September 21, 2015

Wow seriously its Monday already? time flew quickly! since i really cant remember what happened this last week this email update will be short sorry next week will be longer promise!

So this week we have made alot of progress with our investigators Victor always has great questions and he wants to be ready before he gets baptized, but he pretty much is there our last lesson was the word of wisdom which was a great experience, cause we had prepared to teach him that lesson and when he showed up his wife said he had a question concerning why we couldn't drink coffee! and we were like funny thing we actually teach a lesson regarding that, Victor and his Wife were surprised as we were! but the best part of the whole lesson Victor told us to dump ALL of his coffee down the sink!! what just happened? after we left my companion was yup that was the spirit hand helping us. So ya anything possible if heavenly father wants it to happen and if the person also desires to change.

 Javier is going along as well, we read the book of Mormon with him and he understands what we teach him, he's actually going to bring his wife and kid from Mexico in a few weeks amd he wants them toi get the lessons as well so he wont decided on a date till they hear from us as well and decided as a family, so were praying that the spirit guides him and his family to find the truth and to protect them.

So when the sun goes down two things come out,amazing wonderful Fire Flies! and dreaded mosquitos... but yeah in this town once it 8pm the town goes dead and its hard to OYM or proselyte. and since we are not allowed to knock doors anymore so we ride our bikes around hoping we find some 1 in the dark who wants to talk and also hoping we don't get attacked by loose dogs!

So we went back to the mission office this last week to do the last training for the new people aka me... but yeah the topic was being to teach all 5 lessons, well the thing is ive only taught 3 out of the 5 yup ill just say it went better than i thought. actually i did horribly except for the first 3 and those were still a bit off except the restoration i killed it on that. but this experince taught me i still have a lot to work on. 

till next time with more!

Elder Herrera

September 14, 2015

 Hola Familia y Amigos

This week has been full of  moving around! Like i said last week i was moving apartments so i had little time. Did that then the next day I was personally moved from my area and got a new companion! it was bitter sweet leaving a place i grew attached to but i knew i was moved for a reason. so my new companion/area is *drum roll*.... Elder Barlow and the area is Port Lavaca.... cool..wait wheres Port Lavaca? yeah thats like the furthest south in my mission you can go and it small enough it only has a Branch, well never seen or been in a branch soo that was going to be something new. But before we left President called us to the office with two other missionaries and told us that our Area is going to be split in half and instead of just one companionship there, it would now have two. He said this was part of a plan/vision he and the Branch President had. They want us to work together to turn the Branch into a Ward... well that took everyone a second to realize the task we were given. He looked at us and said that it would be possible because the numbers werent far for us to attain this goal. I'm thinking, how far is far? but yeah i know why i was called to this area. and now i was confused as to why haha. but yeah he said we would meet up again and talk more about the plan. so yeah headed to the new area which is a little over 2 hours and boy that was the boringest drive ever, one reason was because we four missionaries were jammed into a jeep compass with all our stuff. and we were tired. but when we got to the new area i found out we also had to move out of that trailer they were in to an apartment the next day! whats up with me moving am i going to do that every new companionship? but yeah no room or space really for four missionaries so i claimed a place on the couch, worst sleep i had since ive vbeen on the mission field.

new Mailing Address is:

306 Holday lane 

#4

Port Lavaca TX 77979

So Elder Barlow, info in him is that he has been on his mission for a year and a half. he is born and raised in Utah. and funny thing he is the stereotypical awkward utah missionary i heard about haha. but he's awesome and we teach pretty well together even though we have only been together a few days. First day out though i encountered kids that while i was giving the restoration i had kids climing on me and kids slapping me... but i kept constant eye contact with the person i was talking to and gave my self a mental high five haha. but the second time i was teach it was out side and i dont know what happened but i got swarmed by mosquito's and i was second from getting up and leaving it was that bad! but before i did the person we were teaching asked if we wanted to come in *yes salvation!* but to be honest i dont know if ill be able to handle the Mosquitos even with the large amount of bug spray i put on they still get me!!! my patients will be tested. but result of that attack on me i have a swollen foot which my shoe no longer fits, so yeah cool story.  

enough of my complaining, besides that ive enjoyed my time here and the people are wonderful the Branch President last name is also Herrera so every one think im related. we have three new investigators that we found and taught and intrested to hear more. we have a part member family that the husband, Victore is on the verge of getting an answer to his prayers on whether or not he should be baptized. so please pray for him! anyways yeah thats what its been like since ive been here :)

Side info:

I saw my first Fire Fly :D while riding bacK!!!

I may have rolled my ankle... but i think ducktape will fix that.

I'm addicted to playing Risk!

I seen more armadillo but there always dead :( 

The foot ball team is named Sand Crabs

Oh and i got the letter Bishop Cain sent with all ya'll letters, I may only know a few of you but they all brought alot of happiness to me and im glad that I'm some one you look up to. And i know one day all of you will also have the chance to put on that armor and join fight against evil and help people to come unto Christ! its not easy but it worth every minute and i've only been out for a short time but i know this decision is worth it!

Quote- "Home is where the beds at"- Me 

ANyways thats alll for this week folks! Toon in next time :)

Sincerely,

Elder Herrera

September 9, 2015


Holla Familia y Amigos!

Como estan todos? Hope the change in weather is doing all ya'll some good, its still hot here... with the occasional rain shower. Well alot has happened and its all moving fast! The days dont seem so long anymore but i still return home tired and after planning i just pass out, and im out till the next morning! funny stuff though is that i apparently talk in my sleep and im told i have given the restoration talk and plan of salvation. isnt that cool? but besides that since last time, we found a new family to teach and the great thing is that they are open to new things and well in other words ready for us and i say this is because they absorb every thing we taught them the first lessons and were even hitting on points for our next lessons but sadly we had to go to another appointment so this week we are going back! but sadly i wont be going cause transfers are this week and i will be moved to a new area :( still dont know where but ill let y'all know where i end up next week. sorry this email will be short but were also moving out of our apartment and we have a few days to do it so got limited time this week! but i just want to let all y'all know que estoy bien sano y salvo :) oh and i was told that my mission has a FB page so ya you can see some videos and maybe a picture or two of me on there Texas Houston South Mission.  theres even a video of me "singing" haha yeah those of you who know me or seen me in church i don't sing but i decided to change that and now i try, i may sound bad but its fun. so yeah i walked in to the shower yesterday after hearing we were being transferred and i heard my companion "crying" haha he said he wasnt crying his eyes were just sweating. like him im gonna miss this area and the familys and investigators ive met and how close i got to them in such a short time. But I will go where the Lord asks me to go because i know there are people there who who have been ready'd. well till next time

Sincerely,

Elder Herrera

 Familia Matamoros

August 31, 2015

August 31, 2015

Hello Y'all

So this last week we had some success in our attempt to start fresh, we found a new investigator who is so happy to have the missionaries over! and he's a good friends with the bishop, makes it easier to teach the family. the first lesson was amazing! you could feel the spirit! we meet with them again on tuesday again. so hopefully they prayed and got answer and we can go on from that. and we can help them progress they are an awesome family and if you didnt know them before hand you would think they were members. This week we did a lot of our focusing on inactive members and trying to get them back. its a little hard since most let their pride get in the way, they know the gospel is true, but they can't get over small things that other members have done and were offended by. so thats what my companions been up to the last week, looking for new investigator and re-activating members. two hard tasks but worth the effort! and this last sunday we were able to get one family back! and it was after some service we did the day before by picking up branches and putting some gravel in. even though the mosquitoes were on the attack it was still a great time! got pancakes out of it lol. 

on friday i went on exchanges with another elder and i was sent to another area with Elder Steed, i dont know if i mentioned him before but hes a legend here in the THSM, if i didnt well heres the fast version this elder was mugged at gun point, and when you think thats bad nope, not only did he get his stuff stolen but he also got "pistol whipped" in the face. which means he got a gun smacked in his face, which broke his face and had  to have surgery and two days after he was back on the streets working. yup a legend and i say that because one of the elders who came out the same time as i did heard what happened at the MTC and told everyone on the plane ride to housten he had the majority of the elders nervous not wanting to be sent to that area. but funny thing he was sent to area first transfer. anywas Elder Steed is amazing and completely different from  my companions, a good change of pace but i learned a lot from him and seeing how he is around his investigators i can see he cares a lot for them and thats something i want to achieve over time with my new investigators we'll soon be meeting. but yeah i also got to ride bikes today! and it was exciting and a fun experince kinda forgot we were in the rough part of town lol but yeah cant wait till i can be in a bike area.

Scriptures that have helped me this week: Matt 10:38-40

Ether 12:6

Proverbs 2:5,11-12

I hope everyones doing well and some are getting ready for school so good luck to you and work hard! and everyone who works year round well "endure to the end" :) well that all for now so till next week. stay safe all y'all!

Sincerely, 

Elder Herrera

August 24, 2015

August 24, 2015

Hola! How is everyone!

So this week went by fast! we had a new missionary meeting were we got instructed on safety with cars, and bikes. we also went over stress and how we can relieve it we also got a talk about the Atonement from our mission president. so they explained how the Tiwi (our driving monitor) is our friends... how it helps avoid accidents and avoit tickets. yeah the tiwi is the a little devil in disguise!! I enjoy driving and it helps me relieve stress while im here cause its something i like to do. but the tiwi is a back seat driver you wish you never had. but i know its there for our safety so it good but not fun to have maybe if it had a british voice i would be okay with that :) ill be asking that next meeting. 

but yeah everything has been good this week a lot of rain and some awesome lighting shows!! But the rain here is nothing like up there, one its warm thats the good part, and second when it rains it really comes down! this last week i took like 7 unwanted showers. like i open the door to the car and im already soaking wet haha. sad part about this week being rainy is that no one wants to open the doors, and all our appointments are dropped it makes it hard on us but we push on.

 My senior companion decided with the lack of progress we've been having the last week and a half that we should drop everyone and start new in a new part of our area. i was surprised with this decision cause i thought we were doing well so i was a bit conflicted with this new decision. but i prayed about it and i got a good feeling that we should go with his plan. so starting this week were gonna start out fresh and i have faith that we are going to find new people to teach and move the word forward. we only kept two of our old investigator Baltazar and his wife Ricci, and Judith the lady i mentioned in my last Email. Baltazar and Ricci are friends with memebers so we are getting the members to invite them over for lessons but the Husband works alot and the wife is going to start working this week since school starts today. But Elder Tittle thinks it will work. With Judith we've taught her every lesson since shes always home and she loves when we drop by :) and she knows our message is true but the one thing holding us back is her is in her condition we cant baptize her with out causing damage :/ i feel bad but we are just waiting on what we should do. 

but over all its a new week and a new start! we are ready.

so intresting things that happened:

Had my first bible bash... yeah it wasnt how we thought our lesson was gonna go but it went there, and my companion Elder Tittle just owned it. it wasnt an agressive incounture but it was a waste of time and i really want to avoid these situations

I've been here a month and i still havent had any BBQ my heart breaks every time i smell it from a distance and i cant have any :(

I found out that theres an alligator park right by our apartment, ill have pictures for next week! yes ill be dangerous when encountering these cuddly creatures.

till next time,

Elder Herrera