Week 92 Letter December 15, 2014

Hello Family!

Another week come and gone and all of the sudden we are half way through December and this transfer.  Even though for the first week that Elder Pugmire and I had we seemed stuck in some weird time warp, we still find ourselves almost in 2015.

Everything is going great for us.  Wilber had has interview yesterday.  Everything went well. He is super prepared. He will also be changing his job which is great news because he will not have more time for the Church.  He and his son will be baptized this Saturday. 

We’ve been focusing on finding a lot of new people to teach so not much new to report this week in the way of people’s progress. We are trying to find a lot of people for January. Other than that, the week was kind of weird.  I don’t know if you all know, but the 12^th of December is the day to celebrate the Virgin Mary.  SO all of the people were celebrating it by taking statues to the Catholic Church.  It looks pretty cool but it was kind of hard to find people because of it.

Also, here in Tecnológico, we are right next to a Pemex Factory.  Pemex is the oil company here in Mexico. Well, it hasn’t really been a bother. We have never really recognized it before but for some reason this week it started making a beating noise. It was so bad that Elder Pugmire and I could not even hear each other.  It sounded like we were behind a couple of 747s all day long.  Needless to say, it was kind of a hard day to work. Luckily it is done being noisy now.

Well, Christmas is now in full swing! He is the Gift has been a big success so far. In fact, Yesterday, as we were walking down the street, we heard someone listening to it.  We could not find them unfortunately, but people are beginning to see it.  Fun time to be preaching the gospel!

Elder Lightheart

Week 90 Letter December 1, 2014

Hello Everyone!

Happy December! Can’t believe that November is already gone. It went by really fast for us. It was a really good month though. And I am really excited for December.

So Wilber and Wilber are doing super well.  They actually came to the Priesthood Preview this week and Wilber, Jr. participated in the program. The Stake President had him saying the closing prayer. President Trejo actually thought that he was a member! They have really made the church theirs. Everything seems to be progressing well towards their date for the 13^th of December.

This week has been really fun because of the new initiative the Church has called, “He is the Gift.” I imagine you have already heard about it. If you haven’t seen it and/or shared it on Facebook, go do so right now! This is a great opportunity to remind everyone of Christ in this important time of Christmas.

We have had a lot of success sharing this movie so far.  A lot of people are really interested in seeing it.  We have a couple of activities planned in the stake and with the ward to get more people to know about this video. I hope all of Minatitlan can see the video.

Elder Pugmire and I have been having a lot of fun and success together. So far I was pretty confident when I heard that we were going to be companions that we were going to have a great transfer together. I am super excited for the work we will do together.

Morgan continues to be a stud. He is probably the most active youth in our ward. I can’t believe that he has only been a member for only three weeks. Great example of faith.

Thanks for all of you support!

Elder Lightheart

Week 88 Letter November 17, 2014

Hello Family and Friends,

Another week and another baptism! Lorena was baptized this week. It was great to see her family so happy. Her grandmother, Sister Enna, was recently diagnosed with cancer and it has really taken its toll on the family and on Sister Enna. It was really great to see how the baptism pulled them together and gave them joy in hard times.

It was also great to see how the gospel was able to help and change Lorena. She told us that before we started teaching her that she had felt alone and was not very self-confident. The gospel was able to help her overcome those feelings and give her real purpose in life.

We are going to have another baptism, this week as well. Montserrat is really excited to get baptized. She told us yesterday that she wants Brother Robles to baptize her; it was what we were thinking anyway. The ward is getting really excited as well now that this will be three straight weeks with a baptism! The Bishop keeps telling us that he doesn’t want us to leave. It is great to have such a great relationship with the leaders here in our ward. It really builds the success and helps us to carry out the work of salvation.

Morgan is doing fantastic. He actually went to a YSA activity this weekend. In church, the Bishop shared with the ward about how Morgan had told him how that what the most looks forward to is the church activities during the week.  I can see that he really seeks out the Spirit and joys in its presence. He has taught me a lot.

We had a Zone Conference with President Morales this week. Receiving his council always helps me to improve. Even though I would be considered an “experienced missionary” by this point, I still have much more to learn. Not because I lack knowledge but because this work and gospel is all about that, PROGRESS. As Elder Peterson and I have focused on what we need to change, the Lord has truly started doing his work through us.

Thanks for everything!

Elder Lightheart

Week 87 Letter November 10, 2014

Hello Everyone!

We had another baptism! Morgan got baptized and confirmed this weekend. It was an awesome experience. His mom, dad, sister, and aunt came. His dad and sister seem pretty interested and we are going to start teaching them this week.

Morgan is super excited. The day of the baptism we went and played soccer in the morning and he made up a chant that went, “1..2..3..Baptism!” He was interviewed on Sunday and will receive the Priesthood and probably a calling on the 23^rd of November.  He told us that now after his baptism, his biggest desire that he has is to receive a calling and prepare to go on a mission.

Other great news is that we will have ANOTHER baptism this week. Lorena is really prepared for her baptism on the 15^th.  All we need is her interview.  Everything looks good for this week.

We have three other dates as well.  We are teaching a child name Monserrath and we have a goal with her for the 22^nd but her mom thinks it is too soon.  If we get her mom’s permission, she will be baptized on that date. Also a father and son both name Wilber. Their date is for the 13^th of December.

Wilber is a great investigator. The only problem is that we can only see him on Sundays because he works in Taxi. That is the biggest obstacle for his progress, but he has shown a lot of faith and desires so far.

His son really surprised us too.  He is 11 and came to church for the first time on Sunday.  Then the Primary started practicing for the program (I am playing the piano so we were there) and Wilber was singing right along.  It was like he was already a part of the ward.  He absolutely loved it and is really excited to come back next week.

Well, the Lord surely is hastening the work of salvation.  I am just glad to be part of it!

Elder Lightheart

Morgan's Baptism

Week 86 Letter November 3, 2014

Happy Day of the Dead!

We had a pretty fun time with this Mexican Holiday.  On Saturday and Sunday we went to the graveyards close by and talked to people about the plan of salvation and showed the movie, “Thanks to Him.” We also helped people out as they cleaned the graves of people’s loved ones.  It was great to be able to bring our message of hope to those people in need.

Morgan is doing awesome.  He is more than prepared for his baptism.  This week, he committed to receiving a calling, prepare to enter the temple, and serve a mission in a year.  Yesterday we asked him if he had any questions for us before his baptism.  He asked, “What are your suggestions to me so that I can study the Book of Mormon and the Bible together?’ I am excited because he asked me to baptize him.  His baptism will be on Saturday. 

One of the great parts of teaching Morgan has been the conversion of the member who gave us the referral.  Before, she (Ana) would go to church about once a month.  Now she, too, is preparing to serve a mission.  On Sunday, she and Morgan both bore their testimonies.  It was really cool for us to see.

This week, we also put another baptismal date with a sister named Lorena.  She is the granddaughter of Sister Edna.  She has gone to church twice recently but went a lot with her grandma when she was younger.  She knows quite a bit about the Church and we set her date for the 15^th of November.  It is not super for sure yet but she will probably get baptized here soon.

Well, things are going great here in Minatitlan!  Thanks for everything.

Elder Lightheart 

Week 85 Letter October 27, 2014

Happy Birthday to me!

That’s right. I am officially 21 years old.  It was a lot of fun to celebrate my birthday with the people here.  My Bishop put on a surprise party for me.  I also celebrated my birthday with another sister who also has her birthday on the 24^th.  So, I got two cakes. Also, my Bishop shoved my face into the first one, so I’m kind of all caked out. 

Well, despite the festivities we were able to keep working hard.  Cool story of the week comes with a new investigator.  On Monday, on the way home from shopping we talked with our taxi driver and he said that we could go by and visit him.  So we went by his house and somebody who we had never seen before. I expected him to ask us what we wanted or who we were looking for, but instead, he said, “Come on in guys” in English, so we started teaching him.

His name is David.  We had a short lesson with him and gave him a Book of Mormon.  We came back later in the week and he told us about how he had read and got really peaceful and concentrated. It was a great lesson as we were able to tell him that he had felt the Spirit.  Unfortunately, he was not able to come to church on Sunday for work but he told us that he is going to look for other work so he will have more time on Sundays.  He is a great example.

Morgan is doing great as well.  He was interviewed on Sunday and is ready! We are going to wait until the 8^th so his parents can go.  He is really excited for it.  We taught him yesterday about temple work.  He committed to go to the temple for the second week of December!!

Well the work is going great!

Thanks for everything!

Elder Lightheart 

Week 84 Letter October 20, 2014

Hello Family!

Sorry I wasn’t able to write much last week.  Transfers got kind of crazy.  We were in the bus station basically all day along.  But everything finished well.  I am mostly glad that I get to work with Elder Peterson another transfer.  Also, Elder Castaneda is a district leader in my zone now.  It has been fun to work with him again.

This week it rained hard. We basically did not see the sun all week.  But with the rain came blessings as well. 

Our investigator, Morgan is a great example of faith.  We only began teaching him two Saturdays ago.  Since then, he has gone to all of the ward activities, Seminary, and Family Home Evening with the Bishop.  It is amazing to me how the Lord prepares people to receive the gospel.  He told us in one of our first visits, “I have been feeling something, I do not know what it is nor how to explain or describe it, but I have feel the need to join to this church.” Afterwards, we taught him the First Vision. The Spirit was really strong and we then asked how he felt.  He said, “I felt peace, and something I can’t quite describe.  It’s what I have been feeling.” The Spirit of the Lord prepared his heart to receive this message.

We also had some new investigators come to church on Sunday.  One of them is named Wilber and he really liked church.  He promised us that he will come next week and he is planning on bringing his son.  The other investigator who came is another referral from the Robles family.  Her name is Estefania and she just moved here from Oaxaca.  She seems pretty interested but she is really busy studying.  We will see how well she progresses.

Our English class has been going really well.  This Saturday was especially fun.  We taught them how to give directions. SO logically, we made a maze of chairs in the church, blindfolded one of them and made them direct each other through the maze in English.  It was a lot of fun.

Well, that’s all for this week. 

Elder Lightheart 

Week 82 Letter October 6, 2014

Hello Again!

Wow, it’s October already.  Another General Conference has already passed and another birthday is coming up soon. Time is starting to fly by.

We had another really great busy week. Even though Elder Peterson and I both have quite a bit of time in the mission, we are both learning a lot from each other. It has been a fun learning experience.  Transfers are next week, so we will see what happens. 

The good news is we will have another baptism on Saturday! Luis is really excited and we are too.  He is actually Jonathan’s neighbor.  Both he and Jonathan are referrals from Brother Robles.  He has been a great help to us so far.  He really understands what it means to be a member missionary.

We are also preparing another young woman named Joselin to get baptized.  She is living with an inactive member named Eduardo. We went over to visit them for the first time on Monday.  We got there and Eduardo starts telling us their goals, which are:

1, Get married

2. Have Joselin get baptized

3. Be active for a year

4. Get sealed

Luckily we can help them accomplish all of those things. We have their marriage planned for next Friday and her baptism for the 25^th of October!

My favorite part of the week by far was General Conference. We had a lot of great experience with it. On Friday, we went and taught the seminary class about prophets. Only Ana
Gabriel and Juan were there.  Ana Gabriel got really excited.  She took us to teach it to her nonmember parents and also her boyfriend.  She went to all of General Conference (she hadn’t been before) and brought her boyfriend, Morgan as well.  Afterward, he came up to us and told us, “I am pretty busy in my life right now, but one day, not to distant, I can see myself joining this church!”

My favorite talk was probably Henry B. Eyring’s.  Thanks Mom and Dad for the truths you taught me as a boy. I am now going and doing “the things which the Lord has commanded” and much of the thanks goes to you!

Until Next Week,

Elder Lightheart

District Conference

Practicing is important

Week 81 Letter September 29, 2014

Hello Again!

Here comes the rainy month! It has been raining basically everyday of this past week.  So we have officially entered the rainy seasons.  It hasn’t been too big of deal though and we haven’t gotten too wet. 

Best part of the week was that Jonathan got baptized! It was a really great service.  His mom Gladys was really happy.  She has definitely changed as well in this process.  Jonathan’s baptism was just what his family needed to get back active in the ward.

We also had a really good ward activity this week in which we gave the class we invited a less active young man to help us out with the activity.  We had Briham (the less active) carry two empty 20 liter jugs. Then whoever wanted a cookie had to put a cup of water in.  We compared it to Christ suffering so that we could have eternal life.  Christ had to pay for anyone and everyone who wanted wants or will want eternal life.  It was a great way to show to everyone the importance of his role in the plan of salvation.  It had a big impact on Briham.  HE came to church on Sunday and signed up for the YSA convention.  It was great to see that we could help him out. 

The President came to Minatitlan this week to interviews with the zone.  They went really well. He focused a lot on always finding new investigators.  It was really good for our zone I thought. I also got to talk with the President for a while about how to work in this zone. I have really enjoyed working with President Morales as a zone leader and I hope to continue doing so.

Our English class went really well this week.  We had 20 people come. A lot better than the 8 from last week.  It was great to see so many people interested and I hope it keeps improving.  We won’t have it this upcoming week for General Conference, but we are really excited for conference as well.

Well, it looks like we should be having a pretty busy week.  We will probably go to Villahermosa on Wednesday and give the zone class on Friday and then with the conference we will be pretty packed.  It will be a great week though.

Until Next Week,

Elder Lightheart

P.S. You know you’re a missionary when while asleep, you ask your companion, “How are we going to find more investigators?”

Jonathan's baptism

Jonathan's baptism

Week 80 Letter September 22, 2014

Hello Everyone!!

What an awesome week! Elder Peterson and I have had a ton of work and it has been a lot of fun.

Happy Independence Day, Mexico! That was one of the best parts of the week. The ward put on an activity and everyone had to bring something. So, Elder Peterson and I decided to make no-bake cookies. They turned pretty good and now everyone wants the recipe. We had to go home before the activity was over but the members had a lot of fun and there were a lot of investigators as well.

The best news is that we are going to have a baptism this week.  Jonathan is super excited and even though he is only nine years old, he is a great example to his family. He came to clean the church this Saturday by himself. He was the only one there with the Bishop when we showed up. It is going to be a big help to his family that he is getting baptized.

We also have another baptism planned for the 11^th of October. He is Jonathan’s cousin Luis. He just came to church for the first time this week but he is really excited as well.

This week, I also gave my first official English Class in Mexico. It was just the first week so it was a little rough but as we get more organized, we think it well become pretty successful. 

We also saw some of our hard work pay off this week.  We have been visiting a recent convert named Krystell a lot because she is the only member of her family.  Her brother Esteban has been really closed off.  The first thing she said to me was, “I don’t like your church.”

Anyway, we have visited them, helped them with homework and done services as well.  Finally, they are starting to listen. Nancy and Esteban both went to the activity on Wednesday and English class.  We are hoping that this week they will go to church with us.

Well, hope you are all doing great!

Love you all! Talk to you soon

Elder Lightheart 

Making no-bake cookies for the activity

Week 79 Letter September 15, 2014

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hope you all had a great week.  We had another really busy week here in Minatitlan.  It got a little rainy but we were still able to get a lot done.

Well, the best news is that we have a baptism planned for September! We found an investigator named Jonathan (Good name, right?).  He is the son of a less active sister and he is super excited to be baptized.  We have a date set with him for the 27^th of September. It will be really good for his family who hasn’t been going to church for a long time.  He also has a littler sister who just turned 8 that we are going to try and baptize as well.

We also have been working hard with an investigator named Claudio. He has been going to church for a while and really like it but has had a hard time believing in the prophet. So this week we went by and just explained to him clearly the doctrine. By the end he was able to understand the need to have a prophet. Hopefully he will be baptized soon as well.

The best part of the week was the ward conference we had this week.  All of the members got really excited and worried really hard this week to invite people to come to church their hard work definitely showed on Sunday the attendance had been hovering around 50-70 people each Sunday. Pretty much all year it was around that number. This week the ward had the highest attendance of the entire year and 107 people came to church. It was great to see the chapel full. We also had six investigators come to church.  That is what the work of salvation is all about.

Love you all,

Elder Lightheart

Week 78 Letter September 8, 2014

Hello Family!

Hope everything is going well back home. It’s starting to get wet down here in Minatitlan.  The rainy season has definitely begun.  I haven’t really missed being wet but it’s time to get used to it again.

We had a really busy week this week. Apart from the getting to know a new area and a new zone, we went to Villahermosa this Thursday.  We had leadership council which went really well.  We also got to go to the temple again which was a really awesome experience.  I was able to learn a lot I think it also helped the unity that Elder Peterson and I have.

Elder Peterson and I have gotten along really well so far.  It was a really fun week.  There is a lot of work to be done in this area.  The fun part is that the area is really small so most everyone know members or the missionaries.

The members here are very excited to work as well.  Most of the members have been here a long time so they know a ton of people.

We have some really good investigators already.  We met a really awesome couple this week named Carlos and Nancy.  They have some friends who are members and while they were at their house, the missionaries dropped by and taught the first lesson.  They are really interested in the church.  They are also extremely nice.  They offered us their house and food any time we need it. Even though they are extremely busy they are extremely willing to have us come by.

We also found another investigator name Mario.  We contacted him in the street and it turned out that his cousin is a missionary.  We went back later in the week and taught him about the Book of Mormon.  He is really excited to read it.  After I asked him why he thinks it would be important to read it. He said, “I think I need to read the Book of Mormon to find Salvation.” He will be a great investigator.

Thanks for all of your help and prayers

Sincerely,

Elder Lightheart

Week 77 Letter September 1, 2014

Hello Family!

Transfers have already come again.  This one passed by really fast with Elder Castaneda. Well, the news is that I got transferred away from Coatzacoalcos. It was great to spend the last seven months there with elder Alvarez, Elder Struthers, and Elder Castaneda.  I feel like I really grew to love the people of this ward. It honestly feels like I am leaving home.  I will miss them and Coatza but it is my turn now to move on.

I am being transferred to Minatitlan, Veracruz, Barrio Tecnologico.  It isn’t really that far from Coatzacoalcos.  You can actually see Coatza from Minatitlan.  I am going to be serving with Elder Peterson and we will be the Zone Leaders for all of Minatitlan.  It is going to be fun to be able to still serve as a zone leader.  My favorite part about it is getting to know all of the Elders and I am excited to keep on doing so.

Well, I don’t know this new area very much yet.  Nor do I have very much time so I’m not writing much but I will write more next week!

Hasta Pronto!

Elder Lightheart

Week 75 Letter August 18, 2014

Week 75
8/18/14
Hello Family,
We had another really good week here in Coatzacoalcos. Even though I may not have much time left her in this area, I am really glad for the time spent here so far.

This week was really busy as usual.  We are finding a lot of new people to teach which keeps us running all over the place.  It has been a lot of fun.

Jajhanna, Pamela, and Angelo had a bit of a rough week.  They are still very excited about the Church.  Jajhanna told us this week that she knows that this is the true church.  Unfortunately, they were not able to go to church because their grandfather died.  Today, we are going to go teach them and I feel like it will be a very spiritual experience as we teach them about the plan of salvation.  We have a baptismal date planned with them for the 30th of August.

We also have a new investigator named Artemio.  He is Awesome.  He came to church this week.  He said that it was unlike anything that he had felt before.  He is the friend of Hermano Hector so he should have a lot of support from him.  We haven’t set a baptismal date with him yet, but I feel like he will be baptized soon.

We also started to teach a young man name Noé.  To me, it was kind of like seeing me as an investigator.  He has many of the same interests as I do: studying medicine, working.  He is an all round good guy.  But he lacks the direction that the gospel brings.  We have only taught him once but he has already felt the need to change.  That the church will truly bring him happiness in his life.  I am really excited to begin teaching him.

Well, that’s all for this week.  Thanks for all of your love and prayers.

Elder Lightheart

P-day!

Week 74 Letter August 11, 2014

Week 74
8/11/14
Hello Family!
Well another week has gone by and we had another baptism! Arturo was baptized on Saturday, Now the whole family is together in the church.  Miriam, Mariane, and Kevin all gave their testimonies.  It was a very sincere spiritual experience.  I was able to do the baptism.  It had been a while since I myself had done a baptism.  Actually, the last one I did was Mariane.  It was really cool to see the entire family sitting together in the church on Sunday.

Well, we had another really busy and crazy week.  Not only did we have the baptism but on Friday we also had a zone activity.  The President came and taught us then we played soccer and volleyball together.  I actually played on the President’s team which was a lot of fun.  We also made hamburgers.  Elder Castaneda’s family own two burger joints and he had been working there since he was 12 so he made some really good burgers.  It was a lot of fun to spend some time with the President and the zone.

Paul and his family are progressing really quickly.  They all want to be baptized and we are planning a baptismal service for them on the 30th of August.  The only issue really will be Paul’s health.  This week he couldn’t go to church because he had to go to the hospital yesterday.  Hopefully he will feel well enough soon.  Pretty much once he is healthy enough he will get baptized.  I hope I will be here for his baptism.

Well, yesterday was a really cool sacrament meeting.  First of all, Arturo was confirmed a member of the church and then all of the talks were given by my converts.  Anabella, Fredy, and Miriam gave talks.  It was really cool to see that.  Anabella has a super great testimony.  I am excited to see what callings they are going to get.

Well that’s all for this week.  Talk to you all the next.

Elder Lightheart

Week 73 Letter August 4, 2014

Week 73
8/4/14
Hello again!
It has been a fun and kind of crazy week.  When we’re all over the place, it has been a lot of fun to get to know more of Coatzacoalcos.

We had leadership council this week which meant another trip to Villahermosa and Elder Castaneda’s first council.  But he wasn’t the only one.  There were a lot of new leaders.  A lot of the familiar faces were either transferred or went home last transfer.  It was kind of different now being on what would be considered the experienced Elders.  I have really enjoyed this time in a leadership opposition.  It has been an amazing learning experience. And a lot of fun to get to know the Elders.

Well, now back to Mirador.  Although we were in Villa for a couple days, we were still able to have a lot of success.  Arturo is going to get baptized this week!  He was a little unsure during the week.  He felt like he was not ready to be baptized quite yet.  So we went with him and taught him the doctrine of Christ and why he has need to be baptized.  At the end, we all knelt down together and he offered a prayer to know if he needed to be baptized the week that is coming.  The Spirit came and testified that it was the correct decision.  He has now told all of his family that he is going to get baptized.

Paul’s children came to church as well on Sunday.  Jajhanna, Pamela, and Angelo all came.  Paul couldn’t come still because he is still not doing so well.  His kids are really excited about the church though.  We have a baptismal date set for the 23rd of August.

I am extremely excited for the success here in Coatza.  It brings a lot of joy to be a part of the work of salvation.

Elder Lightheart

Week 72 Letter July 28, 2014

Hello Again!

Hope that all of you had a great week! Shout out to Sister Lightheart who now has two months in the mission! I have a lot of fun telling people that I have a sister in the field.  Keep on working hard, Sis!

It’s nothing to compare with my companion though.  He actually has two siblings in the mission: a sister in Chile and a brother in Oaxaca.  It is awesome to see how the Lord is hastening the work.  It has been fun serving with Elder Castañeda.  So far, he is a bit more serious than Elder Struthers, but we still get along really well.  He is a great worker and a great teacher.

We had a really good week, even though everyone is on vacation.  We spent a lot of time knocking on people’s doors and having them not be there.  Despite that, we had a lot of lessons. The best part was that we now have an interview set with Arturo for next week! He had been feeling a bit unsure about his baptism but we helped him to realize that he is ready and that he has already made the necessary changes. 

Paul and his family continue to be great.  They were definitely prepared to listen to the gospel.  They were one of those people who searched for the truth but knew not where to find it.  They are really excited about learning more.  My favorite is his son, Angelo. In four days, he read eleven chapters in the Book of Mormon.  He is only 8! He did understand it about like an 8-year-old, but he loves it.  His daughter, Jahanna, is already eager to learn and is really attentive to the Spirit.  Hopefully, we will be able to baptize them by the end of the month.

We have a ton of investigators right now.  It is so much fun to be running all over the place teaching them!

Thanks for all of your help!

Elder Lightheart

Week 71 Letter July 21, 2014

Hello fam!

Another transfer gone by.  I said good-bye to Elder Struthers yesterday.  I imagine that right now he is on a plane somewhere over Texas. You will all be able to talk with him pretty soon actually.

Well, the best news is that I am staying in Mirador for another transfer.  Looks like I will be here at least until September.  I am really happy to stay here with these members.  I know that my new companion and I are going to have a lot of success.  My companion is going to be Elder Castañeda. My life is going to get a little more crazy though.  I am now going to be the Zone leader of 24 missionaries.  The two zones are going to be combined into one zone and we will be the zone leaders for both of them.

We also had a baptism this week!! On Thursday, we got a call from Sister Kathy.  She called us to tell us that Yumara wanted to get baptized on Saturday.  It was really awesome.  Her cousin, the first counselor, Juan Carlos, did the baptism and the confirmation.  It was really cool because we had a ward conference on Sunday and we were able to do the confirmation with it.  The ward is getting really excited about missionary work.

Arturo came to church again! He is progressing really well.  He really likes the church.  He shows a lot of faith. We haven’t gotten to the point of teaching him the Word of Wisdom, but because of what he has seen in his wife and kids, he has stopped drinking coffee and alcohol.  He feels like he doesn’t have enough knowledge but I know he will be ready for the baptismal date we have set with him for the 10^th of August.

We also had a great lesson yesterday.  We went to visit Paolo again but this time we were able to teach all of his family – his wife and three kids. While we were with them, we were talking about the family and hoe they can become a family for the eternities.  The Spirit was really strong as we explained to them that as they follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they will be able to be together forever.  We put a baptismal date with all of them for the 30^th of August.

Well, I’ve got to go. My new companion should get here soon!

Hasta Luego,

Elder Lightheart

Week 70 Letter July 14, 2014

Another week, another letter.  It is once again P-Day and I get a chance to write you all about the happenings here in Coatzacoalcos.

We had an awesome week.  We were able to have a lot of success.  Yumara is progressing well.  Unfortunately, we were not able to do her baptism this week because she went to visit her family in Chiapas.  She really loves the church though.  She is taking part in our ward choir.  We should be doing her baptism either this week or the next.

Miriam’s husband also came to church again.  He really likes the church.  He is a lot more happy now that he has been investigating.  He tells us that the change that he has seen in his family is what is most helping him to want to go to church.  We have baptismal date with him for the 26^th of July.  I know he can be ready by that point to join his family as a member of the Church.  Probably the coolest part was that he paid tithing with his wife. 

We had a really great lesson this week with Anabella’s sister, Nadxielly.  We had taught her a couple of times but we haven’t seen her for about a month.  When we got there, we decided to read 2 Nephi 2 with her.  It was a really cool experience.  As we were reading, she would ask us questions and all of her questions were answered within the chapter, It was really amazing to me how the Book of Mormon really answers our questions.  Sometimes, it takes a bit of study, but other times, like this week, they come in the moment. 

We also had a little miracle today actually.  We got a call this morning from Hermano Mexicano (a brother in our ward).  He told us that he wanted to go visit one of his friends with us. It was a little rough because we were washing, but we hustled and got everything done on time.  We went with Hermano Mexicano to visit his friend Paolo.  Paolo has cancer and he feels like there is something he is missing in his life.  We were able to teach him about the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation.  He got really excited to learn and study.  Then at the end, Hermano Mexicano gave him a priesthood blessing.  The Spirit filled the room and we all just sat there in silence for a moment.  All he could say was, “Gracias.” Even though he is sick and actually going to the hospital this week, he said that he would come to church.

The one issue was that while we were there, it started raining, and not just a little bit, but it was pouring.  We were only like three blocks from our house so we knew that everything, our clothes, our hammocks, and a backpack that been left out to dry were going to be soaking wet.  We came home expecting the worst, but found that almost everything was dry.  We were able to take almost all of our clothes down right then.  Who knows what happened, but with the wet ground full of puddles all around me, I felt like God was thanking me for taking time away from what I have to care for my own physical needs to care for one of his children’s spiritual needs.  He took care of me so we could help Paolo.  It may have been just a little miracle, but none the less, a show of my Father’s love for me. 

I hope you all know that God loves each of you as his children. 

Thanks for all your faith,

Elder Lightheart

Week 69 Letter July 7, 2014

Hello Everyone!

Happy 4^th of July! Hope you all had a great Independence Day. Elder Struthers and I celebrated by singing some American hymns.  It was pretty fun.

Well anyway, this week mission-wise was fantastic.  We had a lot of super spiritual lessons and a couple of miracles to go along with it.

Yumara went to church again.  She had been progressing really well and it was great to see her at church.  The best part didn’t actually happen until after church.  We were rushing over to another appointment we had when we got a phone call from Hermana Anita, the recently returned missionary in our ward.  She called to ask if Yumara could change her baptismal date! She told us that Yumara had gotten an answer to her prayer and wants to be baptized this Friday!! We got super excited. We are going to have a baptism this week. It is great to see how the Spirit works in people and helps them to know the truth.

We were also teaching Hermana Miriam’s husband, Arturo, this week.  He shows that he wants to learn, however, he feels that he doesn’t know enough.  He never really has read the scriptures and even though others have come to teach him he had never read from those pamphlets either. This week, we went one night without much time.  He told us that he had read.  We then read the scripture in Ether 12:27 and we promised him that he can receive the knowledge he lacks if he would humble himself before God and ask.  We then all knelt then together.  I offered the prayer and then we all took a moment to say a personal prayer.  We then asked him how he felt.  He told us that he had felt the Spirit and that he felt that what we had taught was true! He now has baptismal date for the 26^th of July. 

It was a great week.  I love it when the Spirit testifies of truth.  The Spirit will help anyone who has an honest doubt to come to know the truth.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers,

Elder Lightheart

Week 68 Letter June 30, 2014

Hello everyone!!

We had a really good week again.  We had a lot of meetings and a lot of good learning experiences. 

This week we had zone conference.  It was really good.  I could see that it really helped the missionaries from our zone.  We actually gave part of the conference.  We taught everyone how to have a better planning session.  We focused a lot on how we could use the Spirit in our planning.  I personally learned a lot from what we taught.  We have had a lot better planning sessions since then.

We also had our Stake Conference this weekend.  Elder Montoya from the quorum of the seventy came.  He gave some amazing talks.  I really felt the Spirit and learned a lot from him.  My favorite part was when he shared a story of him saving his child.  His child had climbed upa ladder but had fallen and was barely hanging on.  He began to scream, “Papito, Papito, Ayudame!” He was able to get out just in time to break his child’s fall.  He then compared that to the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ cries out, “Abba Padre.” It was like when Elder Montoya’s son cried out, “Papito.” But this time Christ’s Father, our Father, was not able to rush to save him.  But rather for the love he has for us, he had to let His Only

Begotten suffer.  It means a lot to me that Christ suffered for me.  The story that Elder Montoya told really helped increase my understanding.

Right after the conference, Fredy received the Melchizedek Priesthood.  We were able to go and watch.  It was a wonderful experience to see how happy Mayra was for him.  I am so excited that my converts now have the blessings of the Priesthood in their home.

Well, it looks like we should have another baptism on the 18^th of July! All of the members are really excited and helping us out a lot.  The work is extremely exciting right now and a lot of blessings are being received.

Until next week,

Elder Lightheart

Week 66 Letter June 16, 2014

Hello Everyone!
Happy Father’s Day! Thanks Dad for all that you do and have done for me.  I am constantly using and applying the things that you have taught me.  They have been of great importance for me here in my mission.  I am very grateful for all that you have helped me with in my life.  Thanks, Dad!

Well, we had an extremely busy week this week.  For starters, we had several ward activities this week that we helped out in.  They were great activities.  We had a lot of investigators and members come.  It reminded me of some of the activities that we did at home.  The best part was having our investigators interact with the members.

We also went to Villahermosa for our leadership council this week.  It was a great meeting.  We were able to go to the temple the night before and I felt that I got a lot of my questions answered and we definitely left edified.  The council was great as well.  We both learned a lot about how to become a better leader in the mission.

Despite being busy most of the week, we were able to have some really good lessons.  We had a couple of lessons with Yumara and Jose.  They are really excited to learn more about the church.  They went to both of the activities this week and are progressing really well.

We also had Miriam’s husband, Arturo come to church on Sunday.  It was only the second time we had ever seen him.  We had a really good lesson with him about the Book of Mormon and we have an appointment to meet with him on Saturday.

We started a Preach My Gospel class with the members.  They are super excited about missionary work.  They all committed to talk with one of their friends this week about the gospel.

Thanks for all of your support and Happy father’s Day!

Elder Lightheart

Week 65 Letter June 9, 2014

Hello Family!

Hope you are all doing well! How is everything going? It has continued to be hot in Mexico, but it’s OK because we have been at the work of the Lord.

Well, the best news about this week was definitely the three baptisms we had! Miriam, Mariane, and Kevin all got baptized.  They were very excited all week long and it ended in a great baptism service at the end.  A lot of people from the ward were able to go.  Mayra gave a talk and it was awesome.  She spoke like she had been a member her whole life and she had been a member her whole life and she has just barely completed a month as a member.  She shared her experience of being baptized with everyone and it really strengthened all of us.  Elder Struthers and I performed the ordinances.  Probably the best part was that Miriam’s husband came.  It was the first time we had met him and we could definitely see the effect the spirit had on him.

Apart from that, we are also going to have a baptism in the coming weeks.  Estefania is still really excited for her baptism.  She also came to the baptism and she really enjoyed it.  She told us afterwards that she wants her baptism to be just like Miriam’s.

She has accepted everything we have taught her so far.  She did have a little difficulty with the ward of wisdom.  She felt like it would be hard to leave behind coffee and tea.  Luckily, mayra and Fredy are a big help.  They assured her that it can be done.  That they were able to leave it all behind to follow God’s will.  We only have a couple of lessons left to teach her and she will be ready for baptism. 

The rest of the week went really well today.  We actually learned how to make hammocks.  One of the elders in our zone, Elder Mayers, came over to our house and showed us how to do it.  It was a lot of fun. It took a couple hours and we were only able to make one about 6 inches wide.  But it was really fun to learn!

Thanks for all of your prayers,

Elder Lightheart

Week 64 Pictures June 2, 2014

Week 63 Letter May 26, 2014

Hello Family!

Hope you are all doing well! How is everything going? It has continued to be hot in Mexico, but it’s OK because we have been at the work of the Lord.

Well, the best news about this week was definitely the three baptisms we had! Miriam, Mariane, and Kevin all got baptized.  They were very excited all week long and it ended in a great baptism service at the end.  A lot of people from the ward were able to go.  Mayra gave a talk and it was awesome.  She spoke like she had been a member her whole life and she had been a member her whole life and she has just barely completed a month as a member.  She shared her experience of being baptized with everyone and it really strengthened all of us.  Elder Struthers and I performed the ordinances.  Probably the best part was that Miriam’s husband came.  It was the first time we had met him and we could definitely see the effect the spirit had on him.

Apart from that, we are also going to have a baptism in the coming weeks.  Estefania is still really excited for her baptism.  She also came to the baptism and she really enjoyed it.  She told us afterwards that she wants her baptism to be just like Miriam’s.

She has accepted everything we have taught her so far.  She did have a little difficulty with the ward of wisdom.  She felt like it would be hard to leave behind coffee and tea.  Luckily, mayra and Fredy are a big help.  They assured her that it can be done.  That they were able to leave it all behind to follow God’s will.  We only have a couple of lessons left to teach her and she will be ready for baptism. 

The rest of the week went really well today.  We actually learned how to make hammocks.  One of the elders in our zone, Elder Mayers, came over to our house and showed us how to do it.  It was a lot of fun. It took a couple hours and we were only able to make one about 6 inches wide.  But it was really fun to learn!

Thanks for all of your prayers,

Elder Lightheart

Week 62 Letter May 19, 2014

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a great week! We had a fantastic week here in Coatzacoalcos.  This area is amazing.  I am very glad to be serving in in Mirador.

It was a great week mostly because I finally was in my area all week.  We had been really busy recently with mission related travel so it was great to be a little more calm throughout the week.

We did start with divisions (exchanges) this week. Elder Struthers went over to a town called Allende.  A new Elder named Elder Hernandez came over here.  He is from Cancun and only has one month in the mission.  We had a ton of fun and a lot of success.  We gave a lot of extremely good lessons during the day and I felt like we were able to help out a lot of people.  We also were able to help one family paint part of their house.  It was fun to help them out.  Elder Hernandez left super excited about missionary work.

Elder Struthers returned and we continued to have a very successful week.  The best news is we will be having a baptism on Friday! Actually, it should be a family of three: Miriam (the Mom), Mariana (13-year-old daughter) and Kevin (11-year-old son).  Sister Miriam is the daughter of Sister Lulu who was baptized about a year ago.  Miriam is extremely excited to be baptized.  She has changed a lot in a very short time that we have been teaching her.  At first, she did not want much to do with us and nothing with the Book of Mormon. Now, she calls herself a member.  She even came to the church on Friday to help with cleaning the chapel! I'll let you know next week how the baptism went.

Probably the coolest part is that Miriam has two siblings in Oregon! They are from the town of Florence, Oregon.  Hopefully, they will also be able to listen the the gospel someday as well.

Mayra and Fredy continue to be amazing.  Fredy has basically prepared his sister to be baptized in two weeks.  We have a baptismal date set with Estefania for the 7th of June.  He is also going with us to visit a sick brother tonight and he is going to make food for him as well.  I am excited to see him bless the sacrament on Sunday.

Apart from the work, Elder Struthers and I had a ton of fun this week.  We went out and played soccer in the street with the kids and it was a blast.  I am sure we looked like idiots but it was fun to play with the kids.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Elder Lightheart

Week 61 Mother's Day Phone Call May 12, 2014

It was amazing to talk to Elder Lightheart by skype on Mother's Day.  He looked and sounded great!  He has always been such a happy person and it was fun to see that again.

Week 60 Letter May 5, 2014

Hello Everyone!

Happy 5 de Mayo! Hope you are all having a good one! It has been a fun one down here so far!

Sorry for not writing last week! I kind of got a little busy, I was helping out the President quite a bit. I had to go to Villahermosa twice and both times and short notice. It was a great week despite being a little rushed all week.

I was not able to tell you last week but we had three baptisms!!! Two Saturdays ago on the 26th of April we baptized Mayra, Fredy and Anabela. We actually had two seperate baptismal services. We baptized Mayra and Fredy first. Elder Struthers and I had the opportunity to do the ordanance for them. It was a great service. We had lot of members there and they were all really excited to accept them into the ward. Probably the best part was when Mayra bore her testimony at the end of the baptism. She is so happy to be a member of the church. The change in this couple really amazed me and I am glad that I was able to be a part of their conversion. 

Anabela´s baptism was also great. Her boyfriend Edgar came to do the baptism to do the ordanance and brought most of his family. It was great to have the chapel full for both of the a baptisms but with all different people. Anabela´s sister, Nadxiely also came to the baptism. It was a great experince for the two of them. Anabela for her baptism and for Nadxiely as she was able to feel the spirit. We are now teaching her and she will hopefully be baptised soon.

Well this Sunday was a little crazy because we had change in bishop. Hermano Fred just became our bishop. It made church rather busy but we are very excited to work with him as our Bishop. We know that we will have a lot of success with him as our bishop.

Thanks for all your prayers!

Elder Lightheart

Week 59 Letter April 28, 2014

Just a quick letter right now. Things got a little crazy with the transfers. They decided to do them on Monday instead I am staying in Mirador with Elder Struthers. However, one Elder got stuck so I have to go with him to the offices. I doubt I will have time today to write you all. I am goin to try and get on tomorrow if I have a chance.

Love you all! Talk to you soon!

Elder Lightheart

Week 58 Letter April 21, 2014

Hello Family and Friends!

Another week come and here in Coatzacoalcos. It was another extremely fun and very succesful week.

We did have an extremely fun activity this week. This week was actually the Holy Week here in Mexico as celebrated by the catholic church. So everbody was on Vacation. The church took the opportunity to do FSY this week. FSY invited President Morales to come and so he asked for our help. So we went and gave a class at FSY this week. It was a ton of fun! There were over 1000 young men and women there from all over the mission. We got to see a bunch a people from our past areas and talk with them for a while. It was a little exhausting but a great experience.

This week we had a couple of new investigators in the Church. One was named Jesus and the other Montserrat. It was their first time at church and I could tell that they really liked it. After the services, I asked him what he had learned about during church and he said that he really liked the class that we gifts of the spirit. We talked a little more about them and then I promised him that he could have those gifts, all that he has to do is to be baptized. He acepted a baptismal date for the 17th of May. Montserrat also said that she would be baptized on the 17th. 

Anabella, Mayra and Fredy will all be baptized this Saturday!! We already have the invitacions and program done and a ton of the members are going to go! I will send pictures this upcoming week!

Thanks for all of your support!

Elder Lightheart

Week 57 Letter April 14, 2014

Hello Everybody! Family, Friends, whoevers reading this letter. 

Everthing is going great here in Coatzacoalcos. It was a great week. It cooled down a little which was really nice. We actually went to Villahermosa for two days as well. It was a little hotter in Villahermosa but that was okay because we were inside most of the time because of meetings. It was good to get back to Coatzacoalcos though. 

We went to Villahermosa for a conference with our Mission Presindent. It as a great experience. I really enjoy being able to learn from the Lord´s servants. He talked alot about how the Mission is the changing point in our lives and that the things we do here are what take us to salvation. We also read in First Thessalonians 2 the Chapter heading where it says that the glory of the missionaries is the converts. So the people we convert here in the mission are the glory that we will have in the heavens. It is a cool thought and it has been great to look back at the people that I have helped throughout my mision.

Mayra and Freddy are doing great. We are preparing them for there baptismal service on the 26th of April. This week we went by and went over the baptismal interview questions with them. In that lesson they bore many testimonies of the church. They have a very good understanding that it is the Church of Jesus Christ. They have done a lot of things that have suprised us such as plan a Family Home Evening with a ward member this week! It has been very exciting to see their progress so far. 

This week we also set a baptismal date with Anabela. We are preparing her to be baptised on the 26th as well. We had a great lesson with her this week. We taught her about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we taught her how the Holy Ghost talks with us, the Spirit came very strong. The sister that was with us bore her testimony and we then invited her to be baptized. It was a very uplifting experience. Then on Sunday when she came to Church she had a notebook and was taking notes during the classes. I have really enjoyed seeing the change in her until now.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers. I would like you all to know that this Church is true, that this is the Lord´s work, and it has the power to change anyone who enters into it. 

Elder Lightheart

Week 56 Letter April 7, 2014

Hello Family and friends!

This week was a great week as well. The heat continues to get more intense. It has been hovering around 95ish. The good thing though is that we are right next to the ocean. So every evening at around 4 or 5 it cools down pretty nice. It also means that the people give us more to drink and they have given us a lot of water of tamarindo. It is one of my favorites so the heat hasnt been so bad.

We had a lot of learning opportunities this week. On Friday we had a conference with our Mission President. It was a great conference, we focused a lot on prayer and the doctrine of it. We talked about how we pray to our Heveanly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and we recieve our answer through the Holy Ghost. It is a simple doctrine but many do not understand it or how to use it. We have to understand who we are talking to, how it gets there and how we get the response. If we understand this we will be able to recieve the answers and blessings we are searching for.

General Conference was also a great learning opportunity. It was great to listen to the prophets and apostles voice again and see all of the people there to learn. My favorite experience was with Pedro. I talked with him a while before the conference and then he kept telling me how excited he was to listen to the prophet. Mayra and Freddy also came to the conference. They told us how they were really praying and preparing for baptism. We were not able to work as much this week but  it was great to be able to learn together from our general authorities.

This week we will be going to Villahermosa for another conference with our president. It will be great to be with our mission president again. 

Until next week!

Elder Lightheart