Week 12!

On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 3:46 PM, Chase Noel <chase.noel@myldsmail.net> wrote:

OK really quick before I forget, I am going to answer your questions mom haha.  So from what I understand we will be getting a conference issue of the ensign, but I am not really all that sure. I hope so because I really want to start studying those talks that I never got to hear haha. So we can listen to music, like motab and what not, but the player that we have in our house didn't play the types of cds that you sent, so I gave them to my last comp. when he left, so if you could send some cds and maybe a little cd player with small speakers that for sure play music that would be nice. So we walk almost every where except for when we have to go to another city, we take a taxi. This coming change all of the areas that have bikes aren't going to have them any more, I think this is a change that is happening in all the missions in mexico. I am pretty set with stuff here, all I really want is just some good old German candies, like ferrero rocher ;) Most of my clothes are holding up pretty well (just small holes in my pockets that I have been able to mend), and my shoes are doing really nice, I try to shine them 3 times a week so they still look really nice, and the bottoms are doing just fine as well. The weather is getting a little bit warmer during the day, but at night it is still pretty cold. haha we have recently found a small little hearte with a fan, so we have that going during our studies and planning at night so our room is really warm haha.

Well as you mentioned in your letter mom, this is the last week of this transfer, and boy has it gone by soooo fast! I cant believe that I will probably be leaving this area in one weeks time, and I really don´t want to leave. I have been blessed with success here, but more importantly, friends who I love here. As I was sitting with one of our new investigators during priesthood yesterday, I told him that I will probably be leaving this area next week, and he almost cried, along with this frito here haha. I have grown to love the people here sooo much, I honestly cant imagine leaving them knowing that I may just never see them again, but I guess we are going to find out this next week what will happen, so I am not going to focus on it any more.

¿Bueno, pues donde debo empezar? This last week has been a really good week! We had intercambios this week for 2 full days to try to interview all the people that we are going to baptize, so I got to spend quite a bit of time with our district leader Elder Ferrera, which was a really neat experience. This Elder has 22 months, so just one more change and this Elder is going home, and boy does he know his stuff. It was really fun to go contacting with him and to learn how he teaches and what not, I was definitely able to learn a lot of new ways to present us and to just start teaching about the restoration without asking if we can haha we have been able to teach a lot more that way and have gotten even more new investigators.

So the main highlight of this week (since all 5 of our baptisms got postponed till this coming Sunday  was we had a member of the 70, Elder Alonso, come speak to us about the new focus that we are going to have in our mission since he is in the area presidency for mexico, and wow......talk about powerful. This zone conference was really something special and different than anything I have ever seen or experienced, ever. His main focus was tying in the plan of salvation in with Lehi´s dream, and it really is incredible how true this church is haha. The main part he focused on was the tree (árbol) and the fruit (fruta), which the tree represents the love of God, or Christ, and what is the fruit of Christ? The atonement. He said that if we really want to help our investigators come unto Christ, we first need to partake of the fruit, or be using the atonement in our own lives, tasting of the fruit that is most desirable above all others. If we wish to have converts stay in the church, we need to help them understand the importance of the Atonement, and how, when applied correctly and often in our lives, we will be the happiest that we possibly can, because we will be partaking of the love of God. After this he opened up for questions, but no one dared say anything to ruin the spirit, so he continued on and talked quite a bit about his calling as a seventy and what it meant. Like it is cool that they don't have any priesthood keys, but, under the direction of the apostles they have the authority to hold the whatever keys they need to do what they need to do. Also, he defined what it meant that they are a special witness of Christ. It means, he is a special witness of Christ haha, so who knows exactly what that means ;)

Well, here is a quote in Preach my Gospel that really hit me yesterday, ´´Regarding one´s testimony, that which one willingly shares he keeps, while that which he selfishly keeps he looses´´ President Monson. I have really learned this principle here for sure. When ever I learn something in the morning, like a scripture or what not, and I use it throughout the day and share it with either my comp. or investigators, I remember it much easier and I find that I can remember the scripture when I need to use it in a different day, but, if I don't use it and I just say to my self, wow, that's a cool scripture, I forget it when I need it the most. The same, just like what President Monson says, is with testimony. If we aren't sharing our testimony with someone EVERYDAY, we are going to loose it, and one way that we can share our testimony is in the way we act. I have seen it happen to several people where they fall away because they don't share their testimony, they don't act like they have one, so they loose it. But just like what Brookie said in her letter, when we have a testimony and know something is true, like the gospel, we want to act differently, we want to share with people what we know. I have been so blessed with the opportunity to share my testimony everyday, every hour, every minute, that I am here in Mexico, and I am learning how to strengthen this testimony daily as I help others do the same.

¡Bueno, pues yo creo que este es todo! Muchísimas por todo que ustedes hacen para mi, estoy muy agradecido por ustedes. Les amo muchísimo, y estoy bien animado para escuchar a ustedes en un mes sobre teléfono! Recuerden, les amo y ustedes son en mis oraciones!

Con amor,

Elder Noel

¿Yo se que vive mi Señor!