TIME FLIES WHEN YOU LET IT

Oh, how the parental (paternal parental, at least) slackery continues . . .

This is a collection of August–September, so scroll down a bit, start reading up, and then enjoy eight weeks of time-lapse blog-ography:

28 September 2015 — A TRANSFER, A CHANGE

So I’m leaving my area of Jardín! I know, that was quick. I’m staying in Valle Hermoso, and I’ll now be in Valle Hermoso 2. I’m literally like 2 blocks from my old house and the ward meets in the same chapel, so it’s not that different. However, I’ll be going as a District Leader! Weird! Well, kind of. My companion and I are both going to be District Leaders, like mini zone leaders, I guess. I think it’s kind of like a training? We’ll see how it goes.

I’ll be with Elder Berry from Alpine, Utah! Yeah, my first American companion! After 13 months, my first Gentile! I’m interested to see how the companionship dynamic changes.

So Karla’s baptism happened by a miracle. We went in the morning to remind her what she needed, and she said “Don’t come and get me, we’ll go in the car”. As we turned to see the machine, we noticed a concerning lack of tires. She assured us that they were coming to replace them that very afternoon. So, with a large prayer in our hearts, we went about preparing the service. 7 o’clock rolled around, but Karla didn’t. Around 7:30, we decided to go look for her at her house (she doesn’t have a phone). As we got there, her husband was getting in the car. We informed him that his wife was supposed to get baptized that day, and he said “Shoot, I need her to run an errand with me right now.” Apparently she had forgotten to mention to her husband that all of her sins were going to be cleansed on the 26th of September, even though that had been the date for several weeks (her husband is really uninterested in our message). So what do we do? After a bit of discussion, we decided that they could go run their errand, and we would wait another half-hour or so. As we were walking back to the church, they found us in the car (which had, in fact, been repaired!) and gave us a ride to the church. When we pulled in, Mr. Karla said “Alright, well now that we’re here, how long is it going to take?” So we might have broken a record for the fastet baptismal serivce in history, or at least in the ward. Everything went well, she was confirmed yesterday, and has lots of new friends in the ward who aren’t going to let her fall. We’re really excited for her.

Love you guys! Watch General Conference this week! It’s going to be awesome (because it always is). God is going to answer your prayers and your questions. Go with questions so God can help you. We will be listening to living prophets with the same power and calling as Moses, Adam, Joseph Smith, Isaiah, and others we read about. That’s awesome! This is living scripture! Take part. Feel the Spirit.

Elder Webb

21 September 2015 — NO MORE BIKES

Well that kind of explains itself, I think. They called us about 18 hours after I shared with you all that they had sent me to an area with bicycles to tell us that we now no longer had bicycles. So now we’re walking to all our appointments. It’s ok, it’s still really pretty here. Well, it’s prettier than Reynosa. People aren’t exactly scrambling to come live here, but it’s a nice change.

This week we celebrated Mexican Independence Day! It was actually really fun. We went to a ward activity and watched lots of dances from lots of different regions in Mexico, sang some songs, shouted “¡Viva México!”, ate tamales, and had like 5 investigators come to the activity, which was awesome.

This week, we’re going to baptize Karla. She’s very prepared and we’re really excited for her. She really likes the Gospel and the church, and crazily, we found out her husband’s late grandma was (is) a member! She found a Book of Mormon, a hymn book and some books about the church in her house! The Good Shephard knows His sheep.

We’re also teaching María, whose Diabetes has left her blind and basically bed-ridden. It’s a really sad situation. She’s received a blessing, and we’ve taught her a little bit, but she doesn’t have a lot of support from her family. She has a baptismal date for the 10th of October, and we’re working hard so she can be prepared for that day.

I mentioned last week or two weeks ago my thoughts on the ever-approaching Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The iniquity we see in the world around us is a “sign of the times”, and things are only going to get worse as that great day comes nearer and nearer. How can we prepare ourselves for the things that are to come? I pray that we remember to ask Him “who knoweth all things”. Let us pray and ask God for comfort and guidance. Let us make Him our priority so that He will bless us. Let us learn to kneel before God so we can stand before men.

Thanks for letting me share these thoughts with you. I hope you take them to heart. Turn to God in your problems.

Élder Webb

14 September 2015 — FROM THE REFINERY TO THE GARDEN

That’s right, I got transferred! I’m no longer in Reynosa. I am now in the city of Valle Hermoso (beautiful valley). It’s known as the city of 3 lies because:

1. It’s not a city
2. It’s not a valley
3. It’s not that beautiful

I actually love it here already. Reynosa’s cool, but it’s a lot of buildings and dirt. Valle Hermoso is fantastically green. Splendid. 

For my last day in Reynosa, my companions took me out to tacos for lunch (¡delicioso!). An old woman came and started talking to us (weirdly common at this taco stand), and out of nowhere, she looked at me and said “Wow, you have really pretty eyes”, and she reached up AND TOUCHED BOTH OF MY EYES WITH HER OLD HAND. It was so surprising I only had time to close my eyes. What’s up with that? I don’t understand it. Viva México.

So now I’m here in Valle Hermoso in the area called “Jardín” or “Garden”. We have bikes! And the streets are made of an extra special kind of dirt, that, when mixed with rainwater, creates an excellent kind of glue that is perfect for getting stuck between missionaries’ bike frames. 

Valle Hermoso is the only place on the mission with bikes, and it’s taking some getting-used-to. I actually don’t feel like a missionary. It’s weird.

So I don’t know if you knew (I’m going to assume you didn’t and tell you anyway) that the Mexico City temple has been under renovations for the last little while (I actually have no idea how long). Anyway, they rededicated the temple yesterday, and we got to attend! That is, they broadcasted the rededication to probably all of Mexico, and we got to see it! It was great because we don’t have a temple in our mission, so I haven’t been able to go in over a year. We got to enjoy a temple spirit even so far away from any actual temple ordinance. Actually, that was the topic of Elder Holland’s talk there at the rededication. We can enjoy the blessings of the temple without being inside one. Actually, he said, our covenants take on much more significance when we are outside of the temple, because inside, there is very little temptation or risk of breaking these covenants we are making or remembering.

So, for the majority of the people to whom I am writing, are you going to the temple as often as your circumstances permit? I am not referring to your work or school schedule. Our closest temple here in Valle Hermoso is in Monterrey, about 5 hours away by bus. These humble people have to save up in a special fund to be able to have enough to go to Monterrey and back in just one day, just to go to the temple every 3 or 4 months. Are you taking advantage of the proximity of these blessings? Think about how many temples there are within 5 hours of your own home. From my house, that number reaches almost 20. Please go to the temple and get the work done for the people who are waiting for the Gospel on the other side.

Think before you pray. Try to have a real conversation with your Heavenly Father. He doesn’t want you to order blessings. He wants to hear how and why you want His help, and how and why you are grateful for the help He is offering you every day.

Also, I wish you could partake of the tacos here. I’m feeling it now, but YOLO, they’re freakin’ scrumptious.

Elder Webb

7 September 2015 — HAPPY PIRATES

Hey! We have a rat in our house! We don’t really know how, or where he lives, but every morning there’s more little poops on our counter (I bleached it this morning). He hasn’t eaten my Frosted Flakes yet, but he’s getting into our limes and our bread, so he’s gotta go. We bought rat traps (of the sticky variety) and found one in the house (of the actually dangerous, snappy, cartoon variety). This rodent will fall.

Regarding my subject line, my best friend here is a niño named Aarón. If you ask him how old he is, he says “dos”, but he holds up 5 fingers. His grandma actually says he’s almost 4. Anyway, we found a bandana and we were trying on different ways to wear it. I tied it around his head like a pirate, and he took off singing “Un pirata feliz” (“a happy pirate”) to the tune of “Happy Birthday”. 

So I’ve got 13 months! I’m probably going to stop counting, because it’s getting weird.

This week, I’ve got something of a warning. I hope that the Spirit will be with me as I share what I feel I need to. We don’t need to look far to find that the prophecies of the scriptures are coming true. The world is filled with natural disasters, wars, and rumors of wars, and a general disregard for the commandments of God. Jesus Christ is coming soon. Everything we are seeing was prophecied many years ago. Things are going to continue to get worse and worse as that great day approaches. Please prepare yourselves. Please repent today. If there are things you know you need to fix, don’t be lazy, don’t be idle. Do it, be better, and feel better. This is the truth. I want to see all of you when he comes. I want to be able to live with you forever and enjoy eternal life together. So get your stuff together! Just be happy.

Love you guys.

Élder Webb

31 August 2015 — AUGUST

This week went by really fast! Wow!

So our recent convert, Carlos, is 13 and started school this last week. We passed by to see him, and his mom told us that on the first day of school, they asked him what his favorite thing to do was, and he said “going to church”. I don’t know if you served a mission, but if you did, you know that’s probably the greatest thing you can hear as a missionary.

Also, perhaps you’ll remember that I mentioned Jairo last week? Well, he got baptized last Saturday! He’s really excited and his family is progressing, too. He invited his girlfriend to his confirmation yesterday, and she came! She said she liked it a lot, and we’re going to visit her tomorrow.

I studied the Atonement this week, and I was touched again by how truly perfect and infinite it is. If it were not for the Saviour, we would be subject only to the eternal law of justice because of our sins and our fallen, human nature. Because of our sins, death has a claim on us and our eternal future. That is why we need Jesus Christ. The only perfect being that has ever lived. The only sinless man upon whom death had no power. That is why he could save us. That is why we owe him everything, because thanks to him, death and Satan have no power over us. If we follow the commandments and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He will save us and apply the equally eternal law of mercy. He can forgive our sins and allow us to conquer death, and not only death but every injustice, failure, fault, weakness, pain, and sadness that we experience in this mortal existence. Humble yourselves before him, and be perfected in him. Let yourselves be bettered by obedience to his laws. He will never ask us to do something that isn’t for our benefit.

I love the Lord, and I love this Gospel.

Élder Webb

24 August 2015 — ADIOS

That’s not a farewell, it’s the subject of a story! People here have some pretty creative ways of getting rid of us, but I think my favorite is when they greet us by saying “Adios!” We’ll be walking by a house and, without the intention or any indication of wanting to actually stop and talk with them, we say “Good afternoon! How are you?” and we are answered with “Sí, sí, adios!”

Whatevs. We’ll get you next time.

We went to a party at the house of some recent converts and my favorite little boy (he calls me either “Papi” or “Big brother”) was describing the cake we were about to eat. He said “Look! It’s got grapes, and strawberries...” then he started to signal to the pineapples and peaches that were on the other side, but didn’t know what they were called, so he stuck with what he knew and said “and more grapes, and more strawberries!”

Their neighbor started talking to us (just to talk, really. She doesn’t want us to teach her), but she always refers to Jesus as “Papa Chuy”, which is a nickname here for the name “Jesús”. I wasn’t sure if that was disrespectful, but I thought it was charming.

There is a word here. That word is “brincacharcos”. It roughly translates to “puddle-jumper”, and refers perfectly to the length of practically all of my pantalones. I don’t know if I grew, or if Mexican washing machines are extra-shrinkerish, but I’m jumpin’ puddles all over the place, and it hasn’t rained.

On a related note, Mom, could you send me some more pants, por favor? 

We met an excellent young man this week. His name is “Jairo” and he loves the Gospel. He came to church with his brother yesterday, and already introduced us to his friend Jesús and wants his girlfriend to come to church with him. He’s got a baptismal date for the 5th of September. We’re starting to teach his family and his brother Ángel. We’re really excited to see them progress.

This week, I sat down and wrote my testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was really cool to see that I have a testimony of so many aspects of the Book of Mormon. Not just its teachings, or its restoration, but its history, application, divinity, universality, to name a few. It really is a book of God. Read it, ponder what it says, and pray to know if it’s true. If you pray with the true desire to know that it’s true, you will receive an answer from God. I know, because I did the same thing. God answered my prayer and I testify that the Book of Mormon is true.

Elder Webb

17 August 2015 — ANOTHER SOUL

Eduardo got baptized on Saturday! He asked his father-in-law to baptize him and it was a really beautiful service. His wife (recently baptized in April) spoke and bore a really sweet testimony. He’s really excited to change his life and live the Gospel faithfully. Them’s good people.

So we were explaining the triple combination of Scriptures to some recent converts, and we had mentioned what the books were, but someone got confused and said “What? The Book of Mormon, Doctrine of Covenants, and the Prince of Persia?”

Wow! Other than that, I think I’m out of stories. I wasn’t really good about writing things down this week so I know other things happened, but I don’t remember them.

We have been listening to a fantastic talk by Elder Holland about Salvation in which he answers the question “Why is this so hard?” (referring to salvation). We have taken to apply this to a great many things, including when it’s hot outside, when people don’t want to listen to us, or when Elder Webb tries to play a hymn for companionship study that he had never practiced before.

Check out Mosiah 2:41 for an awesome scripture. I love this scripture. It chastens, blesses, teaches, invites, and testifies all in the same declaration that this Gospel makes us happy! If you want to be happy, live the Gospel.

I love you guys. This week, try to say “can” more often than you say “can’t”.

Élder Webb

10 August 2015 — ONE TO GO

Hey! I don’t have a lot to say this week. The work is really slow right now. Eduardo is prepared and excited for his baptism this Saturday. We’re afraid they’re going to close the area. We’ve had some problems with the ward here. I’ll let you know next week.

Right now, four of us are living in a house that’s way too small. There’s only one room with air conditioning, so my companion and another missionary are on mattresses on the floor and I got the top bunk. Something really fun about being with people who are learning English is they like to practice it. So we had turned the lights off the other day and we were getting to sleep when Elder Cobaxin said “Pray for me”. Then my companion said “Will you shut up please?”, to which Elder Cobaxin responded “No thank you”

Good times.

The church is true! Live it! Don’t forget it!

Elder Webb

Here are some pictures of when I burned my one-year-shirt and the one I bought to compensate! 12 months, baby. Viva México.

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