Dusty's Email -- 10/27/08

Hello there,

Well this last week has been busy busy busy.

Yes, all is well with my companion and I. We are enjoying much success, and the Lord has put His elect in our path. On Saturday we went to an appt, and I had written the direction of the house wrong. It was street 34 #32 and I had street 32 #34. So as the person told us that is was the wrong house, a girl of about 12 years came up to me and said that in another city in our mission her Grandma had been baptized, and that she was interested. As we followed her to her house we taught her Mom and little brother and with one wrong address the Lord blessed us with three new investigators.

We were suppose to have a baptism this past week but the only condition was that the man had to marry his wife. As we got ready for the marriage we found out that the wife's papers were incorrect and that they had to get another copy of her birth certificate from Puebla. So we thought that this might derial his baptism a while, because he's very busy and doesn't have much time to go 3 hours on a bus to pick up a piece of paper from a different city. But he told us that Monday he would go. We are eating with him today and will see if he was able to get it. But I know that he truly has a desire to be baptized.

This week my zone gets to help out at the Open House for the Temple. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are the days that we will be in the Temple helping with the tours and all that. Then on Saturday the ward has rented a big bus and the ward and our investigators are going to go to the open house. We have been asked to go with them. So this week is extremely busy but were all really excited. We are hoping that our investigators that are trying to decide to be baptized will feel the Spirit real strong and will be baptized.

Also another exciting thing. The day before the Rededication of the Temple there is a giant cultural event at Azteca Stadium. This is the second largest stadium in the World. I beleive it holds close to 110,000 people, and they still won't be able to seat all that want to come. So its going to be big. Five other missions other than ours will be there. All the Mexico City mission, Cuernavca and Puebla and we are going to sing "Called to Serve" at the end of the program, some 1,100 missionaries! It's going to be real powerful. We have also learned that President Eyring will accompany President Monson to the Rededication. It's possible that the missionaries will have a special meeting with them before. So were all real excited.

All is well. Our water is fixed again so we have hot water. woot... Things are still well with my comp, we are working hard and its showing. The members have been a real help also to us with our investigators.

about the package, food would be nice, and it would probably be better with the money idea, but it doesnt matter and ill have to ask about the Abreva. but i bet i can get it here. but it doent really matter what you send, but also some pictures.

I attached 3 pictures, tell me if they turn out ok. I'll send more.

Love Elder Howard

Dusty's Email -- 10/20/08

Yes, yes, its true...another week has passed and my companion and I are having great success. We baptized a husband and a wife yesterday and they are just so excellent. We have a another one setup for this week also. This guy is so awesome. His name is Alfonso and his job is so cool. He makes jerseys, like soccer jerseys, but imitations of the actual ones and he’s really, really talented. He has given up beer and playing soccer on Sundays, (which for him and a lot of people here is hard, because its tradition) and also is getting married this week. That’s not cheap to do that here. It’s amazing to see the change that the Gospel can make in a person. His wife isn’t interested but supports him.

Dad, I see what your saying with the power of two and I think your right. So we are going to try that.

All is well with my companion and I. We are getting along great and serving well. The Lord has blessed us. My comp has helped me a lot with my Spanish. Like phrases that are hard to say but are easy for people to understand. So I am beginning to explain myself better and feel like I can teach more and explain more in depth. Which is such a blessing. This area is just full of the Lords elect, and He is blessing us to find a ton of them.

My companion thinks that I’m going to be transferred in the end if this cycle and made a leader of some kind. I don’t feel like I could take that responsibility yet but I know that the Lord will qualify me if I’m called to that. I found out at zone conference this past week that I’m the senior companion. I thought that it might be a problem with my comp, seeing as he has 20 months tomorrow in the mission, but it didn’t phase him which was such a blessing.

The weather is still getting cooler and we are having trouble with our water again. But oh well, all is well.

Gotta run

Love you guys,
Elder Howard

Dusty's Email -- 10/13/08

hola familia

This last week i got my new companion. His name is Elder Castaeda, he is from Torreon Mexico and has about 19 months in the mission. After I received my new companion, the Mission President told me that on Friday he wanted my companion and I to come back to Aragon(where the transfers are, and the temple etc..) to meet with him. So for days after I was wondering what I had done or why he wanted to see me. But none the less my new companion and I worked hard. He is a lot like me when pertaining to the work. It’s so awesome. he knocks doors on one side of the street while im on the other, while im contacting someone in the street he is other people. so awesome.

Elder Mora(my first comp.) was great, but we were always contacting the same people and knocking the same door together, possibly because I’m new to the lang. Also, Elder Mora liked to contend a lot with every person. My new comp and I present the message and if they reject it we bear testimony and move on. It’s exactly how I’ve wanted to do it. The only problem was I didn’t really understand people, but the language is coming along great. My companion and I are preparing for 2 baptisms this week and possibly 6 the following.

So, Friday, we returned to Aragon to meet with President Bulloch. First, he wanted to talk to me, so we went into a room and he began to ask me how my comp had been the last couple days. I said that all has been well. He’s working hard and we are having success. He then told me that my comp has made some mistakes here on his mission and hasn’t been the missionary he should’ve been. He told me that my companion is one little mistake away from being sent home. But this past transfer he felt that he could trust me with him. To make sure he’s up on time and following the rules, and to make sure with the ladies nothing suspicious happens. It was a complete shock. President told me to call him if anything happens or if I need help with anything. President said that I know you only have 5 weeks here in Mexico but I know that you can help this Elder to finish his mission strong and be focused. So.....yeah, I’m happy that President trusts me with this, I just hope that I can help in some way, and I know that the Lord will help me.

My new companion has clippers and a razor for hair, but is a little timid with them. So I cut my own hair this past week for the first time. Not with the clippers, but with the razor. It turned out real well. I don’t remember what sizes I used but, on the sides it was different than the top. So it took some art, but I cut around my ears and sideburns to. WOOOOOTTTTTTTT!!!! I’m a PRO!!! I’m not going to lie I was scared. but WOOOOTTTTT!!!!

Mom, I don’t need a bug tent I think that I’ll be fine.

C.J. you are a stud in your uniform. Keep up the work and I’m looking forward to seeing pictures of you during volleyball.

Con todo amor en mi corazon

Elder Howard

p.s. dad, your comments last week have really helped me. about cutting the investigators off. For some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about your comments all day last Monday and the answer came to me when I was reading my scriptures. It was a strong personal revelation and I understood what you were saying. Thank you for helping me to understand better what the Lord wants.

Dusty's Email -- 10/6/08

Hey

Well this last weekend was great! Yes, I got to watch all sessions of conference and we had some investigators come and hear President Monson speak. But I totally agree with you Dad, this conference was so much more powerful. There are a lot of things that I need to work on and improve. But I’m happy to say that things that I was praying for were answered and that I received personal revelation during this last weekend and I’m excited for the next weeks to come.

My companion was affected by transfers, he is going to a different area to be a district leader. Which is weird because I guess it never happens that your trainer after only one cycle gets transferred. So I’m not being trained anymore after tomorrow. I don’t know who my comp is until tom. afternoon. But we’re getting my comps bags all packed up and ready to roll out.

This last week we had a good week of contacting. A quick story...one guy and his wife we are teaching, and we taught the first lesson and were returning on Thursday to talk and teach again. but when we showed up we were met by his brother and a neighbor who had a million questions for us. I’m happy to say that my comp and I answered them with no hesitation and with the Spirit, but this guy is like Jewish and Catholic. But they attended the conference session on Sunday, along with a neighbor. So it was really good to have that.

Also yesterday I baptized another person. He was so happy and thankful. But we had to do the ordinance 3 times because he kept locking his knees. Finally the third time I basically “chucked” him under the water, since he was having trouble bending backwards. But all was well.

Dad, I know what you’re saying with the whole cutting the investigators thing, it was a worry I had to. But this past week we visited most of them and all told us that they didn’t want the message and basically they didn’t have faith that the Lord can answer prayers. I guess it’s a big problem that we hit down here. Because of the strong catholic influence and they don’t believe God can answer a prayer. It’s difficult to talk to these people. But know, Dad, that we did go back for them, this past week to see them. Yes, my companion and I were real frustrated and hurt, but we returned and they rejected it again, and we can’t keep returning. But we will pray that at some other time they’ll better understand what we taught them.

Everything else is great, we got our water fixed so it’s hot now. We are beginning this month with a bang! We found a family last night who are interested so my new comp and I will continue on. But dad know that we did try again.

I hope that all you could watch conference. When I heard about the temple in Rome, I was freaking out it.

Mom, they had another TV in another room where conference was in English for us ‘white’ folk. But it was so powerful, especially priesthood session.

I love you all and hope that all is well.

Elder Howard

P.S. Mom I forgot that your b-day was in August and not Sept. The other day it hit me that the 30th of Sept was not the day. So sorry. But Happy late B-day. and Lynette too. Hope all is well.