Playing basketball is the "Lord's Work"

This week was a little better but not way better!!!!!

We were out contacting one day and found a guy playing basketball.  So, I went over and talked to him.  He said, “Piss off Mormons! I do not want to talk to you!”  Then I said, “Ok, if I beat you in a game then you have to listen to us.”  He said, “You could try.”  I destroyed him in basketball.  Now, from that game we have 10 new investigators (his friends) and he has a baptismal date.  We played with Luis (the investigator with the fecha) again and talked to his friends and have more investigators!!!!!!!

It was like 60 degrees here and everyone is in layers and layers of clothes and I was just chillin in my short sleeve with my mesh garments!!!!!!  

I got the biggest blisters and blood blisters on both of my feet from playing basketball and soccer!!!  Hermana Hernandez (wife of the president) told me that I couldn’t walk for a little while to let it get a little better.  I laughed and worked for the next few days.  Proved her wrong huh!!!!!!!!!!

I was a little upset about missing Mark’s birthday.  Elder De La Cruz was too!

Sorry that this is such a short email but I have freaking 54 emails to read!!

           {Mom asked a bunch of people to send him pictures this week, and what a 

             response she got.  Now Cody has all sorts of pictures to look at.}

I am trying to find some stuff that says Aguascalientes to send to you.

President Hernandez said that we could have iPods so I’ve been saving for one and I finally bought one this week, that was the money that you saw go out of my account.  I did not want to just buy a dorky one to have one,  so I waited and got the one I wanted when I thought I could afford it.  We can listen to quite a variety of music, and can watch several Mormon movies, Best Two Years, Meet the Mormons, etc, etc. 

Hahaha funny story!!!!!!!!!  So, I needed street shoes.  I wanted some just like my companion’s shoes.  So, on Monday we went shopping and he found these shoes that he wanted.  So, I said,  “Ok I’ll buy these new shoes for you, then I get your old ones.”

I hope you have a lot of websites and stuff for clothes for me when I get back because I have a feeling my first few weeks being home I will be walking around in my garments!

-Elder Smiley

New Area . . . New companion . . . New Challenges

First off guys do you know how to use a computer because I need pictures!!! This is kind of boring not seeing pictures!!! HELLO I DO NOT GET TO SEE YOU GUYS IF I DO NOT GET PICS!!!!! GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I will tell you right now this email will be short. This week did not suck but it did not rock.  Elder De La Cruz and I worked so hard contacting literally we have over 100 contacts to visit!!!!  Every night we went to the Centro de Pabellon and contacted and contacted and contacted!!!!!  So I hope this week will be teaching, teaching and more teaching!!!!!

This week we have a change in the hours for missionaries!!!!!  It will be very weird!!!!!  I am in the District of Hermana Christensen, a sister from my District in the CCM!! It was good to see her!!!!! 

Trump is now President!!!!  Pres. Hernandez called me personally and said If anyone mentions one thing about Trump you are to return home as fast as possible and not leave!!!  So a guy yelled at me for being American.  Next thing you know he threw a beer bottle at me!!  I caught it with my assassin’s creed skills and poured it out and ran with Elder De La Cruz!!!!!

Elder De La Cruz and I are the greatest friends!!!!! He is by far my favorite companion I have had and he told me I am his also so that is just fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our branch here in Pabellon has 15 people that come on Sundays.  There are 6 youth.

Our area is huge.   We get around town by riding in these buses that are like taxis. We even take them to get out to Aguascalientes.

That is basically it sorry not too big hopefully bigger next week!!!

Prayer list:

Elder Smiley: Get investigators and Gift of tongues

Great week again. Baptisms, and a transfer to a new area, and a new companion!

Just to let you know Elder Magaña wants us to adopt him.  He got his quilt yesterday Mom, thanks for that.  And he has been bragging about how cool my family is to every single missionary!!!!! It is freaking hilarious!

BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luis and Gaby were baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was so cool!!!!!!!!! I was able to baptize Luis!!!!!!!!!!!

I am gone from Morelos 3 I am no in Paballon!  Our area is so big and has the smallest amount of people!!!!!! We have a branch of 50, so we will see how that goes!

I am with Elder De La Cruz, a native who does not speak English, so this is going to be awesome with him!  My area is literally like 5 villages, it is so cool!!!!  One town is like Cody Wyoming, the other is like Jackson Hole Wyoming and I have not been to the other parts!  My house is so nice, it literally  blows my other house out of the water!!!!! It is three levels and just the coolest thing ever!

Elder Magaña started to cry when I left, so that was kind of sad. Luis started to cry as well, it was very sad!  The parents made me promise them that I would return to visit and I said I would try!

Sandra and Duilio were very sad about me leaving as well!!!!!!!

President Hernandez asked Elder Magaña if I could be a District Leader, but Elder Magaña told him I need some more Spanish and President Hernandez said that is what I thought!!!!! So Elder De La Cruz is training me to be the next District Leader!!!!! So in this area I will be the new District Leader!!!!!  The coolest thing is that President Hernandez told Elder Magaña “I NEED a new District Leader who works hard!”  and Elder Magaña laughed and said “Well Smiley is your guy!”

We do not have a lot of investigators, so this change will be finding and I hope the next will be baptizing but who knows what will happen.   

I am going to love my new area!!!!!!!  

{Chris got a facebook message Sunday night telling us about Cody’s baptism and praising Cody up and down.  It was quite fun, so when we wrote him we told him we heard that he baptized Luis}

Who told you about the baptism I wanted to surprise you! FREAK!  I had the opportunity to baptize Luis, it was just so cool!!!!!!!  He is like my Manuel, he and I just clicked instantly!   my gosh it has been  so fun.

 

{This is cody’s response when we told him who sent Chris the Facebook message.}

I love Familia Marine!  She wants to know you so bad, they started to cry when I was walking away from their house, it was pretty sad!  They made me promise that I would return!!!!!  I obviously said yes so now we have to return to my mission!

Not a White Christmas, but there is white in Mexico!

The whole Family!

Cody and his brother Luis!!

Family Lopez with Bill Swan & Elder Rubio.  Small world!!  Bill is the only white guy in the picture.

Good week in Mexico, looks like it will be a "White Saturday" Cody needs your prayers!

This week was really good!!!!!!!!!!

We had a Nerf War in our house and that was just really funny!!!!!!! I put on all of my jackets so the darts would not hurt and just screamed JUGGERNAUT! Everyone screamed and ran away, I started to laugh my butt off!

For everyone who is getting snow:  Mexico is so HOT!!!!  We literally take showers at the day and the night to cool down.

Next week should be the baptism for Luis and Gaby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mark your calendars!!!!!!!!!  Luis looked at me when he heard that I might not be able to baptize him and said “Then I do not want to get baptized.” I almost cried when he said that!!!!!  Luis shared his testimony, and my gosh it was funny because he was so nervous!!!!!! He said and I quote " I know Jesus is my heavenly father" After he said that I asked him the questions about baptism and he is ready, he was just nervous, do not worry!!!!!!!!!!

Not much this week hopefully more the next week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom do not jynx me with my companions.  I am soooooo scared for transfers, gosh I do not want them to happen!!!!!! I want to stay with Elder Magaña he is literally a great friend!!!!!!!!    I loved talking to you guys on Christmas!!!

Well the Bishop had an idea to rent a bus every week for the people who can not buy taxis and buses, that was really good of you to do that!!!!!!