Week 42 December 30, 2013

Hey everybody!

I’ll be a little shorter this week for time’s sake.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody! It has been a little harder for us with everyone and without really knowing anyone. It made it a lot more work for us to reach our goals. Not that it is a bad thing. Just not exactly what we are used to I guess. It has helped teach me more about the importance of work in missionary work. It really is the secret. We could have gotten really down on ourselves or made excuses but we just kept working and working and the Lord did the rest for is. 

I have really loved being able to teach about Christmas. There is really a special spirit in the air and it is always great to help people remember about Christ in this time. We showed the new bible nativity video by the church to a lot of people. I recommend that you all go and watch it before this Christmas season is up!

I gave a talk yesterday on the true spirit of Christmas and talked about gifts. In particular a gift we can give to god. I focused on sharing the gospel with someone. I invited the branch to give a gift to God this Christmas season. And I would like to invite all of you to do so as well. Show our heavenly Father your love to him by reaching out to one of his Children.

Hope you are all doing great and have a wonderful holiday season

Until next week

Elder Lightheart  

Week 41 Letter December 23, 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hope that all of you are having a great Christmas so far! And colder than mine is. Yesterday it was about 80 degrees outside so it does not feel like Christmas so far!

It has been a crazy week so far! As I told you last week we had a transfer last week and so I am now in Reforma Chiapas with Elder Navarro. He was in Minatitlan so we are new here in Reforma. Basically we were lost all week. A different experience but it went pretty well actually. We had quite a bit of success considering.

Reforma is a great ward. The members are great so far.  The first day one of them came to pick us up. And then they made us hamburgers! I was not really expecting that but it made me excited to work here! The members were such a great help this week. Showing us around the town, giving us directions, showing us the investigators, giving us references. I feel that we will have a lot of success here!

My companion is great as well! Elder Navarro is from Tijuana. He is pretty crazy but we have been having a lot of fun together. And we do not really stop talking. I am excited to serve with him! We have had the Spirit with us a lot so far which has been great we had one lesson this week in which the Spirit came very strong. Everybody felt it. The Spirit really has so much power to touch the hearts of men.

One thing that has been different is our house is super small. We moved things around today which helped but there is not a lot of room to move around. We are renting a room in a non-members house. They are great people and have helped us out a lot! I hope that they will be baptized some day.

We were able to set a baptismal date this week! Her name is Maria. She is very ready to be baptized. Her baptism will be January 10th and I can’t wait!

Don’t forget to have a great Christmas!

Elder Lightheart

Hermano Manuel and Elder Lightheart

Elder Navarro and Elder Lightheart

Video from flooding in MEXICO

Week 36 Letter November 18, 2013

Hello Everybody!

We had a pretty crazy time this week. It was way fun though

Well first of all we had another baptism this week!! I told you that we were going to have it already. Well it went very well. His uncle Antonio baptized him and Elder Galicia confirmed him. Nefi was super excited for the baptism. It´s great that he finally got baptized. I’m glad that I was able to be a part of his baptism.

Like I said this week was crazy. It pretty much rained all week long. Also it started to flood and it got pretty bad. Everybody is leaving their houses and the military came to help out. I think it was on the news here in Mexico. The good thing is that we aren´t near the flooding. We did spend three days this week helping people out with the flooding. It was good to be able to do a lot service this week but it was weird to not do as much proselyting. 

With the service we had a lot of opportunities to teach new people. We are starting to teach 4 new families this week and we are very excited for them. They are all very interested in the church and 2 of them already have family members in the church.

Well that’s all for this week!

I hope that everybody is doing well!

Hasta Luego

Elder Lightheart

Week 34 Letter November 4, 2013

Hello Everbody!!

We had a pretty fun week this week! It was pretty crazy. We were running all over the place. We had several different meetings during the week. We were not really in Las Choapas though it was  a good week.

First of all we had divisions this week. I was with an Elder named Elder King for the day. He is a great elder and we had a lot of fun during the day. We did all of the normal stuff but the best part was when we went to play some basketball. It was really fun to play basketball again though the both of us were sore the next day. I have missed playing basketball. It was fun to get back to it this week.

We also had our Stake Conference this week. It was a great conference focused on missionary work. In particular focused on the missionary broadcast we had this year. Our Mission President was also there and he gave a great talk on how members and missionaries need to work together. "Somos Uno." It is what we need to do to have success and to bring about the work of the Lord.

Also we are going to have another baptism this week! I am really excited for it. He is from a member family but still has not been baptized yet. So do not be surprised that we are baptizing Nefi (Nephi). It will be next Sunday and I will let you all know how it goes!

Until next week!

Elder Ligtheart

Week 32 Letter October 21, 2013

Hello everybody!! 

Hope you are all doing fantastic!! Everything is going great down here!! 

Well in case you didn't know, I'm going to have a birthday this week!! I'm not sure who’s most excited: my family, the people here, or me? Who knows. The people here are awesome!! One of them has already promised me a cake!! And her cakes are AMAZING. I am excited for that. Oscar wants me to by him food on Thursday... We will see about that.

Well in the next two weeks we should be having a couple of baptisms. We have one with a nine-year-old kid and later with a family of five! I am super excited for them and it should be a great couple of weeks with all them.

We also started teaching two new families this week! They are both awesome as well. One of them is just a couple. They are really excited to learn and so far it has been way fun teaching them. The other family is enormous!! There are like 20 people to teach in the house! It will be great teaching them as a family.

Well that's all for now!! Hope everything is great for all of you

Elder Lightheart

Week 30 Letter October 7, 2013

Hello everybody!!

Hope everything is going well! I had a great week this week. I am so grateful that I was able to listen to Conference. I am excited to be able to share my experiences with you of all that I have learned.

First of all, as I have a new companion straight from the MTC. His name is Elder Galicia. He is from the state of Chalco Mexico. It has been fun getting to know him this week. He is really excited to go out and work as a missionary and I am excited to get to train him. He also really likes cleaning. We spent all of this morning getting the house sparkling clean. I think even my mom would be satisfied!

I have received a lot of blessings from this responsibility I have to train him and also in being a senior companion. It has really helped me to get an even better focus on the work. Also, more importantly to draw closer unto the Lord. I am excited for this time I will have as a trainer to make a difference in his and my mission.

General Conference was really great. I had the opportunity to watch the first three sessions in English with the other elders in my district. They came over here to Las Choapas to watch it with us. Then I watched the Sunday sessions in Spanish. I learned more when I was watching it in English but I also really enjoyed it in Spanish. One of my favorite things was that Richard G. Scott translated his talk into Spanish for us. It was awesome to hear his voice but speaking Spanish.

I also really felt the importance of having modern day revelators in these times. Probably the talk that made me think about it the most was Jeffery R. Holland. It is amazing to receive direct revelation for all those who are handicapped. I could not help but think about my Aunt Tara when he talked about the joy we will have together when we are in the heavens.

Thanks for all the support you give me and the letters I have received.

Until next week!

Elder Lightheart

Week 29 Letter 9/30/2013

Hello Everybody!!

Hope you are all doing well!! I am doing great here in Mexico and I am really excited to be able to write you again.

Well first things first, we had transfers this week!! Elder Ygnacio is going to leave to Minatitlan. So I only had one transfer with him. But I do get to stay here in Las Choapas!! And I am going to train!! I won’t know who my companion is until later in the week so I’ll have to tell you next week. I am really excited for this opportunity and to welcome an elder into the mission.

Everything is great here in Las Choapas. Our investigators are doing really well and the branch is doing great as well!! I am really grateful that I get to spend at least another transfer here. It is a great area. It will be really fun to introduce my new companion to my first area.

Well I am going to be busy this week. I have to go to Villahermosa which is three hours away and I am not exactly sure when I will get back to Las Choapas. Hopefully soon! We have a lot of work to do here!

Well I don’t have too much time today so that’s all for now

Until Next Week!

Elder Lightheart

Week 28 Letter 9/23/13

Hello Everybody!!

Hope all of you are doing well!! I am having a great time here, burning in the sun and drowning in the rain but an amazing time!!

We worked really hard this week!! In fact we had the best week of our time together. But the baptisms all fell through. It was a little disheartening. However, the Lord reminded us that if we put in the work, he will carry out His work. This week on Sunday we were talking with some of the members and one of the families told us that we are going to have a baptism this week. One of the children of the ward is going to be baptized. His name is Miguel Angel. We are really excited for the baptism and the help the Lord gave us in our work.

Our other investigators are doing really well too. Blanca is really excited to learn and has been reading a lot of the Book of Mormon. She does have a problem in her family though so she has not been able to go to church. The doctor we are teaching is also excited to learn. He has some really different ideas about religion but he is beginning to learn really quickly. 

We have also been teaching a lot to the Castillo Sevedra family. We are really excited for their progress. Especially for one of the sons. He just turned 19 and is really excited about serving a mission. He had been in Mexico City and just came back. He is going to be the one who brings their family back to the church. I am really excited for him to serve a mission.

This week we did exchanges. Elder Ygnacio stayed here and I went to Cuichapa with Elder Estrada. I had a great time with him. He is a great Elder but is about to finish his mission. It was great to get to know him a little better for a day. I also really liked Cuichapa. The members are great and really work hard. I would like to serve there during my mission.

Well that’s all for know. Next week are the transfers and I’ll keep you all posted with what happens!!

Take care!

Elder Lightheart

9/22/13 Letter from the Mission President

Dear Family:

The most recent meteorological reports about the country show that hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel have caused floods and damaged several States. Nevertheless, no zone of the Mexico Villahermosa Mission, where your son is currently serving, has been harmed. All of the Tabasco state as well as the sectors of Campeche, Chiapas and Veracruz included in the Mission district are safe for missionary work.  

 It has been raining constantly throughout these days, but it is not a risk for the safety of the missionaries. We have been tracking the weather news and we have informed all the missionaries about the circumstances.

The Lord revealed to Prophet Joseph Smith “…if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” so we had followed His advice. The Mission has security standards that will be applied if necessary. Up to this moment, proselytism will proceed normally although missionaries have taken precautions.

 We all are serving our Savior and we trust He will protect us always because we are working for the salvation of souls. We thank you for your prayers and we invite you to keep praying for the missionaries. We will inform you if the instructions change.

 Sincerely,

Pres. Israel Morales Gutiérrez

MEXICO VILLAHERMOSA MISSION

Week 27 Letter 9/16/13

Hello Everybody!!

Hope you all are doing really well!! I do not have too much time this week so I will not be able to write too much but I will do what I can!!

We had a really great week actually!! We saw a lot of changes in people that we were not expecting. It helps me remember how much we need to depend on God and not on what we can do. He is preparing the people and we are here to find them and help them learn about the gospel. Without him, we cannot do anything.

One of the changes is in a new investigator from this week. He is a doctor from here in Las Choapas. My companion calls him doctor loco because he is a bit crazy but in a good way. He is really energetic and really excited to learn about the gospel. He told us what he feels is going to happen with three words. Read, Believe, and Make. Read what we give him to read, Believe what we teach him, and Make him a Saint. A Latter day Saint!! We are really excited for him.

Blanca has also been making a lot of progress. She does have an obstacle with her family. It is the only thing impeding her though. She really wants to know if it is true and is reading a lot!! She understands really well too. Because of her family she has not gone to church but we feel that when she does she will really feel the Spirit and know that it is true.

We also had a Noche Mexicana this week. This week was independence day for Mexico so we had an activity in the church. We had a lot of fun!! I really enjoyed being part of the holiday. The members brought a lot of non member friends. All in all it was a great activity.

We also had a lot of people at the church this week!! It was great to see the chapel full. The branch is really changing and I am excited for all of the people here.

Well that is all the time I have

Until next week!

Elder Lightheart

Week 26 Letter 9/9/13

Hola Familia!!

Another week gone by here in Mexico!! Everything is going great! I am learning a lot and feel the help of the Lord every day as we preach the gospel!

It was a pretty fun week the week. Mexican Independence Day is just around the corner and the people here are going crazy. Everyone is in Red, White, and Green and extremely excited for the holiday. The Center has been converted to a fair and there are all kinds of rides and stands right in the center of the street. It is super crowed there. Basically a party all day long. Makes me remember our Independence Day. Different but just as crazy.

Well all of our investigators are still doing well. The best part of this week was our lesson with Ismael. He told us that he now believes that the Church is true!! We put a baptismal date with him for the 28th as well and I am super excited for him.

Unfortunately, Eduardo got sick this week. We were not able to see him all week and he was not able to go to church. Sounds like everything is still going well though and we will be going to visit him tomorrow.

The Campos Sanchez family is all doing really well. They are continuing to prepare for their baptism the 28th as well. Blanca is having some doubts but the good thing is that she is reading the Book of Mormon. I feel that she will get an answer. Daniella had to go to Coatzacoalcos this week so she was not able to go to church either.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. I am having a great time here in Mexico and hope that you all enjoy sharing in my experience!

Cuidense!!

Elder Lightheart

Week 25 Letter 9/2/13

Weekly Letter

Hello Everybody!! I hope all is well and that you all had a great week!

We had an awesome week this week and found a lot of new investigators to teach. One of them is Eduardo and he is really great. He is learning super quickly about the gospel and really wants to know more. The great thing is that he works for a member so he can talk with her about any question that he has with her. He accepted a baptismal date for the 28th of September and I know that he will be ready by then. He went to church this week and had a really great time. I could tell that he learned a lot and wants to come back again. We did not have the chance to talk with him about it yesterday but we are going to go visit him tomorrow.

The Campos Sanchez family is also doing really well. They all are learning a lot and keep their commitments. The problem is the got sick this week so we haven’t been able to teach them for a while and they were not able to go to church this Sunday. We will be going to visit them Wednesday though so hopefully they are better by then!

We also had a lot of other great new investigators this week. One of them is Blanca. She also works for a member and is really excited to learn more! She says that she wants to serve a mission already! We have only taught her once but we are really excited for her. Another is Yaritsa. She is Catholic and very firm in her beliefs but the good thing is that she has accepted what we have taught and to read the Book of Mormon as well. If she reads and prays I feel that she will receive an answer.

Also I wanted share what I learned about fasting this month. I have always fasted but have never really learned the true power of it until now. It is an amazing opportunity we have to sacrifice food for one day out of the month. The Lord has given us the opportunity to use a fast so that we can better feel the spirit. It allows us to draw much closer unto him every month and helps us to receive the guidance we need in our lives. I always had thought of it more as a different was to pray but in reality it is a tool that our Father has given us so that have his presence in our lives and better exercise our faith.

Well that all for now!! Thanks for your prayers!!

Until next week!

Elder Lightheart

Week 24 Letter 8/26/13

Hello Everybody!!

Hope that everyone is doing well!! I am having a great time here in Mexico!! It is a great experience to be serving a mission especially with these wonderful people.

Well first of all Elder Ygnacio is great. His last name actually starts with Y not I. It’s a little strange and everyone asks him about it. He’s a little different than most people but I have been having a great time with him!! He teaches really well from the scriptures and I am already learning a lot from him. He works really hard and we are going to have a lot of success together.

We had a lot of success this week with our investigators. The Campos Sanchez family is doing really well. We have set a baptismal date with them for the 7th of September. They are a great family and we are going to work really hard with them.

Anai is also doing well. We had a really good lesson with her this week. She is really starting to feel the spirit and the truthfulness of the gospel. She has some doubts but I feel that she will receive an answer to her prayers.

We also have a great new investigator named Eduardo. He works for one of the members in the branch and is really excited to learn. We have only had one lesson with him but believe that he will learn really quickly

We have been teaching a the Hipolito family a lot recently I have a good time with them because there are a lot of kids and it is like being with my family. They are a great family and always want to give us food as well.

Well that’s all for now!!

Until next week!!

Elder Lightheart

Week 23 Letter 8/19/13

Hola Familia y Amigos!!

I am very grateful to have another opportunity to share my experiences with you. There is nothing like being a missionary and I hope that all of you can be edified by my experiences that are changing me. 

Well we were able to baptize Gloria this week!! I had the opportunity to baptize her. It was awesome to be able to baptize again. We had a great service. She was really grateful that she could listen to the lessons and come closer to the Lord through baptism. It is really great to see the changes in people and to watch as they learn and grow. We are really excited for her progress as a member of the church and for the support she has in her family.

Montserrat is also doing really well she is really excited to be a member and really devoted to continuing to learn. She told us this week that if and when she has challenges she will turn to the gospel to help her through them. We know that she will stay firm in the church with the progress she is having.

We are continuing to work with the Campos Sanchez family and Ismael. They are both doing really well. Their issue is church attendance. We will keep striving to help them learn more and come closer to baptism. I know that with the help of the Lord they can learn and come unto Christ.

Well transfers were today. And I am not going to be with Elder Montañes anymore. He is going to leave to Minatitlan. I am excited for him and will sure miss him. I am going to stay here in Las Choapas and Elder Ignacio will come here to serve with me. I am excited to meet him and will let you all know more about him next week!

Well Hasta Luego!!

Elder Lightheart

Week 22 Letter 8/12/13

Hello Everybody!!

Well I hope that everything is going great for everyone. I´m having such a great time here in Mexico and more importantly serving a mission. I have seen many people change already and am excited to see more people change their lives through the gospel. 

First of all, we had another baptism this week!! This Saturday we were able to baptize Montserrat. It was such a great experience. This week she wasn´t sure if she wanted to be baptized. Her whole family is Catholic and she saw a lot of problems coming. However, we helped her to remember why she needs to be baptized and the experiences she has already had with the gospel. At her baptism we could really see her spirit. She gave a great testimony and will be a great member. She is married to a member so that will be a great help and we hope that in a year we will be able to see them sealed in the temple.

Well we are also going to have another baptism this week. Gloria is coming back from Mexico City this week and has already told us that she is ready to be baptized. We are really excited for her. She is also living with a member family and will have a lot of support. 

We also received a lot of help from the members this week. They are really getting excited about the work. One member gave us five references, another has been helping us with rides and another has been going to a lot of lessons with us. It has been great to have their help and it is really helping them out as well. It is great to see the progress in the branch.

Also we had a bit of fun this week. For one of our dinners one of the members wanted to make flour tortillas with us. All of the tortillas here are corn. So we made a bunch of tortillas with them. I think one turned our looking like a tortilla. They were not the best and they didn’t look so good but we sure had a lot of fun with the family!

Well that’s all for now!!
Hasta Luego

Elder Lightheart

Week 20 Letter 7/29/13

Hola Familia y Amigos!

I hope everything is going well for all of you. I am having a great time in Mexico and am glad that I have the opportunity to share my experience with all of you.

Well first of all we had another baptism this week!! Her name is Keila Juarez. She is from a Less-Active family and it is great that she wants to be baptized. She has been going to church for a while and just recently her parents started coming back to church. It is great that the family is reactivating. They are going to be a strong family. Well Elder Montañes performed the baptism and I gave the confirmation. It was a little hard in Spanish and I have never given one in English. It went well though and I did not have too many problems so all is well.

One of our investigators, Montserrat, was able to go to the baptism. She really liked the service and this week accepted a baptismal invitation. We have not fixed a date yet but should be able to this week. 

We also had a really good lesson with one of the families we are teaching. Family Campos Sanchez a family of five. They are a really great family and have been going to church the past couple weeks. This Sunday we went to teach them and they invited two more people to the lesson. We taught the restoration and the spirit was really strong. We were able to set a date with all seven of them in that lesson. We are extremely excited for them!

A couple of our other investigators were out of town this week but both of them told us that they want to be baptized when they get back!!

There were a lot of members at the church this Sunday! We have seen a lot of change is this branch and are extremely excited for the progress we have seen. A lot of the Less-active members are returning to activity and are coming back to church. The Lord has really been helping us here in Las Choapas!

Hasta Luego!!
Elder Lightheart

Week 19 Letter 7/22/13

¡Hola familia y amigos!!

Everything is going great here in Las Choapas. My companion and I are having a really good time together and a lot of success here. There are so many good people here and I am really happy to be serving here.

Well first of all Sofia and Christian are doing really well!! We have been visiting with them and Sofia is continuing to learn more and progress. She is continuing to be active in the church and we are really excited for her!!

We also fixed another baptismal date!! Anai is going to be baptized in about two weeks. She is extremely excited to be baptized. She really wants to do what’s right and follow Christ. We have been visiting with her every day and we can really see the progress in her. She will be a great member!!

We have also been teaching a wife of a member a lot as well. Her name is Montserrat. She is really interested and excited to learn. We haven’t fixed a baptismal date with her yet but plan on doing so in the next lesson. She seems like she will learn really quickly and we are excited for her and her husband as well.

Ismael continues to be doing well. He is excited about the church and excited to learn more. He loves reading the Liahona and The Book of Mormon. He is unsure about going to church but we know that as he continues to read and pray that he will receive an answer.

We spent some more time with Leo Lara and his family this week. They are a great family and we excited to teach them more. This week they took us to one of the rivers here so that we see some more of Las Choapas. They also made some really good chicken for us as well!

Well that’s all for now.
Until next week!!

Elder Lightheart

Week 18 Letter 7/15/13

7/15/13

Hola!!

Espero que todas esten bien!! Estoy muy animado que tengo este oportunidad para servir y que puedo compartir todo de mis experiencias con ustedes!

Well we had a really good week this week and taught a lot of different people this week. First of all, Sofia and Christian are doing really well. It has been great to see that they are continuing to be active and coming unto Christ. This week we are going to make a goal with them for their sealing in the temple!!

We also found another Less-active member who seems very excited to go back to church. His name is Ruiz and he drives an ambulance. He has been working every Sunday for a while now but just got off last Sunday. We have a lesson with him this Saturday and he seems excited to come back to church.

One of our new investigators this week is another wife to a member. Her name is Monzarat and she is married to Limon. She has been to church the last couple of weeks and she really likes it. She seems excited to be taking the lessons and it is really helping her husband as well.

We are teaching a lot of spouses to members. Another one that we are working with is named Deisi. She is very ready to learn. It is great to teach her because she always asks a lot of questions. It´s good because we know that she understands most or all of what we are teaching.

We are also teaching a really awesome family. The Campos family. They are the cousins of Leo Lara. They are really great and seem to be super excited to go to church. They are extremely nice and really like having us over.

In fact, this week they gave us a BBQ!! It was good to have a little bit of American food for once. The one problem is that they gave us a ton of food. Plate after plate after plate. At least it was good though.

I also went to Villahermosa this week. It is a long trip. 4 hours each way. I had to go and sign some papers and give my fingerprints so that I can get my visa. Easy and long, but necessary.

Well everything is going great here in Mexico!!

Quidense!!

Elder Lightheart

Week 17 Letter 7/8/13

7/8/13

Hola!!!

Wow!! I have already finished a transfer here in Mexico! It went by super fast!! I still feel really new here. But it sure is great!! I am super excited to be serving the Lord and the people of Mexico!!

Well Elder Montañes and I are still together!! Yay!! And still in Las Choapas. The other two elders in our district left this transfer. Elder Montañes and I are extremely excited for this transfer. We know that a lot of good can happen here in 6 weeks. We hope that we can prepare this area for two more elders during this transfer!!

Well this week was a week of miracles. We worked really hard this week and had a lot of success!! A lot of people came to church on Sunday!! Including some people who we have worked with for a long, long time! The chapel was full for the first time and it was really great to see the progress in this area!!

First of all Ismael finally came to church!! He is definitely set in his ways but he is really close to God and we have seen that work a change in him. This week we were teaching him and he was really excited to learn more. About a week or so ago we gave him a Liahona to read. This week he asked us for another. He is reading the Book of Mormon and praying and is progressing quickly. We saw it this week really well when he gave a prayer. During the prayer he was giving thanks that the Lord sent us to teach him and the Spirit came and he couldn’t continue. He just ended with Amen. Then he said forgive me but my Father was speaking with me. AMAZING!! We are super excited for him and his family!

We also had a couple of less-active members who came who haven’t been for a long time. The most incredible was Hermana Severa. Elder Montañes has been teaching her since he arrived here in Las Choapas and she never came to Church. And finally this week she came!! It was great to see her there. Also all of the Castillo Severa family came. It was great to see them there. They are great people who don't have a whole lot. Extremely humble. They are going to be great!! They also want to teach me to make a hammock!!

Not much happened throughout the week. Just a lot of work. We are getting ready to move to another house though. Also one night was a bit crazy. We woke up at about one because of thunder. Oh gosh it was extremely loud!! It sounded like the sky was about ready to fall!! It is extremely loud here but I am getting used to it. Well all is awesome here in Las Choapas. Love you all!!

Elder Lightheart