Are you ready for round 2?

Hola otra vez!

Where to start this week... First off, it was a bit of a rough week for baptisms. My entire zone blanked. That is, not a single companionship had a baptism in my zone this week. Ouch... We were all ready for Calixto's baptism and at the last minute he got called in to work. That was frustrating. I may have wanted to punch his boss, but it's a good thing I don't know the guy. :) So yeah, we're going to try to get Calixto baptized this Friday along with an 8 year old member and two other investigators. To tell the truth, all three of them are super ready, but the other two both are a little nervous about the baptism. We asked them to pray about it yesterday so hopefully their doubts will be swept away. It kind of surprised me, but it's actually fairly difficult to get people to ask God. You'd think that it's a basic thing for most people. I mean, He's all-knowing and never lies so why not ask him? There are some people that just don't get it though. It's interesting...

We had an interesting lesson with some really really devout Catholics. We were trying to teach the Restoration, but they kept jumping from subject to subject. That's pretty common around here. We read from the Bible at one point and they took like 10 minutes telling us house sacred the Bible is and that we should stand when we read it and that we need to pray before we read out loud and how we need to end saying "The word of God". Honestly it was pretty odd because we've talked with plenty of Catholics and none have said anything like that before. Well, you learn new things every day I suppose. :P

There isn't too much else to tell. We've been spending most of the week making sure that our investigators are ready for baptism because we have a bautimision this week. That means that we have a goal as a mission that every companionship baptized this week. We've got three people set up for this date that are all pretty sure so I think it would be a miracle for us not to baptize this week.

As for the transfers... I'll be here for another six weeks... with Elder Wheeler...  I know that the transfers are inspired revelation.  Anyways, Round 2!

Dad - I honestly have no idea when I'll become a senior companion. I'd imagine that it'll be the next transfer where I get a new companion, but who knows? There's no set time. Some people start training once they're done being trained and others are junior companions for a long time. Personally, I think I'd like it. Generally, I think that when I have more responsibility placed upon me I rise up to it. I think I do better when I can have a little more control as well. However, I know that I'm where I'm supposed to be. Like I said, I probably still have something to learn from Elder Wheeler. The weather is hot because this area is generally a bit hotter, plus the weather normally warms up this time of year. I'm adjusted fairly well, but that doesn't mean I like it. :P The heat still takes it out of me, but I'm coping. :) The area is really good actually. I'd say it's better than my last area, but it's also a challenge. It's hard to get the members to do missionary work. They're all willing to help, but only when we directly ask them to. They don't really do anything on their own. That's what we're trying to fix. We're still fed and treated well. Sometime we're fed too well. I've stopped eating dinner at night because I feel like I've picked up too much weight. The tortillas in Mexico are really fattening and they eat them with every meal so I need to lay off those as well. I think that if I watch what I eat more, I'll be okay. :)  Thanks for all the details about how the family is doing and about Dily. I love hearing about what she does lately. The jumping thing put a big goofy grin on my face. :) "not even a crack of light between her feet and the floor." Classic. :) It's cool that you've got a good calling too. I know you probably wanted a rest, but callings are a good opportunity to learn something. I think that's usually how the callings work. The Lord calls you, then He qualifies you or you could say He teaches you something. Plus it's Elders Quorum, they don't expect much. :P Thanks for the e-mails and for keeping me filled in. Send Grandpa my love and keep plenty for yourself as well. :)

I won't lie, I've faced quite a few personal challenges here on the mission, but I don't think I'd trade it for anything. I've learned so much it's incredible. One of my main challenges right now is that I really want to apply what I've learned at home. I hope that the little tidbits here and there help you guys. This Church is so true that I don't know how people can't accept it right away. I may have mentioned this last week, but it's like God gives us a million reasons to believe and only a few not to, just to see if we truly want to believe. Faith is the first step to everything. If you're struggling with something, faith is the answer. Have faith that our Heavenly Father loves you. Have faith that Christ atoned for all our sins. Have faith that no matter what happened in the past, you can repent and be free from those burdens. I know this Church is true, otherwise I wouldn't still be here. Count your blessings and look for the Lord's hand in your life.

I love you all and pray for you every night. Keep true to the Gospel and the Lord. Remember that life is a journey not a destination. Spend time with the family and don't forget to show them your love.

Love,

Elder Sean Horrocks

Peace

Transfers headed my way

Well helloooooooo there,

Another week has come and gone... and I´m not sure exactly what to write about so I´m sure I´ll just ramble like I normally do. Sorry! This week was a little rough, but nothing we can't handle. We had a baptism lined up for this last Saturday, but there were problems with his family so it got postponed until next week. But next week FOR SURE! His name is Calixto. He's pretty quiet but he's golden. He was super prepared and I think he'll be faithful for a long time. That's been the main problem around here is that the new converts leave the church within a couple months of their baptisms. That's why I try to really work on developing their testimony. If we baptize them and they don't have one, we're basically setting them up to fail. Calixto is good though. There should be no problems.

This week Elder Wheeler had a big problem with forgetting things. He forgot and umbrella in a member's house, a tape measurer in an investigator's house, some important paperwork in another member's house and our cellphone in a taxi. We managed to get everything else back, but the cell is gone for good. Like I already learned with my camera, if you leave electronics lying around they're as good as gone. So yeah, we don't have a cellphone right now which makes things a bit more difficult. We should be getting a new one... eventually... who knows?

I've been thinking of some things for my birthday package and I've decided I'd like some DayQuill and/or Nyquill capsules. They are really good for the kind of cold viruses around here. Probably because DayQuill doesn't exist over here so the viruses aren't used to it. I'd also really enjoy more shaving razors. To give you a number I'd say 8, but any number is better than none. :) Please and thank you. I finally spent my Christmas money from Grandma and Grandpa Wortham. I got myself a decent hammock. They've got some nice quality ones over here for cheap so I figured I'd get one. They're nice and comfy. :)

Other random news...

• I almost got bitten by a dog the other day (First time)
• The weather is HOT
• I got a ton of letters from various family members and girls. (The other elders were jealous)
• There's an investigator from my previous area that has a crush on me and keeps trying to contact me. Not fun. 

I know this church is true and that families can be eternal. Do all you can to build up the family while you have the chance! Enjoy each other's company and enjoy the little things! I love you all and I'm counting the days until I can see your faces again!

With all my love,

Elder Sean Horrocks

And so begins February

Hello again my beloved family,

As always I'm really glad for the opportunity to hear from you and write you all.

This week wasn't really too eventful. The things that make a week eventful are baptisms and/or crazy mishaps. Fortunately, we didn't have any crazy mishaps, but unfortunately, we didn't have a baptism either. It's okay though because we've got two or three really promising investigators lined up to be baptized in the next couple weeks. :) Yesterday, we had a meeting for all the district leaders in Tuxtepec. That's an hour long bus ride and only the district leaders participate in the meeting. I used the time to fill in some pages of that Mission Memories journal. It was actually really nice to reflect a little on my mission so far. We ended up staying later than the buses go so we had to catch a ride back to our area with a leader from our ward that was there for another meeting. We didn't get to bed until an hour past our bedtime so I'm just a liiiiittle sleepy right now. Today's been nice though because for once we don't have some huge project to take care of. We just washed our clothes, cleaned the house a bit and went shopping for our food. We've spent a lot of time working with our Area Book. That's the book where previous elders leave information about past investigators and inactive members. We've been searching for a lot of inactives and we had some luck this week. We had three or four different inactives attend church. It was pretty much awesome. :) This next week we'll be looking for old investigators to see if they would be interested in investigating the Gospel again. Should be cool!

I only got a few questions from Mom this week so this e-mail might be a little bit shorter. I still like my area a lot. I like the fact that it's more rural and the members are awesome. In my previous area the members didn't help us too much, but here they help out a ton. We get a lot of members attending lessons with us which is a huge help. Yes, the transfers are every six weeks. The next one should be about the 19th of February. We're starting the 5th week right now, so in two weeks we should see some sort of change. In other news, I'm getting along better with my companion. We didn't have any problems per say, but we weren't super unified either. I made an effort to be more patient with E. Wheeler and to look for his good qualities. It really paid off. I was less stressed and we were more unified as a companionship. Just goes to show, patience is a virtue. :)

Yesterday being fast Sunday, I want to bear my testimony on the fast. I know that when we fast we receive blessings and more strength to withstand our individual temptations. I know that as a family we never really fasted, but I hope that you will all take the opportunity to do so. With all these health problems in the family lately, I know it will help. If we are willing to show our faith by fasting, the Lord will be more willing to help us with the challenges we are facing. Fasting really helps me personally with my temptations. If we can deny our bodies the very things we need to survive, it becomes much easier to deny our natural man. I bear testimony that fasting can help to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Maybe you missed the opportunity to fast yesterday, but that shouldn't stop you. If you feel the need to fast for a special need. Do it! I promise you the Lord will bless you for it.

I know this church is true. I know that we have a living prophet and apostles today that guide the Church of Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. If we study it daily and live true to it's principles, we will have the strength needed to endure to the end. I know that Christ lives and knows each and every one of us. If you are struggling with something right now, make an effort to come unto Christ. He knows how to help. He only waits for you to ask.

I love you all and look forward to the day when I can see you all again. Make it an amazing week! Remember time isn't had, time is made. If it's important to you, make time to do it!

Love you with all my heart,
Elder Sean Horrocks

Baptism!

My dear family,

First off I want to thank you guys for your e-mails. I love it when I get lots of e-mails. :) The news and the pictures always bring a smile to my face. :) Any ways, I'll get to answering your e-mails now.

Kaz - You didn't write me too much, but Mom told me a bit more about your scout meeting. It sounds like you guys will be doing a lot of fun stuff. Make sure you go on all the trips and attend mutual so you can go out and have some fun now and then! :) Keep up the good grades and be a good example for the family. Love you bud! Miss you! Never give up! Never surrender!

Max - 4.0 and #1 in your grade?! That's awesome Max! I'm glad that you're applying yourself in school. It's good that you're exercising and staying in shape too. That's something I wish I could be doing a little bit more of myself. I'm getting just a biiiit pudgy. I don't have a ton of time to exercise so instead I think I'm just going to try to eat less. It'll be a challenge because the members get huffy if we don't eat a lot and the food is sooooo good... well, most of the time... That Halo 4 competition sounded pretty fun too. That's really cool that you did so well in that and got a prize. We'll have to watch that DVD when I get home and we'll have to have a couple Halo matches to get my gaming skills back up to speed. ;) Keep up the good work Max. I know you're history class might be boring and/or easy, but don't get lazy. If you keep up that 4.0 It will help you in the long run. You might even get some academic scholarships for it, so keep it up! I miss you and love you bro! I was the turkey all along!!!!

Dad - Thanks a million for the pictures! I loved them! Dily sure is growing fast! Did you break your glasses or something? The ones you are wearing in the pictures look different than the ones you had when I left. I also really appreciate your notes of encouragement. They really mean a lot. It's always nice to have a little extra boost for the week. :) I don't really need anything right now. When Mom sends packages, just have her stuff them full of treats, pictures and stuff. Less stuff that I have to carry around would be nice though. I'm going to have to dump off or use up a bunch of stuff I have because I've got a bit too much junk. I have too much street clothes especially. I used them in the MTC, but you almost never use them in the field. It's nice stuff so I don't want to just ditch it, but it's super expensive to send packages home. There are no flat rate boxes here. :P Thanks again for all your e-mails, pictures and words of encouragement! I love you Dad! Never forget to spend time with the family! Small acts of kindness never go astray!

Mom - Boy, you had a lot of questions today! That's cool though, I'll just have to write faster. ;) It's cool you've got another job! Tell me more about that and what it entails. Don't forget, though, that the Lord comes first and the family second. That hiking trip for the boys sounds cool! Make sure Max goes! He's supposed to be the one who likes that kind of stuff any ways. ;) My health is just fine. My feet are I little sore from all the walking, but it's nothing to worry about. :) We never did get to taste that Iguana, but I'm not exactly disappointed ;P We have a sister that washes our normal clothes and we machine wash our garments at our house. (We live right above a sister who let’s use her washing machine). The machine is a little old fashioned, but it works and it's much better than hand washing! I haven't seen Elder Dean since early December. That was the only time that the whole mission was together. Generally, the younger people are a little more receptive to our message, but overall it's a pretty good mix. We get investigators of all ages. I have had a couple dreams here and there with some Spanish in them, but generally I dream in English still. :P

As far as teaching goes, we've been trying to find a lot of inactive members and old investigators, but it hasn't been going too hot. We did find one cool family in an interesting way. We found their house and they were busy cutting down a tree in their yard so we helped them out. While using their machete, though, I accidentally broke it. :/ I was chopping into the tree when half of the machete suddenly went flying off! I'm going to buy them a new one today to replace the one I broke. Not to worry, machetes are dirt cheap here. They're only about 4 bucks. Any ways, after we felled the tree, we ended up teaching them. They were inactive mostly because they never really gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon. That's key to all we teach so that's what we're going to focus on with them.

I'm thankful for the many opportunities to learn and grow on the mission. The mission is no cakewalk, but it's all worth it. I know this church is true and that we have a living prophet who guides it. The church that Christ established really has been restored! How fortunate we are to know what we know and to have the guidance that we do! I pray that you'll all look for opportunities to share the Gospel with those around you. If you feel that you don't have what it takes, you are wrong! All members can and should share the Gospel. Every member a missionary! If you don't know where to start, start with the missionaries or with the bishop. At the very least, we can all try to help the members that have fallen away from the church. Like I said, no act of kindness is wasted.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention the baptism! It was actually a couple that has been active in the church for about a year now. The only thing was that they had to wait for a divorce to go through before they could get married and baptized. We've been working with them to get everything squared away the past couple weeks and now they're finally baptized. They wanted the Elder that first taught them to perform the ordinance so he came from the offices to do it. It was pretty cool and the service went well. It was awesome to see them finally get baptized. They are and will continue to be great members.

I think that's about it for the week. I love all of you and hope that all is well! If I could send hugs and kisses (look I know that sounds girly, deal with it) through the e-mail I would.  These smiley faces will have to do. The dog doo is something a little extra. :) The church is true!

Love,

Elder Sean Horrocks