I'm gonna explode!

Hey there everybody,

Another week has gone by and I'm pretty used to my new area now. I still get lost all the time, but that's why I have a companion. This week has been very slow when it comes to the Lord's work. We are receiving almost no references which makes it pretty hard to find new people. We've been trying to think of other ways to ask for references and get the members excited about the missionary work. We're going to try to put them into practice this coming week. We're also brainstorming more ideas for better ways to contact people. We're going to try talking more about the importance of family and look for more opportunities for service. I think we'll be able to find more people this way, but I guess we'll never know until we try! I let you guys know how that goes next week.

This Sunday I had the opportunity to give a short talk during sacrament. I chose to talk about the Atonement because it's one of my favorite subjects to study. I fumbled here and there with my Spanish, but I think I did well overall. At least half the congregation seemed attentive and I know at least one sister was taking notes, so it couldn't have been that bad.... I hope. :P

Other than all that, it's business as usual. The members feed us a ton over here. I'm usually so full that I don't eat any dinner at night. Walking around the rest of the day is tough with a stomach full to bursting. Another downside is that it makes me really sleepy. The good news is that I won't ever go hungry over here. :)

There's not much else to report lately. My companion and I are still getting along well. No problems there. I do have a slight infection in my throat right now which is a bummer. I'm taking some antibiotics for that. Oh, and I've thought of something you can send in my next package. A new white shirt would be nice. I was eating a hielito (basically a Mexican otter pop) and I accidentally ended up with red juice all down my shirt. Basically, unless I can discover some magic mexican stain remover I won't be able to use that shirt. Oops. :P

It's sounds like everyone's having a decent time back home.

Mom - I'm pretty jealous that you guys get to eat so many different kinds of food. Mexican food is good and all, but sometimes it destroys my digestive system. Plus, eating the same kind of stuff for nearly a year kinda makes me a little tired of it. Oh well, only a little more than 13 months to go! I like what you wrote me about obedience. It really is one of the most important things we can do. If we are obedient we are doing what the Lord expects of us. It's something we all have to work on. There's always room for improvement. I'm also really glad that you're enjoying your work. If you enjoy what you do than it's not that much work is it? I always love hearing from you Mom. Have a great week! Love you!

Dad - I mentioned what we've been doing lately. The branch members are generally very nice. There are a ton of stores is this area. We've got a bunch of supermarkets and stuff really close by along with various fast food restaurants. Like I said we get fed a lot so I don't really buy too much. Just some sandwich stuff and cereal for the mornings. Even if I'm not too hungry I try to eat something for breakfast. I personally haven't done any cooking, but that's mostly because we only have a tiny little electric stove. It's been so hot lately that I'm fine with cold stuff anyways. I'm glad that you guys are always taking the time to do things as a family. That's the kind of stuff I miss the most out here. A lot of the time, the simplest things make the best memories. :) I always appreciate your e-mails, Dad. Keep letting me know what's going on at home. I love and miss you!

I know that this church is true. I know that if we stay true to the Lord, He will help us through all our difficulties. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Only through Him can we stand guiltless before God.

I love you all and wish you nothing but the best! Have an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Sean Horrocks

Is that a mermaid in your swimming pool?

Hi everyone!

Well, it's been a week since the transfers and it's been a lot of fun so far. I know you mostly want to know about where I'm at and who I'm with so I'll start there. :)

My area is called Costa de Oro which means Coast of Gold or Golden Coast. However, I don't know if that's true because I've only seen a very small bit of the beach around here. To be brief, let's just say I'm in probably the wealthiest part of the mission right now. A lot of the neighborhoods around here are nothing but mansions and I'm talking "holy crap I'm gonna get lost in here!" mansions. My second day here, my companion told me that mini coopers come in the cereal boxes around here because they're everywhere. Most of the area is actually businesses. We actually have a Walmart and the Costco in my area. Unfortunately, Costco is banned so I won't be going there. This area is very different than from what I'm used to after Carlos A. Carrillo. I went from small farm town to big city. It's cool though.

Our apartment is pretty small though. It's only a little bigger than my first house in the mission and that's only because it has a kitchen area. Overall, it's nice though. There's no cockroaches and it's fairly clean. (Although we do have a little line of ants marching from the window to the trash can.) It's nice that it doesn't get too hot during the day because it's a ground floor apartment. Plus, the weather is slightly less hot over here being so close to the coast.

My companion and I are getting along really well. His name is Elder Cárdenas and he's a hoot. He's four or five inches taller than me and is from Monterrey, Mexico. He's actually got a six weeks less than me in the mission, but he's been in the field longer due to my time in the MTC. My district is interesting in the fact that it's just us and three sister missionaries in the neighboring area. I bet our district meeting tomorrow will bit just a little different because of that.

The area has been a little slow this week when it comes to the work. Because the people are so well off financially there aren't many who want to listen to us. However, the branch members (yes, it's only a branch of about 60 members) are really cool and willing to work with us. I feel that if we work closely with them we'll be able to find the people who are prepared for the Gospel.

As a side note, it's also a fairly large area so we've done a lot of walking. :P

That's about all the news I got so I'll get to answering your e-mails.

Mom -  The internet cafe we use does have better computers, but today all of them are taken. It's not too big of a deal anyways because I haven't taken any pictures yet. I'll be sure to take some this week though and send them all to you. :) I love you tons mom! Don't worry, only a little bit more than a year left! You'll be hugging my guts out before you know it. :) I love you Mom. :)

Dad - It's funny that you mentioned the temperature. You say it's in the high 80's outside? My companion has a clock with a thermometer and it says it's about 87 degrees inside the house over here. Outside I'm sure it's a bit higher. Let's just say I've gotten used to sweating... all the time. It's all part of the experience though. It's fun. :) I'm glad Grandpa's birthday turned out good. I wish I could've been there, but there's always next year right? Um... and the year after? I think we actually had the same lessons in church as the one you taught. I sure would've liked to have heard it. The temples really are tremendous blessings. I sure hope you and Mom are taking advantage of all the nearby temples. Can't wait to hear more news from home! I love you Dad!

I want to share my testimony of this Gospel. I know that Christ lives and that He atoned for the sins of all mankind. I also know that He truly was resurrected and visited the Americas. I know that we are members of the true church of God restored to the earth. I promise you that there are blessings to be received for each commandment that we keep. Remember, with sacrifice comes blessings. I haven't asked or heard about how you're doing with reading the Book of Mormon. I hope that you're still persevering with that. I testify that we receive the Spirit of the Lord more abundantly in our lives when we read the scriptures. I pray you'll take the opportunity to receive these blessings in your lives.

I love you all and hope everythings going well over there. Remember that it's through the Gospel that we find true happiness. :)

With all my love,

Elder Sean Horrocks

P.S. In case you're wondering about the title of my e-mail. Yeah, there's a member here with a swimming pool that has a picture of a mermaid at the bottom of it.

Goodbye Tlacojaplan... I barely knew you!

Hola!

Well, I just talked with you guys yesterday and we talked about pretty much everything that´s been going on around here lately. I guess there´s a little I can add about what we did after writing you.

We got done, closed up the church and went to give back the laptop we were using. By the time all four missionaries got done it was about 9pm. That was too late for us to head back to Tlacojalpan, so we stayed the night in Carrillo. The annoying thing was we didn´t bring any extra change of clothes or anything so we couldn´t shower or anything.

As we left the church we heard a ton of music coming from the main road. We went to investigate and found out that there was Carnival last night. Now this isn´t like a carnival from the States. It´s like a huge party in the street with lots of dancing and lot´s of alcohol. It was some sort of parade thing with a bunch of floats heading towards the center of town. Instead of girls dressed up in dresses waving at the crowd, there were girls dressed in skimpy outfits dancing to the music. That was an interesting sight. We had to pass by it to give the computer back and we just tried to keep our heads down. We still got a few cat calls after us though. Well, now I know what Mexican carnival is like.

I´ll be packing up the few things I took out of my suitcases today and we´ll be heading to Tuxtepec tonight so that we can arrive in Veracruz early in the morning. There I´ll meet up with my new companion and we´ll go to my new area. That´s the plan as far as I know.

I´m not really sure what else to write. I just want to tell you guys what a joy it was to see and talk with you all again. I can´t wait until we can all sit down and chat together in person when I get home. As much as I miss you guys, I know I´m where the Lord wants me to be. This Church is true and nothing can take that knowledge from me. 

I love you guys tons and hope everything´s going well. (It seemed like it was, but you never know). Stay safe and do your best to draw closer to the Lord. If you search for Him, you´ll find Him. :) Until next week!

Love,

Elder Sean Kyle Horrocks

See you on Sunday at 5 p.m - 5-6-13

Helloooooo everybodyyyyyy!

Well, first things first... We're gonna try to do the Skype session at about 5pm (your time) on Sunday the 12th Mother's Day. I'm pretty sure that you guys are an hour behind me so I'll be online around 6pm (my time). Just in case I made a mistake, you should keep the computer on with Skype running about an hour before. If something weird happens I'll just call home, but everything should go well. We've got everything set up and we'll be borrowing a member's really nice laptop so that the connection isn't slow...

This week has been okay. Nothing too special, but nothing bad either. The weather has been cooler because of another Norte. That's a real blessing because they say that May is the hottest month of the year. I'm not having any medical problems anymore. The doctor I saw didn't diagnose me with anything in particular. I'm pretty sure he just gave me some anti diarrhea stuff, but it sure did the trick.

The little girl didn't get baptized this week either because she got sick with a bad fever Saturday night. I'm not worried though, we're going to keep visiting her until she get's baptized. She'll get wet eventually. :)

There's not much to say about his week, because not much happened really. We ended up having to go to Tuxtepec again for a district leader meeting. It was nice for me because I got to play some piano and talk with my good buddy Elder Watson. I must say though, I feel like I've spent more time in taxis and buses than in lessons this transfer. Speaking of which... transfers will be the 14th and I don't really want to leave. I like this area and my companion is my best friend. Still, I'll go where the Lord wants me to go.

Mom - Mommy! Happy (late) anniversary! Can't wait to see you on Sunday! You asked if I like things structured. I say that I do, but I like them structured my way. Still, things are cool. :) Today it's pretty hot, but not as hot as some other days. I think it'll start cooling back down again soon. I'm not sure when they'll make me a senior companion. I think it'll be soon, but who knows? I think I'm ready for it if that's what the Lord wants me to be. As for a package... I really like photos of the family and I can always go for cream filled stuff. Twinkies, Oreos, Zingers... whatever. What I really want is a Dr. Pepper, but I'll just have to wait for one of those. ;) Just know that you're in my thoughts every day. :) See you in a few days! Love you tons!

Dad - Happy Anniversary! I hope you two had a good time! Honestly when you mentioned the lawn it made me slightly homesick. They don't really have grass here like we do back home. One of the first things I want to do when I get home is lay in the grass. If you decide to redo the lawn you gotta be sure to send me some pictures! I think that's kinda funny that you ended up with that dog. I'm sure you'll whip it into shape. ;) It's a good test in patience. :) Think of some questions or stories you'd like to hear for the Skype session on Sunday. You always think of good questions. :) Can't wait to talk to you again! Love you!

I just want to finish by bearing my testimony of the truthfulness of this Church. I know with all my heart that this Church contains the true restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that by accepting Him we can find true happiness in this life. I urge you all to keep improving within the Gospel and to enjoy life. Take the time to love someone. Show Christ your love for Him by feeding His sheep. I know that by serving others, we are only in the service of our God.

I love you guys and can't wait to see you all on Sunday! Stay safe and have some fun this week!

Love,

Elder Sean Kyle Horrocks