Transferred!!

Hola,

Elder Fuell and Elder Luna

Wow, what a week, so much has happened since last talked to all of you.  The big news is I got transferred to the barrio Ixtla Paraiso.  I will miss Elder Luna. I am senior companion now, but I am in a new area and don't know the area or the investigators, so it is a little hard to lead.  Usually the person who is changing the areas arranges a ride from where all the missionaries meet in Tasquena to there new area.  But that didn't happen with my new companion so we went through the metro, which was extremely difficult with my baggage.  The area is great . . . well I think it is great, the members are really nice, and are happy to see the energy I have about missionary work, I hope that means lots of referrals.  The area has a ton of hills, a ton of hills, which is fine for me because I love the views. We are on the border of Mexico city, almost in the state of Mexico.  It is a little bit more ghetto than my last area, but I like it.

 

When I arrived at the house, it was thrashed, they had not cleaned it in three transfers and there was garbage all over the floor,( i am going to send you pictures of all the garbage) I asked my companion when the garbage man comes around and he said he had no Idea.  So we cleaned, all day long, because we will be moving to a different house on Monday. So that means I am on the phone constantly with the zone leaders and financial secretaries, which is not really my favorite thing to do.

 



Garbage (Bahaa!!)



My new companion is Elder Garcia, he has five more weeks in the mission and as frito as they come. (frito means fried but we use it for dead or lazy) When I tell him we need to work, he tells me he doesn't want to, which really gets under my skin. Then he tells me he doesn't like me, but I tell him I love him and I don't care if he doesn't like me.

 



All this new stuff is really hard for me, and has brought me to my knees more than any other moment in my life. However, I was reading the priesthood talk by President Uchtdorf about welfare. and he says when we come to a river in our life, don't wait for the water to pass. Build a bridge or a boat and get across it, so that is what I am trying to do. We will see how it goes.  I love you all.

 

Con muchismo Amor

Elder Joe Fuell

p.s. still no letters or packages yet, but I will let you know when they come in.



No Email this week from Joe!!

Hi everyone!!!  We just talked with Joe, I mean Elder Fuell, and it was totally awesome!!!!  We called on a speaker phone and sat around as a family and all talked with him.  His companion, Elder Luna, answered the phone so we talked with him a minute and then we talked with Joe.  He expects a call later tonight telling him he is being transferred to another part of the city.  His English was not good.  The kids were all laughing because he kept throwing in Spanish words.  David decided to lower his voice and say "hi Joe" and Joe was like "David????? Is that you...did you go through puberty?.......Wow?  He told about his Christmas eve and his plans for today.  His rules of his mission did not allow Skype, and the phone call could only be 40 min.  That's about the fastest 40 minutes ever!!!!

Each of the kids talked to Joe one on one.  That was really cool.  We love how close they are with each other.  Then we talked about his investigators and the fun he is having.  He said he absolutely loves Mexico City and the people there.  He said he is having a blast being a missionary for the church.  His final words made us all cry, but were particular things he was thinking of for each one of us. 

As parents of a missionary, and of Joe, we are so grateful for the opportunity that he has to serve an LDS mission.  He is learning so much, but most importantly he is serving the people of Mexico and sharing with them his testimony of Jesus Christ.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.....

Love,
The Fuells

ps....he also said that his next day when he can send an email will be next Saturday...

I love sharing this great message!!

Hola,

Things are great here in Mexico.  I love being a missionary and having the opportunity to share the gospel with others, It is such a great message.  You think people would be more receptive to hear our message in the holiday season, but everyone is too busy trying to "Prepare there homes, to receive Christ", and just like the story of the nativity, they don't let us in, not knowing how great a thing they had rejected.  In Mexico city, a lot of people work here or go to school here, but have family somewhere else, so right now there are a ton less people in the streets than normal.  But despite all of this, I will not lose faith.  Elder Luna said he was tired of my positivity and wanted me to cry with him (sarcasm, although there might have been some truth to his words) But we kept working and found this really great lady named Maria Rena.

Maria Rena was a freak contact in the streets, I don't even remember how it happened, it was just weird, but she invited us to her house and gave us some water, and we gave her a pamphlet of the plan of salvation.  Our next appointment, she told us how the pamphlet had resolved all her doubts and she almost cried when she was reading it.  So we made another appointment, taught about the Restoration and put a baptismal date.  She wanted to get baptized as soon as possible, so we put a baptismal date for Christmas and she agreed.  While she said the closing prayer, my companion and I both wept, because we knew that the lord had answered our prayers.  Elder Luna said he has never had a baptism so easy in his mission. . . . but then tragedy struck . . .  she wasn't able to make it to church on Sunday because she was really sick (glad she is feeling a little bit better today), so we wont be able to baptize her until the first, and one of us will be gone.  But I still consider it a huge miracle.

We got your package, and I received a card from Grandma Frei. Thank you, they both were awesome.  Hopefully I will receive the other stuff soon, I will let you know when they come in (and write letters personally to each and everyone of you telling you how much I love you). I loved the Christmas tree with all of your pictures, you all look way different.  I am a little scared to come home because I fear I wont recognize any of you.  Elder Luna loved his shirt and told me to thank you guys.(p.s. he really liked the shirt).

I don't know what else to talk about, but I am looking forward to talking with you all this Sunday.  We don't have any plans for Christmas eve or Christmas, just work.  I'm thinking it might be a little difficult, but we found a Buddhist this week, so maybe we can meet with him.  I love you all, you are in my prayers,

Con muchismo Amor,

Elder Joe Fuell

Earthquake!!!!

Hola,

It has been another great week here in Mexico,  We are working hard.  Yes, we felt the earthquake, it was crazy!! We were with a family who had a bunch of little kids and when it started shaking we got them all out of the house, they were all crying.  It felt like we were on a boat.  It was pretty wild. 

 

The temple was awesome, even in a different language, I loved it.  The Mexico City temple is really cool, it is different than others I have been to, Its now one of my new favorites.  It was really cool with all the missionaries.  I got to see Elder Poston, my companion in the MTC.  I hadn't seen him for about 5 months, and it was really cool, to catch up on all the cool experiences that we have had.

 

The work has been really hard.  This was a better week, but we still aren't seeing very many baptisms.  Elder Luna thinks the president is going to close this area after this transfer,  I hope not, I love this area.  We found a lot of new people this week,  We have been contacting like crazy but it is till difficult.  The president told me and my companion to be patient and diligent and we would have success.

 

I am glad to hear all of your basketball teams are doing well this year.  No I haven't received any packages, probably here soon.    I will call on the 25th, just let me know what time you want me to call, and the time difference between here and there. We have 45 minuets for the call.  I have church at 930, but other than that, we are still trying to figure out how to be productive Christmas day (because here everyone is drunk or will be hung over).

 

Today is the day of the virgin of Gaudalupe, which means that there were fireworks all night long, and there will be fireworks all night long tonight.  Which is fine for me, because I can sleep through it, but my companion is not a deep sleeper like me.

 

I put a baptismal date for one of our investigators on Saturday. Its not until January, and I might not be here, but I am happy that he accepted and is working towards baptism. 

I am glad to hear everything is going well, I love you all, I sent some pics, I don't know if you have these or not.

 

Con muchismo amor,

Elder Joe Fuell

And my favorite, "Nobodies home"-shouted from inside the house.

Hola,

It has been another great week here in Mexico.  I miss you all, but its all good.  It doesn't even feel like Christmas here, it feels like may, so i don't think it will be to weird working on Christmas.  It will be cool to call you, but I am not sure where from yet, because the president has to authorize it if we call from the church or from our phones or  from wherever.  Happy Birthday Dad.  It is crazy! It seems like it was just your birthday.  I hope it was a good one and hope everything goes well with your eyes.  (I hate eye surgery because the patient is looking at you the whole time).

I will hopefully send pics next week, but first I need to buy new batteries, and they are way expensive here, so I am saving up, I think I know a place where I can buy some this week.

This week was another really hard week, but it was better than last week, so I am happy.  We had a lot of really cool experiences finding new investigators this week, and we had a lot of funny rejections like "I don't believe in Jesus, I only believe in the Virgin", "I am moving to Germany", and my favorite "Nobodies home"-shouted from inside the house.

We went with one of our investigators this week and we had a really good lesson.  When we were about to leave, she said that she really likes it when we come and teach her about the gospel.  She paused, and then she started bawling and said "Its true, its true, I know its true", but her husband who is an alcoholic doesn't allow her to go to church.  So we told her to keep faith, pray, and follow the commandments, and the Lord will open a door for you, and I know the Lord will open a door for her. I don't know when she will be baptized, but I know she will be.

We also found an old investigator, who had been taught by the missionaries 9 years ago.  she couldn't be baptized because she couldn't stop smoking and drinking.  She said to us that she hasn't done any of that for 3 years now, and she wants to be baptized.  She has a lot of other problems, all health related, but we are trying to help her overcome them so she can attend the church.

In Mexico, there is no Santa.  The three wise men come and deliver presents to all the children, The little kids are always shocked when they here that the three wise men never came to my house.  One kid said, "wow, you must have been really bad".  But I like the three wise man idea, it helps me focus more on the Savior and His birth.  It really is an amazing thing. I love you all, I send you my love, and will send you my pics hopefully next week,

Con muchismo amor

Elder Joe Fuell


Ps....Don't forget to check out the picture of the month (Joe conversing with Ghandi-at the wax museum)