Sunday, February 15, 2015

Week 6 - February 9, 2015

Well, Happy Birthday to all once again, ShayLynn and Mom! It looks like you were able to have some fun surprises. I love the Sombrero and the Minion sweatshirt :) and the snickers cake looked delicious as well! 

I wish Amanda Good Luck on her Mission! 

I hope that everything goes well with Aunt Donna and her elbow! That is a ton of screws (15)! 

This week we had out Zone Conference with President Bird. It was good :) I got called on to give a talk on being a Consecrated Missionary. We talked about the Atonement, and Repentance, and he did an activity that I liked a lot. He had us think about and write down the things that bring us joy and happiness on the mission, and then after a little while, asked, 'how many wrote soccer? How many wrote going the mall (Citadel) on P-day?' And then asked a good question: Why do we focus so much on the things that don’t bring us true happiness? 
I think that that applies to both missionaries as well as people; sometimes we worry way too much about insignificant things, or sometimes we put the things really are important and that bring us true happiness, like the family, like God, like helping others, like reading scriptures, like going to church, as second to worldly things. We need to be careful of that. The Devil is really good at trying to trick us, and that is how he keeps us from reaching our potential. He distracts us, and makes us think that what isn’t important is. So if he's tricking you, smack him upside the head, and get back on track! We have been sharing a similar message with people this week, about the Rich Young Man in Mathew 19:16-19, who asked Jesus what he had to do to have Eternal Life. Jesus said, keep the commandments. He said, well, I always have. And then asked a great question. What lack I yet? In other words, what more can I do than I am already doing? We have been inviting them to ask that question to themselves, to see what more they can do, and then do it :)

 This week was a little tough, in the sense of finding people to teach, and getting people to church. But we are working on it. 

We have some closed off communities called Privadas in our area, and we got some invitations from other missionaries (who had contacted them), to visit a few houses in there. They are super nice house; we didn’t find anyone home, but we plan to go back and look for them later. I felt really on guard while in there, with all the cameras and guards at the gate :) Something that our President wants us to do is put a 'Porque' or a Why for the day. The reason why we are going to work that day of something we want to focus on. (for example, Invite everyone to Church one day, or Contact Everyone! for another. kind of like a focus). That day that we went to the privadas, we put 'Find a Small Camel' as our focus for the day. You will see why if you read a little further in Mathew 19 after the Rich guy. (in the privadas are the rich people :). 

I also had companion exchanges with Elder Bravo (in my district) on Friday, I a learned a lot from him. It was really refreshing and a fun change to work with someone different for a day. We got less weird reactions with one of us being Mexican, instead of having two Americans :) We talked with a ton of people that day, and I earned a lot of respect for that Elder. 

On Sunday I was able to interview 3 investigators of our Zone Leaders for Baptism! I Understand what it feels like to be a bishop, Interview after Interview. No, just kidding :)  It was a family, a mom and two kids, who were twins actually. Their sister had just gotten baptized, and seeing her example, they too wanted to be baptized. They two kids are ready, but it seems the mom needs to live the Word of Wisdom first. It was a good experience. 

Well, that was my week basically. I am hoping to have a good week this week, and find lots of great people to teach! 

Love you all! 


Elder Hayden Redford

Week 6 - February 9, 2015


Happy Birthday Week!‏ - February 2, 2015

Feliz Cumpleaños a todos, Mamá y ShayLynncita! 
 That is right, both your birthdays fall in this week. I wish you some good ones and hope you do something fun or eat something super delicious! 

This week was good, but a little hard at the same time. We tried talk to lots of people in the street, because we don’t really have anyone progressing right now. It was sad we didn’t have anyone in church, so we hope to change that next week! 

The sisters in my district also got their power cut, because they got a huge bill, and didn’t have money to pay for it, having to wait until the next day we would get deposited. And being cut, they would have to go pay it in an office way out of their area, so Elder Wiess and I helped them out and made arrangements for a member to go out and get it paid (we gave him the money, of course),because they did not enjoy their two nights without power. So, we felt sort of hero-ish, saving the day and two damsels in distress :) 

My Spanish slipped the other day in a lesson. An investigator gave me the weirdest look ad reaction when I accidentally said that God tempted Eve to eat the fruit. Oops. I mixed up Dios and Diablo on accident without thinking about it. The good thing about being two gringos: They expect us to mess up, and it can sometimes be a good excuse for things; but the bad thing about that, is that sometimes they assume we don’t know Spanish, and talk to us weird. Everyone also notices us and asks us where the brown one is (or Moreno, It sounds better to say that in Spanish :).

The other day we went to buy hamburgers for dinner, just before going back to the house. It was an outside stand and grill, with a few tarps over it, because it was raining. Well, as I was standing there waiting, one of the workers hit the water off the top of the tarp with a broom, and it fell right on me! I was hoping for something free or a discount :)  Just a sincere apology though, but I just thought that the whole scene was just kind of funny :) 

The only really cool story that I have for this week (well since Thursday) is that we got invited to attend an Evangelist Christian Church. We had a person that we talked to in the street and accepted a visit from us, so we went to his house but he didn’t have time for us to teach him, but invited us to visit his church, so we accepted, thinking of a if-you-go-to-our-church, we´ll-go-to-yours kind of deal. That was Friday. We got the house where they held their church services on Sunday and 4:30, asked to see if he has there, and we learned that he was the pastor! It was quite an experience. Lots of singing, Halelujas, Glorias, and shouting, and then we went through basically a workbook, and learned about their belief of Faith. It was interesting, but I don’t have plans to attend again.

Some missionaries in the zone met someone who does screen printing, so we are going to try and get some shirts made to remember the district, with a superhero Justice League theme, each person with their own superhero (they made me Flash; but for looks, not for my agility for any means :). I hope to send a picture soon, of all of us in our shirts :) 

It is hard work being a district leader. I get to take a lot of hits sometimes. But it is ok, it is a learning experience. Tomorrow we are going to have a Zone Conference with President Bird.

Well, love you all, and talk to you next week! 

Elder Hayden Redford