Our Sad Week

We were in the bus station for two days

 waiting for the zone leader’s new comp.

Well this week was good for only two things: the weather all week has been in the low 70´s y raining – perfect!  Not hot like where you are. haha Y the second reason,  yesterday we had a lot of less active families visit church again after we visited them a lot. Yesterday in church we had one investigator, Gina, y no more so we were a bit sad.  Then we saw a lot of less active members visit who didn’t visit in a long long time. But after we visited them they decided it was time to go to church, now so that made us happy. We are not doing good with the investigators, but we are the happy that the less actives are visiting again y to be once again part of the fold of Christ. 

Well, this week was a very, very, very sad week. Well last Sunday in the middle of church David’s dad came y picked him up early from church then a day after we called y he said his dad won’t let us visit him or go to the church any more. He is 14 and  was such a great investador. Then we visited Ady yesterday for church but her grandma told us she is not going to church any more y don’t visit her because we are a family that goes to one church y we don’t want Ady going to a different one.  She is 15. We were sad about her too.  The week before she visited church y an activity y let us teach her. So that was our sad week.

We don’t have investigators but this week with the help of members we are going to find more y bring them in the fold of Christ. So please pray for our area, Balun Canan 1, y for us to find new investigators. Thanks for everything, I love you all. Love Elder VanBuskirk

Adios!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi mom. How are you? Hey, can you send the banana bread recipe again? We are going to make it as a ward in two weeks. Can you buy a new Meet the Mormons for me?  I will pay with my own money. Thanks. Love you.

How are you doing?  I’m fine. I had a really hard week. How is grandpa? So grandma gave you 100 dollars for me? Nice.

‪Did you find a lot of my things cleaning out the garage?

A smart phone will be great!  It will be my coming home present.  Wow!  I love you.

Am I happy?  Why wouldn’t I have a great time? This is the mission. I love it y the members!

I’ve got to go.  I love you.   Say hi to all and give them my love.  Thanks for everything Mom. You are the best.

This is Andres. He is leaving to the Brazil MTC in a week,

 then on to Africa for his mission.

‪ 1000 bags of carbon‬ (coal).  A member sells it.   

That is his job. When we visited he was all black.

The grasshopper was on our front porch.

God Answered Our Prayers

Hi!  So this week we did a “meet the Mormons” activity. There were more investigators than members y everybody loved it. There was also nachos y soda for all.  It was a great activity.

We visited David y he is really having a hard time with his dad because his dad wants him to be baptised in two years. So I had a great idea to do a fast yesterday for him. He even joined in y the Andres family. David knows it is true.  He feels good all the time when he reads the Book of Mormon y visits church. So please pray for him.

 Well, we try to teach Socuro but she has no time, y the same for Antonio, so we teach a 5 minute lesson. They are great investigators but don’t have time. 

Well, on Wednesday we contacted one girl named Ady y we taught her one time outside her home because her grandpa doesn’t like us.  Then we invited her for church y she said yes. Then before church we went to pick her up y she was ready, then at church after each hour we ask if she wants to stay y she said yes. She even prayed in one class, so that was great. We were praying all week for a good contact to come to church y God answered our prayers.

So today we went to some waterfalls about 40 min away with the Andres family y Hna Paopla. It was hot but humid but a lot of trees y the water was so so so blue y beautiful.  You are allowed to swim, but we can’t. Oh well. But it was a great time.

 I’m here for another six weeks. It will be great. Love you all. Adios!!!!!!

Sorry I was late. I was at a waterfall. It was so beautiful.

No transfer for me today. I’m here until the next time. My comp too. I’m so so happy!

Sounds nice at the beach. Here it is raining like y a lot of cold wind. Say hi to all!

Hey, I really need a new camera. Every time I turn it on or take a photo it buzzes y the screen is blurry y a lot of time when I look at a picture it is not there y it says “read error.”

Wow Dylan is so so funny in that video!  What about Derek? Derek will be a lot worse. I think. We’ve just got to wait to see. How are you y dad? Tell him I love him too.

I would really like some like some little cards with all the blessings on then, but I would like some in Spanish.

My Spanish is good a lot of people understand y they said in 3 months it will be good.

Thanks. I got to go but have a great week.  Say hi to all y that I love them. Thanks for everything!  Now go surfing Mom.

Speaking in Tongues

So I got the crazy happy news that my younger brother Nathan is going to Ukraine for his mission.  Dnepropetrovsk  y he is going to speak Russian. So I was right. I said he will go somewhere far, far away y a place no one heard of. I’m so happy for my little brother y he will do great.  I love him so, so much. It will be a very, very, very long time until I can see him again. Good luck, Nate. You will do great.  I know y God knows it.

Well this week was so great. On Tuesday I went on splits with a zone leader named Elder Reyes. We had such a good day. We taught an investigator in his area named Miguel y we were talking about families.  All of sudden I was speaking so, so good Spanish y I talk so much about families. I didn’t know that until the Elder said, “Wow. What great tongues of language you were speaking,” so that was cool. So we taught David about the plan of happiness y the day of rest.

Well on Friday I gave a blessing to a less active that was sick y afterwards my comp says “What is your secret? You always do beautiful blessings.” He says I always feel the spirit, so that was cool.

Well on Saturday we went with the ward to the templo. We had to wake up at 4 y be at the church at 5, y then it was a 3 hour ride. But we did a session.  I had a very hard French name, then I did 4 sealings to family members that I had so they let me do them y then we did initiatories. But wow!  The templo was so great y the spirit was great. So that was my week. Love you all y keep it up. Adios!!!!!!!

Transfers are next Monday y everyone says I’m leaving.  I hope not.

When I saw the video I cried y felt the spirit in his call. Wow that is far!  I’m so happy for him Wow, that Russian Book of Mormon looks hard.  So Nate has a long time before he goes y I won’t see him for many years. Wow.  But he will do great!  I will pray for him!

 Thanks mom. Bye Mom.  Love you.  Give everybody my love.  Wow Nate!  Say bye to Nate y that I love him y Wow!

A member visited Guatemala y bought a bookmark for us. 

They made us Italian pizza with cheese, ham and green olives. 

It was so good!

Happy Father's Day!!

Well, happy fathers day to all the dads out there y more to my wonderful loving father!  Thanks for everything. I miss you y love you a ton. Thanks for being my dad.

Well yesterday the bishop’s family invited us over for lunch or their lunch because here the lunch is like our dinner y our lunch is like their dinner here. So we had steak y chocolate milk y soda y toreso. It was so so good y it was just perfect for Father’s Day.

Well we had 4 in church yesterday. Gina still waiting on her answer y David who has a date for 11 July y his 9 year old sister Karen y a new member cousin who is 9 also came to church. We taught David this week on The Book of Mormon y we watched the Jose Smith movie. In our last lesson with us he told us he read the intro y the testimonies y part of Nephi 1:1.  He told us he felt good y calm peace.  He said every time he visits church he feels the same y he said that this church is true y perfect. Y he said his mom y dad read some of the Plan of Salvation booklet y David already visited the church 5 times y his sister Karen twice. We taught Hna. Socuro a few times about the Book of Mormon but doesn’t have a lot of time to visit the church. But always when we visit we feel the spirit very strong y she does too. We visited Jorge. He was out of town yesterday but we are re-teaching him all the lessons.  He feels good all the time when he reads y when we visit he always tells us thanks.

Then on Tuesday we went to San Cristobal about 2 hours away.  We had a meeting with the president y our zone y 2 other zones. it was such a good meeting. Then I got my package from my family. Thanks family. Love you a ton. Y some dear elders.

For the last 3 weeks we having been completing our goals president set out for us y we had a lot of miracles y other things good. I’ve also got a “Meet the Mormons” coming up. So on July 3 at 6.30 we are doing a ward activity y they can’t come in if they don’t bring a friend also y we are making invitations. So that will be so cool. Love you all y thanks for everything y once again happy Father’s Day to all the fathers y mine most of all!!!!!!!!!!

ADIOS!!!!!!!

Love you Mom y happy late birthday.  I wish I had been there, but you know. I miss you y love you

Wow.  What’s up with Nate’s call? You can open it! haha. I can’t wait to hear where Nate is going.  Give everybody my love y my support. Adios!‬

Hey tell Grandma VanBuskirk thanks for the gift card but they don’t accept it here in Mexico. Tell her thanks for me y I love her so. I will keep it for the whole mission until I finish.

How did you guys lose my snake?  But it is good you found it!

I don’t really need anything y we as a family don’t have a lot of money so I don’t really need anything. Thanks.  Just your love.

‪Actually, I would love to have my priesthood line of authority.  There is a church website presthoodlineathouritylds.lds.org or something like that. I guess I can always have the beef jerky because there is none in Mexico y American, because here it is a lot of money.  

Thanks for the awesome ties. Love you. Thanks mom.  You know I’ll use them wisely.

Tell the boys to have fun at EFY y be safe. Say hi to all for me. Tell them not to be stupid with my snake y I love them.

Hola and adios.  Love you a ton!

Hna. Gina has a fruit stand close to our house so we visit y she let us pick a fruit. 
 I picked this banana because it was the biggest one I’ve ever seen y eaten.

Italian empanadas a membro made it for us. 

Those are mushrooms on the noodles. It was great.

Like a Ghost Town

What a week! We had a goal as a zone to do 35 lessons with a member present with an investigator. We did so good everyday until Friday. I don’t know why, but here in our area no people are home or in the streets until Monday again. So every Friday to Sunday we don’t do a lot of work. We do so good before Friday, then so bad. But oh well. This is the mission. It is like a ghost town here. So we did 26 lessons, not 35 but we tried our best with the goal.  

The Monday before we even made a Plan of Salvation poster to teach people in the streets y are investigators. We had Andres y the mission leader y other members with us to help us with the goal. We went with a new member named Rubi to visit Hna. Socuro an investigator y when we first got there they clicked, and they are best friends now! It was such a cool lesson y the spirit was so strong.

We had 3 investigators in church yesterday: Alba who has marriage problems y David who has a date for baptizmo 11 july y Hna. Gina.   Her divorcio answer will come 20 days from now it is very very close. Y we have another baptism date for Jorge, our investigator, who didn’t pass the interview.  So we are re-teaching him y all the time we visit he fells good y he wants to change. We have a date for 4 July.

The people are understanding my Spanish more. In two days I will be here for 9 months! It is crazy but that is it. Thanks for everything. Love Elder VanBuskirk ADIOS!!!!!!

Hi Mom love you. The package was only 52 to 56 dollars. Not bad.  If you want to listen to the CD it was a gift from a old investigator named Linda y she made this CD. It is not good but I thought it was funny. Try all you can with cleaning the bugs of the SD card because they have pictures of the MTC and of Coita on them.

Franky just emaild me!

You are always a great missionary.  That is what the work of a missionary is all about – praying to know what to do, then putting it in the Lord’s hands and patiently waiting.  That is true.  That is what I do everyday.  I think you understand how I feel.

I’ve got to go. I hope Nate gets his call. It has been a long time!  I just wrote to sister Johnson.  I love you a ton y thanks for everything!

Thanks!  Love you. Adios

Beautiful, colorful Comitan:

A Lot of Hard Work Does Pay Off!!

Well, what a week! First, it was one year ago last Friday when I got my call to Tuxtla. Wow.

Well this week we thought we were going to the temple, but we had to work very hard to do so because we are four hours away. So we worked so hard to earn it y on Friday they said the whole ward is not going because Tuxtla is shut down from teachers protesting because they wanted to do it before the voting yesterday. But we had to send our numbers to the president Friday night to see if we can go, so all week we worked y worked y worked y guess what? We did it!  We met our goals y we still didn’t go to the temple. It was fun y a lot of work. So we did 24 lessons with an investigator y 95 invites to baptism y 215 contacts y 4 investigators came in church yesterday y 12  new investigators! Johnni got confirmed a member y he received the gift of the Holy Ghost y in the blessing the person said he will be a great faithful missionary. But wow what a great week a lot of work does pay off!

So we visited a new investigator named Socuro y we taught about the Plan of Happiness because her friend died y one hour before the testigos (Jehova Witnesses) came y taught her there is no life after this one y we are nothing. So we asked after the lesson how do you feel?  She sad good, peace, y she said “I know this is the plan of God”  The spirit was so strong y it was a wonderful lesson. We got a new investigator named Luis.  He drinks but we are helping him out with it. Y we visited David again y gave him a date for baptism July 11.  He already visit ed church 2 times.  He is a great kid. We are always teaching Alba but she doesn’t want to get married.

Happy Birthday Elder Merrill!

More cake!

 Well yesterday was my companion’s birthday so I bought him a cake. Then a member bought him a cake, so we have a lot of cake now y today is his 17 month in the mission. But that was my week love you all thanks for everything.

Love Elder VanBuskirk

ADIOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got the garments y grandma’s gift card. Tell her thanks for me y thanks to you too.

I’m great.  My feet are fine. I love my companion.  He is great!

Nate will get his call on Thursday. My comp says Nate will go to North Carolina or Mexico. I’m not guessing because I’d rather just find out, but it would be very awesome if he comes down to Mexico or Idaho.

‪I understand how you feel, Mom. I will pray for you y Franky y his family. You did everything you could for him y that is all God wanted from you, so good job.

Thanks for everything! Wish Dad y the twins happy birthday y I love them‬! Say hi to Luke, Caleb y Nathan y tell them I love them all so much. Talk to you guys next week.  Have a good week.

Thanks. Love you.  Please send the info for Franky’s great tio who lives here in Comitan y send Franky email.  Thanks. Bye. Love you! xoxoxoxo

Adios!

This says that me y Elder Mena did a lot of work so we made it in the newsletter!

Storm clouds over Comitan

A Week of Miracles!!

Well yesterday I baptized Johnni. It went great. It took me 2 y a half times because the first time they couldn’t hear me from the big glass, so I didn’t it again y it went good. I put him down in the very cold water then when I brought him up he was so scared y terrified. Then he hugged me y waved good bye to all. But the baptism went so good. The primary sang some songs y Johnni brother John said the first prayer y then Johnni said the last one. The spirit was so strong. I love Johnni so much. He is such a smart funny kid.

 Well also we visited Hermana Gina y told us that her divorce will be done in 20 days, then she can get married with Lember, so after 8 to 10 it will be all done y she will be baptize in a month or so. We are so so happy she can finally be baptized. So this Sunday we are doing a group fast with her y her family about the divorce, so I invite anybody who wants to join.

The Andres family invited their cousin David to church the last week y so we set a appointment y we visited him y guess what? He invited his friend Roberto. They are both excited to listen y join.

 So my new companion is Elder Merrill.  He lives in Provo, Utah y he is the youngest out of three. He has a sister y an older brother. He has been out 17 months on his mission next Monday y his birthday is next Sunday. He’ll finish his mission in December. He is helping me so so much on my Spanish he corrects me y he does a lot of practicing with me.  My Spanish has gotten a lot better in one week. I’m so happy he is my first gringo companion. He is so great y I love him.

Elder Lyons new mission is the Salt Lake City South Mission Spanish-speaking.   ‬

So that was our great week of miracles. Love you all y miss you a ton. Thanks for Everything!!!!!! ADIOSS!!!!!

So do you have names for the pray roll for me? We are going to the temple on Saturday. We are leaving here at 5 am y coming back at 5 pm. I’ve got to go sorry. But I love you y say bye to Franky y tell Nate y Franky good job on graduating. Tell everyone I love them y miss them a ton.

i love you more. Keep it up Dad! You are always great.

  The meat with vegetables is meat from the stomach of a cow. It is a tradition here.