December 30, 2013

Hi there!!

     Wow it was so good and refreshing to get to Skype with you guys. Such a great Christmas present, right!!  I feel especially blessed for the opportunity that I had to Skype you guys a little longer than usual. It was pretty awesome!!! You guys all looked so good and happy and that is what makes me more happy than I already am:) and that’s pretty hard to do because I have been pretty dang happy! Through my time here in the mission I have found out the more service for people the more happy I feel. That’s why I have a strong testimony on the importance of service. It’s a way that we really can show our love for Jesus and that others can feel the love that we have for them.

     The mission is great! We are teaching a family right now that was inactive.  We have activated them and now their kids will have the chance to get baptized. They will be baptized on the 10^th of January. I’m so happy and excited for the family TOVAR. They are such a special family... the goal right now for the parents is to go through the temple. I have faith that it shall come to pass.

     Elder Montoya and I enjoyed our Christmas. We made new goals to start off the New Year. These goals are to help progress this Rama. The work here is going really good. The members have been helping us out with our visits and we have had some good activities. Elder Montoya and I are working hard and enjoying the time that we have to serve together. Working in unity and love for the members. We have been seeing many great things happening here and will continue to see many great things happen.

     I hope that you guys have such a good New Year’s Eve.  It’s crazy to think I’ll be home in 7 months. That time is so short. Are there any goals that you guys think I should make for my last 6 months here in the mission? I’m sure there is!  I hope you guys are enjoying your time that you have to relax at the cabin.  I love you all so much... have a marvelous week!!!

    Love,

    Elder Lawrence

Eating dinner at the shop of a member. Happy New Year's Eve...better pictures to come:)

Feliz Navidad from Elder Lawrence!

Pres. and Sis. Jordan

Best Christmas present ever!!!! Skyping with Elder Lawrence was awesome!!!

He is so happy and really loving his mission!!!

December 16, 2013

HOLA…what’s up?

      This week was good!  Everything is going super good! I really like Bicentenario.  This last week was my first week here.  It was good to get to know all the new families and less actives and investigators. I could feel the spirit and love of everyone that we visited.  I can tell that this Rama (branch) is ready to work and wants to help with the progress of the church. Elder Montoya and I are planning a lot of activities to get these menos activos excited about church and the gospels blessing again. It should be great!!  We also want to do servicios to show our love and to gain more confidence with all the members.  I know that we will see progress and bautismals in this area.

     This last week we had an activity and there was so many menos activos that showed up…we also had like 3 or 4 investigators show up. It was great!  I’m grateful to be working with ELDER MONTOYA where I can learn from the experience he has and we can have success here.

     So to answer your questions…. Yeah my area is kinda small, it seems like. It’s not even a full ward yet… it is a Rama (whatever that is in English, I don’t know). But we have a President de Rama here not a Bishop. The ward on Sunday was really good. It was the primary program here so it was cute to watch all the little kids sing and stuff.

     They call this place the “promised land” because the most success in the mission is in Victoria.  Yes, there is quite a bit of less active members here so yeah we got good work to do.  We also have about 4 solid promising investigators here.

     So my companion is from Peru and he has a lot of time in the mission. He will finish the mission while I am his companion. He is in his last two changes. He is really super cool!!!  We are planning on working hard and having fun. That’s the goal:)

     So yeah, I’m pretty excited about getting to Skype. But first we have to find a computer where we can Skype and stuff.

      So I received on package from you. A Christmas package...but I have not seen the other two yet. Oh and tell dad that there are no making cookies here in Mexico. We’re lucky if we have a plug in stove in the house. But it’s a good idea:) I would if I could but I can’t so I won’t haha. but there are two really cute poor families that I want to do something special for. Like a Christmas package of some sort. knock and run… like secret Santa.

     Oh so Victoria, it is sooooooooooooooooooo super cold here. Like more cold than I had at the MTC it feels like. But it’s cool, I think I’m starting to get used to it so that is good. Oh and today for P day we are going to the batting cages. Yeah, baseball!!!  They have batting cages here! How chill is that:) You should look it up on google earth... It is pretty beautiful here for the most part.

     Thanks for all of your advice. I have a question for dad. What were some really good activities that you planned with the church when you we’re on your mission?

     Well anyway time is flyin fast see ya guys soon;) love you all so much and have a great week…loves yas.

     Elder Lawrence

December 10, 2013

HELLO family…

     So yeah baby... I got transferred and I’m now in the promised land of Victoria. Right now I’m looking at a guy and he looks exactly like Brother North hahaha. I just thought I would tell you that. So yeah, my time with Elder Garcia seemed so fast. I can’t believe that I already got changed. I thought I was going to be with him at least one more change but I guess that’s not what the Lord wanted. My time in MataRedonda was super great!! I learned a lot there. I love it there. But I think I just might get to like my new area more! It’s called Bicentenario (an area in Victoria).  It’s a little bit smaller than a ward haha... But I am looking forward to all the great experiences I will have and the progress I will gain here.

     I can’t believe how much snow is in Hurricane…that is crazy! It's super cold here in Victoria but there is no snow. I don’t like the cold to much but that is ok. So on the last day at church I didn’t know that it was going to be my last day. I got the opportunity to give a blessing to a sick member. She asked me.  We are really good friends with this family. It’s the family Gonzalez and the girl that asked me is named Tania. So we gave her a blessing and it was super good (I think).  I felt the spirit so strong and the words just flowed. I really felt like an instrument for the Lord and it was nice!! Later that night we told them that I was leaving and they cried and I gave them two ties and a picture and it was a really beautiful moment because this family is so sweet and they were such good examples for me.

    Well, I love you guys so much I hope everything is awesomely good at home.  I will talk to you guys soon love you all ADIOS:)

   Elder Lawrence

December 3, 2013

What’s up family?

      Sorry I’m writing a little late. Can you believe that it’s December!! How great is that? I just really love this time of year to tell ya the truth. There just always seems to be good spirit in the air. The weather has been pretty dang beautiful here in Tampico and all of the buildings are putting up their lights for Christmas. I guess you could say it’s really starting to feel more like Christmas. I do wish I could be with you guys during this time of the year because that is what it is all about. But don’t worry, there are a lot of good families here in MataRedonda that will take care of me…hehe I hope:)

     So this last week not too many people went to church.  I really think it was just because it was Stake Conference.

     You said something interesting... something about putting baptisms on the calendar. For me that is not my goal in the mission. For me I feel like re-activating a less active member is like a baptism. Because it’s about how many souls are we helping preserve to the end.  And for me that could be just as important as a baptism. It’s exactly the same work even though they have already been baptized once before.

     So in MataRedonda the work has been progressing. The progress isn’t too fast but it’s moving. Everything is getting more organized, so that’s good. One thing about here is that there is a lot a lot of gossip. Everyone talks about everyone. That is not good and we are trying to get rid of that problem.

      Last week I went on divisions with Elder Johns.  It was so cool to learn his area and meet some of the people in his area. Yesterday we ate Little Ceasars.   When I was on divisions I got to talk to a family that I met and taught when I had only been in Mexico for one month. I always see them. They love me...haha.  I don’t know how I always see them but I do.  It was fun to really talk some good old fashioned Spanish with them;) hehe.

      Last week we had some great times doing some service projects.  First we helped move a whole house. Then we put up cement for a second story to a house…it was good.

     Well, I hope that everyone has the best of weeks and remembers the true meaning of this holiday.  I know I will:) I’m glad to hear that Blake has a 4.0 right now, that is really good! Haha he must be saying his prayers every night or something.

   Thanks for all and adios from Mexico.

Love,

 Elder Lawrence   LOVE YOU