October 22, 2007

Dear the Irvine family,

This week has been crazy! And yes, we got the package! Sandoval really appreciated the soccer tie- he is a soccer fanatic!

This entire week has been a downer. No word from my friends about what's going on...but I figured it was going to be soon. The first six months is letters then a drop dead zero in letters all of a sudden. Oh well. I was depressed the entire week, wondering what my purpose was and why I am here and all that sad stuff. I just went to work and went to do the Lord's will for me in this area. He knows our trials, He knows our abilities, and He knows how to help us in the best way.

We finally have one progressing investigator! He came to church! His family is from D.F., Mexico (Mexico City) and he's here alone trying to make a living. He's really humble, and he misses his family a lot. We are his only friends here, other than those at work. He works for a ward member (who is amazing by the way) and we are his friends. He was joking around with us in our last visit and I really think that he's being prepared for the Gospel, but we'll rely on the Lord to know when he's ready. Miguel Rosas, what a great investigator! He wants to read and he wants to go to church.

Our sacrament meeting was full of testimonies! One of the counselors to the stud member Hno. Moreno, Alejandro Garcia, was called to be the Second Counselor of the bishopric! His family is amazing! He investigated the church for 10 years and has been baptized for about 3 years. He works on the temple grounds and loves to go to the temple. His wife is so cool, and his three kids are hilarious! I love that family! His wife, then him, bore their testimonies about the Gospel. How it hurt him inside to not go to church and his kids not going to church because he didn't want to. His daughter said that he didn't want them because he wouldn't go to church, and he thought about that long and hard. When the next week he said he'll go, the second child Alejandro jumped out of bed and got the oldest to tell her the good news. He was baptized later that week. This story goes along with another part of it. So we visited him last week and he told us about how the devil tried to stop him, and tried to destroy him. He said when he was thinking about being baptized, seriously thinking (this is at the same time as he didn't want to go to church), that one day he tried to get out of bed but he couldn't. Something physical was holding him down. He couldn't move or speak. His wife didn't see anything, and asked what was going on. She panicked. From what I can remember is that she called her brother Felipe (an RM) to help them out. He knows Satan tried his very best to stop him from being baptized. Now he's a temple worker and the second counselor in the bishopric! The one being released, Hno. Godinez, bore his testimony. He is going through the divorce process, which hurts. His son, Diego, is an angel. He bore his testimony of Christ, of His sacrifice...it was from his heart. He is a faithful member of the church. Now he's on the stake high council, the youngest member at probably 26 years of age. He is amazing. The Spirit was there, and I know our investigator Miguel felt it. He didn't say a word during the testimonies, and afterwards he asked if the meetings were over. He didn't want them to end! He is being prepared. I love this work!

Hno. Godinez came out with us for 2 hours on Saturday. Our appointments fell through so we went from place to place trying to find less actives and such. We went to our second appointment and waited for the investigators to get home (Saenz family). They got home and we taught part of the second lesson with the oldest daughter Myra as well as the Word of Wisdom. Great news- they don't drink or smoke! Well she does have a six month old daughter and her husband works all day...but still! Hno. Godinez bore his testimony, and all I could think of was of his trials. His divorce. His separation from his son. His anguish, of why his wife wants to split. His pain, of seeing his family taken away from him. I love him so much, and I felt his pain. I know that Christ will take our pains away if we only submit our will to His. When Hno. Godinez testified about the Gospel and the Word of Wisdom, I felt the Spirit. Myra committed to keep it and promised to come to church (they didn't- I guess their car wasn't fixed after all like they said). We could have 2 progressing investigators by the end of the transfer (2 weeks). We'll see...

We're going in reverse order now. The night before (Friday) we had a great lesson with Miguel Rosas, so great we were an hour late to the Saenz's. Miguel did say he'll keep the Word of Wisdom, but later (darn it!). But he did come to church! We apologized to the Saenz's for being way late, but they read! First time ever in this transfer! There's hope for them, they just have to come to church. I have to say, I was pretty shocked when they said they read...like excuse me? You...read? You...actually read Alma 32...and understood it? OH MY GOSH! So Friday ended well.

We visited the Pelayo family yet again. We've been teaching them forever, like two or three transfers by now. Or more. They have potential, they just have to obey the Law of Chastity (which will be hard due to the circumstances of applying for citizenship). Maribel's son, Christian Sol, has drug problems. My comps, Villa and Raleigh, have been working hard with him and his girlfriend to solve these issues. His girlfriend is pregnant with his second child, her fourth child (two with another man). Christian is 19! Diana is 25! Oh my gosh! So Hno. Moreno came with us as we visited and chatted outside her house on the way to another appointment, and he lay down the law. He told her that Christian is in denial, he's in deep trouble, and the deep stuff. I was taken aback, I didn't know what was going on. The next time we go visit her to actually teach, the entire family actually listened. No commotion, no random people ruining the lesson, they sat and listened. Her boyfriend Antonio participated, he used to hate us. He read his Bible, as we read it, and he asked questions. He even answered some of Maribel's questions. Her daughter Myra asked questions. It was the first great lesson we've had with them in two transfers. Myra has the most potential, we just have to resolve her petty doubt about getting into water to be baptized. Good family, but if they had the Gospel all would be better than it is now. Maribel even asked for us to come back (a first). In the Lord's time He prepares the hearts of the people. Now she sees her son in trouble, she seeks the Lord. Finally! She even took his car away from him (which is great!). It is starting to turn around.

Our other investigator Oziel is pretty dang lazy. It's irritating. Yeah he reads. He doesn't want to get up and go to church or go to Mutual or anything. He's slow. It's annoying. Just get up, go out and find a job, and listen to us as well as keep commitments to go to church! He doesn't have many friends, so we suggested Mutual but he said 'nah'...argh! Instant friends?! C'mon! He's a great kid, don't get me wrong, but he irritates me with his slothfulness! Just do it! Go figure, he has to do independent study to get his high school degree! We might drop him if he stops reading because it's hard right now trying to get him to church. But, his mom is supporting us in saying that if Oziel wants to go to church, let him go. We have to find a way to get him excited and motivated...with the Lord's help.

We contacted 3 less actives this week- one doesn't want to ever come back 'I used to be a member' type, the other works 24/7 and the last one is a bit depressed to say the least. The last, Victor Marquez, said he did terrible things in Mexico as a police killing squad member, and how it's coming back to haunt him. His son was killed some months before. But this police squad life was before he was baptized, and he did talk to the bishop about it before he got baptized...he's severely depressed. His wife is in Mexico, sick, and he has a lot of health problems AND he's poor. But he did now a member, Hno. Elias, so we gave Elias the address so we can help us help him. It's really sad with his case. Victor even tried to kill himself before. Ah! That's why you don't go inactive!

We had the Moreno's drive us to appointments on Saturday too. We visited a potential, he was eating, so we went to the Castillo's. We had a great time, getting along, talking about the Gospel, and for the first time Hna. Yolanda Castillo cried when she was talking. I was like um...huh? what? Hno. Moreno was encouraging her son, Julio (who was and is way inactive) to come back, talk to the bishop and get his life back together. Julio agreed. And after I shared scriptures from Acts on how we have potential and how God knows us (Saul and Stephen's accounts), Julio said he'll never come back to the Gospel. Out of nowhere. It was a knife in my heart. I couldn't believe it! We couldn't believe it! I was shocked! So we left the house and got in the car...I was in shock like all the rest. Well, in the Lord's time.

That same afternoon, we went to visit that potential again, Pablo Martin, and he could be golden. He was an evangelical, but he doesn't like churches that much. He's seen how the pastors get rich and people are poor. The church has followed him from his home in Honduras to Mexico to here...and he'd love to hear from us again. We had a good discussion about the Gospel, the church organization, and the Book of Mormon. He's interested, but he couldn't come to church since he was already committed to visit a friend's church. He's looking for the true church, and he just has to make time for us to teach him. He could be golden. He knows the Bible, and he knows that the church is supposed to help the poor, not the pastor. And, he doesn't like the Catholics! Score! He knows repentance is individual, not for the pastor or priest. But it could be a problem talking to the bishop, but that's in the future for now. He could have great potential.

The work is tiring. I get up each morning exhausted and sleep exhausted, but that's how it is. I can't believe time flies...4 months in the field already?! Ah! Work work work, there is no better substitute for homesickness than work. I testify of that.

I hope all is well at home. I love you all.

Your missionary,
Elder Irvine