HOME - 10-28-15

Much to our joy Hayden (Elder Redford) made it home on 10-28-15 from a successful Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

2 Days :) - October 26, 2015

Well today I was able to spend my last P day in a really fun way, we went to hike up to some cascades and some waterfalls on one side of the big mountain that we have in Monterrey. It was so much fun, running around in the woods! I missed it. 

Well, it is so hard to say goodbye to people. That is the hardest part. I hope I can help them see that I really do love them. I just have a lot of people that want me to come back and visit! I don’t know if I will or not, I don’t want to make promises.....That is the hardest part about leaving, saying goodbye. I am almost packed, I am thinking about putting my medium suitcase inside my big one to only take two, I hope it doesn’t weigh too much. 

From what I understand, the flight will come in at 4:10 on Wednesday... not 2:00..... 

Well, I am excited as well. Tomorrow I get to share my testimony in front of the whole mission, so that will be fun. I hope I speak loud enough (there is no microphone).

Also, I need an appointment with the Stake President Wednesday evening, so that he can release me :) Wow, that will be so weird! 

Also the Luz´s nephew Elder Velazquez is coming home the same time I am, and he is going to go to BYU, so he will be in our ward. How weird is that? 

Well, I hope that everyone is doing well, I will see you all soon! 

Love you all,

Elder Redford

Marriage Counseling :)‏ - October 19, 2015

Well this was a good week, looking for new people, with a little bit of success. 

We are having to be basically marriage counselors for a companionship in my district who aren’t getting along... it is hard and a little awkward. They just do not feel they are compatible, but it is just a little pride on their part. The world would just be so much simpler if everyone was humble!

Well, honestly I don’t know what there is to write, since I just wrote on Thursday... let’s see, well my companion spoke in church on Sunday about being modern day pioneers. Basically he invited us to take initiative to do what we know needs to be done. Be a pioneer by being the first in the quorum to do their home teaching, or first to turn off the TV in Sunday, or to do their family home evening, things like that. 

Also I ran into sister Serna, a beloved sister that I met in my first area. She found out that I had little time left, and encouraged me to make the most of it. She was almost a mom for me in my fist few months of struggling to learn the language and culture when I first arrived, so it was really good to hear what she said. That family is a great example to me. So, I want to make this last week count, because it is what my Mom would want too :) 

I know that the blessings come when we are obedient, so I want to make this last week the best that I can :) 

Like I said before, don’t kill yourselves building the basement! I can help you know :)

Love ya all! 

Elder Redford

Elder Redford at the Monterrey, Mexico Temple 10-15-15

Temple Today :) - October 15, 2015

So, we went to the temple this week. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would write late this week. It was my last time attending the Temple in Monterrey in Spanish! It was, as always, very spiritual. 

On Sunday we had a lesson on Family History work for our new converts and investigators, which was really good, and reminded me that I really need to work on that :) 

Sounds like everyone is pretty excited back at home. That is awesome to hear that Megan is doing such a good job in Orchestra. I have seriously been thinking about learning to play the guitar when I get back home :) It will be fun to play together.

Well, this was a good week, lots of new people that we are teaching. A few are really excited to keep learning more. I know that I don’t have time to see anyone else get baptized, but I can find as many new investigators as I can before I leave to sow a few seeds for my companion to nourish :) 

Hno Nelson went on a trip to Mexico City, which he said was a lot of fun. They invited me to go with them next year. It would be pretty fun, so I will need to see if I could.... But he also got let go from his job when he got back..... but within like 2 days he had already found another one, which is great :)

It is crazy to think how little time I have left! 

I am trying to get everything done that I need to get done, and today I am going to try and make some cards to pass out to people so that we can stay in contact. Hope that they turn out! 

And it is good to hear that the basement is getting pretty close. Thank you to everyone who has help with it! 

Well, really we are going to be seeing each other pretty soon, in less than 2 weeks. But I gotta keep my torch lit 'til the end! 

Well, love you all! 

Elder Redford

Exchanges and Conference - October 5, 2015

This was an eventful week. Intercambios with the Zone Leaders and Intercambios with the other Elders in my district. We spent the week talking about Conference with everyone. Sadly though, we didn’t have much turn out by way of investigators. 

The inercambios with the Zone Leaders was great, Elder Canalizo and I made a poster for Elder Alvarez because he completed a year on the mission, to congratulate him, with some candies and things :)
The Intercambios on Friday were great as well. E Jepson (from Midway) is having some problems with his companion, he feels his companion is too bossy, and he is struggling with the language. So, I decided the thing to do was to lay back, and showed him all the support I could while I let him run the reigns in his area, and it was just what he needed to feel more confidence in himself and his capacity to make decisions. 

We ended the Intercambios On Saturday, but basically stayed together because we went to see the sessions in English. At the end of Saturday and the end of the Sessions on Sunday, I noticed that my companion was upset. We got back to the house and I honestly did not feel we were good to go out and work, we needed to talk something out. And we did, we had a very serious conversation. Basically, My companion doesn’t like E Jepson , and with all the time I spent with him, he didn’t want me to act like him. So, with the help of the Spirit, I was able to help him see the great need that he had to learn to love E Jepson. That a lot of the time his comments to him were degrading. And that it is always better to lift than bring others down. It was a very intense conversation. I asked him to stop making fun of him. So after a lot of silence, he called our companions, they came over to the house, and he apologized to Elder Jepson. I know that the Spirit had touched my companion’s heart, He never speaks seriously enough to do such a thing as ask forgiveness. But now he does. 

This has really made me think about a lot of things... how the Spirit is the true teacher, about how we need to see others with God´s eyes and his perspective, and seeing potential in others rather than just their faults. It was a very humbling experience for the two of us.

On Wednesday the Sister Missionaries had a baptism, and Dominic, a 9 year old son of a less active, asked me to baptize him, so I had that privilege this week :) It was good to see the Spirit had touched his mother, as I saw the tears in her eyes when she came around with a towel to receive her son and hug him. 

By way of the Conference, I was touched by the talk about Obedience, and the Grandmother buckling in her granddaughter.´Grandma, you want me to wear my seatbelt because you love me¨ Heart melting :) I could really relate, and I learned a lot about the answer that she got from the Spirit while trying to keep her in her seat : Teach Her. People have to understand the reason that we do things is because we LOVE THEM. And I desire to be a better instrument of the Lord's love. 

Also, I loved the invitation to Ponderize. I would like to put that in practice. And I challenge all of you to do the same! Pick one verse of scripture per week, and study that verse each day, putting it in a place where you will see it often. That was a great idea!  

It was also cool to hear Elder Bednar talk about why the Lord calls old men to be his leaders. I really liked what Elder Hales told him : When you can’t do what you once could do, all you do are the things that really matter. It is very true that our time here is very limited, and we need to spend it on what really matters most. And that that is something that these inspired leaders understand. 

These men are called of God. 

Thanks for all the support and see you soon! :)
Elder Redford

Hola - September 29, 2015

Wow. That is sad to hear about Christian... I hope that everything turns out ok with his family...  I have been praying for you guys so that everything can be good between them and us. Good to hear that he wanted to talk to Dad. 

Good to hear that you were able to have the missionaries over! Sounds like they were a lot of fun. That is quite the prayer though :) 

No way that Mikaila already had her farewell! That is absolutely crazy. I know that she made the right choice, and especially for the blessings she will see in her family. I know that I have seen so many!

Well, this was a pretty normal week. What I liked most was that a few members got excited about coming out with us to teach, and that was pretty cool. Things always turn out better when we have a member with us, and it gives the investigators a chance to make friends so that they feel more comfortable in church. I would like to keep helping out the missionaries when I get back, but it’s just that there are so few! 

Lots of people are basically sending me home, always making comments on how little I have left. I really don’t feel that I have that much time, or that it is almost over! I need to wrap up some loose ends still, like sending some letters to some converts and making sure that my journal is all up to date ;) (and if I am lucky, I might make it in time to go to Betty and Valente's sealing in the Temple!) , and I am working on the Life Plan and after mission goals that President asked me to make. So yeah, I guess the time is short. I am trying to work though like nothing is different :) 

Please, don’t kill yourselves trying to get the basement done. I can totally help out. after living here in a few of the houses, I don’t mind much. I mean, there aren’t cockroaches :)    Like Shelby, one really does learn a lot about humility being in another country. She even more, being in Guatemala. I showed Helaman and his family our house on google maps, and they say that we live in a mansion. 

Well, thanks for all you do and I send my love, 

Elder Redford