Week 14

Well another week has come and gone! Christmas is that much closer, although it will be hard to be here for Christmas, but thats okay, Ill get to skype the fam!

I didnt get to do anything for Thanksgiving haha, we still work here because its not a holiday, plus we are missionaries and the work is too important to really take a break, besides the families here stuff you with more food than you can fit in your stomach everyday, so I guess everyday is a little like thanksgiving!

Dont worry about putting to much detail in letters or emails.  I have truly been blessed to not be very homesick, obviously I miss everyone a TON, but I am really busy that I cant really get distracted.  Please keep details in the letters n stuff so that I can actually reply back more accurately or answer any questions.  Thats another thing, I am really here to answer any questions too, it may be a while for me to reply but I will eventually haha.

Mom you asked me if I was staying warm enough, a better question would be to ask me if I am staying cold enough.......I stay plenty warm morning, day, and night so dont worry about that!  Also I am very happy to hear that Keaton is still being himself and doing all the same crazy stuff he normally does.

Now for stories of the week/How the week went

It was a great but tough week!  We have been trying to work hard but we had a lot of meetings this last week, since Elder Saavedra is District Leader sometimes we have more meetings than others do.  Plus this last week Elder Benjamin De Hoyos of the area seventy spoke to us in a bunch of meetings this last week about the importance of preach my gospel and about working with ward members.  Working with the members is soooooo important and its so much more effective in teaching too.

I forgot to tell you last week that Hna Diana cut our hair.  My haircut was good, and  so was Elder Saavedra´s until she cut his ear! hahahaha, but he´s okay luckily! and still has his ear :) but it definitely was a good story to add to my whole mission experience and I probably wont forget it!

So far Spanish hasnt been to hard to pick up, obviously the first few weeks were really dificult but now I can understand so much more.   I know that I have been truly blessed with the Gift of Tongues as I can speak/say pretty much anything I really need to.  Its an amazing blessing and it helps me so much to keep working because I can understand and speak so much.  I still cant understand everything/dont speak completely fluent but I know that im only going to continue improving and that is an amazing blessing, I hope i never forget Spanish as I know it will be so useful when I get home.

Yesterday was the baptism of Hna Diana! It was such an amazing experience and the Spirit was so strong there.  I had the blessing of being the one who baptized her and that was a blessing too.  The Spirit really testified to her more and more that her choice in doing so was right.  It was amazing to hear/see how happy she was to be baptized.  She really was prepared when we first taught her, and its so amazing to teach people who truly want to change and who truly are prepared even before we teach them.  I dont have pictures right now, but I will send them as soon as I do!  A few hours after her baptism we went to the Visitors Center again.  Im not sure if I told you all about the first time we went but its soooo beautiful and the Visitors Center is huge!  We went to the Visitors Center with Hna Diana and her daughter Mary, Hna Guadalupe and her son Rodrigo and daughter Sarah.  It was an amazing and fun experience.  I truly dont thing I will be able to see a better/bigger vistors center.  It was packed with people too as it just reopened in the last week of last month.  There is a huge part dedicated to the history of the church here in Mexico and its so cool to see it.  There is also a room that is like Jerusalem and we watch a movie in there about Christ and its just so peaceful and filled with the Spirit.  Also at the Temple here, they put Christmas lights all over the grounds and trees/plants, its really beautiful because the Temple really stands out from the city here and pretty much everyone knows where its at/what it is.

Every week we have the opportunity to have our weekly planning session.  Its so important, and at the end we have a companionship inventory where we talk about each others strengths, our companionship strengths, things that are difficult for us, or problems we have between us.  Its so important.  It is also hard honestly to sit there and to give a ton of compliments or to listen to your weaknesses or also things that you do really well its just a little awkward or uncomfortable because its not something that people normally do all the time.  But its such a great opportunity to really talk about how we both can be better misisonaries and how we always need to be bettering ourselves in all things.  It really helps too because we are really clearing out any problems and it helps us to focus on those things/set goals to change those things and I really like being a better person.  I feel like I have grown so much and I know sooo much more about the Gospel and how to teach it and explain it.  If anyone has any questions please ask me, I love learning more and especially helping other people. 

Please stay safe and send letters!

Love all of you very very much,

Elder Bean