Missionary Muscles

Dear Mom,

Oh my Emilio. I am terrified that happened. I had my own little heart attack. But I am so glad that he is living at the moment and doing better. Give him a hug and an iced hot chocolate in my favor. I will keep you in my prayers. It sounds like Olivia needs to learn how to wake up for a screaming child. I'm glad I wasn't there to experience the Adult Roles baby.

This week me and Elder Wyatt got super sick. My stomach is still is tender. I couldn't keep anything down. I would eat something then ten minutes later I would be in the bathroom. Same with Elder Wyatt. It was super fun. Puke was coming out of my nose. Not the greatest feeling. I have been trying really hard lately to do exercise. I have seen some good results. I will attach a picture of my now well formed balls of bicep awesomeness. Oh, something else. This morning, Elder Wyatt was violated by a drunk woman. We got on the bus to come to the stake center. This lady wanted a quarter and was trying to kiss him and started grabbing his leg. He shoved her nicely away with his backpack and she got off the bus after about 2 more minutes trying hard. He is still disturbed and sad. I just thought it was funny because he didn't know what to do. 

This week work wise was hard. Sick for three days. But, we did have a great experience. We found a less active sister. She left the church because she got offended by some members. She has been letting us come by and visit her. She really has been progressing. She had been begging God to take away her feelings of resentment to come back to church. She said to us that she has always chased away missionaries. And she never had a drive to come back at all. But she told us when we came by. She said that something woke her up and now she wants to come back. She has helped her non member kids to get back too. They are some of our best investigators now. We have been able to get some really great turnouts on our people who we are teaching. I am glad of what has been going on. We are going to get some good stuff. Bad thing is that I am 90% sure that I am going to be transferred this week. I don't really want to. But God decides. Not me. This week I want you guys to study 2 Nephi 9 and Alma 7. Focus on how your lives would be without the Atonement and how you guys can share that with others. Also what the Atonement means to you guys personally. In Alma 7, focus on your feelings on your baptisms. And how do you think that could benefit others. How can you guys, also, prepare yourselves better to take the sacrament this Sunday and how to appreciate the importance of your baptismal covenants. I would like to see how you guys feel about that. Could you all send me an answer of that next week? Thank you.

Love you all!

Elder Medina

Thanksgiving in El Salvador

Dear Mom,

Yes, Tori and I still email which makes me very happy. My thanksgiving was spaghetti with oil and salt. And some Arroz con Leche without the Leche, water for substitute. Sad day. Diego and preschool? I hope he will do well. I can't help but draw tears when I see those preschool pictures. He's so cute! Way to drop the turkey on Thanksgiving Mom. That's Funny stuff! I will remember about the emails. Guess who's going to get some machetes for service work? ME! Max and Jessica are so darn cute! What a great couple they are. Nice Christmas tree. We don't have one at all.Ok family. This is something that I have to ask. I was stuck in the house on Saturday all day. It was Carnaval weekend. And really dangerous supposedly. So we weren't able to leave. But I found a letter from President Rau that I thought was interesting. I saw some goals that they had put down for the work in the ward and stake. How are you guys doing on those goals? The one that called my attention more was the family studies. And the conference talk studies. I have seen here a lot of families who really don't do their family prayers and studies. They aren't doing to well. Borderline inactives some of them. Almost 98% problems come from not having that base. I would just like to invite you guys to do that. I have been talking to my companion (not about girl stuff this time haha!) what he and his family did. They all got up at 5 to study together. I know it is lame and it is very hard. But it is worth it. I feel like it will help you and I out more. Something that I am going to start doing now is start sending you guys a chapter to study for today. And mom and dad, it is your guys' resposibility to find some for the rest of the week. I want to do this so you guys can be more unified. That has been riding me for the past few months. I have seen families who do their studies and are so unified and have huge callings. And I have seen families who don't do anything. The difference is huge. Just taking out 25 minutes during the day is worth it. It is kind of like my personal studies. If I go one day without one. It is like I lost my soul. I can't function or help out people. I know you guys can be a very strong family. The chapter I would like you all to study this week is in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 9. I like it because the end verses I use for the Word of Wisdom. The rest of it I like because it gives me a good jump start of excitement and happiness for the work and my own authority.

This week was amazing and I hope for an even better one. We have transfers in a week and a half. I really don't want to go.

Love,

Elder Medina

Possible Transfers and Preparing for the Holidays

Dear Mom,

Everything is going great. We really don't have too much planned for thanksgiving. It is kind of sad. We haven't really eaten at the mission Presidents house yet. We will I assume this next month. He is a really great man. He has helped me out a lot. We are doing a whole lot more of contacting here. Me and my companion have been contacting like crazy. We got 21 new investigators this week. Lately this past month, we have been leaving with members everyday in divisions to get more people. I have been able to see myself teaching people with such power that it has been amazing. It has been a really great week. I am glad that we've been doing better.

 

Diego still cries all the time? Darn that stinks. Tell him I love him and good luck in preschool. He's got to get this down eventually. 

 

My shirt size is like a 14 1/2. The 15's are big on me now. I didn't even think about Skyping next month too much. Just wondering more than anything if I am going to get changed or not. I really hope I don't. I have done so much work here. We got some of our area stolen by the zone leaders (grrrr) and we have had to drop a boatload of baptismal dates and amazing investigators. We have to start over from scratch. But we're going at it again. I really love this place (San Miguel. ) I don't want to go. But we'll have to see. 

 

Yeah, I am pretty sure a tree isn't going to exist for me this year....again. Darn it. Oh well, I will just draw a picture of one. Happy birthday Diego! Love you lots and you had better be a good boy! Don't make me tickle you!  

 

Mom,I am glad that your YW conference went well. We have been focusing on conversion too. It is a commitment from God. Not with us. I am authorized to give these commitments as well as all missionaries. It isn't us who they negate. It is God. Even if they get baptized if it is just to do it. It is in vain. Because one is only edified over sand not anything firm. Give it good mom. I know you've got this.

 

Oh yeah, look at my awesome CTR socks that can withstand anything. I guess they aren't El Salvador approved haha! And breakfast of champs, Ramen!!!

Love,

Elder Medina

Trying to Recover

Dear Mom,

This week has been pretty decent. I am doing fine, however, my companion has come down with pneumonia from the chikugunya. And my dizziness still stays. It isn't getting any better. All they have told me is eat more and drink more which is hard in a country with little food and not the safest water to drink. We spent the whole day in the darn hospital. I am a little peeved about that. It really wasn't all too great. This week went really well. We had a HUGE fireside in a members house. And we are starting to do them every week. Now it is just up to the members to keep it going. Here, activities don't exist unless we do them. I did get that package. We both enjoyed it. Those airhead candies are so YUMMY! I miss american candy so much. The candy here has no awesome punch to it. 

You guys are going to the Nashville Tribute Band!? Darn! I want to go. Just 9 more months!! You can do anything for 9 months right? We just had Changes last week. I am still with Elder Wyatt which I am happy about.

 So Logan, went to Sadies with Liv? That's okay. He knows she's the holy grail to me. Gotta look out for the little Sis.  Oh yeah, there is some kid here in my area who saw the family picture and found Olivia on Facebook. He is asking a friend request. I told him to cool it. But he's still a small grasshopper. Just tell her to ignore it.

Dad and his training, that stinks sorry about that.  Lots of hugs and kisses. Life is going on here. It feels hotter every minute. But suffering through the heat is worth it. I am feeling a lot closer to the Spirit lately. I have been working a lot on not being a mad man. When I am planning something out with the members here (which feels like pulling teeth,) they usually put all of the hard stuff on us and that usually falls on me, because Elder Wyatt has other things to worry about. Which makes since with as sick as he has been.It stinks because we still have the investigators here. But it is still worth it. I am starting to learn how to be more level headed during planning on my own. Not saying that I like it. But, now I can do it. I love you mom. Keep on being awesome. Keep the boy gate up on Olivia and Alesia. Keep a good eye on Emilio and Diego. Even Diego gets girls out here saying he's cute in the pictures you send me.

See you next week.

Sincerely,

Elder Medina

                                            Poor Elder Wyatt

                                            A walk in the jungle

Doing Great!

Dear Mom,

I am doing great. I got about 7 pairs of new garments. I cannot tell you how good it feels just to have something new on you. Because everything that I have is starting to wither away and die. I am not going to lie. A ferris wheel sounds tempting. But here, those are prohibited for missionaries. One because it is dangerous, and second, the "carnivals" are super sketchy and everyone gets drunk at those sort of things. Halloween doesn't exist here, but last year what we did was switch plaques. It was pretty fun. My companion is called Elder Wyatt. If you want you can talk to his mom. Her name is Amie Wyatt. She apperantly doesn't know about the El Salvador mom Facebook page. Pickle Ball sounds pretty epic. Just look up the Wyatt family on mormon.org orlds.org. I have been using Elder Wyatt's camera. Speaking of which. He forgot his at the temple trip, we woke up 20 min. before we had to leave. It really stunk, we had the alarm set for 3 in the morning. And we totally slept through it. We woke up at 4:40 in the morning. We jumped up and threw on clothes and ran to the chapel (about a mile away.....). We are now starting to find more people to get them baptized. We found a member who was super inactive and he was living with another lady and they aren't married (yet) and they have a kid. And they are so cute and converted! Way to be Emilio on his band comp. I know that he is going to be a killer music man. He'll have to teach me. Katlyn and Braxton! That's my dog! They'll be a good family. Give them my congratulations in my behalf please. I'm working on and doing better at being more positive. I love all of you guys. 

Sincerely,

Elder Medina

A Little "Baggy" and Earthquake Recap

The earthquake was acutally really fun. I was planning with my companion. And we started giggling a lot. And then we finally started to think when it got stronger, we should probably leave the house right now. So we did and there was a bunch of people in the street and little kids calling for parents. The adults were all fine and we were cool. Except a member two doors down from us, she got scared for us and sent her son to check on us. We were still in the giggle stage. Thank you for the love. I haven't gotten the package yet. I did get your letter. I liked it a lot. I did feel a bit baggy about it.(I asked Victor what Baggy meant and he said that it meant "trunky" or missing home.) About the plates, I haven't seen a single one. Everyone here is so poor and they use a lot of plastic plates. And sometimes little buckets.  ( I asked Victor if he has seen any decorative plates. I wanted him to get one and bring it home with him, so we could having something to display in our home that signified El Salvador) Olivia is tearing it up with Cross Country. Way to be for her. I am proud of her. Emilio is still a beast. I know finishing towards the end isn't the best feeling. I remember feeling that way. I used to talk to a lot of freshman about it. My philosophy is if you give it all and you are not ashamed about what you've done in the race,  you still accomplished a personal goal. My companion is a great man. He has a mormon message about his family. You should check it out. He is a really good guy. We are trying to do a lot more with the area here. I remember small branches, but that small. Dang Elder Keil's getting it hard out there. I hope he isn't getting chased by orks or by elves. I forgot to tell you. We are building a house. It is actually hard. Super hard. Without real tools and cement. We are using rocks, a hammer a shovel and a couple other odd tools. And wood, tin, and nails. It is a very fun experience. But it stinks when we get dehydrated.

I love you guys. Thanks for your prayers. I hope everything goes great this week for you guys.

Sincerely,

 

Elder Medina

Earthquake!

Just wanted to document that El Salvador had a 7.4 earthquake out in the Ocean on Monday Oct 13th. This is the email that we got from President and Sister Vasquez the following day. What an exciting mission! There will be lots of stories to tell when Elder Medina comes home.

Todos los misioneros de la misión El Salvador San Salvador Este, incluyendo su hijo o hija, están bien.

Doctrina y Convenios 84:88

Con amor,

Presidente y Hermana Vasquez

All of the missionaries in the El Salvador San Salvador East mission, including your son or daughter, are ok.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:88

With love,

President and Sister Vasquez