March 17, 2014

What’s up me familia...

     How is everything goin with you guys?  Everything is going great here in Victoria. The time seems to keep flyin by so fast! So yeah, I can’t believe I lost my wallet. Well, I didn’t lose it... someone stole it. I accidently left it in the car of a member and they had it there ready to give to me but that night someone stole it.  So somebody is walking around with the picture of a white boy hahah.

     So I got the package from G-ma. Tell her thanks for the cough drops and CTR rings. I also got the valentines package from you….thanks, the shirt is pretty awesome haha…I like it!

     I didn’t know that Blake is playing on the tennis team!  Well that is pretty cool I guess.

     The Rama Bicentenario is going really good! We have been working really hard here. But what is hard on us right now is that we do not have any investigators that are really progressing. We have contacted and searched many references. We’ve got now 3 investigators, and we have the faith that they will progress and make the choice to come unto Christ. This last week in church we had a good turnout. Lots of menos activos and recent converts went to church. The one thing that is missing in this Rama is the Priesthood. So this week we have the goal to focus on looking for old Priesthood holders and to find new investigators. We have been talking to everyone!!  We are really hoping that the spirit will be touching the hearts of everyone as well. All we do is follow the spirit because it’s impossible without the spirit.

     Today we went to the zoo. It was pretty cool!  It was just a lot of animals like normal haha. I love you all so much!!  I hope that you guys have an amazing week!! God is with us.

Elder Lawrence

 Doing a service project 

 The Zoo

March 10, 2014

Hey there everybody…

     Wow how lucky are you guys!!! I wish I had the chance to go to Vegas with ya’ll.  Sounds like you guys had a great time there. I sure hope so!!  Seems like everything is going super good for all of you.  You guys are definitely receiving blessings…I know that for a fact!

     So this last week has actually been pretty cold here in Victoria. My new Companion is Elder Quiñones and he got here last Monday night. He is super awesome!! We get along great! He is a little bit smaller than me and he likes to exercise.   We have been exercising every morning and night.  I’m going to get back looking like super man. Haha no that is not true….probably more like a Latino than anything else haha.  He is a really nice guy and a super hard worker. I really can feel the love that he has for me and the area. I’m really excited to be companions with him. I really hope that I will be able to learn a lot from him so we can help others come unto Christ.

     This week we did a lot of searching for old investigators.  We found a couple of names that seem like the families are ready to accept the gospel and we were pretty grateful for that. We are still praying and hoping to find more. We have been talking to everyone and asking for references from everyone. We really want to get our group of people that we are teaching to 30 or more. We feel like it is definitely possible.

      This week the attendance at church was not too great. It seems like the cold weather and rain was a little hard on the people in our area. But we did have a pretty good turnout with recent converts. I’m so thankful to be in an area where we have the help of the members and our Ward Mission Leader. The Visiting Teaching here is great also. There are 5 pairs of visiting teachers and everyone did their visits this week. We were happy about that.

I am excited to watch the progress this change.

     So Elder Quiñones has about 15 months in the mission. So he knows what he is doing but I have been training him in the area all this week. We visited everybody......... we talked to so many people and taught some really spiritual lessons, it was awesome.  One family we taught is the Familia Camacho. The dad attended the lesson and he never attends…he usually leaves.  The lesson with him was so tight.  We put a goal with him to stop drinking and everything. So we will see how the progress goes with him. The work of the Lord is growing. The spirit is strong and it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.

     I am pumped for Nadia, BreAnn ... and that kid with the beard…. Blake or something like that haha. They will all be serving missions soon and that’s so awesome!  Blake should go up North with all the family and go through the temple because that was awesome! It’s great to hear how good everyone is doing and that Kamrie made dance team. Well I hope you all have a great week!  Love you all so much. Best family ever!!! 

Elder Lawrence

 This is the class Principios del Avanjelio (Gospel Principles class)

 Last day with Elder Montoya

 My new companion Elder Quinones

Pres. Johnson came to speak to us.  He is a member of the Seventy.

March 3, 2014

Hello,

      Sounds like you guys had an awesome time at the cabin this last week! Wish I could have been there to spend the last time at the cabin with you guys…but the new cabin house is going to be super awesome too! I’m excited for that!!!

      So yeah, Elder Montoya went home…he should be arriving at his house any moment now. Sooo crazy!  I’m definitely going to miss that guy. He was such a great missionary. He was full of emotions on his last day... sad, happy, nervous…all the emotions in one. So I will be staying here in Bicentenario!!! I’m super excited about that!!! I have become really close with everyone in this Rama. I really care about these guys here. My new companion will be Elder Quiones or something like that. He isn’t here with me yet but he should be getting here tonight. I’m looking forward to the next 6 weeks getting to know him and work with him. It’s always pretty tough when a good companion gets changed. I will miss being companions with Elder Montoya… but I’m sure I will have just as much success with my new companion.

     We always have a pretty good turnout in church and this last week was no different. We had about 15 less active members show up to church. Right now we don’t really have any solid investigators. So that will be a great new goal for me and my new companion.

     So guess what?  It is pretty cold here again. I kinda wish it would just stay hot haha.  I don’t like the cold to much…but it’s all good.

     That’s pretty crazy that everyone in Blake’s grade is getting their mission calls.  That’s way exciting!

 

     Well I’ve got to go because we are going to be pretty busy today.  Right now I’m with two other Elders and we will pick my companion up later.

 I love you all so much!! Best family ever!! Have a great week!!:)

     "It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best when we are on the Lord’s errand."

—M. Russell Ballard, and Elder Lawrence

February 24, 2014

Hello my loves:)

     Another week…it’s a little weird to think that in like 5 days my companion is going to be in his house back in Peru. It’s so crazy how fast the time goes in the mission.  Like when I was in my first area I remember seeing Elder Montoya with his companion and a couple other missionaries.  We yelled at them and they came over and played basketball with us. Little did I know that he would be my companion someday and now he is just about finished.

      Well everything is going super duper dandy!  I got the chance to talk in church yesterday. We were sitting there all calm and stuff when they told me that the other person who was supposed to speak didn’t show up. They asked me if I had something ready and I told them I am always ready. Obviously I didn’t have anything. So I went and grabbed a Liahona and the first page that I turned to is what I talked on. It was good because it went perfectly with the other talks. So that was pretty cool haha.

    Today in the morning we played dodge ball and soccer with the other zone here in Victoria... it was fun.  We are going to have a little party tonight. A member is having his birthday tonight and also we will be having goodbyes for Elder Montoya. We are planning on cooking a bunch of meat like carne asada and just eating. Then we as missionaries are going to do a little family night with this family. It’s the family Munoz who is in the photo I sent the other week where we were at their housing eating meat hahahaha. We love this family, they are the best! They also have a kid in the mission and so it makes them feel good to see us haha. We helped this same family last week also. We changed into our service clothes and we moved around their whole house.  Yeah, they moved and we moved everything for them in one day.  It was pretty tiring but I felt so good after and stronger. I love service the best. Service is the best type of work for me.

     So next week I will tell you if I’m staying here in Victoria or leaving. I hope I stay because I sure do love it here!!!

     Well, I love you all so much!  Have an excellent week, take care and keep the spirit strong! CTR all day every day…love you.

      Elder Lawrence

February 17, 2014 (6 months to go!)

Hello Everyone!!!

    Another super fast week… Can’t believe it!! I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day…it sounds like you guys did.  This week was pretty good! The two people who were baptized got confirmed and received the Holy Ghost this last Sunday.  Also this last Sunday was the best attendance at church that we have seen since we have been here.  There were over 62 members who attended church and a lot of less actives.  It was great to feel the love and spirit of everyone.  It was really nice to see a full chapel.  This Rama has helped us out so much with the progress here.  Just about everyone that can is doing their Home Teaching…the difference is great!  We have been starting to see a unity with this Rama in the last couple of weeks…with the Family Home Evenings every Friday and the activities on Wednesday’s.  This Rama will soon be a Barrio, I’m sure. 

     We received some really good references this past week and we were really pleased and grateful for that! The work is going good! So yeah, I had my interview with President Jordan this last week and it went really good.  It was nice to see and get to talk to him.  I sure hope I don’t get changed either in this next change.  I really don’t think I will but you never know.

 

     So I received your Valentines package…thank you so much!  In the next package do you think you could send some beef jerky?…haha there are a lot of people what would like to try it out.  I told them I would ask my mom to send me some hehe.  That’s sweet that I got accepted into UVU…that is some exciting news!  I’m glad that I don’t have to take the ACT test again.

     So this last week we had a family night with a family and we invited two other families.  The family Tovar and a guy named Juan and his wife and kids.  We made so much meat…like steaks, chicken and carne asada.  It was soooo good.  Then we shared a message with everyone.  It was really fun and a good way to meet people.  We always have chances to share the gospel and that’s what’s good ya know…through all the little things…like it says in the scriptures.

      We got 3 new investigators this last week and we will be putting a baptism date with them this upcoming week.  So I have hope that we will be having a baptism in March.  Almost everyone that we visit has returned to church…it’s so awesome!  We have been looking for new people to teach also. The Family Nadia, Leonardo, Mariana y Sol, Family Monica, Family Tovar, Family de Israel, Gladis, Guadlalupe, and Bryon, and more.  It is so great to see the spirit touch the lives of these loved people.  I love everyone of them.  I’m so thankful I have the chance to share with them what I know is true and to feel their love and spirit change again for the better!

 “Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin Y Elder Lawrence

Love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting my flu shot today

February 10, 2014

     Thanks for your email…So sounds like another very good week for you guys…for me as well!!!  Yesterday we had two more baptisms. It’s so amazing to see the change when they have made the choice to change their lives and repent and keep the covenants that are necessary.  It was super good and the church was full for these baptisms…it was so Awesome!! That never happens…a church full of less active members.

     Our area plan is super awesome here!!! The Rama in Bicentenario has a great area plan. Our mission leader sets up all of the meetings for us during the week so that we have members with us in all of the lessons. The work is so smooth here for us, it is really nice. The Rama does all of our planning mostly and we go and visit everyone that is programed for us to visit. They give us references every meeting. We have activities that are planned just for the less actives and investigators and the members are always there helping and becoming friends with who we visit. For this reason we have seen some major progress here in Bicentenario. The members are all doing their Visiting Teaching now and we even have less actives that are doing Visiting Teaching also. All the less actives are starting to receive calls in the church so they feel that they actually have a reason to be here in church. Our job is to visit and teach everyone they give us and try to talk to everyone that we see.  I love this Rama so much…it’s great! This is the true church and work of the Lord and we are the representives of him. There is nothing better!!!!

      I’m going to get my hair cut today. We have interviews with the President this next week.  Seems like we just had those, should be good. I still haven’t received your package. I hope it gets here soon. I’m hungry for some candy haha. Well I love you all so much. Thanks for all…have a great week!!!

  Love,

   Elder Lawrence

 Eric & Cruz Ramierez & Guillermo Ramierez

They are not family...two separate families

 Guillermo Ramierez

February 3, 2014

What’s up, what’s up ya’ll...

     Another week more in the work of the Lord…it’s all good! This week is going to go by super fast here for us because we have two baptisms. This Tuesday is the intervistas for them and they will both be getting baptized this Sunday at 5:00.  Just so ya know you guys are invited if you want…feel free haha jk. But really it will be awesome! Everyone will be there even the Spirit and that’s who we are most excited about here.

     So this last week was chill and seemed fast as well because we went to Tampico.  Yes they did by us pizza and yes it kinda was like a little break haha. We didn’t teach on Tuesday.  It was good to get back to our little area and get to work. There are so many people here that are really willing to listen to us.  They are very receptive and it’s nice. We are going to be putting a date for baptism with another investigator that we have this week for March so booyah!!! The work is good, the church is true and the spirit is strong! We are happy here… what more could I need?  I've got the support back home.... so things are good. I have a lot of faith. Never can be too positive right? We wouldn’t want any negative energies in this area.  Having a good attitude this is what it’s all about.

     Sounds like the superbowl was lame, so that is cool hahaha! But that’s good the Blake has a girlfriend, it probably won’t last long but it’s whatever right? I liked the photo he sent, it was nice.  I’m just glad to hear that he talks to girls haha jk. So when will Blake get his call then? I’m excited for him!

     This morning we climbed the famous mountain here in Victoria all the way to the flag.  I will have to send you some pictures.  It was fun!  After that we ate so much meat and meat with a family from the church. They actually have a kid in the mission too. They are a great family…the Familia Muñez.

     Everyday I have so many learning experiences.  I have learned and continue learning so many new things always…It's awesome!!!

    Love you all and have a great week... love you guys!

  Love,

    Elder Lawrence

 We live just a little bit outside of the city.  We travel about 5 min to get to the city. Victoria is the Capitol of Tamaulipas and yeah it’s pretty Americanized here... the houses obviously are not but the city is.  Like all of the fast food restaurants are here and Walmart and all that good stuff. 

Eating lunch with the Familia Munez