Guaymas, Mexico October 4

So this week has been pretty crazy too. Not so crazy as the last one but still crazy... jaja On Wednesday we had exchanges and that was really cool. I went with one of the zone leaders and we did some serious work. Thursday we had a meeting all morning, and this weekend was conference. It was so good!!! We were able to watch all the sessions except Saturday afternoon. We had a lesson to go to but its ok! The talks were so good and I learned a ton of awesome things. So sweet!!! Thursday and Friday we picked up two new investigators we just found and put both of them on date. It was so awesome! First lesson they both accepted the baptismal interview. One is this older lady named Rosario, she´s having problems in her family and with her husband and was really interested in our message. President has asked us to start teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ first and put fechas (dates) the first lesson. So we did that, she felt the spirit, and accepted. We were hoping she´d come to conference this weekend but she wasn´t able to since she went out of town. But the other one is this mother named Nohelia who just got divorced and is living with her mom with her two kids. She was really interested too and again, gospel of Jesus Christ, invitation, and she accepted. It was super awesome!!! She wasn´t able to come to conference either but we´re hoping to get them to church Sunday. I´m starting to be able to teach and talk a lot. Spanish is really difficult but I feel little improvements every day. Learning a language is one of the biggest lessons in patience ever!!! But so Saturday we weren´t able to bring anyone to conference and Sunday morning Nohelia didn´t show up. But the afternoon session by a miracle the two people we were teaching before. Andres y Irene showed up!!! We had a baptism set up with him and everythin but it fell through. We were almost ready to drop them but they showed a little interest when we visited them this week and endede up showing up to conference. He´s been having health problems and his son is sick too. But he still came by bus to the stake center with his wife to watch conference. Afterwards we gave him a blessing and it was awesome! The afternoon session was perfect for them too. We´re hoping to baptize them this Saturday! The work is really picking up. We´re getting members to help us to put together a huge activity the 16th. We´re getting a lot of support and we´re hoping this picks up the members and some new investigadors too. jaja The first couple weeks of Mexico have been really hard but we´re starting to see success now and the Lord is really blessing us.

So this week has been great! More success, better health, a lot of good lessons learned and I´ve met a lot of cool people. We´ve set some good goals and everything just keeps on improving. The Lord knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

So on Tuesday we ate with this family for la comida. We have it every day at 2 with a different member family. But so Tuesday we had minudo. I don´t know how to spell it but basically its cow stomach with weird plants and stuff and lots of chile. It was the most interesting lunch ever but I loved it! jaja We actually get a lot of good food here. It´s amazing how diverse the city is though. You can walk 15 min from a house with 5 children, one room, no beds, and dirt floors, to a house with 3 stories, 3 cars, flat screen tv´s, and everything else. Guaymas is a really rich area but also a really poor area. It´s cool coming to downtown though because its completely modern with sushi restaurants, papa johns, Burger bars, Abercrombie and Fitch, malls, wal marts, everything! But I like it better in our area. The people are more humble and willing to listen to our message. We sweat a lot more and are a lot more dirty but I like it.

So what else? Life here is just crazy and it seems normal so I don´t know what else to say. The work is going better, Mexico is cooling down kinda, conference was awesome...!! jaja by the way we do get the Liahona and we´re hoping to have a member burn us some CD´s of the sessions to listen to in the morning. Tell Spencer thanks for the article. Missionary work is a lot of work, but it´s not just being faithful and obedient. We have to actually be organized and figure out ways to do things better. That´s hard for a lot of the people here but we´re working on it! Thanks for email and for the rest of the articles. Listen to conference over and over and over again! I loved what... um... I forgot his name but he said how the living prophet is more important than the dead prophet. The messages this weekend have so many applications and have helped me a ton already. Also if you have time study 2 Nephi 31. Almost every talk was focused around that. The straight and narrow, repentence, faith, following Christ. It´s probably one of my favorite scriptures.

Well thats it for this week. Love you guys. Elder Florence

Guaymas pictures

Eric's district

Some of the views of his area

Can you say Ouch!

Guaymas, Mexico September 27

no tiempo otra vez!!!! today we´re going to some marine museum and we still have a bunch of laundry to do. It takes forever!!!! The place we do emails is a little cafe pretty close to the guys house that we do our laundry at. So at least we´ll be able to hurry but I don´t have much time for email because we still have to finish laundry, shower, change into our missionary clothes and then take a bus to the meseum in only 1 30 hr. Bah! we never have time here since we have to walk miles every where. But its ok. To answer your questions papa... I´ll take pics of our house next week to send you. But for now we actually have our own house!!! It has a little kitchen with a walk in area, then a bedroom seperated by a curtain and then a door from the bedroom part into the bathroom. When I first got here it was disgusting!!! Dirt and hair and food everywhere. But these last 2 weeks we got it all cleaned up pretty much. It´s great now. Elder Uribe is new to the area so we´re pretty much doing this blind. This area has been dead for a looooonnngggg time. Only a few converts and the ones that were baptized have gone innactive. The ward is really sketchy. Good people, but not very good at the whole church and living the gospel stuff. jaja but its ok!! We made a lot of good plans, like book of mormon reading nights, movie night, a night of skits about the book of mormon, stuff like that. We need to strengthen the ward and we´re hoping that will bring more investigators and more baptisms and more people that stay. Cuz right now we really kinda only have one investigator. We had one person with a date but that fell through. We really have nothing. It´s been hard because we just have to walk miles and miles everyday looking in the heat and we sometimes teach lessons but no one ever pays attention or nothing. This last week has been full of really hard stuff. Tuesday night we had a hurricane hit and we got stuck in it. Elder Uribe was in Hermosillo for the day at a leadership meeting and when I met up with him in the centro that night the hurricane hit. The streets were rivers in five minutes and we couldn´t make it home. So we ran to the nearest elder´s house and we had to stay the night there. The next morning we had to leave because all our clothes were still at Enrique´s house. The guy we do laundry at because last Monday we didn´t have time to finish. Luckily he had put our stuff inside but we had to run with all of it back home that morning a couple miles in the rain. It wasn´t as hard the Wednesday morning but we still got soaked again. We both got sick from all the rain and not having any dry clothes. Then on top of that from all the wetness and running a bunch I got huge blisters on my feet. Wednesday afternoon I couldn´t even walk but Elder Uribe gave me a blessing and I gave him one and by Friday I was able to walk fine and we both mostly got over our sicknesses. But it´s been really rough. My clothes were all muddy and ruined but we worked this morning to clean everything up and now our house looks really good and my clothes are mostly clean except for the stuff that I still ahve to do. It was really hard during all of this, but I´m grateful now. I´ve learned trials are good because we learn stuff and it also means the Lord loves us enough that he wants us to grow. We fasted yesterday to start having success but no one showed up to church. We litterally have nothing right now. But we´re praying for success, and I´m praying to know spanish. Crazy crazy Mexico... jaja but I´m glad to hear everything has been good with you guys. I didn´t ahve much time to read all of your emails but I will next week if we have time. Always going here!!! never time for anything. jaja

So this week has been hard. Mexico is still hot but definitely cooling down. In a couple more weeks it should be to the point where we only sweat a little bit. jaja spanish is coming along better now. I can talk to people a little more and can teach a couple principles in the lesson. It´ll come though. The next couple weeks are going to be good. We´re going to start having more success, I´m going to know more spanish, it won´t be so hot anymore.. jaja but I´m happy now and am grateful for the opportunity to be here.

So the address here is

Elder Eric M Florence

Av. García Conde #301

Col. Pitic

Hermosillo, Sonora

C.P. 83150

 

I don´t know when any meetings are but thats the address to send packages and letters, but I don´t know when I´d be able to pick them up.

Also I don´t know if I´ll be able to watch conference. President made it a rule only the Priesthood session and Sunday morning, but if we have investigators to go we can go to the other ones. So pray we ahve success this week so I can watch them. He made it a rule cuz Elders used the 2 days not to watch, but just waste time. But I want to see you sing, so pray we get to go!!!!!!!

That´s about it for this week I guess. We have to go but I´ll attach some pictures. I love you guys.

Elder Florence

Letter from Mission office

Hello, or Hola!!

 

      This is Elder Jackson from the Mision Mexico Hermosillo!  I would like to say that your son has gotten here and is assigned to Bahia Guaymas!  I was in this area before its so amazing! the people will love your son so much!  I wish i could say i had a picture of all the new elders and presidente but i wont be able to have it intell monday.  Your son will be able to email you this monday.  Thank you so much, this mision is blessed to have your son.

Misión México Hermosillo

Guaymas, Mexico September 20

Eric ran into Barry Daniels at the Salt Lake Airport before he left for Mexico

The new elders and their new companions outside the mission home.

Eric and his first companion Elder Uribe

Eric and a 6 year old girl in the back of a member's truck in Guaymas

The spider Eric found in his apartment

So I don´t even know where to start. First if you could forward this to Ann Gilbert for the newsletter thing I´d appreciate it. But phew. Mexico is insane!!!!! We got here Monday and met with president and his wife. We had lunch ( which was lasagna!?! jaja!) but it was great. Then they talked to us for a couple hours. In spanish. So I only understood about nothing because I was so tired. jaja but its ok! Then we each had our interviews and did a lot of other things. THen we each had interviews with president which were in spanish too because no one speaks english. Then we slept in the mission house. Not the home but its some other place where the assitants live. It was so nice!!!!! Hermosillo is a huge city. A lot of nice house, rich people, tons of restaurants, stores, malls, and tons of crazy nice stuff. The next day, Tuesday, we did all our stuff for immigration. It took forever, but then that afternoon we got our companions and left for our areas. My companion is Elder Uribe from Mexico City. He´s so awesome!!! But he doesn´t speak more than 5 words in English. So its rough. But fun. We took a bus from Hermosillo to Guaymas and then got a ride from a member to our house. I rode in the bed of her truck with her daughter who´s as old as Shayla. She was so cute. I showed her my camera and she took pictures of everything. It was a lot of fun. Then that night we went out tracting. It wasn´t too hot since there was no sun but the next day was insane. Our area is called Bahia and we´re over the ward here. Our area is all dirt roads and it´s huge!!!!!!! To get from colonia to colonia we hitch hike. It´s so funny. We´ll just wait at a corner for a truck and then just jump in the back and then jump out when we´re closer to our area. Our area is about the size of south ogden and it wraps around a peninsula of the ocean. It´s so cool!!! But so hot!!!! I imagened hot but not this much hot. Its around 108 or so everyday and we walk from 11 to 9 with an hour break for lunch. I´m soaked at the end of everyday from my sweat and my shirts are already all yellow and brown. Its disgusting. But its one of those mission things i guess. jaja at least our house has a little a/c unit that keeps it cool at night. One night it didn´t work and I thought I was going to die. All the houses are cement so inside is hotter than outside because it acts as an oven. Teaching lessons is sometimes really hard if the poorer people don´t have fans becuase the whole lesson I have sweat pooring down my face and I don´t know what anyone is saying. But it´s ok!!! The language will come and it should cool down here in a couple weeks. Hopefully. Mexico is just how I thought it would be. Well at least this area. It´s all dirt roads with dogs roaming around everywhere, trash, weird smells, street vendors selling tacos, burritos, and even hot dogs mexican style with chilis and bacon. jaja so crazy!!! Some areas are richer than others. Some people have nice cars, driveways, a/c´s, couches, but other colonias are broken down cement houses. It´s crazy! But so much fun. I don´t have much time to explain everything because we have to go wash our clothes. We have to take a bus to a member´s home because they have a washer!!!! no dryer but at least we´re blessed that way. It´s way nice.

Mexico is way fun, really hot, crazy, smelly, but awesome!!! We teach so much and talk to so many people and the work is going great. I got the flu this weeked from the crazy atmosphere change so yesterday was really bad. It was super hot, I didn´t know what anyone was saying in church or in our lessons, and I was really sick. But its just one of those mission things. I don´t know what else to tell you. It already seems like home here. Just pray that I can start being able to speak. I´ve taught a little but I want to be fluent. It´ll talk time but pray that it´ll come sooner than later.

Oh last night I was getting ready for bed and I saw a huge spider on my wall!!! It was bigger than my tag. So we spent a couple minutes trying to kill. Just crazy stuff like that happens all the time. It´s a lot of fun here but everything is going good. I´m kind of getting used to the hot now and I¨m getting over the flu so next on the list is to learn spanish. jaja I´ll send some pictures. I wish I had more time to explain but we have to do a lot on pday because everything is far away and we have to walk or take buses. But I love you all. Mexico is awesome and crazy hot. I´ll talk to you next week.

West Jordan September 7

	4-6 more weeks!?!? well 3-5 now i guess... oh well.... that's what I pretty much figured. I feel more bad for the missionaries in Mexico. They're probably having to shut down areas all over the place if there is 500 visa waiters!!!!! That's so insane!!!! But once we eventually all make it there we're basically going to baptize everyone in Mexico. So make sure you look out for that on the news. "MISSIONARIES BAPTIZE MILLIONS!!!" jaja. well things are going so much better now.  We're going about 100% now. This week has been amazingly succesful!!! We put 3 new people on date for baptism, we taught 7 lessons with a member present, 5 other ones, and picked up 5 new investigators!!!!!! It was a really good week and everyone seems pretty solid. the Lord really does bless according to our worthiness. it's been so much fun! We taught this family, a mom, dad, and their 7 year old son on Monday. They were really interested and their son was too! We told him he had to make sure they read the book of mormon and prayed and he was really excited about that and promised us. What a cool kid! We also taught this other family. They live with a bunch of people but everyone there is pretty much anti except a mom and her daughter. They stayed interested even with a million kids running and screaming and some guy coming in and acting disgusted with us. jaja it was an interesting lesson but they said they wanted to try and continue having us come over. SWEET!! The other investigator was this African guy named Bol or Ben. jaja he speaks in a super thick accent so its hard to understand him but he seemed pretty interested. His wife is a member I guess but she doesn't really know anything about the church but she said she had been baptized so either she's confused or her missionaries a year ago did a bad job. Either way Ben/Bol is now interested and we're meeting with him again today! Nice eh? So we had a ton of success this week, a ton of new potential, we taught a mutual and got like 10 referrals, and now we're working on trying to find all these new people. jaja but at least we're busy now! So on Thursday I was doing language study when all of a sudden we got a knock on the door. We never get knocks so I was a little confused, but the other two weren't dressed so they had me answer the door. I opened it and it was two nice ladies and they started reading to me from the bible. I quickly figured out they were Jehovah's witnesses and they quickly figured out I was a missionary. It was pretty awkward. jaja but she handed me their magazine and we actually talked a bit, not about religion though, just about where she was from and stuff. But ya, I thought that was pretty funny. Then this weeked was super crazy! One of the spanish elders got surgery on his knee on Friday so Saturday night I had to go over to be the companion of the other one while he sat at home and recovered. So I slept over there Saturday night and then Sunday found out that the other spanish elder was doing some tests and had to stay dorment the whole day. BAH! But they prepared well and so all day Sunday while they were sleeping I just read and read, and then when they were awake we had permission to watch movies and play Monopoly and stuff. It was actually really fun. Super lazy but you gotta do what you gotta do. It was a nice break but I was definitely ready to go out and work yesterday. We did go to sacrament in the spanish branch again which was fun, but for the whole day we just read, watched movies, and played games. And I just found out today that I'm going on exchanges again! Me and the other visa waiter in this zone have to go today so one can stay home with the suregeried one while the other goes and does work with the other. So I don't know which one of us was assigned to stay home yet but I really hope it's not me. Sunday was good, but it was too much. Well I have to go. They said we only get 30 min of email today since it's not pday.  I'm sorry to hear about grandpa. I'll be praying for him. Keep being safe and having a good week. Oh real quick can you get the address for the mission office in Mexico so I can tell people where to write me at? And then when you bring down the medicine and stuff could you bring me a sweater?? Its getting so cold!! Last night we were riding our bikes home and I only have short sleeve shirts and it was ridiculous amounts of cold. I prepped myself for Mexico and now I'm getting Utah autumn. brr..... hopefully I'll leave in the 3 weeks instead of the - 5 weeks. jaja but all in the Lord's time. We're having fun here and focusing on what's really important. A little prayer for the visa wouldn't hurt though. jaja love you guys. Tell Rachelle I'll write her next week when I have more time.

West Jordan August 30

	Another crazy speedy fast week here so salt lake!! I didn't get transferred and neither did my companions so that was nice. This week wasn't very successful either like last week but I appreciate it because I learned so many things. I've been praying so hard for a change of heart because missionary work takes complete focus and really becoming a new person. I hate how cliche it is but I really have started gaining my real testimony here. It's nowhere near a solid testimony or anything of that sort but its coming. I feel new desires every day to try and do things better and give up little things here and there. I realized if I'm going to be here for two years I mine as well do it right jaja. But really the Lord deserves all of his children to do their best especially on missions. Because we're given a lot more rules here but its just more opportunities to receive promised blessings and to grow in the gospel. That's where testimony comes from is living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not just another church or religion, its really the principles of life. Everything we do is bigger than just the LDS church, it's literally the steps that God follows and wants us to follow to receive eternal happiness. Its so cool and the more we live by it the stronger we become converted and the more we realize how much better we have to do. That's why we are constantly growing. The more we know the more we realize we need to improve!!! jaja so I've been praying about all these things and kind of having a hard time because as a companionship we're not very motivated or converted I guess to the work. It's really been discouraging for me but I've really just wanted to improve anywhere I can. I started reading through Preach My Gospel to find answers every morning before personal study and found something I really like. So Saturday night after getting home from another rough day I asked if we could talk about some things as a companionship. So instead of being a jerk and just preaching to them I though it'd be good if we read through this part in PMG. It's on page 5 I think and its how to know you've been a successful missionary. And it lists like 8 things. We read through all of those things and just talked about them and about how we can improve and set a bunch of goals. It was cool how you said that dad in the email because we took about an hour and just set goals of ways we can improve. It was so good!!! We've been doing pretty well so far and we're really trying to be exactly obedient and being more diligent. I hope that motivation will stay in the companionship and so we can continue to improve and work harder and harder every day. So I'm praying things won't fall back and we can continue to support each other and make an awesome companionship! That was pretty much the week. Nothing happened, just a lot of dropped appointments and knocking doors. Things will get better though!!! The Lord will give us opportunities to help his children as long as we're praying for them and are worthy of the opportunity. So soon! We've got a ton of pontential especially in one ward. So if things work out then they're going to have to split the ward!!!!! jaja so we're excited for this week. So I was reading through the ensign this month and read through an article about the MOTAB!! It was really cool and they said they have this new cd out of the past 100 years of recordings and stuff. Mom do you get the hook ups on that? cuz if you do I really want it. I've been listening to MOTAB pretty much all the time now and I love it now. Probably just cuz you're in it but its actually really good music especially for missionary work. I used to hate it but its cool how your desires change as your focus changes. PAOW! jaja so ya that'd be cool if you could get that. Oh one thing I forgot to mention this week. Yesterday as we were leaving one ward (because since we cover a whole stake we go to 3 wards every Sunday. I'm never complaing about 3 hours of church again!) the spanish branch was starting sacrament. I saw the spanish elders in there and wanted to attend the meeting so we did a quick exchange and I went to the spanish branch sacrament and meetings!!! First one ever!!! It was so cool. I was surprised how much I actually understood and it was just a really good time. I had a huge headache after but I didn't care cuz it was nice to get some spanish. I miss the MTC having spanish ALL THE TIME. So that was nice. I also found out this week that I'm now 165 lbs!!!! holy sheesh. I went to the MTC at like 178 I think... I'd probably be even more skinny if I didn't eat so much here. Just being out riding bikes all day is good for you I guess. jaja so I wonder how much more I'll lose in Mexico eating less and getting parasites... jaja speaking of Mexico... Dad you really heard that people are leaving from the MTC now!?!??!?!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?! thats so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!! We haven't heard anything at all but thats really good news. I want to go so bad!!!! Especially after the spanish branch yesterday. I don't know how soon we'll be able to get out of here though. There's 60 visa waiters in this mission and about the same in every other mission. That is so crazy!!! So I don't know how fast they'll be able to ship us out with there being almost 200 Elders waiting to go to Mexico. Poor Mexico not having any missionaries come down. Joe said they had to shut an area down because they had visa problems so I bet in Mexico they're having to shut down areas all over the place. But we'll get there in good time. Just gotta keep being patient. But so if I'm here next week still I'll email Tues since monday is labor day and the library will be closed.   Well congrats on you anniversary!!! Sorry I'm a bad son and forgot Dad's birthday and your anniversary!!! Sheesh... You don't have to pick me up at the airport if you don't want.. jaja but that sounded like an awesome weekend! And I did get the package. thanks so much for dropping that off. That thing from Tate was awesome! I can't believe he comes home in like a month!!! so weird!!! time flies. So 21 years eh!?!?! gracious... that's a long time.... you've been married longer than I've been alive! naturally... but still. Crazy! jaja Sorry Dad you lost your golf tournament but those are a couple cool prizes.. Thats way sweet! One of our potential investiagtors is a big italian golfer and he told me to tell you to look out for some new golf bags coming out soon. He's getting into this business with his brother making really nice golf bags called black clover I think. The prototype he showed me looked really sweet so keep your eye out for them. Also congrats on your calling. The new duty to god stuff sounds sweet! There's a big problem out here with young men not getting through high school and all the bad influences and everyone is going innactive. HUGE PROBLEM. like its more than 50%. So it's important that we have good leaders and influence to go out of their way to help the youth in the ward and be there for them when other people aren't. I'm sorry Rachelle that you didn't get to sing. But you'll get chances, especially if you keep trying to develop your talents. Voice lessons sound like an awesome idea!! Hopefully they'll be able to change the musical week so you can try out. That'd be super sweet! Dang vacations getting in the way of everything... jaja Mom I have been able to play piano since I've been here a lot. I play for district meetings and zone meetings and for the baptisms we've had and that's I think. But ya a lot of opportunites since I've been here. I love knowing music and being able to just play whenever. So yes. Thank you. =) Well thats the email for today. I'm having a really good time and learning so many good lessons here. I'm glad we haven't been succesful and I'm glad we haven't been a perfect companionship because its through those trials that we learn the most if we don't have a bad attitude. I would like to have some success eventually but it'll come in good time... all part of the plan. Well have another awesome week at school and being busy and everything again! Tell Hunter and Jordan I love them and then Tate too when he gets home. I was going to try and send some pics today on the email but it didn't work again so I think I'll just send home my memory card. But when you send it back make sure its not in an envelope because they go through some scanner thing and they get ripped out I guess. A lot of missionaries have lost their memory cards doing that. So I think I'll send it home in some package or possibly a cd. I'm not sure yet. I'll figure something out today. Maybe I'll just put everything onto a cd and leave the cd here at the house because I have a couple other things I'm going to leave here. Then maybe you could pick them up or something. It'd probably be cheaper than mailing it home. So ya that's what I'll do. I've heard when I finally get to go to Mexico they'll call me and give me less than 24 hr heads up so I won't have time to make any plans. So when I leave I'll put everything in a box by the side door where you left the bag. Yup that'll work! It's like we're mobsters or something making plans and leaving packages in secret spots. jaja Oh and by the way the house is gross not because of me. It was disgusting the first day I walked in and I've been slowly trying to make improvements. But I pretty much figure it'll be worse in Mexico so I'm just trying to get used to uncomfortable houses and dirty bathrooms and stuff. jaja missions are fun... Welp! I'll talk to you next Tues or perhaps at the airport if I get the special phone call this week. jaja have fun this week, be safe, work hard at school, read your scriptures, don't talk to strangers, and listen to your parents. You too mom and dad. Love you guys!!!!! Elder Florence