trust in the Lord

Ok, I’m back and I’m ready to write you all the amazing adventures of your favorite missionary (it might not be true, but it is to me) So a lot has gone on in the armpit of the world I like to call Mexico. But first, let me introduce you to my new companion: His name in Elder Martinez and he is a pretty cool dude. He is as you guessed... white… ok, no he is Mexican. He has 14 months out here in the war for souls. He loves Naruto or anything Manga (for people that might not know what that is, it’s like comics--but cooler) He has memorized, let me repeat, memorized songs from Naruto (which are all in Japanese) and all in all he is a really cool guy. Except that he knows little to no English. Yes, God loves me enough to give me trials.


So this last week has been the easiest week so far. My companion doesn’t really like to do a lot and I have no idea what to do. We have literally not taught a single lesson this entire week (unless you count seminary which is at 5:30 in the morning everyday and like a mile and a half away). I will take some of the blame because I don’t know my area; before I just followed Elder Ortiz, my previous companion. I know that I need to get him to start working, and it is not that I don’t think that he can work, he just needs a push. But I won’t lie, I have liked the break from talking to so many people that really don’t want to hear us and people getting mad at me for not knowing Spanish and asking me why I’m here if I don’t know there language. (Usually that’s when I tell them they will go to hell unless they repent... ha ha, ok not really)

Oh and the baptism fell through and I’ll tell you why. . . God was not happy with me and my companion. Let me explain. So while we were teaching our neighbor (and he was excepting all that we were teaching) we set the date to be baptized, he first needed to be married. To be married here you first need to get blood tests which cost 400 pesos per person; so 800 pesos for the two of them… and then 1000 pesos to actually get married. They had the 1000 pesos to get married but didn’t have money for the tests. Me and my companion really wanted him to be baptized and we happened to have an emergency stash of …you guessed it… 800 pesos. So we concocted the plan to give the bishop the money to give to them so they could get married and we could have a baptism. Not a good idea--long story short they did get married but he decided that he didn’t need to be baptized. So, I learned a lesson. First never try and buy a baptism—it’s wrong. And, I need to trust in the Lord more and not try and take things into my own clumsy hands.

That’s all I have time for today, but tune in next week and I’ll let you know if I can get off my butt and put my shoulder to the wheel.
The way too honest missionary,
Elder Aaron Cranford