Week 53: First Baptism Coming Up: Alfonso this Saturday; Then Christmas Skype!

Hey Guys!  

How was all your guys week?   Well my was pretty good.  My first week as a district leader.  I loved it! Wednesday was the district meeting and I gave the class, obviously. haha   I prepared everything tuesday and gave it wednesday.   It was really good!   I felt like i taught really well so thats good! 

then thursday I went to tampico for a meeting with all the leaders in the misison.  It was really good. We took a 4 hour bus ride to Tampico and stayed in the house of the assistents.  8 missionaries in a small appartment haha    I didnt go to bed until like 1 in the morning and woke up at 6 30.   Then the meeting there in the institute building. 

The president is changing things up in the mission because 12 x zone leaders finished there missions and he needs new leaders in the mission.  So he called like 25 new district leaders!  Its pretty sweet. The meeting lastest 7 hours and it was all about how to be a good leader and what we need to do as leaders in the mission.  I learned alot!

Alfonso is doing awesome. He is for sure one of those prepared by the lord.  The last monday we had a family home evening with him and another family.  It was good we talked about the life of christ and everything.  And we walked with Alfonso back to his house and he started asking us questiones about the temple and other things and then we started talkiing about normal life and he opened up to us and we were joking around!  It was good because before he was a little shy with us and stuff by now he just jokes around and all. 

Then my comp and another missionary taught him, because i was in tampico, but he told me all about it and Alfonso told them that he had finally recieved his answer.  That he was praying for several things and he felt a warm feeling inside and that he just knew that the book of mormon is true and that the church is true and that everything that we have taught him is true.  And he feels ready for his baptism and he is ready! 

What an amazing feeling to bring someone to the knowledge of thier redemer!  He will be having his interview friday and baptism next saturday!   OH man.   Im SO EXCITED!! 

Speaking about being excited. I CANT WAIT TO TALK WITH EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      Next week (on Christmas Day) i get to skype with you all.   Im so happy to be able to talk and see everyone. I'm going to cry but hey, who wouldnt at this time?  haha

In this mission arrived 7 sister missionaries, but the difference is, is that they are american!  The first time in forever that american sister missionaries have been in Mexico.  And theres 2 here in this town. BUt they arent in my district haha 

Hey! I will probably be call skyping on Christmas around 4 PM here so that will be 3 in utah and 2 in california. I might be calling a little earlier than that so be ready please. And come with questions and stuff that you want to ask me and things to talk about!!!    Please dont forget that!   Questions and things to talk about!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone will have a good week this week!   Love every single one of you. 

Love, 

Elder McNamara 

Week 52: David is Now a District Leader! Leading the Elders!

Hey guys!!!...well im still in my area, Huejutla B!!

I'm excited and glad that my compa and i will still be together. Like i said before we are like brothers haha oh and Im the new district leader! Woohoo.

Im excited to serve the other missionaries and be able to gain some experience as a leader.  Im a little nervous though because i dont really know how to be a district leader..oh well i will learn on the way!

This week was good. We taught Alfonso monday and thursday, we taught him the Law of Chastity and the other time of repentance. They were awesome leasons. I swear every lesson we have with him is so spiritual. And he understands about everything we teach him. He is for sure prepared 100 percent by the lord. I feel so grateful to be able to bring him unto his savior.

On friday the zone leaders, they are in our district, had a baptism. Their investigator was 100 percent prepared also and Alfonso came too!  It was good and helped alfonso clear up his doubts he had and when David (the person that got baptized) shared his testimony. OH YEAH it was perfect and exactly what Alfonso needed to hear.

He talked about how he would go to many different churches looking for something to fill the openness he had inside him. That each church he went to there was something that he didnt like and that none of them would fill that emptiness he had, until he came to our church. The feelings he had when the missionaries were teaching him and going to the church and all would fill the emptiness he had inside him. Thats when he knew he had to keep going and get baptized!

It was an awesome story and testimony! I actually taught David for the first time when i did divisiones with the zone leader Elder Stokard. My comp and i are thinking that David should baptize Alfonso in these next few weeks. How awesome would that be!

Elder stockard finished his mission today. He left during church yesterday, he passed behind me and put his hand on my shoulder and said I love you man and then left! Oh my gosh just thinking about when that time will come for me makes me a little sad! Thats going to be so hard for me. I love the mission, its so fun!  Well only 11 months until i finish my mission. That time is going to fly by!!

One day we were walking in the street and we didnt know where to go because all of our citas fell through. I was thinking to myself like this stinks, what the heck are we going to do now...i was kinda mad but then we see a old lady in front of us pulling this cart thing packed full of wood and straw!

When i say packed full i mean its coming out of the edges like 2 feet on all sides haha so we help her pull it to her house which was like 2 miles away. I pull it the whole way and oh man!! I was sweating like a pig!

But we get to their house and turns out they were going to use the wood and straw to make their mudd house. They already had the mudd they just needed to add the straw! We ended up talking to her son and her sons wife. We talked a little bit then we brought up religion and they go to a christian church and are liking it and all.

So we talk to them about the book of mormon and profets and stuff. they seemed pretty interested.  We are going to visit them this week so we will see how it goes!   That was pretty much my week for you. I love you all so much! I miss you guys like crazy, but the time will go by.  Have a good week!

Love,
Elder McNamara

the hermana taly was cooking some chicken and out her dirty hand on my face!! hahha

For Dad, a somewhat sad Mexican Festivus 2013 (it was the best pole I could find)

For everyone, instead of the Festivus Pole, a Christmas Tree in el pueblo

"Only 11 months to go .... hmmmm?"

Week 51: Dreaming "I'm Thirsty for Water ..." in SPANISH

Hey family!  How are you all?

Im doing good.  It was a good and fast week.  Im just still thinking about the OSU game that mom told me. HOW SWEET IS THAT!  I wish i could have saw it.  Thats my team right there killing it like they should. GO BUCKS!!!

Those pictures that you sent me mom brought back so many memories from nags head and good old deseret!  What awesome times those were.  Such a blessing to have lived in a place like we did.

I cant believe that Bryan O´conner ("Brian O'Conner" was Paul Walker's character) died in a car accident.  Now i wont get to see anymore fast and furiious movies!!

Today has been a really good day.  So in the center palaza a ton of people from all around has put their tents and stuff to sell.  Its so cool and lets just say i bought some really cool stuff.  I had to get out of there before i bought more things haha but hey...YOLO.

So i get to talk to you all in 23 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Im so excited to get to talk with you all again. Its been 7 months since i have talked to you all in person, well kind of.  Im going to say right now im going to cry when we talk haha.  Its all good.

So i have been on my mission for a year now.  WOW where has the time gone? Really it has gone by really fast. And ill be home in 11 months!  One missionary has told me that the mission is 1 year and 1 second. Im sure thats true!  I have learned so much in all areas, Living on my own, getting alog with people, talking with people, and especially about my savior! The best thing that i can grow here is my testimony that will help me for the rest of my life!

Want to hear some thing funny that happened this week? So like tuesday morning at like 3 in the morning. My compa was awake because he couldnt sleep and then all of the sudden he heard me say ¨Tengo sed....agua....ahhhhhh!!¨ haha the thing is, is that i said it in spanish while i was asleep. Looks like im dream in spanish now! Im becoming mexican.

So our investigator, Alfonso esta con ganas todavia!!. He is for sure one of those people that are prepared by the Lord to hear the gospel. I am 100 percent sure about that. Every lesson that we have with him is so spiritual and he is progressing so much. Guess what?  He stopped drinking since we taught him the first time!

Alcoholism is something that is really dificult to break but the gospel and the desire changes everything and makes everything possible. And guess what else. We found out that he plays xbox 360, AND he plays Halo and Call of Duty!!!  What person is not more perfect for me to teach on the mish?

We talked about Halo for like 10 minutes after a lesson we had last week haha.  He always invites us to play with him after but we got to say no...:( He came to church for the 3rd time in a row yesterday.  And he is in 1 Nephi 17 in the book of mormon. I cant wait to see him baptized the 28th. That will make my whole mission worth it.  My first real baptism in my whole mission.  Not only the fact of having a baptism, seeing someone coming to the knowledge of their savior and seeing that light grow in their eyes.  (Took that from a scripture in mosiah)

That was my week for ya.  This week is the last week of the change. so i might get changed out this next monday but who knows.  I dont want to be changed.  I want to stay here because we are raising this area and my comp and I get along really well, and for alfonso!   Pray for me that i stay.

I love you all so much.  Have a good week   :)

Love,
Elder McNamara

                                                       

"I am the Stig"