Week 30 - Traveling Out to Zempoala

Hola Everyone,

Another week has come and gone. Changes took place today, but Elder Bodegas and I are remaining together which we are pretty happy about because we like it here. We get along great and one of my favorite companions.  But pretty much the rest of our District was taken out and transferred except for us. A lot of new missionaries came into the mission today. About 19 of them. It will be exciting to see who’s going to be coming here.

For an update on our investigators, Franciso is doing really good. He really likes the Church and he said he’s had an amazing experience with trying to quit smoking. We’re hoping that next week he’ll be Baptized. So, we are still working with him. We are also still working with Teresa and Jorge and helping them stay active in the Church. They are doing good also. We are hoping to go to the Temple with the three of them this Saturday. We are still having a really hard time with Sylvia and her transportation to Church. With her being elderly, she doesn’t want to go by taxi or combi because she doesn’t have lots of money and its expensive. We can’t keep asking members to take her because we understand they have things to do too and we can’t always go pick her up by taxi because it is so expensive. We know if we did keep going and getting her every week, when we both got transferred out of here, she would stop coming because she can’t get here so we are trying to figure something.  This week also, we were given a few references that we are going to follow up with this week. 

I know I have told you that my area is really big, Its actually ginormous! There’re parts we haven’t even been to yet. And there’s one part that is about 30 minutes away by combi called Zempoala. We just barely had the chance to go there because one of the Sisters in the Ward offered to feed us and that is where she lives so we went all the way out there for a day.  It was pretty cool! I have included a few pictures of the sights. We saw an old Church and a sculpture of a bird madeout of real guns. 
  
Well, not a very long letter this week but I am really loving it here.  People have asked what I mostly eat and honestly it is mostly beans and chicken!  Nothing too weird or strange but it is all pretty good!  I Love serving the Lord and the people of Mexico and I can’t believe how fast time is staring to go!  I hope you all have a good week.

Love 

Elder Fawcett

Traveling to Zempoala

Bird Made Out of Real Guns

Old Church in Zempoala

Member' s Son at Lunch

Lunch

Week 29 - Christ Like Attributes

Hola Everyone,

Well, it's been an interesting week. My week started off with a call from President Kimball to tell me that my Grandma Fawcett passed away. He gave me permission to call my Grandpa the next day to see how he was doing. It was good to talk with him for just a few minutes. I am sad my grandma passed away, but I’m also happy for her. I’m happy that she doesn’t have to suffer anymore and deal with anymore physical limitations like she did.  

Another big event this past week was the big news that missionaries can now call home.  I understand why they are allowing this because there's probably a lot more missionaries going home than normal. And if they can speak with their families once a week, it can help them and comfort them. I personally don’t know if I’ll call my family every week. I mean, I've survived my whole mission so far without calling, so I’ll probably just call if needed. It’s just a matter of personal need and opinion. 

So, the cycle is winding down. I guess this is what happens when you get further onto the mission. Everything kind of starts to blend. This past week was the fifth week of the cycle and my Companion and I are not sure if we will get changed or not. I’m really hoping we don’t. Elder Bodegas has always been one of my favorite people in the mission. We work hard and get along great! But if either of us gets transferred, it’s ok. We will continue to work hard wherever we go.

As far as an update with our investigators, we put down a baptismal date of March 9th for a guy named Francisco who's not from our Ward. He comes to our Ward because he doesn't like his home Ward. He's not very far away, but he likes our Ward better because he says the people are nicer and he feels more welcomed.  People shake his hand and he comes to church faithfully.  It will be the first week of the cycle so I’m hoping I’ll still be here to see him baptized.

 We didn’t have many opportunities to teach people this week because for some reason it's just getting really, really hard and nobody's falling through with their appointments. We'd call them or we’d go to their house and knock. They don't answer. Then we’d stop by again come by again or they’d tell us a good day to come and then we'd go that day and then it falls through again. So, we're still struggling with progressing investigators. From what I understand, that’s why this area has been closed is because we look at the progress records in our area binder and it seems like every Elder and Sister that used to be here almost a year ago, had the same problem. There are just mostly people that say, yeah, I'm interested, but you're lucky if you get an appointment with them. So, we're really kind of pushing hard on that.

Also, this past week I got to go back to my past area in the Montes Ward because Elder McBreaitry and his new companion have continued teaching the family that I first contacted and we started teaching.  I was able to see them get baptized and that was great! They were so excited and happy! It was weird going back to my previous area. It honestly made me appreciate the area I am in now a lot more. It was a good area. But it was smaller than this area and the state of Mexico is so much different than the state of Hidalgo, which is Pachuca, which is most of our mission. It's more relaxed here. There's not as much traffic and stuff like that. And it's cheaper here. Colombes and taxis and stuff like that are a lot cheaper because we used so many taxis. It's funny because everything's expensive. We've used our bikes probably about two weeks of this whole cycle because my Companions tire is flat. He needs a new tire, but for some reason we can't get into see the Armano (the brother who's in charge of doing the bikes). So, we haven't been using them. 

It’s starting to get hot here and it’s only February. Last night we had to turn on our big fan because we were sweating so much. I wasn’t sure it would, because when I first looked at my mission, it said it was pretty cold. And it really doesn't get that cold. There are days when it’s kind of chilly and I put on my jacket, but never freezing cold. I miss the cold and I miss the Snow, that's for sure!

I hope your all doing well. I love serving the people of Mexico and I love being a missionary!

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Fawcett

As a part of this week letter, I would like to talk about Christ like attributes and the people I think are the best example on them which are my Grandma and Grandpa.  In 3 Nephi 27:27 it says, “What manner ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”  Here Christ clearly states we should be like him. We can do this by developing these attributes:

1. Faith in Jesus Christ:  My whole life, I have seen Grandpa as a strong faithful member of the gospel.  With raising children in the gospel, he taught them the importance of the gospel and as a result, all of his children are active members of the church.  I have also had the chance to watch my Grandpa take care of Grandma.  Which in her conditions for several years was pretty difficult.  However, without fail my Grandpa took her to Church nearly every week to renew her covenant and his as well.  Grandpa followed the teachings of Christ in this action of faith which I know was not always easy.
2. Hope:  My Grandpa is an amazing example of this.  For years, my Grandpa has taken care of my sick Grandma and never in my life have I heard him complain about doing so.  I can only imagine the pain my Grandpa has felt with seeing his wife’s health be on a downhill slope for so many years.  However, my Grandpa has never given up on her even through the medical bills, the pain he has gone through or anything else in helping Grandma.  My Grandpa has always shown his hope and faith in the Lord. I know with the death of Grandma; my Grandpa has faith and hope the she is in a better place with her family (Ether 12:32)
3. Charity and Love: (Moroni 7:45-48). I could write so many examples of the charity and love of my Grandpa.  He took care of Grandma for a lot of years.  Most people would put someone like my Grandma in a nursing home and with the little care and attention she would have gotten there, she would have died much earlier.  But my Grandpa has spent the past several years taking amazing care of her.  He has spent the better part of his retired live and money taking care of his wife, never complaining.  Even though he has had lots of bills, he has never stopped helping me pay for my mission.  He has always put the needs of others before his own and has been a great example of showing what true love is as he has taken care of Grandma. (Alma 7:24).
4. Knowledge: (D&C 88:118), My Grandpa is very smart and has always been there to help me when it has come to school work or understanding things in the temple. He has always been a guide to me.  His understanding of our family genealogy has always amazed me and I know that a lot of people on the other side owe him thanks for doing their work. 
5. Patience: This is probably my favorite thing about my Grandpa.  He is the most patient person I know.  He never gets angry or upset and is always very understanding which makes him a great teacher.  It has been amazing for me to watch him take care of Grandma and show his patience has he took her for walks, fed her and cared for her every need.  My Grandpa has been patient with his trials just like we are taught to do.  If I could be as good with having patience as my Grandpa, then I would be a much better missionary. 
6. Humility: (Alma 26:12), Grandpa is also the humblest man I know.  When we are humble, we are able to trust in the Lord.  Especially during our trials throughout life.  Grandpa has taught me a lot of things in life through his humility and example.
7. Diligence: (D&C 58:38) Grandpa is always diligent in the Lord’s work.  All of the genealogy work and family history work he has done have bless a ton of lives on the other side of the veil.  Watching him always put the Lord first has been a great example to me and has helped me learn how to serve diligently as a missionary.
8. Obedience: I know my Grandpa is a man of obedience.  If I ever do something stupid on my mission, my Grandpa out of love is quick to remind me of the rules and the way I should be acting.

As you can see, my Grandpa is the most Christ like person I know.  With the passing of my Grandma, I know that it has not been easy for my family but thanks to my Grandpa, she was able to be with us a lot longer than should would have been.  I really love my Grandma and I learned a lot from her but those memories are personal things that I do not want to share.  But I just want to say what a true hero/example Grandpa has been to me for all the years taking care of Grandma.

Goodbye Grandma!

Baptism of Gabriela, Melanie, Angel, and Valerie

Elders Fawcett and Bodegas with the DL

Week 28 - Bike Crash!!

Hola Everyone,

The highlight of this past week were the baptisms of Teresa and Jorge. I baptized Teresa and Elder Bodegas baptized Jorge. Then I confirmed Jorge and Elder Bodegas confirmed Teresa. I get a little stage fright speaking English let alone Spanish in front of a lot of people, but everything went well and it was so rewarding to see them get baptized and confirmed. At the baptism we didn’t have a lot of members, but we had all the missionaries from our District with some of their investigators.

We did a lot of contacting this week. We have a few investigators we are working with, but no one real promising yet, except for Sylvia. She wants to come to church, but she is old and lives alone. Her daughter doesn’t speak to her and she doesn’t have a lot of money. So, we have asked one of the members if they could bring her to church and they did and were fine with it. But then they kind of back tracked and said they didn’t want to make a habit of it. We told them that we understood. We have asked the Ward for support, but they just kind of got mad at us. We aren’t sure why, but that’s where we are right now. Opening a new Area is super, super hard.

Another thing that happened this week is that I had a bike accident. Basically, I fell off my bike. I don’t know how, but I hit my head and broke my helmet. But don’t worry! I’m okay. I don’t have a concussion or anything like that. I’m just grateful that I was wearing a helmet.

My Spanish is still coming along. I’m starting to get a little faster since I am coming up on my seventh month mark. I just keep studying and doing the best I can.

It’s almost the end of the Cycle again, so we will have transfers next week. It will be fun to see what changes will be made. There’s a lot of missionaries coming in this Cycle, almost as many that came in with me. There are about 20 that are coming in and when I came there were about 25. So that’s pretty cool. We’ll see if Elder Bodegas or myself gets transferred, but I really don’t think we will. Usually they keep us here for two Cycles, so one of us will probably go next cycle. 

The whole mission was told a couple weeks ago that Elder Quentin R. Cook from the Twelve Apostles would be coming this week. But we haven’t heard any more about it except that he might not have time to come. So, we are not sure if her his coming or not, but we hope so!

We are working hard and doing the best we can. Thanks for all your support and letters. I love the people of Mexico and I love being a missionary!

Love, 

Elder Fawcett

Elder Bodegas, Jorge, Teresa and Elder Fawcett	Ward Member with Jorge and Teresa
Jorge Sporting his New CTR Ring	Elders Bodegas and Fawcett with the District Leader
Thank Heavens for Helmets!	Yep, It Is Broken!
Teaching Kids English in the Streets	Contacting!!!

Week 27 - Losing Weight!

Hola Everyone:

This week has gone by pretty fast and everything has actually been going pretty well!  So last Monday we went bowling as I told you, but I left out the fact that we also went to Carl’s Jr. for lunch which was pretty good for a change! I am kind of on the outskirts of Pachuca which is a pretty big city with a lot of nice modern places, but its one of the only things we have in my area since we are not really in the city.  

So, for an update to our investigator situation, Teresa and Jorge are doing really well and we have taught them a lot.  We took them to a Stake Cantata (musical program) and Teresa cried a lot and told us she really enjoys our Church and overall it was really good.  They have now come to Church 3 times so they meet the requirements for baptism which we have set up for this Saturday at 11:00 in the morning.  I am really stoked about that.  After their baptism in the morning, some members are going down to the Temple and have asked them to go with them for a visit there. So that is really cool to baptize them in the morning and then have a member take them to the temple in the afternoon! 

As for other investigators, as I have mentioned in the past, we are teaching a ton of people, but we can’t officially count them as investigators until they come to Church and for a lot of reasons, that seems to be really hard for people to do!  We are also starting to work a lot with part member families in the Ward and Elder Bodegas and I are really hoping that we get to stay together for another cycle because this Area really seems to be taking off and has a lot of potential!

So, to answer people’s questions, yea I wash my clothes in a bucket every week and actually it really is not that big of a deal.  I hang my clothes out to dry and they seem to be getting a little hard and crusty so I think I need to start using some fabric softener. But yeah, that is basically the way we wash clothes down here.  The cement sinks have washboards molded into them so we use that to scrub our clothes with.

On Tuesday, we had interviews with the President and he is really happy with our progress here, but I took the opportunity to tell him how bad our bikes are!  The back tire of mine is not all the way round and my Companion has other problems with his tires.  The shocks on both bikes are really pretty bad which you wouldn’t think would matter, but the roads down here in Mexico are not exactly smooth. So, after riding on them with no shocks for an entire day, you get pretty sore.  Anyways, President told us where to take them to get them fixed up rather than getting new ones, so we are happy about that.

Although you might not be able to tell in the pictures, I am losing weight down here!  Mexican food is really pretty good, but I don’t think that it has as many calories in it that I used to eat. So I am losing weight.  The closest store to our apartment is a 30-minute walk away, so we really have to plan our food for the week. Although the members feed us lunch every day.  It has really been good to have some of the food I have gotten in packages from home on some nights to make up for the food we don’t have in our apartment!  So, I guess Mom and Dad, don’t stop sending me food!

Well, everything is going great down here in Mexico. I am back to being healthy and this area is looking great!  I love teaching the people of Mexico!

Love, 

Elder Fawcett

Taxi Back Seat on the Way to Stake Cantata Elder Fawcett, Member, Teresa and Jorge

Scenery Along the Way .

Zone Missionaries with President and Sister Kimball

Elders Fawcett and Bodegas

Drying My Laundry!!