here in campeche, every week is a better week!

Our last zone picture.

Aaron got baptized this week!

Our last time teaching Martin in the store; he is going to go study. He  got baptized thanks to that drink that's in his hands!

We had an activity for future missionaries for the stake.

These two are my friends in the branch, they are both preparing to leave on their missions; Iris and Arely.

Me and Hermana Alen coming back from Merida today.

Hey fam!

So this week was a pretty good one, as usual.  Here in Campeche every week is a better week.

On Monday there was this crazy tropical storm, it was pretty nutz. We were buying food and it started and the lights went out and there was a river in the road, so naturally we left because we wanted to go home. We trudged through the water and rain to go wait for a bus. We got home just in time for the rain to stop...we were soaking wet as well as our food by the time we got home. It’s just the beginning of the rainy season here. 

Last week we started working with this husband of a member. He recently had a heart attack and almost died. He was really lucky actually. He is a taxi driver and his heart attack started while he was driving someone. He made it to the hospital in time and is now okay. It was pretty crazy. His wife is the president of the socidad de sucorro and his son is an ex-missionary. While he was in the hospital his son was giving him Ensigns to read and he liked them. We went to go visit him on Monday and he was a little hard-hearted to us. The time where he almost died he wanted to change, but since he didn’t die, he is a little bit slower in the changing process. He says that he has a bad past and that it’s hard for him to change everything. He smokes and drinks. We went and saw him two times this week. We read with him about the son of Alma and how he was super bad before and how he saw an angel and couldn’t move his body or anything for 3 days. And how he made this big change. He really liked it a lot. Then on Sunday he came to church with his wife and it was super great! The last time he had been in the building was I think 3 years ago. I was excited to see him there. We invited him to church, but I didn’t think he was actually going to come! Miracles happen every day! 

On Saturday little Aaron got baptized. He has 2 other siblings and he is the youngest. His dad was a member of the church, but died about 5 years ago. And his mom has another family and only sees them about once a year, but lives like 20 minutes or less from them. It’s really sad. So they live with their grandma who is really great! We were able to work with him a little and he got baptized. It was neat because a lot of his family members (aunts and uncles) who are less active came to his baptism and that was good for them to be in the church. 

This week was good and we still have LOTS of work to do here in Alameda and I’m excited to be here another transfer with Hermana Diaz. I get to hang out with them for their day of independence. I get to hear them all do the Mexican laugh... I’m pretty excited for that! Ha-ha! I really do love it here and all of the people. I love this missionary work and seeing all of the amazing blessings happening in other people’s lives. I learned this week that we really are exactly where we need to be in our lives, with who we need to be with. I love you all so much and hope you all keep seeing the blessings in your lives and sharing them with others!

Love you!

Hermana Velasquez! 

HIT THE 1 YEAR MARK and a PRODUCTIVE WEEK!

Abraham Smith and his father, who baptized him!

Abraham Smith, 8 years old!

We gave him this cute little ring "Choose the Right!"

Abraham and me!

WoooHoooo! I hit the one year mark!

I hit the one year mark and Hermana Diaz hit 7 months!

My new companion... just kidding! We got to go to the mall!

At the Mall.

Hermanas Velasquez and Diaz at the mall.

 This week was a pretty productive week! On Monday night there was a baptism of this little 8 year old boy named Abraham Smith. His dad is pretty great! He was a less active member for like 20 years then some Hermanas visited him and he started coming back a little. Then recently he started coming back more and more. He received the priesthood about a month ago and was all excited to baptize his son. We went to talk with him like two days later to talk. We asked him about the baptism of his son and he said he wanted to ask someone else to do it because he didn’t feel ready or right with himself to do it. He said that he would yell in the house and that he just didn’t feel digno (I don’t know the word for that in English - sorry I can’t remember). Anyway, long story short, we started working with him and his little boy and more than anything the members really helped him feel better and feel ready to baptize his little boy. It was the greatest thing to see! I was so excited that he was able to baptize Abraham! 

On Wednesday we had a big meeting with the stake about members and missionaries working together. It really worked well for us in our branch! We recently got a new ward mission leader and he is great; their family lives right next to us. He got really excited for his calling and the branch is really starting to help us lots and lots! It’s really fun to see them getting excited to do missionary work. The blessings of those who help in missionary work are very big. For example:

On Sunday night we had a really cool experience. Last week my companion contacted this guy on the bus. We went back to visit him this week and he was super great! He was kinda weird, well, like super spunky, ha-ha! He has two main jobs. He sells bread in the parks and plays and sings on the buses for money. So on Sunday night we went to go see him with a member who is the 1st counselor of the bishopric. We taught him about the restoration of the church and he accepted to be baptized! He accepted by saying: “Well, why wouldn’t I want to be cleaned from my sins?!” He said it to us like it was just dumb if he didn’t. Ha-ha! Well, one of his cousins drove up and he just happened to know the member that was with us, and even better, we found out that this guy was also a member of the church and an ex-missionary. It was pretty cool how that turned out. Because here that really NEVER happens. BLESSINGS.  Anyway, after we finished up the lesson it started raining so we went inside and he played the guitar with the member that was with us and it was the coolest thing ever! They were so good. I have never seen anyone play the guitar that fast. I would have taken a video, but I didn’t have my camera... Well, I just want you to know again how much I love it here and how much I love being a missionary. Lots of times it’s just hard, but I love the stress on the mission and the people here are so much better! I love how I can see just how perfectly put we are where we need to be when we need to be there. I love missionary work and the blessings that come from it! Oh, and Martin received the Holy Ghost yesterday! He is still doing great and already being a missionary and sharing the gospel on Facebook and has a friend that just started getting taught by the missionaries! 

I love you all so much and hope you can also see those blessings in your lives every time you share the gospel! 

Love, Hermana Velasquez

6 Missionaries and a Baptism

The family Velasquez is moving, so we ate with them one last time.

Martin with the set of Elders

Martin ready to be baptized!

 

Hey Fam! 

Okay just a little nib of this week: MARTIN GOT BAPTIZED! 

This kid just makes my mission complete and happy. On Saturday night we went to go see him to get him pumped for his baptism on Sunday. We walked into the tienda and he was sittin’ there talking with this drunk guy. He waved us over real quick to talk with him and this guy. We got over there and I knew that I knew this person, but I couldn’t remember how. We got talking and he told me that he was a member and that I had been to his house before. I really couldn’t remember for the life of me! We got talking a little more and I realized who he was; when I was with Hermana Hoggan we went to their house and were talking outside, he and his wife rejected very harshly and told us that they didn’t want anything to do with us or the church. After he left with his beer in his hand, Martin told us that he felt more of a desire to get baptized after talking with him. He told us that this drunk, less active said “out of all of the churches in this world I know that the Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultima Dias is the only true church on this earth and when you get baptized you will never regret it." It was a pretty cool thing to hear that. 

On Sunday at 6 was his baptism. We got there 5 minutes before it was about to start and NOBODY was there!  Hello Mormons... about 10 minutes later Martin showed up alone. His mom was supposed to be there with him and we were talking to her about it for a long time and she said that she was going to come, because she didn’t want him to be there all alone for his baptism. (There were only 3 members from the ward that came and 6 missionaries including us. He got baptized in another ward because he lives in another area. GO TO BAPTISMS OF NEW MEMBERS!)  I am a little frustrated with her to be honest. He told us that she didn’t want to enter into the church so he still came to a church to do something that he really doesn’t know much about, nor has ever seen before. He told us that it didn’t matter if anyone of his family came, he said it wasn’t for them and that he came because he knows it’s the right thing for him. His faith is so big. I have never seen someone progress like him. EVER! He was so willing to change because he knew that he would become a better person. He was willing to act and so he could receive the blessings that he needs and wants. He is a great example to me and he is just a great person that I know will keep progressing in the church. He is only 20 and knows what he needs to do and still wants to go on a mission in a year. More than anything it was just amazing to see a conversion happen right in front of my eyes. Its amazing what the power of the Lord can do for a person, only if they are willing to change for the better, and act. I love being a missionary and always will! I love you all and hope you had a great week! Looks like the kids had a great time at granny camp! I love ya all so much!  More great things happened this week, but this is already super long so I’ll save them for the next week! 

Love, Hermana Velasquez