Mexico Pachuca Mission: 1+2+3= A Highly Effective Missionary

Obedience + Faith + Skills = A Highly Effective Missionary

David M R Covey

Leadership Council January 2014

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Around the Mission on Christmas Day

This particular district along with their zone leaders focused on a family who moved into their area and were in desperate need. The missionaries helped them find a place to live, painted the home inside, and then provided a little bit of Christmas to brighten their holiday. What a wonderful experience for all involved and what a blessing to this family.

We love our Pachuca Elves!!!

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Buenas Tardes Presidente.

Quisiera contarle como nos fue con nuestra actividad de servicio el 25, ayudamos a una familia del área de los elderes, ellos se estaban mudando, nosotros llevamos una despensa para ellos y juntamos dinero en el distrito y compramos ropa para la hija de los hermanos, lo empacamos como regalo y fuimos a la casa de los hnos, cantamos himnos compartimos nuestros testimonios y entregamos las cosas que llevamos, al momento de estar allí invadió a mi corazón un gran sentimiento no sabia si era de compasión por ellos o de tristeza por no estar en casa en estas fechas aunque ya es mi segunda navidad pero aun así sentía tristeza, pero al compartir mi testimonio y observar el rostro de agradecimiento de ellos, supe que ese sentimiento no era por algo que yo personalmente quisiera, sino que sentía amor por ellos, aun cuando apenas les estaba conociendo, cuando uno de los elderes dijo que no cambiaría esa experiencia por estar en casa pensé en lo que estaba sintiendo,, y me sentí mal por haber pensado en casa y dentro de mi también dije yo tampoco cambiaría esto por estar en casa, al estar allí realmente pude meditar en el Salvador y se que mi navidad fue esa experiencia que ud deseaba que cada uno de nosotros tuviera, estoy muy agradecida porque nos ayuda a ver las cosas desde otro punto de vista desde la perspectiva de Dios quien desea que como sus hijos nos perfeccionemos en la caridad y el amor puro de Cristo, Estoy muy agradecida por pasar este tiempo acá en la misión mexico pachuca y porque puedo representar a mi Salvador Jesucristo, Muchas gracias por ayudarme a tener ese tipo se experiencias espirituales que marcan mi vida. y me ayudan a ser mas sensible.

Feliz Tarde.

Les amo muchisimo y agradezco su servicio tan dedicado.

Hermana E.

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We had another great week president!

It was great to share messages about Christ during this last week to help strengthen those families in our area. We were able to go caroling as a district and give out cookies and the spirit was very strong when we did this. One of the families was in tears when we showed up to sing to them and give them cookies, and i don't think it was because of the singing. The spirit was very strong in this less active home and the true spirit of Christmas was shared. I had other similar experiences with this as well in other homes, with people expressing much gratitude and thanks for thinking of them and sharing a hymn or two with them. We also had a few less active families that we had the opportunity to help this week. One of which has been having problems with their dad and husband, along with the kids in the family who are all grown ups, having problems getting along. It is an experience i will never forget, because a week or two before we were talking with them and they were telling us how great everything was, how after her husband received the Melchizedek priesthood everything seemed to be better and he was much happier at home and with the kids and grand kids. Having heard this just a week and a half or so ago i was very surprised to hear the exact opposite this week. I couldn't have been happier though to help this family with their problem. Share experiences in my life, and bare a testimony that when we have people that are difficult to deal with or we don't like that all we can do is love them. Love the people with the love of Christ, seeing them as children of God, as part of your family. The two daughters don't get along because they are from different worlds, one who lives with her parents is very poor and they don't have very much, and the other is rich beyond means, her kids always have everything they want, they always bring gifts for her parents sister and her sisters kids and they do a lot to help them out. But the thing that stuck out to me most, and that i wont ever forget is how the grandma said "sometimes i don't understand, (the daugther with everything) kids always want to be here. They have everything at their house, its very comfortable and they have all of the toys, games, TVs, and things that they can imagine, and here, we don't even have enough seats for all of them to sit down, but they always want to come here." Having her say this strengthened my testimony, of how the gospel is what makes us happy, not the things we have or the money in the bank, but the spirit that is with us, the knowledge that we have, and the spirit that is in our homes. Even though my house is very different from their house, and we come from completely different families, the house of this family was one of the first houses that i felt at home at- not because of the things, but because of the spirit, and because of the people.

I couldn't be happier then helping this family and other families here, investigator, less actives, and members come closer to Christ, and have a stronger spirit in their homes. The work here is progressing and we have a lot of it to do as i look through the lists of people that i have never met, parts of the area i haven't really been in, and houses that we have never contacted that are all on the lists of the ward. We continue to work hard, and we have goals and plans to keep pushing ourselves.

Thanks for all of the love and support,

Elder C

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"Tecamac-I Elves at Work"

This group of Elders from the Tecamac I zone helped a family who needed their home painted on Christmas Day. They did a marvelous job... and Elder Katich confirmed their was more paint on the walls then on the missionaries! We love the "Santa" hats and the big grins which really does prove there is lots of fun in serving others!

Nice job Elders....WE LOVE YOU!

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"The POWER of EVERYDAY Missionaries?"

Take a peek for yourself...

This holiday week we went with the single adults of the ward to sing to some investigators and some less active members that are alone or that have difficulties during this Christmas time. We felt a very special spirit and we thought a lot about the blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us in our lives and how we can share them with others. We had a lot of very special experiences.
We visited a sister who is a recent convert and her husband who is not a member. He was not home and when she found out that a bunch of youth were going to sing to them she called her husband and he arrived very quickly so he could be present. They also asked for a blessing for their little girl who was sick and the brothers accompanying us were able to magnify their priesthood. Also many of those that went to sing had helped a lot with the teaching of this sister before her baptism. She is very happy for all the blessings that she had received. Investigators also went singing with us and this helped to strengthen them also. One sister who is investigating didn't want to read the Book of Mormon, but after she received it wrapped in Christmas paper along with some carols from the young single adults she said that she promised she would read it. We felt the spirit very strongly with others also, some cried because of the spirit that they felt, many of them did not have anything for Christmas so the spirit was the most important gift they could receive.
Christmas 2013.... one not to be forgotten.

Wrapping "Pass-a-long cards" in Christmas paper and singing Christmas Cheer to those who needed their spirits lifted.

We love how these Elders involved others ....

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President,

This was a great week for me and things are still going well for us here in our area. Talking to my folks this week to be honest made me miss them and home a little but it also made appreciate my time that I have in the mission a lot more as well. Another great thing that happened this week was the familia Garcia a family we baptized two weeks ago got confirmed this Sunday and I got to talk in church about la obra missional. But this confirmation was definitely a special one and is going to be one that I will never forget. Brother Garcia is really big into soccer and he had this week had placed a bet with his friends that if his team won his friends would have to do some crazy dare and he would have to do the same if his team lost. Well, his team lost. And as his dare they were going to make him drink a bunch of alcohol really fast to make him sick. And he had made that bet two months ago he would have taken it, but he didn't and told them that he wont drink any more and to pick something else and they agreed and decided on cutting his hair with little kid scissors. So Sunday morning Brother Garcia showed up to church with his family to be confirmed with a hair that looked like it had been eaten by a horse because he refused to drink. It was amazing to see the true change in him and how the Gospel can completely change our life if we let it. It is just another testimony of how truly true this gospel is.
Thank you President for all you do for us and have a great week.
Elder J

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Holiday Wishes from Elder Ortega

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What a great group of Missionaries in the Actopan District!

President Egbert,

This week my companion and I had such an amazing experience. On Monday we got a call from our counselor in the bishopric, and he asked if we could help him with a few things. It was 11 in the morning and i thought to myself, oh its that we have a lot to do and i don't think we are going to have time. But after thinking about it we thought it would be better if we went.

After picking us up we asked him what he needed help with. He told us that he needed help dropping off some "turkeys from heaven" to some new (poor) members because he doesn't know where they live exactly. After 30 minutes we get to the house. The mom answers the door and we start to talk to her. Then we told her that we came to give her a "turkey from heaven". We handed her the frozen turkey and she took it into her hands and immediately started to cry.

She goes on to tell us that they have had trouble paying their tithing because of their situation but on Saturday they talked about it and they decided that they needed to pay. And that on Sunday they would fast to receive help. And then we arrive on Monday with the turkey. She is just in tears thanking us and thanking God for the help they had just received. The counselor, my companion and I didn't know what to do or to say. We were without words. We just told her that when we do our part the lord always blesses us.

This experience really helped me to understand the purpose of Christmas and also for why i am here in the mission. I really feel that that experience was for me to learn something. And i sure learned a lot. I would lose 2 hours of preparation day to gain experiences like these any day.

Elder S

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