Week 42: It's Raining, It's Pouring ... No, Wait, That's Me!

8 6 7 5 3 0 niiine.....That song just came into my head as i was thinking about what i should write haha 

Can i just say it been SOOOO HOOOOTTTT here? I have sweated more than i have in my life i swear. 

So like a couple days ago in the morning we had a cita up in the mountains. So we go and start our dreadful ascend up the mountain. In pictures you just cant imagine whats it like. It took about 30 minutes from the bottom until half way up.  By then it was like sweat just flowlying freely from my pours. Then we had to slowly climb in the street to the members house. It was like a water hose flowly out of my pours. I honestly have never sweated like that in my entire life! haha It was the worst. 

My pants were all dark from the sweat and my tie was starting to drip with sweat. haha im not even kidding. And what is it..Pretty much Octubre? Theres streets that lead up the mountain just to let you know but the incline is about 70 degrees and cars have trouble going up. 

Enough about my dreadful experience with the heat and mountains. By the way im just sitting here sweat while i write. 

Anyways this week was pretty good. We had some good lessons. We are teaching some couple named Julian and Lucero. Julian is a less active member and his girlfriend is not a member. Shes pregnant and is due on the 7 of octubre. They are a cool couple. They live right off of the stairs of hell. Just about half way up next to the stairs. We are trying to help them get married so she can get baptized. He is like president of his colonia or like nieghborhood. So he spends a lot of time with goverment stuff in his colonia.

With them i used a scripture that i thought i would never use in my mission. Its in 4 Nefi 1:14 or around there. It say ¨Se casaban y se daban en matrimonio y fueron bendicidos con la multitud de promesas que el señor les habia hecho¨  They really like that and i testified of how the relationship between a couple is even stronger and better when based in the gospel and when the are married the lord blesses their marriage just for the fact of being married. But still have to complete with their own duties. 

In one of the lessons we had this week. We were teaching the restoration, joseph smith and the book of mormon. And while we were teaching all of the sudden i remembered when i went to efy there at Kirtland ohio. And how i had visited all the early church sites and how i felt the spirit there and when i gained my testimony about Joseph Smith. 

I had the spirit re affirmed my testimony about those things and i shared my testimony with the Recent Convert that we were teaching. Didnt seem like it effected her really but it strengthen my testimony again thats for sure! It was really good to have that. 

So at church yesterday. Well they are pretty slow at getting everything ready here. The Sacrament wasnt set up until 9 15 when church was supposed to start at 9. And it is a little dis organized here. We got to change that here. But the president of the branch after the sacrament all of the sudden asked me to share something with the Branch. HE didnt tell me anything about that or that he wanted me to say something. 

So i stand up button one button on my suit ( thats the style, learn from me) and walk up to the stand. I just told them my name where im from and that im excited to work with them. Then i shared my testimony for like 5 minutes. I was kinda nervous becuase theres like 80 people here compared to Soto La Marina with 30 haha. 

Well that was my week. 

I love you all.

Love,

Elder McNamara

Week 41: Climbing Beastly Stairs and Making Baptismal Challenges!

This week in the Huesteca zone. Oh yeah, It was fun and its fun here in this area. Just one problem. There are a ton of mountains! Our area is small but we have two mountains in our area that we have to climb every day! My legs are about dying every day haha  we didnt walk that much in soto la marina. 

Hopefully i dont really sound like a girl when i say this but the scencery (however you spell it) its beautiful! The top of our house you can see the 2 mountains and at night the houses obviously have there lights on and it looks so COOL!

 

In our rama, which i dont know why its a branch but it has 90 people that go ever sunday which is a ton. And there are 6 missionaries in this branch, well really 7 with a pair of sister missionaries. they are in a trio.

yesterday (was) district conference and president Jordan came and spoke. IT was packed!! All the branches from this area went and there was a ton of people. President Jordan spoke about tithing and spoke pretty direct and strong. He told them that this will be the last time he wants to talk about tithing with them. Then he said "El señor no necesita sus tristes pesos!" in english its the Lord doesnt need your sad pesos. It was so funny! All the missionaries were trying not to laugh but the members werent.

 

So in this area we dont have that many members. there is just one active member family and only a few less actives. And we have like 2 investigators. One of them is named Lili. She is with ganas.  We taught her on friday and the lession was full of the spirit. We just talked about the Book of Mormon and how its important to read it to have a testimony about it. She is having a hard time right now with her husdband. for some things or another there are getting a divorce and she has 2 little girls, which by the way are the cuttest things ever!! They always say Los Elderes!! Its cute. then after the lesson we walked with her back to her house and i started to have races with her little girl. Shes about 3. Its was cute. 

Then we taught her on saturaday and holy cow the spirit was even stronger in this lession! She read 2 Nephi 31 all about baptism. So we focused ourselfs in bapstism. I cant say or explain it but the spirit was so strong the whole lesson. I was going to invite her to be baptized but i didnt know when!!! I was so mad at myself. My comp kept going in cicrles to give me the chance to do it but i didnt....so he invited her and she said yes!! For the 26 of october. 

And she went to church yesterday!! My comp and i were waiting there in the sacrament room and we started to sing the first hym and we called her like 10 times and she didnt pick up. We were so disappointed until she walked in the door and we gave her our seats. Because it was packed. So we left the room to go to another and then by comp and i were like YESSSS she came and we like hugged each other haha

 

Well it seems like Julies party was a blast!!! I wish i was there. SOunded aweesome. On the beach with a bonfire and sports and a ton of food! I think im starting to gain some weight haha i eat so much now! And even better with this Ammon kid making a night to remember for Julie. SOunds like a good kid if our whole family likes him.  

I wish could see julie just light up and talk all about him. Kind of like me with katie  :)   Thanks michael for writing me! Thats cool that your stronger than a polar bear and thor.  well guess what Im as white as an american, legs black like usain bolt, and speak like a mexican. Boom...

brandon thats awesome that your killing it in school! and have a personal trainer that cool man. I need one here haha   happy Birthday this saturday!

Dad sound good. Thanks for your advice and stuff.  My comp has more time than me in the mission. BUt he has a little atitude problem sometimes and a little annoying haha but we get along well.  

Mom I love you like always!! the best mom ever!!! I wish i was there to eat all the left over food you got haha i would go through those bag of chips like nothing. I have at least 3 bags of chips a day. Just those small bags. there only 5 pesos! Well fam thats my week for ya!

I love you all.

Love,

Elder McNamara

Katie (second from right), and the entire Christensen Family .....so far!  :)

Week 40: Hurricane Hits Tampico, Mexico and David Gets Transferred

Hey family!!!

What up guys! This past week was pretty awesome. Well the hurricane was kinda crazy.  It destroyed the beach town that is 40 minutes from soto, called La Pesca.  But after it hit there it went from a hurricane to a tropical storm.  So in the morning on monday at like 6 it hit soto and it was so windy and raining a ton for about 3 hours then it stopped. 

The river that is there grew a ton from all the water.  But later that day at 4 i got a call from the asitants that i was changing areas and had to leave on the bus at 5 30.  So i had to pack ALL my stuff in like 30 minutes...do not know how i did it! haha   

then Like 20 minutes before the bus left it started raining a ton..a ton!! And we left the town onto Victoria. But guess what? Soto La Marina flooded after we left! The water was up to the knee in some parts and the river raised even more that it destroyed a lot of houses, and a lot of members are now sleeping in the church like 22 people. 

(Hermano Benito, here on the left is probably living in the church right now in Soto de Marina; as his home is probably destroyed from the hurricane.)  

They closed off the highways to the town right after we left! What a miracle. BUt im going to miss that area. 

I had a lot of fun and it was awesome. SO we worked in Victoria for a day, yesterday, and now i finally arrived in my new area! Its called Huejutla in the state of Hidaglo. Its about the most south of the mision. haha from the most north to the most south! Pretty cool. It looks pretty cool so far. 

Its in a mountain area and its all green and houses on the hills. Ill send pictures next week because i dont have my cord to put them on here! My new comp is Elder Garcia. He is cool and i got raised to be the Senor Companion! Oh yeah. Im excited to be working in this new area. 

Oh when we got to victoria monday night it was crazy to see all the water in the streets! It was honestly a full on raging river haha! There were cars stuck and the water was almost past the tires on the cars there. Look for videos on youtube of When it rains in victoria tampualipas, or something like that. One of the craziest things i have seen! 

I cant really remember what we did last week, so i dont know what to write about. But julie your are going to be 16!!! TOMORROW OH MY GOSH, how do you feel crazy girl! I cant believe your 16 and a junior in high school. Where has the time gone? be careful around those guys! You seem like your getting guy crazy...oh man. haha 

dad thats cool that you and michael are getting going in usana! That sounds exciting. I for sure want to join the team and make some bank. 

Brandon man, keep rocking those minds in college and work your butt off in it man!  I love you guys 

And mom!!!  I love you. Keep working to get those flabby arms in shape  hahaha i laughed pretty hard when i read that,  And have fun all of you at Julies party! 

Love,

Elder McNamara

David with Elder Gregory who is probably already home .... finished with his two years!

Week: 39:6/7th Writing a Day Early Due to Approaching Hurricane!

Hey mom and dad!

Well I don't if you guys know or not but there's a small hurricane coming our way. It will hit here tonight (Sunday) or tomorrow.  We were told to write our family to say that every thing is going to be alright. And that we won't be writing our family until Wednesday.

The mission gave us all these precautions. We going to be in the church at 6 tonight haha  it's been raining a ton! Theres some streets that are honestly like rivers! Ha kinda crazy.  Everything is going to be good. I'm a missionary and everything is taken care of.  we baught food last night and us 4 missionaries are sticking together in the church here in soto la marina.  The switched the transfers until Wednesday so I might be changed but who knows!

I love you guys. 

This past week was good a lot of rain. 

My feet and shoes have been soaked for about 4 days straight. 

I'll write more on Wednesday. 

Love you all

Week 39: Falling Into Water-Filled Holes on Dirt Roads

Hey family!

Is it me or has these past 5 weeks flown by? I think so!! It honestly feels like my new comp just got here but that was just a little longer than a month ago! And i have been 20 for a month...OH YEAH!! 

Well right now we are in the city of Victoria writing because we came here for our P day to play soccer!! President just barely changed the rules about playing soccer. Before we couldnt but now we can. It was so much fun playing actually. All the latinos are so good at it, its kinda ridiculous. But i made a few goals...yeah.

 

Anyways this past week flew by. It has been rainng a TON this past week. Even more than it did the week before. So on Thursday it started raining like crazy all day. And it contuned to rain all night and all day friday! I guess there was some cyclone that hit mexico in the south or something.

Anyways on friday my comp and i left to our first cita. Which was so far away from our house that we have to go and walk on dirt roads. So we were walking for about 20 mintues and we get to this one spot on the road where there were a ton of holes with water and it was raining hard. so my comp stood there thinking how he was going to pass it, so he decides to jump the hole and...BOOM just lands and slips and falls into another hole  hahah i just started cracking up and pointing and laughing at him. 

So i look and find another way and i took like 5 steps just laughing at him and...BOOM i slip and fall into a hole hahah karma came back and hit me hard. So we were muddy the whole day. Just one side of our leg and our butts all muddy haha  All of our lessons we had people asking what happened and they all just laughed at us.

So this Lalo we have been teaching is progressing a lot. He is changing and you can see the change in his face. Its pretty cool to see and notice that in people! He has been coming to church and having lessons with us. He reminds me of michael and brandon put together. I feel like he is my brother. He has ganas to reactivate!

We are also teaching another investigador named Letty. She is a humble laddy and has had a lot of stuff happen to her. She has 2 little kids. But she has recieved her answer already! About the book of mormon and the stuff we have taught her! She tolds us that when we talk with her she feels something pretty and unique in her chest that she has never felt before! When i heard that i just smiled so big!! It was awesome to hear that. I felt the spirit as she tried to describe what she was feeling. A cool missionary moment!

Well this is the last week of the change. This will complete 3 changes here in soto. So the chances are for me that i might get moved out of this town. But who knows. Anything can happen. Im just here to learn and for the journey!:) I love you mom, dad, michael, brandon, and julie!

Love,

Elder David McNamara