Crazy week!!

Hola,

Joe Bowling with his District

It has been a joke between me and Elder Carver, every time something crazy happens, we say that is just another thing we have to write home about.  And this week there is a ton of stuff so I hope I have time to write everything because it was a very eventful week.  First off they made the announcement that our mission is going to be divided into three missions in July.  It wont effect me but it is just crazy to see the work moving forward.  In July they will be creating 8 new missions here in Mexico City.  When President Valadez was a missionary here 30 years ago there where only 8 missions in all of Mexico!  It is just crazy!!!  They needed to do it for all the new missionaries that are coming.  In fact, this next change we will be receiving 30 new missionaries!  The Lord is really accelerating his work.

 

We were walking in the street the other day and we heard a voice behind us that said "Y'all talk English".  It was Julie our new investigator from Maryland.  She has been living down here for 4 years since her husband got deported (she didn't even know he was illegal) and almost doesn't speak any Spanish. She said that she wanted to get closer to God but didn't know how.  She is Baptist, or at least that is what her mom told her.  I didn't think it would be so hard to teach in English but it has been quite a challenge. She has two kids, Joseph (4 years) and Kaylan (2 years) and they are very rambunctious!  They speak a little bit of English and a little bit of Spanish but really not that much of either.

 

We invited her to come to church and she came.  She was scared to comes because she thought she was going to burst into flames when she walked into the church but she came anyway.  My companion and I were really glad they came.  I was worried that the kids wouldn't like to sit very long, cause when we have went to teach her they kept running out in front of cars or falling down 3 flights of stairs, but it was amazing how they just sat there reverently through the whole sacrament.

 

While we were all sitting there in the sacrament meeting Julie just started bawling.  We didn't really understand why because she didn't even really understand anything anyone was saying but she said that she had a feeling really good in her whole body and just started to cry and didn't even know why.  Her kids went to primary and she loved that.  She said she will definitely be coming back next week.  She also wants to be baptized, and we will be having the baptism the last week of March.

 

We also had an amazing experience with a family we found.  The dad is Pedro and the Mom is Raquel.  They where a referral from another Investigator that we had.  They are just great people.  They work super hard, but they re-arranged their whole schedule just so they could have time to listen to us.  They said that they have never accepted someone in their home to talk about God before.  They usually just turn them all away and say "we are catholic" even though they never go to church.

 

We felt the spirit strongly as we entered their humble home and we felt their sincere desire to follow Christ.  They have had a lot of problems in their life, especially Pedro with Alcoholism, but he has had 2 months without drinking right now.  Which is quite the accomplishment.  We were kind of hesitant to put a baptismal date with them for one reason or another but we did and they accepted.  They couldn't come to church this week but really want to come and will be coming the next week!  The coolest part of the whole lesson was the closing prayer.  We taught them how to pray and we invited Pedro to say the prayer with us all kneeling.  It was amazing!!!!  His prayer was simple and sincere like a child and we were all just crying.  It was just amazing.  I am super grateful the Lord allowed us to go there and teach them this message.

 

We also had a crazy incident with my companion Saturday night.  We were teaching one of our investigators, Jesus, in the street because he is this old guy who sits outside his home and sells candies.  But while we were teaching Elder Carver got all dizzy and fell to the ground.  While he was on the ground  his face was super pail and he said that his arms were  falling asleep like when you sleep on your arm,  I made him put his feet up so the blood would run to his head and Jesus gave him some gum, but that was about the only thing he did to help because he was just panicking.  I called Hermana Valadez because she was a nurse and she said take him to the nearest pharmacy.  So I picked him up and took him there.  Thankfully it was just around the corner, and there was a doctor there who attended us.  He had a stomach infection and very low blood pressure.  So I bought some medications and took him to the house.  She said that we didn't need to take him to the hospital and that he would be fine with the medication.  We walked home but I had to keep him from falling the whole time.

 

When we got home he still had a bunch of pain in his stomach and he said he felt like he needed to throw up.  I told him to just throw up then, but he didn't want too and fought it for about half an hour until it just came up.  He made it half way to the bathroom before it projected from his mouth.  He put his hand over his mouth to stop it, but it came out with such force that it just sprayed everything, the ceiling and the floor and everything in between.  It was the worse day to throw up to because at every lesson we had been too, they gave us food to eat, so it was a ton.  And it was disgusting!!!! So we cleaned it all up. Now he is a lot better, taking his medications.  So it was quite the week!!  We also gave a blessing almost every day. I am so grateful that I have the priesthood to bless the live of others and the spirit that can help us know what to do when situations get crazy.  I am glad to hear that you are all doing well  and I love you all a ton.

 

Con Muchísimo Amor,

Elder Joe Fuell

I am officially an American-Mexican immigrant!

Hola, 

It has been a great week here in Mexico, My fingers are a little cold and so I hope it wont take me too long to type this letter, my hands are moving really slow. Ja Ja (Ha ha in spanish)

First off . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  That is so cool that you were born just a few years ago on this coming Friday,  I hope you have a great Birthday, I sent you a card I hope you receive it soon.

A lot happened this week,  number one, I am no longer an illegal immigrant to Mexico,  I don't think you guys knew, but there where a lot of problems with the visas of the people who came down to Mexico with me.  We really had to keep it on the down low so that we wouldn't get deported ja ja.  But now I am officially an American-Mexican immigrant!  We had to go downtown almost all day signing papers.  It was pretty boring but really cool, because all of my buddies from the MTC were there and we got to talk about all our experiences.  It was pretty cool.

I also got super sick this week, I don't think I have ever been so sick in my life,  I couldn't even stand up, and every time I did I was running to the bathroom to throw up,  I have never been sick in Mexico.  We don't really know what it was because my companion and I ate all the same things,  but I think it were some hot dogs that a sister in the ward gave us. . .  that was kind of bummy.  But the members of the ward really took care of me, they brought me chicken noodle soup, and that was good.   And then some other Elders heard I was sick, so they brought me a pizza, and it was good too but really didn't help out to much ja ja.  I even tried working hard that day, because we had a lot of appointments, but I threw up 4 times in my personal study and so we called the President and he said it was better to stay home.  I am feeling a lot better now and working super hard.

The Pope´s resignation has really affected the work.  A lot of people were disillusioned by that and are listing to us.  Sergio who was a catholic missionary was really affected by that and since then he has been reading the Book of Mormon every day.  We will have to see where that takes him.  He's a great guy no matter what he decides.

We had camibios (companion changes) but me and Elder Carver didn't change.  This  next cambio is only going to be for 4 weeks.

That's cool that you are painting the house.  That is always fun.  I have done that a ton here.  We are going to do it in two weeks in our new apartment which is right above our old apartment. and the other Elderes are going to live in our old apartment so that should be fun.

That would be awesome if the Jeppsons were at the airport too.  You know they're family to me.  Glad to hear that you are all doing well and having an awesome time.  Love you all a ton.

Con Muchísimo Amor,

Elder Joe Fuell

We were in the right place at the right time!!

Hola,

It has been a great week here and there has been a lot of work.  A LOT!!  So much that every night I have to stay up until 11:30 just doing all of our paper work in the area book.  But there are worse things ja ja! Better a lot of work than nothing. I am taking advantage of my preparation day to catch up on sleep, because I don't function very well on little sleep.

 

This week we were in the right place at the right time.  It seemed like every appointment we went to the investigator had just been confronted by family for listening to us or had a fight with their spouse or things like that.  One family of menos activos(less actives) just had their roof fall in on them.  They had already moved everything out but, they still needed the emotional support.  That picture is of Elder Carver and I in their house where the ceiling fell through.

 

Huge miracle!! We found a way for Jessica and her husband to get married so we will probably be taking them to get married this week, so that is going to be super awesome.  I am excited for that.

 

We found a lot of new investigators this week, one is Alfonso. He paints motor cycles and he is super good at it.  He paints them and then sends them all over the world to China and Daytona and all of that.  We had a great  lesson with him in which the spirit was really strong, we challenged him to pray and ask if the Church was true.  His wife has been a member for 18 years. and he has listened to lots of missionaries, but never prayed to know if what we are teaching is the truth.  Sunday his wife came up to us and told us that he prayed right after we left and had a very strong impression that the church is true and that he should be baptized.  That is pretty cool.  I am so glad that God answers prayers.

 

We are also teaching some Messianic Jews right now.  It is kind of interesting because they are Jews who believe that Jesus was the Christ, but they are really interested in the book of Mormon,  That is cool too.

 

Not much more going on here, other than work, work work.  Lots of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done.  But we will do our best and the Lord will help us. Glad to hear that you are all doing well.  Dad stop playing ball with dumb people who come under you.  You are all in my prayers.

 

Con Muchísimo Amor,

Elder Joe Fuell

 



Eating breakfast with Elder Carver




Zone Meeting



 

 

 

These last 3 months are going to be the best months of my mission

Hola,

It has been a great week here in Mexico and a lot of awesome cool stuff happened this week.  First Elder Nelson from the Quorum of the Twelve came to talk with us.  He was here to talk to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) here in Mexico and 50 missionaries from our mission where invited.  It was so cool to hear an apostle of the Lord and the spirit was really strong.  The church is making a new MTC out of an old church high school here in Mexico!!!  Elder Nelson said all of the missionaries who go to Mexico or Latin America or Canada will go to this MTC and it is going to be really big. One of the biggest, if not the biggest in the world.  Six of the twelve apostles were here for that announcement.

 

I had a great week with my companion! We worked super hard and we had a lot of fun.  We are really learning to work together which has been way awesome.  I am glad to hear that you are all doing well it sounds like you are all having a super fun time.

 

Julio has been doing great!  He has been a faithful member of the church since his baptism,  I am a little worried about his other foot because it is infected and If it doesn't get any better he might lose it so please keep him in your prayers. But whatever happens it will be for the best, I know it and he knows it and we are not losing faith or hope.

 

One of our investigators Jessica wants to get baptized so bad but doesn't have the money to get married. However, I woke up this morning with a feeling like she is going to get baptized this week. I am not exactly how, but I feel like it will happen.  So I will keep you posted on that.

 

I cant believe that there are no longer Twinkies in the United States.  I was pretty upset when I heard that . . . 

A new shirt would be great for my birthday and a new journal too.  I think I might run out of paper in the next couple of weeks due to the fact I have been writing more in my journal.

 

We had a conference of the leaders of the mission this last week, and an Elder said to me, "your time, (my hey day) in the mission is over".  I thought about that a lot and it bothered me a ton and I couldn't really sleep because I was thinking about it so much.  But I think it is not going to be like that.  These last 3 months are going to be the best months of my mission in every aspect, not for him or anyone else but for the Lord and myself.  So these last couple months are going to be a blast.

 

I love you all thanks for the letter,  I hope you all have a great week.

 

Love Elder Joe Fuell