Week 13 - Baptisms, Interventions, and Scorpions

¿Qué pasó?

Tenemos dos bautismos esta semana pasada!

So yeah our investigators, Judith and Alexandra were baptized this past week! Elder Hodge and I found Judith while knocking doors my third week here and I baptized her on Saturday! Alexandra is 8 years old and she lives with her aunt who is a member. It was super awesome and everyone had a great time!

Tuesday and Wednesday we had exchanges, so I was with Elder Martinez for a bit and we had a lesson with a member about how she needs to baptize her kid because all her other kids are  and she is putting it off for no reason. The bishop even told us to sit her down and pretty much have an intervention with her. So that's what we did and now she really isn't to happy with us, but hey it's her choice to postpone the salvation of her kid.

Thursday we had service with a member and prosd (proselyted) for a bit. Nothing super exciting happened Thursday

Friday we went to the mission office and the mission home! They told us on our first day that we wouldn't be back  to the mission home until our last day in the mission field for our "Last Supper", which is the final meal we will have in the mission, but being the person I am, I totally went back before the end of these two years. So you know #SavageElderLawson

We then had service at the bishops house and tore down drywall and patched some holes. Also! I ate a lollipop this week that had a scorpion inside it. It was so nasty, but hey I ate a scorpion!

Saturday we had our baptisms! Tons of people came and I was super nervous to baptize Judith, but everything worked out perfectly! And I didn't fall in with her or anything super embarrassing like that. Looking at you dad.

Sunday the ward had another baptism and a girl opened her mission call afterwards and dang the memories were intense. She is going to a visitor center mission in Mexico City at the temple, so it was super cool! All of us missionaries were super pumped and reminiscing super hardcore.

Then today a guy in Wal-Mart walked up to us and tried to speak in tongues to us. That was awkward for everyone involved. Especially because no one had any idea what he was doing.

This week was pretty fuego all-around.

Hasta proxima semana!
Elder Lawson

Pictures:
1. We had four total baptisms on Saturday!
2. Also Elder Hodge showed up from Kingman, AZ.
3. Alexandra and ya boy. Also if you look closely at my arm you can see the effect of trying to skate after not skateboarding for a year.

 

Week 12 - Seventies, Judith, And A New Companion

Fun Fact Everybody!

So today is May 22nd, which means I have officially been out for 3 months as of today!

So yeah that's pretty cool.

This week has been legit. First off guess who has two baptisms this Saturday! But first we start with Tuesday...

So Tuesday morning we go to the chapel on Viking St. and all the missionaries are there. So I say bye to Hodge and all of them leave in a van to go out-of-valley and I meet Elder Diaz my new companion. He is from Idaho, but also knows Spanish because he was born in Mexico. We went home and he unpacked and we went on our way to teach and preach and work as missionaries do.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty slow with just tracting all day, except for lessons every now and then, but Friday!

Friday we helped the Bishop's wife clean up some stuff around their house in preparation for one of the Seventy, who came this week and stayed in their house for Stake Conference and a special meeting with the Montebello Ward! It was Elder Cordon who came and he spoke in General Conference this past April.

Afterwards we went to Judith's house to have a lesson with her. We have been teaching her for about a month and we set up a time for her baptismal interview and she was super excited for that.

Saturday we had a baptismal interview for another investigator! Her name is Alexandra and she is 8 years old. Her Great-aunt is a member and she lives with her. So we taught her everything in like a week and a half and now she is getting baptized Saturday as well!

And yeah that was week 12...

Until next week!
Elder Lawson

Pictures:
1. We found the actual street of Montebello!
2. What did you say my father smelled of?
3. The thermostat of our car the other day!

 

Week 11 #2 - Transfers, Scammers, and Mother's Day

Ayee what's good!

So fun fact! Last week was actually week 10 and not week 11. Clearly public school did not teach me how to count properly, but oh well. So welcome to week 11 #2!

So Tuesday right? We are tracting and this house down the street is absolutely bumping it (playing music really loud). Of course we decide to go see what's up. I knew it was going to be insane when we walked up and a guy runs out to us and immediately gives both of us a hug and asks us if we were blazing it...

I had the wonderful opportunity to explain that as missionaries we in fact were not into smoking "that good stuff" and were there to talk about Jesus. He was very excited by this and started a 20 minute rant about being saved, smoking a blunt on the daily, the illuminati and a few other conspiracy theories. We ended up leaving after telling him we would be back on Thursday to hear more and to further be enlightened. We didn't go back.

Wednesday was even more interesting when halfway through our lesson with Guadalupe, these two 23 year-old looking guys in reflector vests came and stole her away saying that they were from the county. After realizing midway through our conversation with them that they were scammers, we then did everything to interrupt the ensuing meeting they tried to have with Guadalupe. They left after 5 minutes, but only after trying to undermine us first and talk to us like we were 6. It was nice.

Thursday we had a meeting with the mission president and all the trainers and trainees who came out of the MTC with me. It was just for some trainings and to see how we liked everything. Afterwards we got In-n-Out, so I was pretty excited about that.

Friday was normal missionary work.

But Saturday! We found out about transfers for tomorrow! Elder Hodge is going out-of-valley to Kingman, AZ. to his first English ward and I am staying in Montebello East and getting Elder Diaz as my companion. He is from Mexico, so I'm hoping to hardcore improve the Spanish this transfer.

Later we had a drunk guy angrily yell at Elder Hodge, "I AM JESUS CHRIST!". That was pretty lit. Also his friend had just gotten out of 10 years of prison for killing someone, so that was nice.

Later we had a ward fiesta and one of our investigators came with us!

And yesterday was Mother's Day! Which means I got to talk to my family! That was probably one of the best hours of my life because my family is pretty freaking cool, so it's pretty great to meet with them for a bit. Especially after not seeing them. Also I saw my dog! She is pretty cool as well.

Also I learned that my high school graduation was on Saturday night! I am officially a high school graduate! I'll get a picture of me holding my diploma for everyone in about 21 months, so definitely be listo for that

Until la proxima semana!
Elder Lawson

P.s. The pictures are of Elder Hodge and I eating our corn and Mexican snow cone from the Elote guys on the streets and then a picture from the meeting on Thursday

Week 11 - Acid, Interviews, and Steven from Ross

Bueno,

*That's how some Hispanics answer the phone*

Esta semana, no mucho pasado. Thats actually a lie, quite a bit happened; but now it all is so normal that I need something outrageous to phase me. At least that's what I think now at week 10. It will probably change.

Anyways Monday finished with the 4 Elders in our Barrio(Ward) making Carneasada. It was so very bien and then we went to a doctors appointment for Elder Hodge. Tuesday  was then the next day(No surprise?) and our dinner dropped us. So we used our Fun Fund, which is a stash of left-over money in our car that we slowly build up, to buy pizza for dinner. We ate it in the car like pro's. Afterwards we taught an enfermo Restoration lesson to our investigator Zyra. She is about to graduate and her mom hates Mormons, so that is pretty fun! We then painted a room of a member's house! That ended up being super messy...

Wednesday ! We had interviews with our Mission President and his wife! That was awesome getting to talk to both of them. I later gave a district training over using scriptures in lessons and the Zone Leaders sat in on that. They said they really liked it, so I guess the current Assistants to the President better watch out! Jk, I like the sleep I get each night and lack of 10 million responsibilities that I have as District Monkey. Later we talked to a guy who admitted that he was tripping on acid at that current moment. He is now a new investigator! We will see where that eventually goes.

Thursday we had exchanges and I got paired with Elder Martinez. He is Elder Dillenders current companion. He is from México, so fluent Spanish definitely helped out with my accent problems. We taught a few lessons and had a good time together.

Friday exchanges ended and Elder Hodge and I went on splits. I went with Hermano Corona and ended up teaching the restoration all by myself in terrible Spanish! Our investigators, the Lemus family, seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

Saturday was pretty good. We cleaned our house pretty hardcore because the condo owners came by later to fix a broken lock. They were really cool and said absolutely nothing about the house. They were very proud of us for changing the air filters though. Apparently other missionaries cannot?

Sunday we had 6 investigators at church! I had to teach gospel principles class on the spot and all in Español. I think I actually did a decent job! Then we tracted and taught a guy who was super high. He pulled out an Aloe plant during the lesson and started putting it on the burn he got from trying to light is Marijuana device...yeah his bong...Anyways we are going back there sometime this week!

Today Elder Hodge cut mi pelo and then we went to many thrift shops and stores. We go to Ross each Monday to say hi to Steven. He is the socially awkward security guard who welcomes everyone to Ross. Sadly he was not there this week, so that was a bit disappointing. We like Steven a lot.

Fun fact about our ward! The 1st Counselor is a white guy with blonde hair and blue eyes, who learned Spanish on his mission and ended up marrying a Mexican lady afterwards! She doesn't know any English and  they and their kids only speak Spanish in their home. His name is Hermano Pace. He is a wonderful example of Returned Spanish-language Missionary goals here in Vegas. We like him a lot too.

So like last week, this week was pretty awesome too! Our first transfer is almost over which means I have been here six weeks! It's been pretty lit here in Vegas and it just keeps getting better and better. I'll talk to you guys again next week!

Stay thirsty my friends(for the gospel),

Elder Lawson

P.s. the pictures are pretty weak this semana porque no usé my camera at all. Lo siento pero aqui es un fotografía that shows the temperature in our car one day and un otra from last week

Week 10 - Fish Soup, Fútbol, and Baptisms!!

Hey youuu guyssss!

^^Goonies Reference^^

So it's Monday right? We get done with our weekly emails and fun adventures to the Goodwill and Mexican Bakery, then it's back to Proselyting. So a few days before we promised Hermano Solis (Our favorite 64 year-old single Mexican amigo) that we would stop by and eat his famous (not for a good reason) fish soup. Being the awesome missionaries we are, we invited Elder Martinez and Elder Dillender to join us in this crusade. We all met at his house and Solis presented us all with a huge bowl of fish soup. Here is what the soup was comprised of: a whole crab, assorted fish, shrimp, potatoes?, clams, more assorted fish, and lastly the fish bones.

We had a wonderful time chewing through the soup and making sure that we didn't swallow any bones or shells to anything. When asked if we wanted seconds we quickly explained how full we were and would totally have more if we had room enough.

Tuesday we met with Arturo again. He is the guy supposedly being hunted by Communist from Honduras. We taught him the restoration and he puffed smoke in our face the entire tIme from his cigarette. It was so great! Also pretty nasty...

Then we reprimanded a member of the church for not taking her kids to church and not letting her son, Diego, be baptized. She said she had to talk to the kids step-dad about letting the kids be baptized. The step-father does a ton of hard drugs and terrible things. It sucks a lot seeing those kids because their parents just expose them to so much stuff so young. It really makes me grateful for my parents and how good they are to me. Shout out to the padres for being awesome!

Wednesday we had exchanges and I got paired with Elder Bala. He is from the Philippines. Their area doesn't have a car so we biked around all day. We volunteered at The Salvation Army too. We made lunch for homeless people and gave it out to them. Some were really humble about their situation and others....still super prideful.

Thursday exchanges ended and we met a man named Ernesto who has a giant sign about Jesus in his front yard. He is a nice man and gave us soda. He said we could come back whenever we wanted. Later I got paired with Elder Martinez for an hour. We played soccer with the kids in the ward. And I scored a goal! So I guess I might just be better than Mexicans at soccer.

Friday we helped our downstairs neighbors move out. They fed us lunch and gave us a practically all their food in their refrigerator. Guess who doesn't have to shop this week! Also they gave us this sick giant felt picture of a Leopard. It's so ugly but so good. We have it hanging in our room now.

Later we returned to Diego's house and to our surprise his mom said he could be baptized! So Saturday started out with us interviewing Diego. Then we had lessons and prepared for the baptism! So Diego joined another investigator, Kevin, that night. Kevin is the other Elders investigator. He is from Honduras and grew up practically on the streets without parents. Three months ago he got tired of living there and with no money or anything, he walked and hitched rides from Honduras to the United States. He hoped the fence from Mexico to the U.S. and got caught by Border Patrol. They sent him to live with his aunt and uncle here in Vegas because it is safer for him here. After his and Diego's baptism, Kevin's aunt and uncle invited all the missionaries over for Carneasada! Kevin had an emotional time because all of it was the first thing that anyone had ever done for him. That was pretty humbling to hear.

Sunday we had 10 investigators at church! Last Sunday we had 2, so we have improved! Kevin and Diego we confirmed and we had a super awesome day seeing everyone there!

Today we cleaned our apartment and went to a part of the city where they paint murals on the walls of buildings! The murals change every few months so there is always something cool to see. That part of town is pretty nasty though so we don't go there often. There is trash everywhere and homeless people sleeping under bushes and places. It was pretty nasty.

I got a sick Las Vegas shirt at Deseret Industries! I have been wanting a Las Vegas shirt very so much and hopefully I can aquire about 7 more over these next two years. Elder Dillender and I had a lovely lunch date at Del Taco, while the other Elders went to Goodwill for whatever reason.

We have been teaching the Murrillo family and they are all super solid. We have dates for all of them in June and I really hope they continue to read and pray. They love when we come over and actually invited us over for dinner yesterday for their dog's birthday. Sadly we already had a dinner scheduled...

We have been getting really close with the members and investigators here recently and they all seem to love us which is super good!

Anyways that's all that really happened this last week, but maybe this next week va traer más interesantes cosas

Until next week!

Elder Lawson

More Pictures!!