Transforming Ajusco

October 26, 2015

 

Man this week has been a week, let me tell ya--like a whole week, nothing more,... and nothing less.  I feel weeked out.  Good thing it’s Monday and it’s a new week!

What happened this week?  Hmm ... I’d say a lot, but really man my mission brain is making every week and day seem the same and just like it’s missionary work and then before you know it you’re writing home again and you’re all like well ... it’s been another week.  Yup, a week it has been.

Ahh, week 11 with my son Elder Miller!  If you didn’t know, training takes 12 weeks ... sooo ... ya week 11 is a big week.  He is in charge of all planning for the week and also pretty much he’s like senior comp.  It’s pretty nice, really.  I’m just gonna sit me back and see how he does.  I’m sure he´ll do fine. He’s a smart kid.  But man another training almost done.  It’s funny to see I’ve been out almost a year and only had one 6 week change where I wasn’t training or being trained. Wow.

I bought me some sick new kicks this week--just in time for the rain!  They are Flexi brand and are super sick.  Paying 650 pesos was one of the hardest things to do in my entire life, but then after I did the math and found really I only spent 43 bucks and got a sick pair of shoes and I’m rocking them.

Thank goodness this hurricane thing didn’t hit us all at.  We got some rain and some cool fog, but that’s it.  All is safe and sound.

My comp had to go to immigration again this week, so I spent all of Thursday chillin’ in the offices chattin’ with the office elders.  Man them office elders have a boring life.  After about 2 hours I was going insane.  This time there was no puzzle for me to do and Prez was at conferences, so really man, bored I was.

Our investigator Antonio is pluggin’ along!  He’s got 5 weeks in the chapel which makes him dunkin’ ready, but we still have a lot to teach and he won’t commit to a date.  It’s hard and frustrating, but hey I’m just glad I have someone to teach.

After spending almost 3 changes in this mountainous town I’ve felt a little down with seeing how little I’ve done--not one baptism, few lessons every week ... the whole shabang.  But really, this week I’ve been able to see with new eyes and from a different view and wow, how blessed I have been!  When I got here the missionaries had no relationship with the branch.  There was just a lot of fighting with the leaders and really just bad feelings all around.  Now we are finally involving the members in the work, people actually kind of respect us, we have ward councils, and we have a ward mission leader.  Things are actually happening.  Maybe I wasn’t good for the baptisms up here in Ajusco, but I’m so grateful to have played a small role in helping transform the branch. That right there is worth 4.5 months of my life, for all service is good in the eyes of God.

Elder Jarrett’s B-day was this week.  My comp and I went all out with a Mexican piñada.  Still haven’t broken it, but yeah ... it’s pretty sweet.  We know how to party here in Mexico.

All is well.  I’m safe and happy and hittin’ the pavement ... well dirt ... hard with them new shoes I gots myself.

Elder McClure

Lovin’ it

Here Comes the Sun!

October 19, 2015

Food with Hermana Perla.  She's the bomb!

My wall is getting bigger!

Buenas tardes mis amigers, (Good afternoon my friends)

Well this week was pretty..... normal!  My comp and I both were talking as we walked into the internet cafe saying that we have no clue what to write home about.  Seriously the highlight of my week was/is a clogged toilet!  Like man, that's not much!  But thank goodness for the branch prez who is coming to help with the toilet problems! 

Oh, did I mention last week that we caught another rat?  I can’t remember which week was what. But ya, so we’ve had two rats in total but yeah it’s been real fun.  Rats make good pets.

Our investigator was at church again and so that makes 4 times!!!!   We’ve taught him the first 3 lessons and are now teaching him the commandments.  The only hard part is that we can only see him one time a week.  I don’t know if he’ll be baptized before I leave this area but even if not ... it’s all good.  As long as he makes that covenant with God and Preserverar hasta el fin ... (maintain until the end).  I‘m happy!   I bet Prez will even let me travel from my new area and attend the service!

We FINALLY got a mission leader this Sunday!  It’s about time!  He’s a convert of 2 years named Hermano Ubaldo.  He’s chill and really excited for the work, so I’m excited to work with him.  We also had a branch council thing for the first time so that was awesome and we got branch leaders to say they will help us in a few situations we have.

We had interviews with prez this week and boy do I love those! President is so clearly inspired that it’s just fun to sit down and let him teach you.  I love that man.  Also Sister Mecham told me lots of stories about her daughter who lives in Fort Collins and how she’s a crazy boxer and how her sons too are awesome fighters.  With the stories I’ve heard I don’t think I want to fight her.

Still shoppin’ for them new shoes.   Shoes aren’t the easiest to find here, but hey it’s all good. Someday I’ll find me a pair.  It’s been raining and super, super cold this week and I’ve been very miserable.  All the cold hasn’t helped my sickness, but even with all that I think I’m on the mend!

Our washing machine also broke so I’m not sure what we are going to do ... might be hand washing from now on..

All is well. todo bien. op!... Here comes the sun!

A patch of sunshine over yonder.  It looked soooooo warm!

 

Hola Mis Amigers

 October 12, 2015

He lives on a volcano.

Totally murdered a rat this week.  Woooooooo!

Well Howdy Ho, 

This week was awesome, like usual.  I totally rocked a lot of things--like killing rats and throwing up, but don’t worry they were two separate occasions.

So pretty much I feel like the Zone Leaders are like my other set of companions.  We were together all during General Conference; and then this week we had a zone conference.  Right after the zone conference Elder Baca, my zone leader, went back up the mountain with me to do interchanges and we hung out and now they might be back up here today for our district meeting ... really maybe it’s not all that much, but man I feel I’ve been around them like all week!  This week will be a nice breather I hope with just the 4 of us Ajuscoans and no one else! 

We found we had a rat problem so we took matters into our missionary hands and borrowed a rat trap from the other elders.  I had my comp set it cuz man that thing was scary and then that night ... we got ourselves a nice fat rat!  Woooo!  I will of course send pics your way! haha  So great. I’ve never had to deal with rats before in my life so really it was quite the experience and we had a blast.  I probably took tooo many pics of it dead.  But yes, we are champs.

Also this week was my 10 month mark.  Wow, it’s gone by fast!  Year mark will be here before I know it!  So anyway I’ve had a goal to not throw up once on the mission.  It was a great goal and I was really doing great till I hit my 10 month mark exactly.  Then I let it fly.  I don’t know what I ate that triggered it but my was it an experience!  I had almost forgotten what throwing up was like ... now it’s fresh in my mind. 

Our good friend and investigator Antonio went to church again (YAY) and so that makes it 3 times!!!  Only 2 more to go and he’s baptism worthy!  Can’t wait to see what happens!  We still have a lot to teach him and only can visit him like once a week so it’ll take more than 2 weeks, but he’s progressing so we are really happy!  Work is still slow but poco a poco we can see the changes that are taking place!

Hmmm, what else?  This Wednesday I have an interview with Pres!  Can’t wait!  I always walk out of them energized and edified! 

All is well in Ajusco!  I’m still a little sick...but nothing that can stop a missionary like me!

All hands on deck! 

Elder McClure over and out

Juanita the mother-in-law of our investigator. I love her. She’s one of the best members in this town!  Yum, it's called Sopes.

Life is SO GOOD!!

October 5, 2015

Cool General Conference!

We did us some cookin'.

Yum!

Hey Y’all,

General Conference was AWESOOOMMMEEEEEEE!  And my week was pretty much right up there in awesomeness, too!  We actually have an investigator--like a real one!  I still don’t know his name, but he’s for sure real and he went [to the Church to watch] General Conference even!  Sooo, yeah, I’m soooo jacked.  Having investigators is always good.

Hmm, this week was filled with anticipation for the conference!  We also had our Ajusco party this week so we got to see lots of drunk dudes in the street and also lots of masked creepy people.  I love small town Mexican parties! 

We got us a new elder named Elder Mayoral from Aguas Calientes, Mexico. He’s a cool chap and doesn’t know a lick of English.  He came straight from the CCM so he was literally at his house 3 weeks ago.  That’s so hard to even believe!  Man, oh man, I’ve been gone a LOOOONG time!  So, fun stuff really!  Elder Jarrett and I are both training and it’s just so crazy because last time I was in this situation, it was Elder Marsh, my district leader and me both training and Elder Jarrett was Elder Marsh’s son--so crazy fun stuff.   I love it all!

We had a leadership training this week and I was so, so, so, so, so, so excited for it!   I love those things.  Prez just tells us a ton of stories and we learn a ton and get all pumped to go back to our area and work!  So really it was a great meeting, but the sad part is that we left on time, but there was a huge accident on the highway just out of the mountains and so we got there really, really late.  I walked in all shameful and that was hard.   It also kept me from getting the full message of the training and feeling the Spirit as strong as I would have liked to.  It’s hard being so far away from the mission office.  It took us almost 3 hours by bus. 

Life is good!   It’s fun getting over the hill in my son’s training!  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Five more weeks and who knows, maybe I’ll be sent to the dirty ol’ city!

Life is GOOD.   Life is SO GOOD!

Elder McClure

Bought me a new hat.

Haircut time.