September 29, 2014

Well this week, unfortunately I wont be able to write a lot, the internet right now is VERY slow right now! I won't be able so send any pictures this week.  Maybe next week.  Well first off, I love you all so much! and I miss you all a ton haha, Families can be together forever(: Well my day today haha well we ran out of money and are really short of things we do haha, I'm very lucky to be able to be writing right now, haha but a typical day is wake up at 6:30 in the morning work out and take a shower at 7, then, eat if I'm lucky haha and study at 8, we leave the house usually about 12. and just work haha. We arrive at the house at 9p.m., but usually a little later cause were always teaching later.. There are a billion stray dogs in the street EVERYWERE but they don't touch me at all.  I always find weird looking bugs haha, and the ants the ants here are huge!  like....as big as a finger nail! What made me very happy this week is that we taught a lesson and for some reason this lesson just went perfect! and we said exactly what they needed to hear, and I invited both of them (brothers around 40 years old or so) to be baptized and they immediately said yes, haha I'm very exited to teach them more because of how receptive they were, but it made me happy because it was such a good lesson and usually I don't teach much because of the language. oh! and there is this guy that elder Muñoz interviewed for baptism because he is the district leader, the hermanas were teaching him, well he is the sweetest guy ever! he has 89 years!  and he is so exited for baptism and he plays the harmonica and is awesome! It lifted my spirit! This week I ate more fish, and I thought I liked fish until I came down here, haha Only my mom knows how to cook fish... haha but I eat it anyways because its the nice thing. well I bought a flash drive and I'm putting all my pictures on it and all of my companions music and movies on it, We listen to EFY, mexican LDS music, and hymns, and some other fun mexican music haha.  I know I need to be patient but the language, it's very hard to communicate with elder Muñoz and its makes me a little frustrated at times, because he doesn't teach me, I teach myself.  Well I'm running out of time, but tell the family I love them , Tell dad good luck on the marathon and I give my saludos. por que yo quiero ustedes mucho! y yo exraño mucho! con amor Elder Hyrum Portlock

September 22, 2014

Hello freinds and family I love all of you! well I confirmed Mauricio un miembro de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias on Sunday! I was very exited for him, yet I was very nervous! haha I confirmed him in front of the ward and I dont know why but I was shaking a ton haha, Im fine and it happend but it was a learning expeirince and I'll continue to learn each time, and I'll get better at it haha but it was a very special time. He has been going on splits with us and he loves it! He dresses like us too! And I gave him a Liahona and he loves it! He reads it all the time and tells me all about it!  We went running this martes to see the canyon. It's incredible. Mauricio came and it was fun being about to talk more with him as a freind. well Elder Jimenzez got a new companion his name is Elder Schmitlein ( I think thas how you spell it...) but he is from South Dakota and he doesn't speak any Spanish! haha it actually made me feel really happy because it assures me that I actually do know some Spanish and I'm not the newest missionary haha, but he is awsome! He is doing great!  Well I dont have much new stuff to say right now, Mexico is still the same and Im having a great time. Some days I feel like the Spanish isn't progressing at all and some days it does. Im getting better at teaching doctrinally points haha  but when it gets to conversations or understanding what people are saying I'm lost haha, well saludos to you all back at home(:

Love Elder Hyrum Portlock

15 de Septiembre!  Indepedencia

Some art on a building, and (Lets Go White!  haha)  I thought my friend Nata would like this (:

This is some weird fruit, it's kinda like a grape.

Our District :D

Ahhhh Mexico  ( :

The canyon

Mauricio being a missionary!

During a storm at night, I love them

September 15, 2014

Well WOW! where to start, There was so much that went on this week I don´t even think Ill get all of it on here, but oh well,

I guess Ill start with the GOOD NEWS! on Friday we were in a lesson with Mauricio and we felt like he was ready for baptism so we pulled out the baptismal Interviews and went through all of them, And he seemed to have such a great testimony it was amazing! He had read ALL the lessons and marked them up, He is already in 3rd Nephi with a colorful Libro De Mormon and he reads other material on gospel library, wow! I haven't seen so much improvement is someone, well during our conversation with him we invited him to be baptized tomorrow on Saturday, he gladly accepted and we made plans for a baptism on Sat. at 2, because it was on such short notice only 4 missionaries were there and the bishop and the elders quorum president, Mauricio was very exited! Well the Best part is that he asked me to baptize him! Well I did just that and it was amazing! My first personal baptism here! WOW Mauricio is definitely the Golden Investigator, He is very happy and keeps texting us saying that he is filled with the spirit always! Its amazing and makes me feel Gods love. The other day we were walking with Mauricio, and the guy who wanted to kill us the other week walked past us, and Mauricio started to tell me that he feels scared for us but also that he knows that we're safe because we have God on our side. WOW haha he impresses me all the time! The next happiest thing this week is that Alejandro received the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday. WOW he has changed the most and you can see it, he just radiates with the light of Christ. Before, he was sad about things and was very nervous about baptism and didn't know a thing about us, now its almost like he understands the church very well and he is always happy! He told me that he really wants to serve a mission now, wow! I am just filled with happiness this week. Also he really considers me Family and calls me his Brother in English(: he said after my mission he wants to visit me and learn language and study at BYU, Well I really hope those plans work out! Well My first camibos this Monday.  Sunday night Elder Muñoz and I were very anxious about the call from the district leader telling us the plans, well the call finally came and we're still companions! WHOOOO! haha I'm very exited! And Elder Muñoz is the new District leader so lots of good news, wow! This is Elder Muñoz last 6 weeks of his mission! I really want to make this last 6 weeks of his mission count and, we're gonna work super hard! The language is still coming very slow but I'm starting to pick up and a few more words so its very exiting for me. 

 Have fun back at home I miss ya tons! Ill write more next week(:

 

 

Farewell, Hermana

Food at member's house, annnnd a typical morning desayuno, HOTCAKES  :D

This has probably been the best soup I have EVER eaten.....(besides my mom's (:  )

We had to cross this "rapid river".  We finally found a way where we had to jump for our lives and trip into the green spiky weeds.  haha

We were passing the big Futbol stadium and found the big...face.

I love my companion!

Best Baptism EVER!

I love my companion!

Receiving inspiration on what to do next  (:

Sept. 8, 2014

Well this week Ill think Ill start of by answering the questions my mom asked.

1.The weather report said that there was a hurricane north of where you are.  I am sure that has affected the weather? Well I didn't know there was a Hurricane??? but there was one night that was had the biggest thunder and rain, that was probably the night, wow the rain came down like bullets, but i enjoyed it tons, the houses here don't have closed houses so a bit of rain got in the house and It was super loud and it seemed like the sky never was dark cause of the lighting.

2. did you ever buy a rain jacket? and no i haven't. the missionaries said the best jackets are back at home. But right now i don't need it, Ill only need it in San Cristobal and I'm not there right now, so we'll see how things turn out(:

3.What is it like to go grocery shopping? well its pretty much the same, there's a Walmart here in the center of the city so we get most our food there. other than that pretty much every other house here is a small store where people sell stuff for there job so when we need spaghetti or cereal or other small stuff through out the week were covered. Haha we eat pretty poor here because we don't have a lot of money but that OK, pretty much we eat spaghetti every night and pancakes in the morning haha.

4.What is different there compared to here? well......... i don't think I really say much because EVERYTHING is different. its just ...different haha that's all I can say about this question.

5.What do you miss most from home? I just miss my family, running in the morning with my father, my mothers food, mowing the lawn( OK , I don't know why but I really miss mowing the lawn!) 

6.What do you do for laundry?  Do you do laundry by hand, or do you have machines? Well it really depends, the lady that we live above happens to have a washing machine, but we rarely use it cause we're really limited on water here, so we usually wash out clothes by hand which takes forever and I do not like!

7. Do you ever get to go to the temple? Well i haven't yet.... I think only if our recent converts go through.

8. And dad wants to know if you are going to buy a hammock to sleep on. no, Here in my area the hammocks cost a lot of money, but the missionaries here say that the best  place to buy hammocks are in Oaxaca. so for now no.

             OK now for some other stuff, haha well Our Investigator Alejandro got baptized and confirmed! it was the best part about this week! We had been working with him since I got here and he is awesome! He considers me family and calls me his brother! He is 18 years old and is just an awesome guy! haha after he was baptized he gave me his ring as a present and gratitude. oh! and the best part that really touched me is when he came out of the water he just stood there and paused and looked like he was completely FILLED with happiness! the two of us are definitely gonna write for a long time! haha I've also been teaching him a little bit of English(: oh, also in fast and testimony meeting today I bore my testimony about the importance of testimonies, haha I did way better than I thought even though It wasn't much and the grammar, well I'm not gonna go there haha but after all the members came up to me and said thank you because you brought the spirit into the room. This week I've really been focusing on this one scripture in Mosiah 7:12, pretty much was it says is anything that is good comes from god and anything this isn't good comes from the devil. this has helped me out so much! When I start feeling sad because whenever your sad or don't want to do anything, turn that feeling upside down and be happy because you can, you can make any moment better if you just make it. The Language , well yes its still hard, I've found that I'm getting a bit better at reading but i still can't understand anyone here which is hard, my goal in the mission and my life is to always be happy and always turn a bad moment into a good moment. haha well i don't know what more to say haha but ill write more next week.

Love Elder Portlock

 

P-Day fun

Combies

well that food was yummy and gross at the same time, m serious when i say this, but it seems like they just take the fish and shrimp and crabs and what ever else they put in and cook it whole, That soup had EYE balls floating in it! and fish heads with the eye balls still attached! it was a puzzle trying to eat the food with small little bones every where! haha

ALEJANDRO!!!

P-Day

 

 Wow!  This week was crazy!

Well to start of with the letter I'm gonna say the scary stuff first! Well on Tuesday we were at our investigator Mauricio (who speaks English and is progressing very well) and he told us about somebody that was found in the bushes near his house. It was in the news paper and he gave us a copy, well just a mile or less from our house a skeleton was found on Sunday, which is very scary! Some places here is very dangerous, which leads so the next scary thing that happened! We were heading to another investigators house, Diana, when we got there we saw her father who is a very good friend of ours and another guy we didn't know. I reached out my hand to say hello and he didn't shake my hand, instead he shook his head and made the catholic cross sign. He said some things that I didn't understand (which I never understand anything anyways haha) but he was holding a long screw driver and holding it in a threatening way, I had no idea what was going on cause it caught me by surprise, Elder Muñoz immediately sat next to him and did some kind of martial arts move and took the screw driver right out of his hands and said, "Tranquilo! Somos misieoneros! ( chill, we are missionariess) the man stood up like he was about to hit us and Elder Muñoz said "Corra!" which meant "run!" We quickly left the area! A few minutes later we stopped, my heart was pounding very hard and I was super scared, the thing that scared me most was that Elder Muñoz was scared and shaking. Wow! I asked him what the guy said and Elder Muñoz said "nos iva a matar" apparently the guy wanted to kill us! Wow we took the screw driver to a member and told them what happened. I'm just happy I'm alive haha! The sad thing is that we can never go back to the house, we had to drop our investigator right there. During the time we were there when the man was about to attack us I felt the power of Satan very strong, the area and the man was under Satan's power, I could feel it and Elder Muñoz agrees. Oh and one more weird thing, the other day we got a ride from a member to an investigator and on the way there, there was this super old lady holding big rocks and was screaming at us while throwing the rocks at us! HAHA it was the weirdest thing I had ever seen! I'm just glad I was in the car and not walking! Some other cool stuff is that it rained while we were outside, it usually rains everyday around 2 for about 10 minutes, but this day it rained and rained all day! and wow! Since the place here is FULL of up and down hills, ALL the streets literally turned into rivers! haha I've never seen so much water in my life! Well we put our bags in a black trash bag and marched our way up the street/river and walked to our investigator, well one night we were just about finishing our day when we needed to make our last 10 contacts for the day, every last contact was catholic and DID not want to hear our message, it was very weird, we made our way home when there was big catholic parties going on in the middle of the street. It seemed like to me that we were the only Mormons in the city! (which of course is not true) but as we were walking I was holding the Book of Mormon, and I turned to Elder Muñoz and bore my testimony about the book and said some people are just not ready to hear our message, I said that we just need to find the people who are ready, the next day we made a visit with a contact for the first time, during it he accepted everything we said and wanted to read the Book of Mormon! Wow the spirit was so strong and he accepted to be baptized the next month! It was a very amazing visit that I won't ever forget, I'm very exited to see him in our next visit. This week we had another baptism, it was another investigator that I didn't really teach much cause I'm new but it was still very exiting! Some other good stuff was I finally talked to Hermana Allen from the blog. She was exited to hear that her mom was posting stuff haha. Well family and friends I love ya lots! And I miss ya lots, there's been lots of sad things here and also some very great things.  Well I'm gonna go for now, and Ill send pics to my mom so she can put them on the blog. Wow there's so much to write and not enough time so unfortunately I don't have time to write everything else, Ill continue to give you all some stuff each week. Love, Elder Portlock

The screw driver that almost killed us!

This is the skeleton that was in the newspaper, found very close to our house.

A weird tree

Our zone