Hey mom! hey dad! Jess and Ton and all you other wonderful people!
How are you?
Im glad you enjoyed girls camp my mother dearest, and are super impressive at balancing on poles :), and thats pretty swell about Bishop Kersey, he´s great, though im pretty sure he thinks me a bum! thats ok, in actuality i prefer it that way! but im telling you stuff you already know!
Things continue to go splendidly down here. Just in the moment when i was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to thinking that i was alone in actually caring, i had a temporary companion switch with one of the zone leaders, who happens to rock, and happened to prove me wrong. the first thing he did when he saw my charla (ugh!) was rip it up and hand it to a garbage man!
But now im back with my trainer, and he´s a little peeved, and told me we´ll make new ones tomorrow....
So close!
Other than that, i was super excited when last week i was in the bathroom half the night thinking i had an infection! My first parasite! i thought to myself, but the fever that had accompanied me el baño then seems to have passed, and though i still feel like i spend half my life walking and the other half in the bathroom, all is well!
In other news, my companion told me that packages almost always arrive from the states, with one thing! a picture of the virgen mary!
so thats for all of you who have been waiting on the edge of your seats to send me swedish fish. Virgen Mary!
Umm....
We found a couple of cool families this last week that both accompanied us to church with their hijos, so that was super neat, and one of the dads was wearing an REO shirt when we visited his home the second time. I made an attempt at commenting that they are my dads favorite band, but either he didn´t understand me or he has know idea who REO speedwagon is...i dont know he just laughed alot...
anywho!
Pensamiento Espíritual!
The Book of mormon begins with the story of the family of this great guy Nephi. They live in Jerusalem, before the coming of Christ. Nephis father is a prophet, who goes around the city, warning all the jews to prepare themselves, and repent, or the city of jerusalem would be destroyed.
The people, as they tend to do, are infuriated to the point of seeking to kill Lehi. (nobody likes to hear they are wrong) So Lehi and his family are told by God to flee the city and head for the wilderness, leaving behind all their worldly treasures and whatnot.
The thing is, Nephi has these two brothers, who you know, maybe they´re just teens or something, but they just can´t stand their father. They call him a visionary man, being led by the foolish imaginations of the heart. Anyways they get to the point of wanting to kill their dad, like the jews in the city.
But lets get to the point. because Nephi, on the other hand, though he was younger than his brothers did not follow in their footsteps, and we learn why!
In Nephi 2:12, we read about laman and lemuel (the brothers of Nephi) that they did ¨murmer because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them¨ Laman and Lemuel could not understand why their dad would do all these crazy things, all these marvolous things. Because they didn´t know the very being who had created them.
This goes hand in hand with my last spiritual thought!
God exists. And if God exists, he created us, And if God created us, he loves us, And if God loves us, he wants us to love him. Just like any other good father, save He is perfect.
But can we love that which we don´t understand?
Now, yes, because i love God though I could never possibly understand Him. But it is a yes only to a point. As we come to understand our Heavenly Father, and i hope im not repeating myself from last week, but i just feel like this is the point where so many people lose their way, just like Laman and Lemuel, who never returned from their wrong ways. As we come to understand our Heavenly Father, we come to love Him. like Enoch, we come to see like Him, love like Him, be a little more like Him.
Now, the difference between Laman and Lemuel, and their brother Nephi?
in verse 16
i Nephi, being exceedingly young, (and i would add to this humble, an important part!) nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know the mysteries of God (desire!), wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; (prayer, he asked God for help!) and...
behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart
that i did believe.
Mi Familia, Mis Amigos!
I am going to be the crazy Lehi to some of you right now!
We all know how blessed we are, if not, come to mexico! Come to have a testimony, as Nephi of old. Why? because! because life, our relations with others, our relations with ourselves, are better when we have a relation with God, when we have a testimony of truth.
As Nephi, we must be humble enough to have faith, we must have a desire to know the truth, who doesn´t? only the prideful! none of you! I know!
Then, we must act! ask! and ask believing, because i promise you will not ask in vain, and more importantly, the Lord promises you.
And this goes for all. there are none who know their savior enough, there are none who can ever think they know enough.
These things, i am beginning to know for myself, and desire that you all know as well, because they are the most important things.
I love you!
I hope all is well!
Im sorry for my hardcore preaching, but im not! its too easy in english!
Have a nice day!
and a week!
adios!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Week 2
Pues, ola again!
how are we all? Sorry to hear about that accident, thats quite a bummer!
With the money, once a month we hit up an atm machine and withdraw the amount that we are issued. Neat huh? I use it to hitch taxies when we don´t have time, and buy bread and soda, and these yogurt drink things. Im going to talk about food, since im hungry and we`re on the subject. last week, just after emailing my beloved friends and family, i had what the ``locals`` call my `` baptism by fire`` it is apparently like the hottest taco ever, piled in like the hottest salsa ever, and everybody fears it! but almost all the missionaries experience it here in Irapuato. I was like balling, and sniffling, and whatnot, and about half way through, i got these huge, bulging, hiccup things, that reminded me and awlful lot of an episode of the Magic school bus, where Ms Frizzle and her class is stuck inside a volcano, trying to escape out of the top in an explosion of hot liquid magma. Anyways, thats basically what was happening in my stomach/throat/esophagus. The good news is i didn`t throw up like alot of elders, i downed like 2 or 3 horchatas, and the next day suffered the aftermath! Which it sufficeth me to say sucked! But all is well, and now i don´t need to fear any comida picante! i hope!
Other than that, not much happened, i just baptized a 93 year old lady. Shes awesome, and lives with like a family of twelve out by some ranches. We`ve been talking to her greatgrandaughter, the last of her family to be baptized, but she doesn´t want to because she wants to have her first ``communion`` shyeah! whatever that means!
Basically though, im in just a big pickle!
Its odd, but i don´t really feel as if i am here for the same reason as everyone else. I spent 3 months trying to learn how to teach by the spirit, and i get here and am told by my trainer to memorize these horrid ``charrlas`` or memorized statements like they used to do back in the day of mi hermano! And i don´t know, it sure is a challenge to invite the spirit to touch these people individually when you say the same thing to every single one of them. I don´t know, maybe im being a brat or something, but i feel like all the elders here have found a way to baptize a couple people a week, and now are just on a monotonous repeat thing, not growing, not loving, just kind of doing. The worst part is, because i can´t communicate very well, its all too easy, almost necessary, to just memorize. I just worry about falling down this ``winter slide`` as they say and forgeting what really matters, though i think its summer, i don´t know it breaks out in crazy lightning storms all the time...
All in all, i feel like i am learning what kind of missionary i want to be. What kind of disciple of Christ i want to be. I reckon there is only one.
i dont mean to bring negativity, on the contrary its a very positive thing, so don´t take it the wrong way, we are always learning! I love this place, the people are great, my companion is nice, we teach a whole lot of people every week, we played fùtbol los estados unidos vs mexico (of missionaries) today, we lost both times, by one point mind you, and the games reminded me an awful lot of when the kings would play the lakers in the playoffs, with all these outrageous calls, and cheap shots!
but im not going to do this, im sorry i failed you all back home
As far as the breakfast ordeal, it is still a battle, though one night this incredible sister brought us these incredible baked goods, and then like ten minutes later, the nice lady downstairs brought us some more baked goods. they were incredible. they have really great baked goods here, and beverages! though i am eating terribly, terribly unhealthily. and i only say this to warn you of who might be stepping off of the plane in a few years!
finally, i close with a spiritual thought. Something that i read in the MTC, that i still enjoy flipping through these days.
In the book of Moses, we read about the story of Enoch (the full and incredible story!) Enoch is chosen by God to preach to the people of the world who had forgotten their Father in Heaven, who had forgot His love, and had turned away from him ``hating their own blood`` Enoch is taken up into heaven, to stand and view the world as God sees it. He watches the wickedness of the world, with Jehovah at his side, and bears testimony of the Lord weeping for those of the earth. the creations of His hands. And Enoch cannot understand, how the greatest, even God, stretching from eternities to eternities, whos creations are limitless, could weep. Power, weeping. Enoch questions the Lord, and comes to see as He sees, with eyes of love, his bowels strecthing wide as eternity with the love of the Lord. And then he understands.
I guess i am moved by this, i am. God watching Satan laugh binding the earth with chains, weeping.
The point is, as the good book says, this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Christ, whom he has sent. Oh how we don´t understand he who made us! like laman and lemuel of the Nephite times, we cannot follow Christ if we don´t understand him. Luckily, or perfectly, the end the story, the happening, is happy, as God tells Enoch to take cheer, for the Savior will come to save the world.
And this flows in with what i feel my purpose is, invite people to truly know God, truly know Christ, not because i do, but because i know the way how. It is a truth that only can be found in this gospel. And as we try to understand, what i have found, we find that we are only remebering what we already know. I invite you all to read the story of Enoch! In the book of Moses, Chapters like 6 through 8 or something. and i invite you all to be joyful, in your blessings, in the blessing that we have, the opportunity we have to understand the love of God in every one our lives.
and I invite you, to know the blessing that you are to me. Truly! Verdaderamente.
and alas, for now it is time for us to part!
I apologize if I have not made sense, or if i have accidentally skewed the image of the pure happiness of serving the Lord and serving others in your eyes. It was not my intention at all. This is the best. You all are the best!
I love and pray for you,
Elder Albano
captains log:
Irapuato, Mexico
how are we all? Sorry to hear about that accident, thats quite a bummer!
With the money, once a month we hit up an atm machine and withdraw the amount that we are issued. Neat huh? I use it to hitch taxies when we don´t have time, and buy bread and soda, and these yogurt drink things. Im going to talk about food, since im hungry and we`re on the subject. last week, just after emailing my beloved friends and family, i had what the ``locals`` call my `` baptism by fire`` it is apparently like the hottest taco ever, piled in like the hottest salsa ever, and everybody fears it! but almost all the missionaries experience it here in Irapuato. I was like balling, and sniffling, and whatnot, and about half way through, i got these huge, bulging, hiccup things, that reminded me and awlful lot of an episode of the Magic school bus, where Ms Frizzle and her class is stuck inside a volcano, trying to escape out of the top in an explosion of hot liquid magma. Anyways, thats basically what was happening in my stomach/throat/esophagus. The good news is i didn`t throw up like alot of elders, i downed like 2 or 3 horchatas, and the next day suffered the aftermath! Which it sufficeth me to say sucked! But all is well, and now i don´t need to fear any comida picante! i hope!
Other than that, not much happened, i just baptized a 93 year old lady. Shes awesome, and lives with like a family of twelve out by some ranches. We`ve been talking to her greatgrandaughter, the last of her family to be baptized, but she doesn´t want to because she wants to have her first ``communion`` shyeah! whatever that means!
Basically though, im in just a big pickle!
Its odd, but i don´t really feel as if i am here for the same reason as everyone else. I spent 3 months trying to learn how to teach by the spirit, and i get here and am told by my trainer to memorize these horrid ``charrlas`` or memorized statements like they used to do back in the day of mi hermano! And i don´t know, it sure is a challenge to invite the spirit to touch these people individually when you say the same thing to every single one of them. I don´t know, maybe im being a brat or something, but i feel like all the elders here have found a way to baptize a couple people a week, and now are just on a monotonous repeat thing, not growing, not loving, just kind of doing. The worst part is, because i can´t communicate very well, its all too easy, almost necessary, to just memorize. I just worry about falling down this ``winter slide`` as they say and forgeting what really matters, though i think its summer, i don´t know it breaks out in crazy lightning storms all the time...
All in all, i feel like i am learning what kind of missionary i want to be. What kind of disciple of Christ i want to be. I reckon there is only one.
i dont mean to bring negativity, on the contrary its a very positive thing, so don´t take it the wrong way, we are always learning! I love this place, the people are great, my companion is nice, we teach a whole lot of people every week, we played fùtbol los estados unidos vs mexico (of missionaries) today, we lost both times, by one point mind you, and the games reminded me an awful lot of when the kings would play the lakers in the playoffs, with all these outrageous calls, and cheap shots!
but im not going to do this, im sorry i failed you all back home
As far as the breakfast ordeal, it is still a battle, though one night this incredible sister brought us these incredible baked goods, and then like ten minutes later, the nice lady downstairs brought us some more baked goods. they were incredible. they have really great baked goods here, and beverages! though i am eating terribly, terribly unhealthily. and i only say this to warn you of who might be stepping off of the plane in a few years!
finally, i close with a spiritual thought. Something that i read in the MTC, that i still enjoy flipping through these days.
In the book of Moses, we read about the story of Enoch (the full and incredible story!) Enoch is chosen by God to preach to the people of the world who had forgotten their Father in Heaven, who had forgot His love, and had turned away from him ``hating their own blood`` Enoch is taken up into heaven, to stand and view the world as God sees it. He watches the wickedness of the world, with Jehovah at his side, and bears testimony of the Lord weeping for those of the earth. the creations of His hands. And Enoch cannot understand, how the greatest, even God, stretching from eternities to eternities, whos creations are limitless, could weep. Power, weeping. Enoch questions the Lord, and comes to see as He sees, with eyes of love, his bowels strecthing wide as eternity with the love of the Lord. And then he understands.
I guess i am moved by this, i am. God watching Satan laugh binding the earth with chains, weeping.
The point is, as the good book says, this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Christ, whom he has sent. Oh how we don´t understand he who made us! like laman and lemuel of the Nephite times, we cannot follow Christ if we don´t understand him. Luckily, or perfectly, the end the story, the happening, is happy, as God tells Enoch to take cheer, for the Savior will come to save the world.
And this flows in with what i feel my purpose is, invite people to truly know God, truly know Christ, not because i do, but because i know the way how. It is a truth that only can be found in this gospel. And as we try to understand, what i have found, we find that we are only remebering what we already know. I invite you all to read the story of Enoch! In the book of Moses, Chapters like 6 through 8 or something. and i invite you all to be joyful, in your blessings, in the blessing that we have, the opportunity we have to understand the love of God in every one our lives.
and I invite you, to know the blessing that you are to me. Truly! Verdaderamente.
and alas, for now it is time for us to part!
I apologize if I have not made sense, or if i have accidentally skewed the image of the pure happiness of serving the Lord and serving others in your eyes. It was not my intention at all. This is the best. You all are the best!
I love and pray for you,
Elder Albano
captains log:
Irapuato, Mexico
Monday, July 5, 2010
He Made It!!!
Ola! yep, im just sitting in an internet cafe in mexico, you know, the usual. i arrived i guess tuesday night in leon, at like 11:45 with one other elder where the mission president picked us up. It was his second day. and i arrived two days ago aqui, in irapuato. So far we have done pretty much everything, knocking doors, teaching lessons...i guess i should say my companion has done everything, while i stand around and look confused. But its great, l love it. My companions name is elder Ramirez, from mexico city. he´s been out about 15 months, so he pretty much knows what he is doing, and though he knows a tiny bit of english ( words here and there), we manage to communicate pretty well. with each other that is. the people here are nice! for the most part. there was a little kid in leon that was screaming f u over and over again, and there are people who sit on there porches and shout gringo, or guerro, or other stuff, but its funny, and everyone else is really nice. I think i might be in a place where juan carlos was, because you cross this funky little valley and the houses are on like a big hill of mud, whereas on the other side, they are on streets of dirt! and whatnot! Very humble. i met a man in leon who lived in a house kindof similar to the one in charlie and the chocolate factory, but smaller, and there were children on the beds and he was super old. but anywho, all he would talk about is how blessed he was. He told us that he had everything he needed. He had his wife, he had his kids, and he was happy. It was awesome, and true! I believed him.
Pues, i live in a little green house on a floor above a nice old lady, a member, but ive only seen her once.
But its just me and my companion in there. I like it, other than the "cucarachas" but they aren´t so bad. the mosquitos are worse! but there arent so bad either.
the city is pretty cool. i guess its known for its strawberries, but i haven´t seen any. apparently they deport a bunch to the states.
the food is awesome. the first day in leon i was crying it was so hot (though it really wasn´t) everyone else seemed fine, but i was downing the fanta the whole time. We don´t really it breakfast, it kinda t's me off, but im gratetful later when we eat at the members houses and i want to look grateful, because i am.
We played futbol and basketball this morning! that was a blast, i was a little worried cause just over half the elders in our district are mexican, and i was fearful they were just going to school me the whole time, but i held my own. for my country of course.
the language flusters me a good deal, because suddenly we´re sitting in peoples living rooms, real people, teaching them the thing that they need, everybody needs most, and i cant understand what they´re saying. but, i understand that i have only been here for less than a week, and though my companion thinks im depressed because i always look so frustrated, im fine. Estoy fantastico!
people (other missionaries from the states) are always asking me about this thing called culture shock. i dont believe in it, but maybe it hasn´t hit me yet. but breakfast! ay carumba! i´ll adjust, or buy some cereal today, we´ll see.
That is true i guess about that baptismal rate here, being the highest i guess. i don´t know, they really pounded that into me the first day, and i have difficulty imagining one, but we´ll see about that too. One of our investigators, a super awesome guy named Raul, is getting baptized this week, so thats pretty awesome! he works...i dont know where he works, but he has like a big garage in front of his house full of boxes, and gigantic boxes (like you could swim in) of little tiny pieces of plastic. I guess he exports the boxes to a whole bunch of places, but i don´t know what he does with the pieces of plastic. But he´s super cool, with a big laugh and crazy teeth, and a family too.
The weather here has been awesome, either raining or overcast. which sounds bad, but its a whole lot better apparently then the heat. and i believe it ya know?
But, yep, its the life!
We walk everywhere, all day long, in the streets of mud and whatnot. i like it! i can´t wait until i can communicate, because i give alot of people blank stares (and though the members tell me i speak well, i don´t believe them)
My area in Irapuato is Espanita (for Juan Carlos)
Yep, its something. Hey! it just started pouring!
Welp, i love you all very much! i hope that all is well with you! Im doing great, so mom, dont worry yourself, thinking im not getting any food because of that breakfast deal, im dandy! The work is true! those of you who don´t know that, figure it out!
this is my direction...address...
well not mine, but my companion told me that this is where you should send me letters.
calle torre vieja # 128 col arbide, Leon, Guanajuato cp 373608i don´t think ill be able to write letters for a while, im sorry, im just so darn confused, but i will as soon as i figure out what is going on. (the word on the streets is three months [until i should be able to understand people when they are talking...for the most part], it sounds unreasonable as it is, but im gonna try and beat it)
well, i think ive gone over my 30 minutes, and i still have to email presidente Del Valle, So,
Adios mi amigos, hasta ver! I love you!
Pues, i live in a little green house on a floor above a nice old lady, a member, but ive only seen her once.
But its just me and my companion in there. I like it, other than the "cucarachas" but they aren´t so bad. the mosquitos are worse! but there arent so bad either.
the city is pretty cool. i guess its known for its strawberries, but i haven´t seen any. apparently they deport a bunch to the states.
the food is awesome. the first day in leon i was crying it was so hot (though it really wasn´t) everyone else seemed fine, but i was downing the fanta the whole time. We don´t really it breakfast, it kinda t's me off, but im gratetful later when we eat at the members houses and i want to look grateful, because i am.
We played futbol and basketball this morning! that was a blast, i was a little worried cause just over half the elders in our district are mexican, and i was fearful they were just going to school me the whole time, but i held my own. for my country of course.
the language flusters me a good deal, because suddenly we´re sitting in peoples living rooms, real people, teaching them the thing that they need, everybody needs most, and i cant understand what they´re saying. but, i understand that i have only been here for less than a week, and though my companion thinks im depressed because i always look so frustrated, im fine. Estoy fantastico!
people (other missionaries from the states) are always asking me about this thing called culture shock. i dont believe in it, but maybe it hasn´t hit me yet. but breakfast! ay carumba! i´ll adjust, or buy some cereal today, we´ll see.
That is true i guess about that baptismal rate here, being the highest i guess. i don´t know, they really pounded that into me the first day, and i have difficulty imagining one, but we´ll see about that too. One of our investigators, a super awesome guy named Raul, is getting baptized this week, so thats pretty awesome! he works...i dont know where he works, but he has like a big garage in front of his house full of boxes, and gigantic boxes (like you could swim in) of little tiny pieces of plastic. I guess he exports the boxes to a whole bunch of places, but i don´t know what he does with the pieces of plastic. But he´s super cool, with a big laugh and crazy teeth, and a family too.
The weather here has been awesome, either raining or overcast. which sounds bad, but its a whole lot better apparently then the heat. and i believe it ya know?
But, yep, its the life!
We walk everywhere, all day long, in the streets of mud and whatnot. i like it! i can´t wait until i can communicate, because i give alot of people blank stares (and though the members tell me i speak well, i don´t believe them)
My area in Irapuato is Espanita (for Juan Carlos)
Yep, its something. Hey! it just started pouring!
Welp, i love you all very much! i hope that all is well with you! Im doing great, so mom, dont worry yourself, thinking im not getting any food because of that breakfast deal, im dandy! The work is true! those of you who don´t know that, figure it out!
this is my direction...address...
well not mine, but my companion told me that this is where you should send me letters.
calle torre vieja # 128 col arbide, Leon, Guanajuato cp 373608i don´t think ill be able to write letters for a while, im sorry, im just so darn confused, but i will as soon as i figure out what is going on. (the word on the streets is three months [until i should be able to understand people when they are talking...for the most part], it sounds unreasonable as it is, but im gonna try and beat it)
well, i think ive gone over my 30 minutes, and i still have to email presidente Del Valle, So,
Adios mi amigos, hasta ver! I love you!
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