¡Conozca Mi Compañero Nuevo!

¡Hola Fonzfam!

Of course we got to start out with HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! Even with the ability to call home on a weekly basis, video calling on Mother's Day and being able to see all your faces again for the first time since Christmas was so special to me. I will have to say that I really enjoyed not being limited to just a 40 minute conversation, as I'm sure you are too haha! Thanks Fonzfam for the memorable time together in our last video call before we get to be reunited in person within the next five weeks!

With this being the first week of the transfer, I've been privileged to work side-by-side with my awesome new comoanio, Elder Vaquero. There could not be a better companion in the whole mission for me other than him! This last week has been so much fun as we've had so many good laughs already. Although he knows very little English, we are communicating just fine and so things are getting done as they need to be as we speand most of the time speaking Spanish.

I'm going to have to admit that not being in a leadership assignment this transfer has been pretty different over these last few days. It's definitely a lot quieter as it's mostly just Elder Vaquero and I. Again, we've been speaking mostly Spanish, which is helping me a ton, but I want to be able to help him. After five days of straight Spanish, we finally started to break up the day into different language parts. When we speak English I find it hard to speak it to him because I'm already so used to just speaking Spanish to him. I feel that at this point for me and this point for him, that learning English is far more benificial for him than Spanish for me. I know I'm going to learn what I'm going to learn, but for him there are so many more opportunities that will bless him as he conquers English.

We still have a lot of people we're teaching, and our finding as a mission(and Pacific North West) has been focused on quality over quantity. Which is a shift in how it's been for the majority of my time out here. The way we count a new person being taught requires more solidity from that person as at least 2 of the appointments need to go through. If not, they're just a person with interest. We're hoping to have some real solid candidates for baptism soon as we keep finding more to bring the gospel to.

Jose Ceja has made some good progress as he's down to one cigarette every other day! He's gone from a whole pack a day to where's at in only the last three months or so. Next to consistence church attendance, this is his hardest obstacle that could keep him from his baptism in June. The Castillo family is going to take some time still, but they're always super friendly and make time for us when we come over. The dad, Luis, is really busy providing for his family and taking care of his wife who is in the process of recovery from a nasty stroke more than a year ago that left her body almost immovable. Great family who will enjoy the blessings of the gospel as they read the scriptures and pray together at home.

Since Mother's Day is celebrated on Friday in Mexico, we wanted to bring some flowers as a surprise to Belen(the mom of the Castillo family) but her, Luis, husband texted us saying they would be out all day celebrating. Saturday we figured they'd be home so we went and got a nice bouquet and went to their apartment, but unfortunately, they weren't home and Luis wasn't answering his phone. After we had left and were some distance away, I got a distinct prompting to return to the complex where they lived. I made the next available turn and headed back. As we were pulling up to turn in, lo-and-behold the Castillo family was just pulling in right in front of us! We couldn't believe the exact timing of it. As they got out of their car, we got out of ours and greeted them with the bouquet. Belen's face lit up as we presented her Mother's Day flowers. I could tell that Luis appreciated this as well. It was such a tender mercy from the Spirit as we were able to do this service for them.

There is so much to be grateful for, there really is. There's this song we heard the other day that I thought a lot about, and maybe a few of you have heard it before too. But what it says is something like this, "What if trials were like raindrops, falling from the sky. All they really are, are blessings in disguise." I'm sure the lyrics would make more sense with the context of the song, but what I'm getting at is that even when we may be going through some hard times, those kinds of moments make us the strongest. It's through affliction and difficulty that we're able to become better, to become more.

D&C 58:3-4

"3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."

Keep strong in your struggle. Don't ever let up because you have a loving Heavenly Father on your side! This is my invitation to all of you and know you will see an infinite amount of blessings. I love you all, and I always will! Have an amazing week!

Con Amor,

Elder Fonnesbeck