aragon (a big mall thing). We ate tacos,  bought a new sweater and a new tie for me and one for my comp for Navidad. I know, I'm so nice. (If you could pay that credit card bill that would be great mother thanks haha). Then went to the offices and I got my package! I will open it tonight cuz I didn't have time earlier. Right now we have divisions with the assistants until tomorrow so hopefully that goes well. 

Everything sounds good at home! The big part and Britt's looked fun! So Dad is coming to Mexico! Ha have fun in drug land! Hope all goes well gringo! haha. 

Oh so I will call on the 25 at what time do you want? Let me know what would be best for the family. 

Well I have to go now, but I love you all and have a super great week! 

Love Elder Elgan

Feliz Lunes!

Hello to all! 

Well another week has gone by, and everything continues to go good here in lovely Mexico. I sure do miss Christmas season but from what it sounds like it doesn't feel too much like Christmas with all the warm weather! That's no good. I sure hope it snows a lot next year. haha. 

It was a pretty normal week, we worked hard and had lots of success. One of the highlights was our zone leader council. It was 7 hrs long on Friday but really good. The goal for the mission has been that every companionship needs to baptize 2 families. All the zone leaders reported their goals for December and President Anaya was less than satisfied. He said "Now make new goals, but with faith this time." Ha it was good, so we ended up with a goal of 42 baptisms and 14 families as a zone. We really feel like we can do it. If we can find prepared families, we can baptize them with only 3 or 4 attendances in the church. President really made us realize that miracles exist and that we can meet these goals. I believe it and I'm ready to do it. That same afternoon with the 4 hrs we had to work we contacted 15 new people and found 3 new families! It was awesome. If we commit ourselves to do something and we ask for it in prayer, God will provide the way! Its true. 

Another highlight of the week was the Christmas devotional from the First Presidency. It was super good. I was basically sitting in the same place, same chapel as last year when I was watching it. Thought that was crazy. Time goes by so fast. I told everybody they had to go to hear the prophet, but he didn't even speak so that was a bummer. haha Oh well. 

Sunday was pretty good, even though many of our new families fell through and didn't go to church. We were trying to implement what Elder Valenzuela of the 70 told us we had to do to strengthen our wards, and this hermano started say that we were trying to build castles in the air, and who knows what and I got pretty mad. Oh well. If they want to keep being the same, go for it. I tried. haha. We had to change our baptism from yesterday to next sunday but oh well. 

Yesterday we had quite the experience with a very faithful Jehovah's Witness. He was basically just trying to show us how we are wrong the Jehovah isn't Christ, stuff about Joseph Smith and barely would let us talk. I knew we weren't gonna get anywhere with him unless he could feel the spirit. I remember at the first of my mission when we had those types of experiences I always began to doubt. Now I don't. When he was saying all that I could just feel that I was in the truth. It was really special actually. I just felt so proud and happy for what I knew, but sad at the same time for him that he would not open up his heart to feel and know the truth. It just shows to me that my faith has grown SO much on the mission. 

Sounds like lots of changes at home, everything sounds pretty busy. Yes, hopefully I can get my package soon. Have fun babysitting this weekend Mom and Dad! 

Well love you all, and have a super great week!

Love Elder Elgan