a short list

To my loving family and friends,

So this week I'm having a hard time writing anything, so I'm going to keep it short.
I have decided:
-I have a long way to go before I'm a missionary, but I'm making progress
-My companion is ...my personal trial, but I am overcoming it ha ha
-I'm sorry for not writting, I will soon
-I'm no longer sick
-I made a promise to never drink coke again if an investigator never drank coffe again

happiness is...

So first I want to testify that I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. It is the only path for true happiness. Let me explain my definition of happiness: happiness is not doing what you want when you want it, its not partying with friends and being crazy, its not anything we can obtain by ourselves... it is the time when you help some one who is having a hard time, and the time that you choose to do what is right when all you want to do is wrong. Happiness is that moment you are with your family and you can't help but smile because you know that you love them more than anything in the world. It is knowing that you can be together with them if you only follow the plan that God has given. ... that is all I have on that.  And I will never fully understand the word "happiness" until I have achieved my goals of being who I am intented to be; by praying with all my might, and doing all I can.

Alright, I have some shocking news that I would like to share... This last Wednesday, my companion Elder Trinidad, had emergency changes and he is now gone... I honestly have no idea why he had to go. But I miss him.  He was a good guy. Now I have a new companion: Elder Sanchez.  He is an ..... interesting guy.  He does speak english but doesn't want to talk english with me. Ha ha he is probably the hardest Elder so far to love and get along with but after a lot of thinking about it I figured out that instead of changing him I need to change and learn to adapt to him. With him, we are once again working hard. He told me that we could contact for one hour a day everyday or one whole day in the week ... I choose the first. While contacting people I found out something about myself that I thought I might share...The hardest thing for me to give to the Lord isn't two years, it's not music, or tv, or my life. The hardest thing for me to give-up is my fear.... I say I have faith but if so why am I afraid to talk to people?! Why am I afraid of teaching in lessons?! It's so hard to just forget the fear!! Does that mean I don't have faith!? Sometimes I question things ha ha...

So a little about my companion Elder Sanchez... at first look he is the textbook Elder with a comb-over and some big glasses. He is quiet most of the time, but then does something really loud and crazy. He talks in his sleep (which is scary at 2:30 in the morning when you don't know it is him) and is a really hard worker.  I'm learning a lot from him and am excited to become better.... I only need to learn to control my fear and have more faith.

So this last Saturday was my first baptism!!  And her name was Blanka! She is so Awesome! And we are teaching her sister and I think that she will except it soon! I was so nervous the morning before the baptism I practiced the prayer like a 100 or more times! So I was so so so nervous about the prayer it took me five times before I got it right!!! But it all worked out in the end. So it happened.

I got sick today and it's not so fun... but it's not too bad I guess.

pictures

girls

First I wanted to start off with my testimony and commit you all to do something (haha thats my inner missionary speaking)... first I want to say that I am a weak weak person after thinking of all the blessings I have--and then seeing that at even the slightest temptation I give in and say its too much to bear and that I have to, or need it, or just this one time. I know I won't ever be perfect, but why do I have to be so pathetic and so weak? It's in those moments that we see ourselves as we really are; that we realize that we need God. But there is a way to become stronger, to be better, that is giving up your pride and receiving humility. Humility is a hard gift to receive and even harder to keep. Most of the time we only receive it when something traumatic happens to us and there is no other way but than to have God do something about our problems. I am guilty of this but I'm going to be better.

So my story for this letter... ok, well now I'm in the city (a small one) and I'm encountering something that I have never seen on my mission... ha ha...girls are trying to kiss me !! They say it's how they say "hi" here but I'm not buying it! ha ha The first time this happened a girl leaned in and I was like "what?... oh maybe she wants to tell me something, but doesn't want anyone to hear." So I put my cheek/ear out and she started to look at me weird then she went for the kill and I hurried and pulled back and winced. Then a member ran and stopped the girl and explained that I was a missionary and that I was not supposed to do that. I said sorry like a billion times and said I was new. My companion thought that was pretty funny. haha. Ok thats all I have for today.  Next week I'll talk about the girl that can see dead people and her brother that can see the future. ha ha

Thank you everyone for being my friends thank you for being you.  I think about you a lot and iI hope to make you all proud!

Elder Cranford

counting my blessings

Hello foreigners,

First, can I say thank you to all the people that write me? It makes me happy and I get by a little better in the week.
aaron.cranford@myldsmail.net

So this last change I had Elder Martinez as my companion. The Lord gave us a ton of people to teach and we now have 5 dates for baptism in 4 days.

I left for another area today--I am in the zone Apisaco--and my area is Huamantla. I was given a companion that knows no English. So remember my first companion spoke a ton of English (and he didn’t like to help me learn Spanish), and my second companion spoke fairly good English but because I have not studied the language as well as I should my Spanish stinks. I can understand a lot, but speaking it is another beast. So I am hoping by the end of this change I will speak Spanish! My new companion is Elder Trinidad. I knew him in my previous district and he is really cool and super buff. He says that he will get me in shape before I am done here.

I’m sad that I left Ajalpan; I love my entire ward. But I’m excited for cooler weather so send me some prayers.

My testimony for this time is that no matter my problems, I know that I am not the first person to deal with them and I’m not going to be the last. I know that others have it much worse than I do and I should, instead of my usual way of complaining, be counting my blessings.

So… some things that I am thankful for are:

• The opportunities to be able to receive the promises of the Lord (as long as I stick to the plan)

• the power of repentance

• the peace and the understanding the gospel brings

• second chances

• family

• friends

• being born in America

• not being born in Mexico

• a washer and dryer

• air conditioning

• my ward

• pest control

• a language that I understand

• being alive

• being given the ability to change

I know that the Lord’s ways are perfect and we need to trust him to receive his blessings. I know that families can be together forever and when all things are said and done that is the only thing I want. I want to be who my future wife deserves. I want to be who I need to be for the people that need me in this life. I know the only way to be happy forever is with God. Please don’t be like me and only turn to God when we are in our darkest hour. He is the truth and the light.

Wow, ok that’s all I have for today. I hope you are all doing well and I want you all to e- mail me and yes I mean you...(this is the time you reflect and think if I meant you and yes I meant you (the person reading this)

Your friendly neighborhood spiritual ninja,

Elder Cranford

small update

Sorry that I haven’t really written in a long time--but now I’m repenting and giving an update ha ha. I have no time so just an update…


• I’m staying on my mission and I got things all worked out.

• I still have not gotten sick and have mastered (almost) my gag reflex

• I can speak almost 20 words of nawhat (I don’t know how to say it) it’s another language here in Ajalpan.

• We have four baptismal dates and we think another, but we’ll know this Sunday for sure about that. The sad thing is that I might not be here for it because we have changes before that.

• This next week Elder Bendar is coming to our area to give a talk and I’m stoked about that.

• I have a sweet tan.

• I love being a seminary teacher

Alright, this is all I’ve got for now, but next week I will have a big letter to entertain the hordes of people that read my updates ha ha

Small testimony
I know that no matter what problems we have, if we give them to the Lord we will have peace and there is not much more we can ask for. When much is given much is expected. I know that I can live with my family forever if I can control my carnal side… “the only control is self control”… I can’t remember who said that was but it was in this last conference and it was cool. I will become who I can become, I will reach my potential at all costs.

Look up Ether 12:27 what it’s all about

Elder Cranford

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