Week 30 - San Jose del Cabo

Greetings.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Weekend!

I got reassigned to a new area this week! After having five months in La Paz, I got reassigned to San Jose del Cabo, about an hour and a half south of La Paz! I truly came to love lots of members there, and I am going to miss them so much, but I know God needs me to be here in San Jose. I am super excited to be here. It is beautiful, there are mountains, and beaches! It is gorgeous. I just got here this morning. My new companion´s name is Elder Wright and he is from Sandy, Utah! He is the same Elder Wright that was in Culiacan when I first got to Mexico! I am super excited to be with him. Things are looking super good here!

This week was kind of tough with respect to being able to teach people; everyone fled our area, and went camping, or to the beach, haha. There was literally nobody! No one in the streets. I have never seen a city so dead. We ended up spending some time with members, doing some service for them, and helping strengthen them spiritually. This week, being in honor of the last week of the Savior´s mortal life, I tried to focus a lot on that. I was constantly amazed, at how, in the last week of His life, He didn´t decide to take it easy; quite the opposite. It was the week in that He did the greatest of His work. The week He suffered the most. I know that this suffering was not in vain. He suffered for me. And He suffered for you; so that we do not have to suffer. We can be saved, if we believe in His name. 

I honestly dont have too much to more say, other than that I am super excited for this new transfer in San Jose. Things are really looking up! This weekend is also the General Conference for the Church (where the Prophet and Apostles and other Church leaders speak to the whole world)! I am so excited for this great opportunity to hear from them. I encourage all of you to try to see some of the Conference. A Prophet of God will speak to the world! I know that President Thomas S. Monson, and the Twelve Apostles, have been called of God. They receive inspiration for all of us in these days, directly from the Lord. 

https://www.lds.org/church/events/april-2016-general-conference?lang=eng 

I hope you all have a fantastic week! 

-- 

Elder Daines

"Cats actually eat mice!" 

A sweet family he baptized! 

Look at his happy face! 

He loves La Paz! 

His new companion, Elder Wright! 

Week 29 - We are in Eternal Debt

Hey All!

Scripture of the Week:

Omni 1:26 “And now my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth, ye will be saved.”

I was able to see so much this week in how much love God and His Son, Jesus Christ, have for us. We are really undeserving of all that God has given us. I was pondering on that a lot this week, thinking of all of the blessings God has given me, rather than the difficulties and worries I have in my life. In thinking about blessings instead of burdens, I was able to see God´s love for me so much more. 

This week I took quite a bit of time to reflect on these things, and on the Atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ went through for me, and for each and every one of you. Christ was the only perfect person to walk the earth. But despite his flawless character, He was also the person who experienced more pain, sadness, and trials, than any human being that has ever walked on this earth. I began to think about how could Christ endure these trials so well, that He was able to continue blessing the lives of others. He suffered all of these trials, and willingly, because of the pure love He had, or should I say, has, for us. His love for us is perfect, without guile. He did everything, every thing His Father had commanded Him to do. He knew His purpose here on the earth. 

I tried to apply this incredible example into my life. I know that Christ is my perfect example, and I feel so unqualified and insignificant, and flawed and weak, but that helps me each day to lean more on the Lord and less on myself. I know that when I align my will with the Lord´s will, I will begin to able to improve. I will be able to see the miracles God places in my life. 

I put myself to think about that a lot this week. God gives us commandments. he gives us these commandments to bless us. He gave us His Son so we could be saved. When we obey the commandments, we, in a way, are paying back the debt we owe to God. But in doing so, He blesses more, and so we become more in debt! This is a debt we can never pay back. But I know I can do all I can to show my desire to pay it back. 

This was mostly everything I felt I needed to share with you all today. I had lots of cool experiences and everything, but I feel like telling a story about a guy in a Nacho Libre mask that drove past us and stared at us, is less important, haha. Just to share a couple quick miracles of the many this week, on Wednesday I decided we should make one last visit before going home, and after several failed attempts, this time we found an old investigator named at home! He was apparently super excited about the church about a year ago, and went to church several times, but we never knew what happened with him! He had gone to work in Cabo San Lucas for a while, but he lost his job there and now is back here! I know God needs him here, so he can receive this Gospel. Also, we found a couple this past week, that came to church with some members, and they live in our area, and they are both super awesome and super excited to learn more about the church!! I am so excited for them, and even though I hardly know them, I love them already so much! 

This is the last week before they do transfers in the mission, and I will probably be changed. Makes me kind of sad because there are so many people right now in this area that are ready to accept the Gospel, and I love the members here, but I guess we will see what happens! 

Love you all, have an awesome Easter week! 

-- 

Elder Daines

"Oh, he a fruitcake, huh? Name that movie!" 

"Painted the court at the church!"

Week 28 - God Knows Us Better Than We Know Ourselves

Howdy all!

Scripture of the Week: 
2 Nephi 26:24 "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandedth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

  

The lesson I learned in week 27 must have been a preparation for this past week, because man it was tough! Almost each day this week, every single one of our appointments fell through, and so we resorted to looking for some people other missionaries had taught or met before. But almost nobody opened the door to us. It was a little disheartening at times. Being able to keep in mind the lesson I learned last week about seeing the good in the world, helped me a lot. At times I felt that nothing was going my way, but when I needed a little boost the most, I was able to see God´s hand in my life; whether it be in seeing someone serve another, contacting someone in the street, or just seeing something funny, I felt lifted up. 

There were several things this week that were pretty great. We had rain two days this week, which was awesome!! The weather here is pretty much the same thing every day: hot and sunny. The rain and cool weather was good for a change. On Wednesday, we ate with the Silva Torres family, and they made us fish tacos, and holy cow they were incredible! I ate a solid ten tacos, and that is something I am not ashamed of. On Thursday the other Elders near us didn´t have electricity in our house, so they had to sleep at our house, but that was fun! We crammed four mattresses into our little bedroom, it was a miracle they all fit. 

On Saturday we headed to the house of some people that were investigating about the church before, and they were home! They let us in, and even though it was almost a year ago, they remember just about everything they read in the Book of Mormon and everything! That was pretty cool, and they are really excited to learn more, and clarify any doubts they may have. After, we headed to an investigator´s house to paint, and that was a ton of fun! I love painting. They gave us lunch, and from there we headed to the church for a baptism! No one showed up at 5 when it was supposed to start, but I have grown accustomed (Not sure if that is right, I don´t remember English already!) to not worrying too much when even the person who is supposed to be baptized doesn´t show up on time, haha. It was awesome! Her whole family was super excited for her. 

--

Elder Daines

"Finally used my raincoat!"

"Rainy for dayz"

"Painting!" 

"The Baptism!"

Week 27 - There is Too Much Good in the World to be Unhappy

Howdy!

This week was pretty eventful, as is every week haha. More than anything, this week I learned, as it says, ´There is way too much good in the world to be unhappy´. Sometimes I unconsciously get my mindset on how many negative things there are in the world. I can honestly be super overwhelming! sometimes! There are so many struggles and difficulties in the world right now, and it seems like every day is worse than the day before. 

I was feeling a little down in those thoughts this week. We were waiting for the bus that takes us out to Chametla, and I saw a teenage girl get off the bus, and after her got off a little old lady. They both had to cross a street with traffic. The teenage girl was looking for a time to go, when she realized the little old lady wanted to cross, too. She took the old lady by the hand, and at her pace, helped her cross the street. This whole thing ended up taking a good 5 minutes. I am sure this girl had somewhere to be, but she recognized someone in need, and was willing to help, as if it were her own grandma. And right after that, when we got on the bus, another man helped a lady carry her groceries. This helped me so much. There is so much good in the world. Sometimes it is just hard to see it. 

I know that if we recognize all of the good in the world instead of the bad, we will be so much happier. If we recognize the good in others instead of seeing what they lack, this will also make us happier. It´s true, there is so much evil in the world, but there is also so much good. Sometimes people question the existence of God in the midst of all of the horrible things going on, and may ask how a loving God could allow people to struggle like this. I too, have sometimes asked that, but several times I have received the clear confirmation that I have a loving Heavenly Father, and He will bless me as I turn unto Him. We determine how happy we will allow ourselves to be. See the good in the world! There is too much good in the world to be unhappy. Don´t waste your life being unhappy.

In addition to that, this week I came to realize how small I am. Not in that fact that I´m short, but in the fact that there is so much in the world. This week I realized that there are so many interesting people in the world. Every single person has their own story. Every person has their own unique situations, difficulties, etc. The one great similarity though, is that we all share the same loving Heavenly Father. It is incredible to know that He knows us all perfectly, that He is aware of each and every single one of His children. 

Honestly, I had tons of cool experiences and stories I would normally tell you, but I felt this is what has impacted me most this week, and I really wanted to share it with all of you. I love you all so much and miss you like crazy! I really hope you all have a good week, and are able to see how much good there is in the world. 

-- 

Elder Daines

"Me with a cactus"

"Played some good ol' futbol"

"Cow Cheek and Eye Tacos..."