May 29, 2017 Pouring rain

This week was so hard. SO so unbelievably hard. We had 23 appointments to find new investigators, and no one was home for the appointments except for one girl, but her dad came outside and told us we were going to hell along with Joseph Smith and all his stupid legends. Friday night it rained harder than Ive ever experienced in my life, and we were completely soaked cause we wanted to have new investigators, but they rejected us and left us out in the rain. By Saturday in the afternoon, we had taught 1 lesson all week and we were exhausted from the endless walking and contacting (in which we were also rejected endlessly), so we decided to fast. It was 6:30 when we started. By 8 we had 4 new investigators, and we were thrilled just to give a lesson! We were happy with 4, thinking that we couldnt do any more to find new investigators, so we decided to head home and contact on the way, hoping maybe someone would be interested. And it started to pour. We were the only ones on the streets, it was dark, cold, and wet. We were soaked, and decided to head home early and do language practices. On the way home, Elder Corral said "I just want someone to come up to us and say they want to learn more about the Gospel." And I kid you not, 15 seconds later, a young man named Bryan who we contacted the week before, came out of nowhere and said "Hey, do you guys remember me? I read the pamphlet you left me, and Im really interested and Id like to learn more." We were shocked. There, in the pouring rain, a prayer and a fast was answered in a way I didnt think was possible.

The Lord is preparing his people to receive the message of the truth, even in the pouring rain. 

Thats all for this week guys. I hope you can find strength from my experience, because it for sure strengthened me! 

Other things:

1. I ate chicken for lunch every day this past week

May 22, 2017 don't eat the molé in excess

This week I ate like 12 Enchiladas in mole sauce. I have never been on the toilet more in my life. Dont eat too much mole!

This week was another week of success, we have been smashing the standards of the mission with 6 baptismal dates put down just in this week, and 11 new investigators again! It feels so nice to be in an area where my work actually shows results! (And my area isnt even a booming area, XoChimilco baptized 17 people on Saturday!)

I met Luis this week, someone who changed my perspective forever! More than 6 years ago, missionaries came to his house and taught him and his mom how to pray. His mom threw the missionaries out and they never came back, but after 6 years, Luis still knows the steps of prayer EXACTLY, and prays every morning and every night, like the missionaries said. He also has been wanting to experience the peace that he felt when the missionaries were in his house this whole time, but never knew where to go to find the church, until we knocked on his girlfriends door yesterday. He is absolutely ready to be baptized, and I cant believe the impression that 2 Elders had on him over 6 years ago! MISSION WORK IS REAL! 

I had a Zone Conference with Elder Valenzuela from the Seventy this week. When he walked in to the room there was a rush of the spirit. Cool stuff. We learned a lot from him and I think I learned how to be a better missionary, which is always important! 

I also had Companion Exchanges with Elder Ogden from South Jordan this week. We both love the drink Arizona, we are both going to UVU after the mission, we both love EDM music, and our girlfriends names even start with the same letter (M). He is one of those people you meet and its like "Wow, I must have met you in the preexistence cause its insane how well we get along". It was such a good time with him! 

Thats it for this week, but I am feeling good and I think this is what happiness feels like? Or maybe Im so tired i am a little dilussional. Who knows? 

Other cool things:

1. A 3 year old gave the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting this week. My heart melted. 

2. I bought a popsicle for 5 cents. It was a big popsicle. 

3. I bought a knitted tie for 2 dollars, what a steal, literally, I think it was a stolen item. 

Spiritual thought:

"And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness" -2 Nephi 5:27. 

Do what is necessary to straighten up your life and live after the manner of happiness. Like Isaiah says, "after all this, the Lords hand is stretched out still". BE HAPPY! 

5-15-17 Squadron 201

Happy Mother's Day to meeee🤗

Welcome to the area Escuadron 201, where everyone wants to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Elder WIlson is happy!!!

Escuadron is amazing! I cant believe how much success weve been having! I thought for sure I would destroy the area, but we already put 4 baptismal dates and found 11 new investigators! That never happened in Nativitas!!! 

This week my prayers were answered, literally in the moment I said them! I said a prayer with my companion, Elder Corral to find another new investigator, and the exact second I said amen, Ana sat down next to us and began to say that she lost contact with the church and was dying to reconnect herself to the Gospel. She asked for a Book of Mormon, pamphlets and agreed to go to Church this week! 

We also prayed for a person to baptize, and the phone buzzed with a reference to Guadalupe, a lady who has been reading the Ensigns for more than 6 months now, and wants her and her 3 daughters to be baptized!!

We also arrived at the Church building for a missionary correlation with the Bishop and instead of having a meeting, we learned of a young man who wants to baptized his soon to be wife, Wendy, and she wants to too! 

There are so many blessings and miracles occuring in this area and I am so grateful for all of them! 

Rio Churubusco is in our area, its a huge highway. As a result, I am super happy cause there are always amazing motorcycles that fly by. Ive seen Hondas, Yamahas, Italikas, Kawasakis, Triumphs, Fiats, Suzukis, Pulsars, KTWs, and more! AND THEYRE ALL SO FAST! I love motorcycles. 

My house in Escuadron doesnt really have hot water, or running water, for that matter. We also have to wash clothes by hand so Im really learning a lot here about how to live humbly. I actually really like it, it makes me feel like Im finally in the mission field haha! 

I also got to talk to my family which was a nice little bonus this week. But I forgot to say Happy Mothers Day to my mom, so Ill do it here. Happy Mothers Day Mom! I love you so much!

For a nice mothers day scripture, look up Alma 56:47-48.

Other cool things:

1. I ate a hamburger and fries for 2 dollars

2. Stay tuned for next week cause I have nothing....

Spiritual thought:

"There hath no temptation seized upon you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. 

No one has sinned tomorrow. Trust in God, find your escape, and bear your afflictions with faith. God is faithful. 

5-8-2017

Hey everyone! This week was the baptism of Nami!!! She is probably my best friend in the mission and I got to baptize her! Im so grateful to have been able to teach and baptize such an amazing person!! The baptism was perfect, and the spirit was unbelievably strong!! What an awesome opportunity I have as a missionary to help others receive the ordinances of exaltation! 

I had Companion exchanges with Elder Emrich from Missouri. He doesnt speak any Spanish but can teach better than I can! Im thinking he will be a future apostle or something cause that guy is unreal when it comes to teaching with the Spirit!! 

Unfortunately, the President has decided to close Nativitas. That means Rosales and I are both leaving and there will not be any missionaries coming to replace us. It is hard for us to know that after all this time and work, our progress will be lost, but at least we helped Liz, and Kate and Nami with their first step on the path to eternal life! In less than 4 hours, I will arrive at the mission office and be assigned a new area and companion, and I hope that I like my new companion and area!! Nativitas was a great place to start my mission and I will for sure miss it. 

I dont have a spiritual thought because I have been so busy packing that I havent had time for anything! Stay tuned next week for a good one! 

other things:

1. An excerpt from a Christian church in Iztapalapa: "These dogs (black dogs) have a psycotically negative mentality and are extremely dangerous to the public in general. These dogs are nothing more than an insult to the rest of the dog breeds and should be eliminated. They are a plague, and plagues must be erradicated to keep the Christian society prosperous. We invite you to return to the path of truth, to leave your demonic acts behind and kill those beings of darkness and evil." 

They really dont like dogs that are black. 

2. A lady on the street saw me and said "The father of my child, Im so glad I finally found him" haha

3. a family in our ward bought a baby duck

Photos

1. me with the baby duck

2. me and nami

3. nami

Hey all, I had my transfers, and now I am in Escuadron! Colonia Escuadron 201, Delagation Iztapalapa. Im really excited to be here because this area is really really sketchy, and sketchy means success! Iztapalapa is really dangerous and there are over 8 million people in just the one delegation. Its crazy here and I love it! 

AND, Im training! My first transfer and I am already training! My new comp is Elder Corral from Chihuahua, and I am so excited to teach him the ways of the mission, but Im also really scared cause all of a sudden its a different game when you are senior companion, and training. Itll be a good time though! 

Photo

1- Corral and I 

5-1-2017

This week sure felt like a week for me. Im not even sure how that phrase makes sense but its what I kept saying to myself all week cause it was a crazy week! 

This week I had companion exchanges with Elder Beach, from SLC! We had a great time, a dog bit his hand, we got some fried bananas, taught some lessons, and helped a young lady say her first prayer (the spirit was so strong, holy cow!), and at night we sung various songs from the USA like "America the Beautiful" and the National Anthem. Ive never had so much Country Pride in my life. 

Speaking of the USA, this week was a record for me, I was cursed at and called Son of the Devil Trump 4 times this week, breaking my previous record of 3. We will see what happens in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more info. 

This week I gave some of my very first blessings in Spanish! I had no idea what I was saying, and Im pretty sure no one else knew either. I have to practice more Spanish. The point is what the heart says, right? 

Im also super satisfied with the progress we have seen in this area. We will have baptized every transfer after this Saturday because NAMI IS GOING TO BE BAPTIZED! She is probably my best friend in the mission. She even gave me a little toy gun and asked me to Baptize her. BFFs. 

This week we also totalled all of the asistences and our new average is 49 people every week, whereas the first transfer it was only 33, so we are seeing a progress there as well. I am so so content to say that I believe that my area is better than when I first found it, thanks to the Lord, and to the Family Castro Peña, who literally does more for us than all the other ward members combined! 

This week I have also felt like I was living on the edge, because a less active sister, an investigator, and some random guy who lives on our street were robbed at gunpoint this week, and the walmart across the street from us was assaulted on Friday night. So I havent actually seen anything but who cares, Id still like to say Im living on the egde haha! 

Spiritual thought:

James 4:8 "Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you"

Cool things:

1. Saw Optimus Prime

2. Saw a BMW I8

3. Saw 2 Ferraris

4. Carlos gave me 6 liters of milk