Secret Aztec formula

Well, I enjoyed the secret Aztec formula, but it didn´t really clean me out. I think I´ll keep drinking it anyways for the protein and the taste. It´s pretty good with vanilla and an apple. Today a member is planning on feeding us "hot dog burgers". Not sure what that is but supposedly they´re pretty good. I´ll keep you updated.

So this week I learned the importance of arriving REALLY early to take your investigators to church. We went to pick up Martín, an older man, and bring him to church at about 11:25. Church starts at 12:00. What we weren´t counting on is that he wanted to walk...and walks slower than a turtle. We got there at about 12:45 and missed the sacrament. That means we walk about 30 times faster than he does. It´s ok though. He had a great time and plans on coming back. His son has a baptismal date (Arturo) for this weekend. This weekend is our last chance to baptize before transfers.

Also, the water cut off yesterday...so we can´t wash dishes or shower. Eww. The whole area is out, because of some repair or construction whatnot. All I know is that I´ve never been able to brush my hair without gel before. Zone conference was also this week, and they talked about attitude and being happy while you work. I suppose the effort to shape up and improve the mission has created an overly serious mindset in the mission, which I have seen. It´s important to enjoy yourself on the mission. Actually, any creative or fun contacting ideas or things to do in the house are more than welcome!

The members are more and more willing to work with us, although we´re out of cell phone minutes which makes things more complicated. However, we´ve got a good relationship established now. Hopefully we can make the most of it, since there is a week before transfers. Never miss a chance to help out the missionaries!! I´ve been here a while, but as usual you never know what will happen. Elder Record thinks I´m gonna be a ZL. Elder Wilde thinks I´m getting another greenie. I really haven´t a clue. All I know is I´m comfortable where I am and enjoying what I´m doing. Thank you so much for your prayers, I know miracles are just around the corner. A lot of them are already coming to pass insofar as my own life is concerned.

More details later, but for now its time to scoot!

Love,
Elder Lund

Also!


I am now in 2 Nephi 10 reading the Book of Mormon in Portugese!

It changes EVERYTHING!

I don´t know if its because of your prayers mom, or if its just a special blessing, but yesterday marked the third time in the mission I have been gifted shoes by a ward member. My shoes don´t look bad at all, but they always seem to have the shoes of some relative that are just my size. Now I can do church shoes, work shoes, and a spare pair.


We´ve been working on an experiment in the house as well. My companion got an "ancient Aztec power drink" recipie from a relative, and we´ve spent the last two weeks preparing it. It basically involves roasting and then grinding up into powder a billion types of beans and corn and whatnot and using it like a protein shake. Its supposed to give lots of energy, help build muscle, and also clean you out (WARNING!!!) Elder Wilde tried it...and I know the last part is true. I plan on trying some tomorrow after working out...or maybe tonight. We´ll see.


This Sunday we put a plan in action to try to get thte ward members to help out with missionary work. 7 certain members have helped out a lot, but there are two companionships in the area and a lot of people to visit. We bought them gifts and candy and made a giant thank you card (the gifts included a tigger doll, a soccer ball, yoga mat, boxing gloves, CDs of church music, a bunch of cups, and some place mats) and handed them out after sacrament yesterday. They loved it, and the members that keep promising to help us but cancelling last minute or not showing up all were saying that next time it´ll be THEIR names on the card. I´m more than happy to make more thank you cards...they just need to earn them first! You have no idea just how much of a help it is when members participate in missionary work. It changes EVERYTHING.


Concerning my future, I´m thinking more about things I want to do..not careers, but rather things I would like to accomplish. The trick then is simply knowing how to sustain myself and my family while still being able to do these things (certain books I´d like to write, things I´d like to try creating, etc.). Being a professor is one possibility, but I´m still thinking these things through.


There are a number of investigators close to baptism, but they´re not quite ready yet. Pray for them, and we´ll do what we can to help them. They want to do the right thing, they´re just missing a few pieces. I know the miracles will come though, and for now I will do what I always do: keep the head down and keep working with faith.


Love,
Elder Lund

Day of the Dead

This week we spent a lot of time looking for new investigators and using the area book to find out how previous investigators have been doing. That has been the plan for a while, but it has been the bulk of our work this week. We met a lady named Olga who says she is feels something is lacking in her search for God. We also continue working with José Angel, who lives with kidney failure and a number of other things, although things have been a little rough. He actually left to go to the hospital in the middle of one of our appointments this week. We also gave a blessing to Ernesto´s grandmother in the hospital. It was more of a blessing of comfort, because on Thursday she passed away. Arturo, another investigator, also found out that his niece died this week. I suppose it´s appropriate that now is the time of Day of the Dead.

Speaking of this time of year, Halloween was yesterday as well. It is indeed celebrated here (largely by youth) because of the heavy contact the country has with the US. Almost everyone has time or a relative in the States. Today, however, everyone is building up for the big holiday, which is Day of the Dead. It has to do with reconciliacion with death and remembering lost loved ones. Most stores are closed today and a LOT of alcohol is being purchased. We´ll see how that turns out.

Also, this weekend was stake conference. Only Arturo came with us to church, but he seemed to like it. President Saucedo was there and gave a good talk on new members. It was packed all the way back. Also, we now have a new stake patriarch and a new temple president. Tomorrow and Wednesday I go to leadership conference again, which should be fun but will be complicated for my companion as he stays here with Elder Wilde and Elder Record.

Time, once again, is very short. The Zone Leaders are busy right now, leaving me in charge of running district class and preparing everything else, so I haven`t time to write much details right now, unfortunately. I`m trying to get more in, but there just isn`t much time. I really hope everything is going on alright at home. I`m doing my best to complete with my job and bring God`s blessings to the people of Guadalajara, and I`ll do it with our without seeing fruits. I love you all, and hope you´re doing alright. I`ll keep praying for you and trying to be the son and person God wants me to be.

Love,
Elder Lund

Onward we go!

Faustin continues to appear interested and seems to be reading, but he didn`t go to church on Sunday. His son came in from out of town at the same time as church started, and he didn`t go to the other church service we invited him to. Tonight we`ll find out how he`s doing. Lately we´ve also been spending a lot of time with the area book, searching for former investigators that might now be ready to progress. The best one we´ve met is named José Angel. He´s an older man who suffers from renal failure (wiki it!) and has had a few dreams he doesn`t understand. He has a strong desire to know where the truth is, why he is still here, and a number of other things. The spirit is felt very strongly with him, so we´re working and praying hard to find out how to help him. He came to church Sunday even though physically he felt terrible that morning, and he showed interest in the Gospel Principles class on baptism.

Interviews with president were normal. He focused on using the area book and on constantly searching for new investigators. He wanted to work with us that day, but had to go to a meeting and so couldn`t. We`ll see if he stops by some day of this week to work in the field with us. Maybe he`ll even show up to district class.

Turning a year was a relatively quiet affair. I didn`t really buy anything special or eat anything special, but I did take a few commemerative photos. It feels really strange to know I`m halfway there.

Karina, the sister of Luz and Karol (who we helped the sister missionaries to teach) was baptized on Sunday, and she asked me to do the ordinance. I was more than happy to do so, and it was a very beautiful ceremony. They`re a wonderful family and they`re trying hard to do the right thing. I hope the ward takes care of them like they should.

We`re planning to make some thank you gifts for the members that have been helping out the missionary work as well as organize an activity to which members can bring investigators. Something Book of Mormon and time travel themed, probably. I`ll let you know how that works out. Onward we go!

Love,
Elder Lund

Yikes

Life is normal right now. We continue teaching, contacting, helping the district, and growing. I learn more each day and try to help my companion. So far the closest baptismal date is Faustín, who is planned for the 30th of October, who is essentially the Mexican "Albert Einstein", as my companion calls him. He is a marble sculptor and also is inventing a perpetual-energy machine...and yes, he has the crazy hair. He feels he needs to change his life and bring it in line with God before he gets too much older, and he enjoyed church this Sunday. Hopefully everything turns out alright, and hopefully we can find all the other people who are waiting for us and do not join the truth only because they do not know where to find it.

We also ate yesterday with a family of a mother and two sons (due to divorce). The 21 year old son is planning on going on a mission and the 18 year old is trying to decide. We all shared testimonies and had a very spiritual discussion about the blessings that come from missionary work. I`m very grateful for the opportunity here, and I know it is influencing things back home as well. It is honestly the best thing a young man can do for his family. I hope they come to understand that and go on to bless the lives of many other families as well.

Interviews are this week, and I think the Mission President is planning on coming to our area to work tomorrow afternoon...we´ll see how that is. I also turn a year on thursday. Yikes. It´s hard to believe I´m at the halfway point, especially because there is so much else I need to do and can do here. I plan on eating well and working hard that day, no more. That`s all I could ask for. I hope things are well at home...I need to take off. Know that I feel much closer to all of you now that I`m way over here than when I lived just downstairs. This is where I belong. One year more.

Much Love,
Elder Lund

I always learn a lot in conference

This week has had its ups and downs. Emiliano, a child from a different area that (due to complications) we ended up teaching, was baptized on Tuesday. He´s a good kid, and has a lot of youth left.

The down would be that right about the time of the baptism, my companion got very sick to his stomach. He ended up spending 2 days in the bathroom and I read the scriptures, ate pizza, and tried to be a little productive. I did manage to finish the Book of Mormon again (in Spanish this time) and clean up the area book a little.

We made an agreement with an investigator who went to church last week that if she came with us, we would go with her, so we went to visit Catholic Mass on Thursday. I won`t write any of the details, but there was worshipping of a little doll and blessing bottles of water involved, and I didn`t feel very good.

The one day we could work very well, we managed to have a great lesson with an investigator named Ramón who is reading the Book of Mormon from cover to cover and is very studied in the bible. He also went to conference on Saturday, met people he knew, and loved it. We also found a new investigator (a teen who isn`t living with his family) who came with his girlfriend to conference as well.

I always learn a lot in conference, and I`m learning even more from who the leaders of the church are then what they say. They`re such good examples of what we already know we should be doing. It`s something I`ve been thinking about since Elder Bednar´s visit. I listened to about 50% in English and the other half in Spanish, depending on if there were investigators there in the sessions.

Still no new house, but we`re working on it. There are a lot more options now, but we`re not sure we can leave this month. I hope so, but we´ll see.

Pray, read your scriptures, and go to church. That will always be the most fundamental.

Take care, and much love,
Elder Lund

Ups and downs

This week has had its ups and downs. Emiliano, a child from a different area that (due to complications) we ended up teaching, was baptized on Tuesday. He´s a good kid, and has a lot of youth left.

The down would be that right about the time of the baptism, my companion got very sick to his stomach. He ended up spending 2 days in the bathroom and I read the scriptures, ate pizza, and tried to be a little productive. I did manage to finish the Book of Mormon again (in Spanish this time) and clean up the area book a little.

We made an agreement with an investigator who went to church last week that if she came with us, we would go with her, so we went to visit Catholic Mass on Thursday. I won`t write any of the details, but there was worshipping of a little doll and blessing bottles of water involved, and I didn`t feel very good.

The one day we could work very well, we managed to have a great lesson with an investigator named Ramón who is reading the Book of Mormon from cover to cover and is very studied in the bible. He also went to conference on Saturday, met people he knew, and loved it. We also found a new investigator (a teen who isn`t living with his family) who came with his girlfriend to conference as well.

I always learn a lot in conference, and I`m learning even more from who the leaders of the church are then what they say. They`re such good examples of what we already know we should be doing. It`s something I`ve been thinking about since Elder Bednar´s visit. I listened to about 50% in English and the other half in Spanish, depending on if there were investigators there in the sessions.

Still no new house, but we`re working on it. There are a lot more options now, but we`re not sure we can leave this month. I hope so, but we´ll see.

Pray, read your scriptures, and go to church. That will always be the most fundamental.

Take care, and much love,
Elder Lund