'Who else is hungry????'

Well hello from the South America. I heard that there was an earthquake. I didn't feel anything. My companion said we wouldn't really be able to feel it cause its muy duro aqui en merida. Well, umm my Spanish is coming along pretty good I would have to say. My accent (my companion says) is coming as well. We're actually getting along a lot better, except when he uses my pan and doesn't clean it. :) 

We had a pretty good week here in Oxkuitzcab I would have to say. Our investigators are doing awesome and we had (for the first time) investigators go to church yesterday. We had 6 people go and 3 of them were a family!!! Fam Chab ix

Well let's first start off with our investigators and how they're doing:

Well we taught Alma only once this week, but it was such a good lesson. We taught with a member Alma. She's a returned missionary, and she came with us. We talked about the mandamientos, y dia de reposo. She asked about the imagines thing, cause all the people have them down here. We basically told her that they were breaking a commandment and she was like 'hmmmmm'..... like strange. It was a good lesson. She's going to Mutual Saturday with the young women. She doesn't feel prepared to attend church yet, but I think once she attends church she'll realize and know she got an answer already. She's awesome. 

Well then we have her cousins and aunts as investigators Tambien. The two sons and the mom are awesome. And the dad is a borracho. They are futuro miembros de la iglesia. Muy pronto. But I will say that I learned this week that alcohol destroys families. The minute you take a sip of alcohol you are basically telling your wife, your kids, and your husband (if you're a woman), that you could care less about them and your body. Literally Hermano Ucan is doing the same thing to his family. His wife can't do anything about it cause if she leaves with the kids he will do something to them. But Silvia (the mom) really wants to hear the lessons, and same with the sons, but the dad is always borracho and we can't teach when there's that.

Ohhhhh--my most crazy thing happened yesterday at church. More crazy than things in the past. And we had investigadores!!  We have a member that has mental problems--not big problems, but his brain and the wires in the brain aren't connected. And he is crazy. So we sing the closing song in sacrament meeting and he slams open the door and he says something I can't remember.  I'm playing the piano and I stop and I'm like oh shoot he's going to shoot up the capilla!! Get down!! ha (just now remembering that one video of the lady from a long time ago) haha   Hermano Chiu says the closing prayer and David Tzui was taking down the sacrament and Julio (the crazy guy) runs to the sacrament table, and yells 'I'm thirsty and I need the sacrament', and Presidente is like 'hermano usted es siempre bienvenido pero por favor be reverente'.   And Julio takes one of the water cups and drinks it (remember we have investigators in the capilla and everyone is just like frozen and straight up shocked and watching this all go down).   And he says "tengo hambre" and David was holding the bread tray with all the bread on it like about to dump it in the trash, and Julio grabs all the bread in the tray and shoves it all in his mouth, raises his hand in the air with the bread, and says 'Who else is hungry????'   Everyone was just like 'uhh', and he walked out of the capilla. 

Well he left for like ten minutes and while I was teaching Sunday School he comes barging in otro ves and I'm just like 'oh my goodness, please don't do anything more'.   I gave one of the teenagers (that is kinda the jock of the rama, and hes also kinda strong) kinda like the eye, like please do something.  And he got up and told him to leave--it was nice-- he didn't come back.  I have no idea what the hermano said to Julio, but he didn't come back.

Well there was a transmision de un conferencia de Elder Anderson ayeer en la capilla. We didn't go cause we went to another pueblo, but Julio showed up!!!!  He somehow got onto the roof of the capilla one night and there was mutual for the young women and he showed up and hopped on the roof somehow.  He's crazy.

Well the Fam Chab ix went to the capilla ayeer. And they are awesome. Its a family of four, but only one of the kids could go yesterday. The mom doesn't understand much Spanish, so starting this next week we're going to have a member translate for us in Maya. Its pretty awesome to hear. I can pick up some of the stuff they say, but it is wayyyyyyy difficult. 

We have two new investigators this week that are part family members. Its ninos and they are actually active this time. So they have a date for 3 de marzo.

Well we went to Merida on Friday for the multi zona, and it was pretty good. I met with Presidente Ruiz. and yet again it was an awesome interview. He's seriously so awesome. We mainly just talked about rules. He started out by telling me that he has come to realize that he's  naive when thinking that all his missionaries are following the rules. And every time he asks me who I have been companions with, and I tell him the same thing every time.  So we went through them and the areas, and then when I finish telling him, he just said "what a rocky start, huh?' hhaa. He's awesome . Well he asked my opinion on what kind of missionaries he has in the mission and I told him straight up. 

I said you don't have missionaries that follow the rules. I told him nobody does companionship study, nobody does language study, nobody ever does 12 week program. And then I started to ask him about the questions I had about movies, music and my ties. So first I asked about movies. And he said we don't watch movies here in the mission. I told him that I had a movie but it was about the church and he said nope no movies, and I said okay, I will be deleting it.  He just laughed.  And then I told him that we have missionaries her that have seen the new Superman and have all sorts of movies. I asked about music. and he said only hymns from lds.org and the Children Hymnbook, and I said that I was doing good with this, and then I told him that missionaries here have all sorts of music.   Then I put my tie on the table and I said 'What do you think about this?'  And he said, 'I like it a lot.'   It was my floral tie.  I said, 'That's all I have Presidente.'   He said,  'Elder Hall, you are probably the most honest missionary I have here in this mission'.   I love meeting with Presidente Ruiz. He gives me the motivation for the next six weeks. Its like the perfect amount of time.

Well all in all I would say that this week was a pretty stinking good week here in Oxkutzcab. I don't want to be transferred, but I'm thinking my time here in Oxk is coming to an end. Ambios are in two weeks so we got some time--we're still good.

Oh my--we just ate at a member's house and let me tell you--I thought we had some pretty racist people in the United States.  I would say that today was one the worst and most racist things I have ever heard. So horrible, but its all good--we got the expiacion and we can repent

Elder Hall

I love this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCH_s7BB3fs

Well this week was a good one here in Oxk.

Well this week was a good one here in Oxk. 

Welllllllllllllllll, let's start out with the experience that happened Monday at about 730, an hour and a half after writing Presidente my letter.....After a visit to a less active member's house, we were in centro and we stopped for something and the phone rings, and my companion answered, and I'm not sure what was said but Presidente asked if he had a minute to talk and he said yeah.  They talked for about 15 minutes.  Let's just say he's woke up every day this week at 630. I honestly have no idea what he said but it was something! haha

When we follow the rules with the exactness we see success. We found 11 new investigators this week. Three families. And more. We got references from members, when before the members literally just don't help us. We are guided to the chosen children of God who are waiting to hear his gospel. 

We had a lesson with Alma again this week, and we met in centro. She's so awesome. She understands and feels everything that we say is true, but still hasn't felt shes received an answer.  But she feels good when she meets with us.

I honestly feel a little terrible for sending that video last week. That same hermanao passed away this week. His name is Hermano Damion. He passed away Tuesday night. We basically spent all Wednesday helping his family with the body and the funeral and dedicating the grave. First we go over to sing hymns. and his body was there and the casket was open--I about threw up. We left and I started to think about his clothing he had, and if it was correct. None of his family are members. So we called our branch president and he told us that he told the daughter to ONLY put the temple packet under his feet and not to put it on him. Low and behold we go to sing hymns and he has it all on and it was all wrong. So I called Presidente Ruiz and told him what was going on and he basically told me that we aren't here in the mission to take care of funerals, but that we were here to find people that didn't have the Gospel, and that it was the branch president's responsibility. But to go buy a white sheet and cover him and the clothes. So we went and asked if they had a white sheet and I go to look at the body it see if you could see much. And you could only see the head. So we had the funeral and a lot of people went and then we dedicated the grave after. It was nice.

Welllll otro ves tuve tareesh y un infeccion in mi estamago. diciendo este en espamol por que no quiero mi mama saber haha. fui al doctor, y tamando medicina, pero I lost some weight but I'm fine.

We got 11 new investigators this week. Fam Cha ix Que Tiene, Jose, Jose, Isabel, and the daughter (idk her name). Then we got Evelin, and her esposo. Then we got Dolores, who doesn't speak Spanish so we have a member come with us or her daughter translates for us, its pretty awesome. And then the Familia Ucandzul, which we found yesterday. And then have the parents and then three kids.  Two are age of baptism. 

All in all this week has been a pretty good one. Started out a little rough and some contention but ended awesome with us following the rules with exactness, and being guided by the Spirit. You seriously work through those miserable days to get to one awesome day.

Well I want to share a video/talk with you guys. Tuesday was a tough day for me and then we went home and my companion showed me this video. Mind blowing. I want everybody to watch this. It will touch you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd30i48a3do

Elder Hall

This week started out to be probably one of the best weeks in the mission

Literally this week started out to be probably one of the best weeks in the mission and then ended basically leaving us here in Oxk with basically nothing. No investigators. No members helping. Nothing...

Well we started out the week teaching Yanin and Alma a ton. We gave them the Plan of Salvation folleto after our first lesson. They said they would read the folleto and then the first two chapters in the lbm, and pray about it all. So we go back for our second lesson on Tuesday and Yanin had read and everything. But Alma!!! She read it all and she like comprehended everything. She literally gave us a 10 minute lesson on the Plan of Salvation. It was so awesome. We taught them a couple more times this past week and committed them to baptism, and wow it was awesome. We were so excited and so pumped for them. Well then we had a baptism for a Nino that lives in Takash on Saturday and Yanin and Alma said that they were going to go and going to go to church on Sunday. So Saturday comes around and we pass by to pick them up and Yanin is only there and she says that they can't go cause that they have a family obligation, and so we were like 'awesome'. Thennnnnnn she said, 'Yeah, I'm moving to Chetumal'--which is in Collin's mission. I'm like c**p.  Then I said in my mind, 'I need to email Collin to give him her numero telefono'.

Well my companion still wakes up late everyday. Very frustrating.  I shower and get ready and eat and all that jolly stuff and then 730 comes around and I have to go wake him up. We talked about it in inventory on Thursday and I told him he was going to wake up on time or I'm going to be making some calls--and I won't be calling the ZLs first or the APs--I'll be calling President. And he said he will try and he didn't.  Seriously this week I'm cracking the whip on him and I will make the call.

We basically have nothing here now. Its a little tough and I've been a little down about it. 

My companion told me this yesterday: 'You know my trainer (my first companion), we watched movies, had regular music, woke up at 830 every morning. and had fun. And guess what?  We had investigators, we had 4 baptisms in that transfer. Elder you wanna do that?'.

And I said, 'Nope.  I could care a less if we have investigators'.

Its so frustrating that missionaries that are literally going to the movie theaters seeing the new Superman and have movies and watch just garbage and listen to music and don't follow the rules one bit are having so much "success" if you wanna call it. And then I asked if his 4 investigators were still active and he said that they were. un poco frustrante.

Well idk--sometimes I feel that these long days will never end but its days like Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week that I work my tail off and push through the hard days.

That's about all I got for this week. Sorry its a little lame.

Elder Hall