Hey Mom and Dad!!! This morning was kind of scary!! Not really, but at the same time yeah. Me and Elder Collins went to a member´s house to eat breakfast. We were talking about the epidemic. There are quite a few cases in Mexico City, and one case here in Jojutla. People are starting to wear masks over their mouths. Kinda weird. Also, this morning there was an earthquake in Mexico City. We felt the after-effects in Jojutla. It was weird! I´ve never felt the earth shake! At first I thought I was just dizzy, and then they started saying that the earth was actually shaking. The earth was actually moving up and down. It was weird. I actually started thinking about the power of God, and how he can destroy us if He wants, with epidemics, with earthquakes, with whatever He wants. That´s so great Sterling and Matt are going to BYU. What apartments are they living in, and where? Is Dallin still gonna go to BYU? I´m excited for them to experience BYU. Sterling will flourish there.
I´ve thought about how every person is a child of God. I just can´t understand it. But I believe it. Every single little lady that sells food on the street is literally a beloved and extremely precious child of God. I don´t know if I´m gonna stay here another week or not. I might leave this next week because there are changes. I´m not sure where we could talk on the phone yet, but I´ll look.
The area is doing well. We really haven´t found that many people. But the people we have found are sincere. A woman named Anna was baptized yesterday. She´s had a crazy life, but wants to change. I baptized her yesterday after a really nice baptismal service. I just hope she keeps on going in the church.
Benito and Elia were going to get married this last week, but they ended up feeling pressured and scared, and didn´t. Elia was married before, but only to have some kind of support economically. Her old husband died, and she´s receiving pension. If she´s married to Benito, the pension is going to stop. There are some other little things that prevent them from getting married. She just feels like she can´t get married right now. But both of them want to be baptized, and want to be members of the church. We might challenge them to separate so they can be baptized, and then be married in December. The problem is there´s not much money here and not much housing. So if Benito left the house, it would be difficult. There´s actually another house/room behind the actual house that Benito could live in, but if they still lived close, the chances of falling and breaking the law of chastity are greater. So this is the dilemma with them! What do you think?
A sister in the ward gave us a referral of a young mother of three children. Her name´s Yuliana (Juliana). Her husband is hardly ever there, and before he was abusive with her physically. Now he is only vocally abusive. But he works a lot and isn´t there much. She wants to change herself, and her family. She´s got the cutest little kids. One is named Julio, the other Luís , and Anna María, the baby girl of 5 months. She´s sincere and wants to be happier. Her husband´s given her permission to go to church, and she wants to save her marriage if possible. She´s going to be baptized the 10th of May.
As of now, we are trying to find people that are willing to listen and apply what they listen. I was thinking about it. We as missionaries have the challenge of helping them see that this church is different. SO many people here think that everything that comes from God is good and it doesn´t matter where you go to church. But we have to convince them to think differently.
I had a really good experience with President Gardner this past week. He´s known for ¨planching¨, or severely chastising missionaries, that don´t baptize or aren´t doing enough. I thought for sure I was going to be ¨planched¨, because it´s been hard here. We really haven´t baptized at all for about a month. I was really nervous before the interview with him, because I´m not perfect, but I´ve been trying my best, and I don´t think I could have taken, emotionally, a chastisement. The first thing he told me when I went in the office was ¨Le amo¨, ¨I love you¨. That calmed my fears real fast. Then he just looked me in the eye and asked me how he could help me. We talked and I felt really good. I think Heavenly Father knew that I couldn´t take a chastisement, and told President Gardner that. I love President Gardner. He is really close to the Spirit. He´s not perfect, and he´s kind of intimidating sometimes, but he is a very good man. Richard G. Scott was his mission president, and Elder Christofferson was on the mission the same time as him. Elder Scott and President Gardner are still very good friends. In the mission home, there´s a painting of Elder Scott´s, with his signature and everything. And President Gardner has a book with a message from Elder Scott. I´m pretty sure Elder Scott decided my mission call. I´ve felt a connection with Elder Scott in the mission. I met him in the MTC, and have heard a lot about him on the mission.
This sickness thing is kind of weird. I´ve been told not to shake anyone´s hand or anything like that. Is it really that bad, or are they exaggerating all this?
I´m doing well. How is the family? Where did Daniel go? How´s Jen and little baby? Thanks for all you have ever done! Russell
Elder West
