A Sweet Week ... Strawberries and Brain Worms

100 Balls for the Easter Egg Hunt

Let the Hunt begin!

HAPPY LATE EASTER Y’ALL!

WOO, it’s been a sweet week!

First things first, turns out that strawberries grown here in Mexico are really bad for you and if you eat them you get worms growing in your brains … or something like that … so I’ve already stopped my short tradition of malts in the morning L  How sad.  I really love them strawberries.

Woo, so this whole last week was called Holy Week and it got pretty lonely here!  Everyone was on vacation and went to the beach or other places and we were left alone walking in the streets with just about nothing to do.  BUT IT WAS AWESOME!  We still worked real good and taught lots of lessons with the few people that were still here. My Highlight of the week was the GIANT EASTER EGG HUNT WE DID FOR THE GARCIA CHILDREN!  Yeah, they are my bros.  These children are our neighbors and are our off road tricycling buddies and I just love them so much that I decided to blow a LOT of money so that they could experience the true joys of an Easter egg hunt.  The problem is, plastic Easter eggs don’t exist here so I had to buy 100 balls and then cut them open and stuff them with candy!  It was epic!  Then on Saturday we went like 3 houses over to the chapel and hid the eggs all over the church grounds.  A half hour later we had 8 or 9 little kids ready to do some looking and finding!   Anywho, it was sooo fun and everyone was so happy and on such a sugar high ... no complaints … no complaints.

I had a goal to finish the Book of Mormon for the 2nd time in Spanish on Easter Sunday and I did just that.  It was even more special because this time around I marked every time it named one of the members of the Godhead.  In doing so I was able to grow closer to God.  I really realized how much the scriptures talk about God and how much He loves and blesses his children.  It was wonderful.  I figured it was good to finish on Easter Sunday in remembrance of the joy and hope I have, thanks to my Savior Jesus Christ.  It was an incredible experience and has boosted my on-going testimony of the Book of Mormon.

The other miracle on that beautiful Easter Sunday was our lesson with Emma. I love Emma. She has such faith and a while back she told us she would be baptized once God had confirmed it with her.  She says that God always responds to her in 3s.  So we waited patiently and kept teaching her and yesterday, Easter Sunday, she shared with us that she received her 3rd confirmation.  WOOOO!  So we set a baptismal date for the 16 of April!  I’m so excited!  And also Papa Palafox is filling out the forms for his baptism.  We set it a week back because of General Conference and so his date is the 9th of April! Miracles are a happening!

General Conference is almost here!  I can NOT wait!    WOOOOOOOOO!   Blessings all around!  I’m so jacked.   Can’t wait to hear the prophet’s voice and hear people talk in ENGLISH!

Love you all,

Thanks for the prayers.   I can feel them.

Elder McClure

Melon Bash

Horse Meat Taco.  Yummm!

Angel fixing my pants!

Man I Love Mexican Fruit!

Making Apple Pie

Fruit, Baby!

Hey guys!

It’s cold today and I loveeee it!

This week was pretty awesome, might I say.  Let me explain.  We got Papa Palafox to say YES! OK let me reword that.  Papa Palafox with his own free will and choice said to us that he is ready to be baptized.  Haleluya!  We set the date for the 4th of April, but we will see cuz that’s a Monday.  It might end up being the 3^rd, but either way, HALELUYA!

Earlier today I was saddened to realize I didn’t take one picture throughout the week.  We were just so busy teaching like madmen that I never even thought to take out my camera and take a picture! But that’s OK because we worked like madmen and also, I took pictures today to make up for it. Pictures of me with my fruit.  It’s FINALLY mango and strawberry season!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Every morning I drink a strawberry banana smoothie and at night I eat me my mangos.  Man I love Mexican fruit.  So don’t worry, I do have the pics for this week now.  Me and my fruit.

Since it was the first week of the transfer, all the district leaders had a leadership training by president and it was wow good.  President is worried about how some missionaries use their time.  So he’s crackin’ down on us and teaching us how every second counts.  I don’t think I’ve been a time waster on the mission, but it’s still a good reminder and now I’m even more determined to use every moment I have to serve the Lord. 

This coming week is a little scary.  It’s "Semana Santa" for all them Catholics here and it’s pretty dangerous.  We have extra rules just to be safe and really I’m in a really nice area, so I’m not too worried, but it’s always exciting.  I’m just glad it’s my last Semana Santa here in Mexico.

It’s really hard to think of what’s been happening, I just woke up from a 2 hour nap and my brain still isn’t in full function, but I’m healthy and happy and doing good.  No complaints, life is good, what more could I want?!

Enjoying some ribs!

A Killer Week!

Saying good-bye to my zone leader.

Brick of nuts and carmel.

Hot dogs!

Waz up my friend!

Wow, it’s so fun watching these weeks fly by!  When things are great time flies, and when it’s hard it just flies by!  It just keeps flying!  AHHH!

We had a killer week to end the cambio!  I worked my bum-bum off and it RAINED and I got SOAKED!  And right now isn’t the rainy season so everyone is thinking the world is going to end!  Just so y’all know I don’t have transfers and I’m staying in my beautiful area called Hidalgo!  We are finding more and more youth to teach and I’m loving it!  They just understand things!  We had 4 investigators at church on Sunday, one of them being Emma who is the bomb! We taught her the Word of Wisdom this week and she was so bomb about it.  She likes her coffee but understood what she has to do and why.  She said she’s done with the whole coffee thing--just like that--no resistance, just pure faith and a good attitude and the readiness to do it.   I love prepared investigators!

What makes me saddest is that we lost 2 amazing sisters today with transfers!  Hermanas Padilla and Mendoza are awesome and incredible missionaries.  I’m gonna miss them like crazyyyy but I’m excited to see who the new ones are and ready to welcome them into the district!  We´ll see what happens.  Our district meetings have always been Monday night but Pres. just changed it so now they are Tuesdays at 9am.   It’s a big change for me and it’s gonna take some getting used to I think. 

We had another area attack in the area of my zone leaders and it was really fun.  I went out with my bff, zone leader Elder Valdez and we contacted like crazy.  We found a new family for him to teach and then returned to the chapel to eat hot dogs.  I ate 4, but it was the only food I ate that entire day so I don’t feel AS bad.  Hahaha. 

Really I’m just loving the teaching right now because of the people we get to visit.  It’s finally starting to really, really heat up here and I got really sunburned this week even though there was lots of rain too.  Let’s just hope things keep getting better and better!

My District.

My Zone.

We're teaching this kid.  He's a nut!!!

Off-Trail Tricycling!

The young adults - my neighors and friends.

Hey Friends!

All be well here in Hidalgo!  We worked our bums off all week long and taught a bunch of lessons and found 4 new people to teach!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOO   That’s what I’m talking about!

We have a few people who are progressing, like Hermana Emma--just like my niece Emma who I love so dearly!  I think just for the name she’s going to have to get baptized!  hahahahah.  No, she’s a wonderful lady and loves to read the Book of Mormon.  Each lesson is just so good and intense that we find ourselves running late to the next lesson.  But it’s worth it.  I love good investigators.  They make me happy!  And you know what else I love?  When after an intense lesson and they understand everything and they’ve been crying the whole time and then afterwards they tell you that you’re an angel.  Man I love it. 

Yesterday I did some insane off-trail tricycling with the neighborhood gangster kids and man we had a blast!  We sure enjoy the kids around here.  They always wanna play!

We had an area "attack" in another area and it was super intense and we taught this lady who’s been inactive for like years and years.  Throughout the lesson she cried the whole time and then we asked her to say the prayer at the end and she told us she hadn’t prayed in a LONG TIME.  Then she prayed and it was the most beautiful prayer I’ve ever heard.  It was incredible.  Wow, what fun it was to be in that lesson!

After that crazy awesome lesson we went with the member who was teaching with us to his house.  He’s a professional massage dude and wow I had the most intense massage of my life.  The good news is my back doesn’t hurt anymore!  Wow, I love massages. 

Anywho, lots of fun and good stuff going on around here.  I just keep pluggin’ along. 

All be well.

Love, Elder McClure

Makin' eggs with my PEPPER!
Riley couldn't get pepper in Mexico so our neighbor sent him a bunch!

Wow, It’s Been a Much Better Week!

Elder McClure and Sister Mecham . . . muffins after the meeting.

Javier providing the haircut.

We worked real hard all week long and got some sweet lessons in and my body feels fine, even my bum-bum, and man I love working.

The heat is finally kicking in and every day at about 2pm it’s the worst.  I’m so sweaty and I walk like Mom when she does her speed walking and man I cruise!

We taught a bunch of lessons with a member present and had some great results!  4 investigadors went to church and the members helped out and took them to the classes and it was just like heaven.  I love Sundays when everyone helps and people actually show up.  We actually had such a good attendance at church that they filled the overflow and were having to open the gym too.  I love it!

I got my hair cut again and I sure look good!  Javier really knows how to cut hair, but that is probably because he’s cut hair for almost 60 years!  PRO!  The members have really treated us well lately and man we are so grateful!

Yesterday night our whole zone got together to hang out with all the single young adults of the stake and talk about missionary work and how they can help.  We did a presentation on the spirit world and it was actually really fun.   Of course, afterward we ate Costco muffins, so really my Sunday was perfect!   And oh, I almost forgot, but at the activity Prez Mecham sang and we were all crying.  I love him.  He’s the best.

So much happened this week and, oh wait, yes I know what else--so we were in sacrament meeting and my comp told me to turn and look at a man sitting on the back row.  It was his DAD!  So yeah, my comp’s dad was totally there and then afterward gave him a bunch a money and winter coats for when he goes to Utah.  It was really weird. I wasn’t expecting it.  Mom and Dad, please don’t do that.

Anywho, lots of stuff going on and people are progressing and we are hopeful for a baptism in the next little bit!  AHHHH, I sure hope!

All be well.  I’m healthy at this moment.  Let’s hope it lasts!

Elder McClure

Samantha and Javier take good care of Elders McClure and Gomez!!

Fruit roll-up tongue tattoo.

I Hate Shots!!!

Add caption

Mission Meeting Outside

Hey Folks,

This week is gonna be a real shot post.  Oops did I just say shot?  I meant short.  But there’s a reason my fingers typed out shot.  I don’t like shots--never have and never will.  I know it’s not good to hate, but yes, I hate shots.  Let me explain:

Last Monday I wrote and I was super happy because I thought I was all better and I was happy and motivated and super enthusiastic and just like 3 weeks ago…I went to bed feeling horrible and had a high fever all Monday night.  It was beautiful.  So after much disagreement between me and ward members I finally gave in and let them take me to the doctor.  The doc was nice but gave me like 7 medications and 1 of those being a series of 5 shots in the bum-bum--one per day.  I hate the doctor. Long story short I wasn’t allowed to bathe for 3 days.  I got shots.  I took so many medications my liver doesn’t exist anymore, but I believe I’m now all better!  Really we only worked like one day last week,  haha.  It was terrible!  I was sooo bored, but the rest was really exactly what I needed!

The awesome part of my week though is that we totally had 3 investigators at church on Sunday! 

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-- so yeah by Sunday night I was smiling from ear to ear and said to myself, “Now that was a successful week!"

Really, all is well now.  I pray that after writing this I don’t get sick.  That would stink.  My rear and I are doing just fine and I’m ready to keep preachin’ the word!

Love,

Healthy Elder McClure

Silliness!!

Wazz Up World?!

Elder McClure with his zone leader,  Elder Valdez.

A sister in his district drew this pic of Riley's pet rabbit at home - Baby-Girl Muffins!

Giant Baby-Girl Bunny . . .

Howdy friends! 

Life was much better this week--thankfully.

I’ve still had a cold and allergies, but I can work without any problem and I’ve been going good.

We had a Zone Conference this week that lasted 6 hours!  SIX hours!  It was long, but it was good.

Now we are allowed to play sports like basketball, as long as we don’t keep score so I’m pretty JACKED right now.  After writing we are going to have a BBQ with the other elders and then go shoot hoops!  It’s our celebration for Valentine’s Day yesterday.  About V-day… I hate V-day.   In the mission, in Mexico, Valentine’s Day is the absolute worst.  On every corner there are couples just making out like crazy locos and no one is home and so we just walk around all day watching people make out and oh man—gross, gross, gross.  I’m very glad that’s over.  The one fun part about yesterday was that I was remembering what happened a year ago on the last V-day when I was with my trainer Elder Davis and we had pretty much the same experiences (haha, Mexico never changes). 

This week we found new people to teach and dropped some people that weren’t progressing and taught some pretty awesome lessons.  Last night we were teaching a family about charity and stuff like that and the little 13-year-old daughter was super mad for some reason and didn’t want to participate or anything.  But by the end of the lesson the parents were sharing their testimonies on how much they love their children and everyone was crying and it was just great.  I love when everyone cries in a lesson.  We have 2 ladies who are progressing really quickly.  They are both like hooked on the Book of Mormon and just want to keep learning more and more and they ask really, really good questions.  The only thing is they haven’t attended church.  We are praying really hard that they do because if they don’t attend, we will have to drop them.

The sisters in my district have also been sick and had problems with sprained ankles and eye problems and it’s been really rough.  But right now it’s looking like things are shaping up and we are all getting back to being focused, happy missionaries. 

The best part about this week was getting to hold a giant baby girl bunny that weighed a TON!   AND receiving a gift from one of the missionaries in my district.  She drew me a picture of my Baby Girl Muffins chillin’ in my hammock, and oh man it’s so awesome.   I’m gonna frame it.  Anywho, I love bunnies. 

Things are going good.  I’m really enjoying the work right now and the people we have to teach.  People are receptive and hungry to learn more--just how it should be!

All be well,

Love,

Elder McClure

Skull Kissing

Elders Quorum President Miguel.  He's my friend!

Zone Conference