Week 75: Tough Going in Valles, But Working Hard to Find Contacts!

Hey family!

How's everyone doing? Thanks for all your emails.

Nothing much happened this week. We had interviews Tuesday with president and you know what we talked about? He talked to me and taught me about how to be a good husband and some experiences with his son in laws and stuff.  We talked about an hour about that.  haha it was good. That's when you know you have little time left in the mission, when your mission president talks to you about marriage.

Then Wednesday we went to Tampico because I had a meeting with a 70.  Well all the leaders in the mission went. Wednesday night we just ate pizza and stuff and thursday morning was the meeting with Elder de Hoyos. It was a really good meeting.

We talked about how we can better the mission and what things we can do so that we are baptizing every week. That's the goal the area 70 have put for all of Mexico, is to find a new person everyday and to be baptizing every week.  And he also talked to us about how we need to put more emphasis in using the Book of Mormon and giving it to people in the first lesson.  And also about receiving referencias from the members and investigators. By the way you guys should give the missionaries in your wards references!!! They need people to teach!!

Elder de Hoyos gave the prayer in general conference. He said that he was really nervous to say the prayer because he had to say it in English obviously. And that it was hard for him; haha

My area is so hard!!! Honestly I'm just ready to get out of here. We had 6 people in church again and the members are just being lame. We have tried so many things to try to help them but nothing happens. Their attitudes are so negative. But I'm trying to stay positive but its a little difficult now after 4 and half months of being here and not seeing any change. So this is the last week of the change and I'm for sure getting changed out of here.

We got one investigator that's progressing.  Her name is Ofelia. She is a special women. She's the women that felt the spirit in  her prayer she did like 2 weeks ago.  Yesterday we taught her the first lesson. And about the profets and stuff.  But the cool thing that happened is that she told us that she had receuved an answer that the book of mormon is true. She told us that she finally said a prayer one night and just felt peace and she knew that it was God answering her prayer. That just strengthens my testimony that anyone can receive an answer that the book of mormon is true....Because it is!!!

Pray for us so that we have a successful week!  I love everyone single one of you guys! Have a good week.

Love,
Elder McNamara

Week 74: Day After Mother's Day, Last Time Talking to Family: and 6 Months to Go!

Hey everyone!

Well i really enjoyed talking with you mom, Julie, Brandon, and grandma and grandpa Mac. (Dad was on a plane flying back from Florida, and was VERY sad he missed David.)   I miss you guys a ton! I really do. I love my wierd family. I love how we are weird. Julie when you started to make those weird faces and sounds the guy behind me started to stare at you like...are you retarded? and also when you guys tried to speak spanish. Everyone in the room heard and tried not to laugh. haha it was funny.

So this week was alright. On Wednesday we had the clase de Zona and after we had super divisions! In the zone class we talked about the gift of the holy ghost and how we need it to sanctify us in order to enter the kingdom of God. It was very interesting. Then we had two super divisions.

I went with an Elder named Elder Croft. He is a cool guy. He has only a little time on his mission so couldn't speak Spanish that well. But it was fun with him. I taught him some things so he could do better in his area. A cool fact of him is that his brother was an army ranger and served in Iraq 3 times and has pretty cool stories. How him and 3 other rangers took on a Taliban army of 200 and other cool stuff.

And Thursday we started there in Valles to do weekly planning. then we got back in our area kinda late. Oh my gosh,so Friday and Saturday we couldn't find anyone to teach!!  Everyone was celebrating Mother's Day and went to parties the little town had in the central.  hah so we didn't have that much success.

So only 6 months left on the mission. Wow, that's so crazy. I got 18 months and it has flown by. And especially the past 6 months have flown by so i cant even imagine how the next are going to feel like. I have really learned a lot and I'm so grateful for my mission; the best thing I have done in my life!
I love you family!

Love,
Elder McNamara

yeah a nice treat while coming home saturday night..........a drunk past out in front of our house haha

Week 73: Touching Many Lives as an Instrument in God's Hands

Hey family!!

So i had a really good week this week. Especially these past couple of days!

Oh my gosh...the past monday was so hot!  It reached to 50 degrees Celcius and in the main city, Valles. That's where the rest of the zone is..it was 60 degrees! That's like 140 F, haha; oh gosh!  Glad I'm not there or i would die of the heat.  But the past 4 days it has been normal.  Raining so that makes it nice and cool. To the point I have to put on my sweatshirt because I get cold. I would die in Utah now.

So on wednesday after the district meeting i taught. I did divisions with the other area. Because they have had problems with getting references and new investigators. I went with Elder Rawlins. He is one of my best friends in the mission. Well, he is my best friend.  He is from Utah. We talked about Halo and xbox for a long time; haha. So i helped him to learn how to receive more references that day and we got 16 references; haha, it was pretty easy.  So now they are doing a lot better with that aspect. So now my district is growing and getting better! Oh ya.

On friday i had a really spiritual experience. We went with a hermana who we have been trying for months to help her get to church. She has a lot of problems with her family and with her marriage.  Her husband drinks all the time and always comes home drunk and making a mess, and a bunch of things. And also about 4 months ago all of the sudden she started to have a big lump on her throat that grew and grew. And now that the lump is really big. It's a tumor.

So that day we talked with her about her sickness and about the power that Christ had when he was here. That he healed the broken hearted and healed the sick. And we asked her if she had faith that Christ could do those things. And then we told her that the power Christ had was on the earth today, and that we posses that same power and authority.  And if she wanted a blessing we could give one to her.  So we gave her a blessing and inmediatly when i put my hands on her head i could feel the power of the priesthood running through my whole body and we blessed her that she would heal completely.

Then after she was crying and said the closing prayer. And in her prayer she said, thank you heavenly father for the blessing.....and then she started bawling. And she finally closed the prayer. That room was so full of the spirit is was amazing. Then after I testified that her Heavenly father loves her and knows exaclty what she is going through. And that he can give you that peace whenever you need it.  It was a really power spiritual experience.

Another one that happend on saturday. I had to go to Tamuin. The other area in my district to interview a women for her baptism. She is 57 and such a sweet old lady. While i was interviewing her she told me about when her son died. He died about a year ago for no such reason. And that the passing of her son was always tormenting her inside. That she cant get that pain out. I sat there listening to her and watching her just bawl for 10 minutes. I could feel her pain and i almost cried too!

But i explained about the love of God and that everything was going to be okay. I felt the spirit so strongly while i was talking. The words were definately not my words! And i gave her a promise that came from Heaven. I promised her that the day of her baptism, after she leaves the water she will be healed completely from the pain she has. That she will have the strength to keep fighting on. That women has a special place in my heart.

Another experience happened yesterday after church. Which by the way we only had 6 people in church....yeah i was sad. but anyways.....so we went and visisted an investigator. It was the first lesson we had with her and she is really nice!  We taught her about the plan of salvation and how she can use that knowledge to help guide her family. Then i felt impressed to talk about baptism. I told her about all the blessings she can receive and how we can become a better example to our kids.  And i invited her and she said yes!  And then we had her say the closing prayer, which she was nervous and didn't want to say it. But we patiently taught her and encouraged her to pray. And she did.....one of the most powerful prayers i have heard from an investigator.

I could just feel the spirit strongly and i knew that she felt that!  She ended it and was kinda emotional. And my comp was about to get up and leave. But i felt like i should have asked her how she felt. So i asked her and she said good. Then i asked her if she felt like Heavenly father was listening and she said yes and started to cry a little and then i asked her if she felt His love. And she started to cry completely. Then i testified that this is the path for her and that she can have those same feeling of peace and love as she follows down this path and then her baptism. I was a really spiritual lesson.

So i'm pretty much just loving the mission right about now!!  Especially with these spiritual experiences i am having. they strength me so much. There is nothing better than to be an instrument in God's hands. Im so grateful that i'm out here serving the Lord and i'm so grateful that i hold His holy Priesthood. It's such a blessing in my life to have it and i'm always going to be worthy to exercise it!

Thanks everyone for your emails! All the cousins and grandma and grandpa. And thank you Kay Guzowski also. What you told me touch my heart! I love you all!

Love,
Elder McNamara