Crazy Week (Week 37)

      Well this week was a little crazy. So first I got my hijo amado, Elder Hernandez. Haha He is an excited Elder and I am excited to be able to show him the ways. Also got to watch conference on Sunday! Then on Thursday night President called me and told me I’m a District Leader now! So these last couple days have been crazy, but the Zone Leaders (Elder Wegner) have been telling me what I need to do. Haha. But it is great I have an opportunity to help more people! Also, training Elder Hernandez is great he is really excited to work and it’s fun showing him the ways of the missionary life. We also had the opportunity to find an amazing new investigator named Monica this week that is going through so many hard challenges. Testifying to her that Jesus Christ is always there for her was a highlight of my week. She was crying as we were teaching her from her door and accepted a baptismal date faster than I have ever seen! My eyes have been opened to the many miracles we live everyday!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       Well in conference there were a couple talks that I loved! One of them was from W. Craig Zwick where he said “look beyond what you see” and he said through the power of Jesus Christ we can see beyond what we see in reality. Many times we put restrictions on our abilities. We say many times “I can’t” “It’s too hard” or “It’s impossible” But we all know “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me”. We can do all things. Nothing is too hard for us, we are children of God! He also said that we must look past stereotypes. Stereotypes are what tell us that we can’t do it. They put so many limits on our life. I know that when we are with the Lord, He will help us look past what we can see and He will help us be the people we need to be. I love you all so much, thank you for everything!

Love, Elder Herman

Sorry no pictures today 'cause I just got my new camera, haha

Earthquake! (Week 36)

Mexico City Temple trip...and earthquake experience!

      Ok so I had one of the craziest things in my life happen this week. First off we went to the temple! And while we were half way done with the session the building started to move. So we were like, whoa, what’s going on, then boom, the temple was going crazy and we were holding on for our lives! We were in Mexico City when the earthquake hit! It was so crazy! The chandeliers were swinging all over the place and we thought they were going to fall on us and then the lights went out and we were just on the ride of a lifetime. But luckily the temple is made very well and nothing happened. But the earthquake did do a lot of damage and a lot of buildings collapsed so that is really sad. Our mission didn’t get affected, but we have heard that there are a lot of people without homes and it’s a hard time here in Mexico. And then the next day at a district meeting my camera got robbed L Oh and we have cambios (transfers) tomorrow and I am going to be staying in Chilpa and training! So I am excited for what the mish has in store for me!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       This Sunday I had the opportunity to give a talk in sacrament meeting. My companion talked about the Second Coming so I decided to talk about the Judgment and Repentance. The Judgment is something really important that we understand. In Alma 12:24 it says that we are in a state of probation, a time to prepare to meet God. We are just being tested here on Earth and after we die and are resurrected we will be brought to be judged. In Alma 12: 14 and 15 that says we will be condemned for our words, works, and our thoughts. We need to be careful what we think cause our thoughts turn into words and our words turn into works. Luckily we have the gift that we can repent. Thanks to Jesus Christ our Redeemer we can repent of all things. We can ask for forgiveness and change. Then in Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins”. We have the opportunity to repent of our sins and the Lord will remember them no more. We can be pure to enter into the Kingdom of God. And if we are faithful and repent we will be able to live in the Celestial Kingdom. If you could, read Doctrine and Covenants 76:51-70. It talks about what this Kingdom will be like. We will be in the presence of God and Christ, we will overcome all things. It helps me to know why I am here and what I can achieve. I am here to be tested, it is a challenge and if I endure well I will be living with my Heavenly Father in his Kingdom for all eternity! It’s worth it! I hope we all have our eye on the Celestial Kingdom so we can be with our families forever! I love you all. Have a great week and pay attention in conference!

Love, Elder Herman 

Love You All (Week 35)

      Well this week nothing too crazy happened. It was independence day here the 15^th but it wasn’t much like the 4^th of July. #merica But we had our first appointment with a girl named Ana and she is awesome. She is so excited to listen and learn from us and so open! I hope she progresses quickly and we can get her into that baptismal font! Mari Ruiz is doing awesome and progressing still! We are working for October 1^st with her!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

Elder Herman celebrating Mexico's Independence.

       Well something really great happened this week with Hermana Mari Ruiz. After one of our lessons, when we ended testifying to her, she told us that she feels that we love her and really want the best for her and that she really admires how we are here on our own will. This was really important for me to hear. I have been thinking lately how my investigators feel towards me. She told us she is really grateful for us and that she also loves us. This is really important in all aspects of life. We need to show our love to everyone! It is something I wasn’t very good at before my mission and I hope I am improving, so when I get home I can love all of you guys more than ever! But I want to invite you all to show your love in actions to the people that are important to you. And also tell them often that you love them. God has blessed us all with amazing people in our lives and we should show God that we are grateful for that blessing by showing our love for them. Well I love you all sooo much! J Thanks for everything you all have done for me! 

Go tell everyone you love them for me!

Love Elder Herman

Chillin' (Week 34)

Elder Herman & Elder Rogel

     Well another good week but honestly nothing too amazing happened like it has been. Well actually ya something happened, haha. So we were looking for an old investigator and when we knocked on her door she was so excited to see us and told us she has been thinking about the church and that she was watching videos on the Mormon Channel and found one on baptism and being reborn. She has investigated the church for like 3 years but just hasn’t been baptized. She said she already has a testimony and knows the church is true. She has had a lot of trials but she says she wants to be baptized for real! But she has a problem with coffee so she's working on that and we hope we can help her enter the waters of baptism! Also got to celebrate my birthday a little and we baked a cake my mom sent me! So that was great. Thanks mom!

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

       Well this week we have been trying to focus on helping our investigators receive answers and to know if our message is true through the power of prayer. And well it applies to everyone in any situation! I love the scripture in 3 Nephi 18:19-21 it says that we should always pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Prayer is a commandment of God and we should always be in communication with Him. He loves us and wants to hear from us! Then a promise “whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you”. I sure hope everyone is taking advantage of this promise! Prayer is such an important part in my life. I don’t know where I would be without this communication with my loving Heavenly Father! I love this work. I love my Heavenly Father and I love talking to Him! And I love all of you! Tengan una buena semana.

                                                                     

 Con Amor, Elder Herman​​​​​​​​

The birthday package arrived a little late, but Elder Herman was finally able to celebrate his 20th birthday!

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite (Week 33)

Bed bugs and itching for over a week
can't get Elder Herman down!

      Wow what a week! Haha. So my birthday was Wednesday, it was a good day kinda, haha, not really but a good experience! So remember the “rash” I had last week. Well we found out I had bedbugs in my bed and they were just eating me alive…Honestly I didn’t think those things were real, but from now on I am going to take the saying “don’t let the bedbugs bite” more seriously because, trust me, its not a fun time! This week we had the opportunity to have a 70, Elder Pino, at our Zone Conference. It was awesome! I learned a lot and got reminded of how blessed I am to be a missionary! Also we had an awesome experience again! So we were knocking on doors pretty much all day, and earlier was tough, no one listened to us and just rejected us. Haha someone even threw trash in my face. But we just kept on knockin' and we found someone that listened to us! They even let us in!!! So we were talking and she said she normally wouldn’t have listened to us but her dad is a member and about 4 days earlier her dad told her that if “Elderes” knocked on her door to listen to them. So theres the first wow. Then we kept talking and she said that the night before she had prayed to know if God was really with her and if He would give her an answer. Boom next day we show up! So the second wow. Then during the week we had another appointment with her and she had read and prayed and she committed to a date and she came to church with us! Third wow. WOW! So amazing! This is the Lords work!

Spiritual Thought Of the Week

      Well opening the area and not having much to do and not knowing many people, we have had to do the work in the streets and knocking doors. It has been tough. But I have definitely seen the hand of the Lord in His work! Usually the days are way tough and no one listens to us and we are exhausted from just walking all day and a little discouraged cause no one listens to us. But I have seen every day, when we keep trying and trying the Lord gives us something to be excited about. God wants us to be happy, He also wants us to work. Just like any Father, He wants us to succeed, but He wants us to learn. You could say my Dad's pretty Christ-like cause he has always made me “figure it out” and because of that I have learned how to do a lot of things, but one of the best lessons I have learned from that is I have learned how to work. And it is the same with our Heavenly Father. He doesn’t want His kids to be lazy and not do anything. He wants us to “figure it out” and the best way to figuring things out is on your knees in prayer and then getting to work. But it’s also easy to get to work, but what happens when something doesn’t go our way? Well we need to keep working to figure it out and God will bless us for our efforts! I love this work so much it is hard but so worth it and I love every hard time because I learn so much! I love you all Siga adelante y cuidado con los chinches  (Go ahead and watch out for bedbugs)

Les Quiero Muchisimo! 

Elder Herman 

Bed bugs are "no bueno"!

Miracles (Week 32)

Hello family and friends. 

      Another crazy week here in Chilpa. Fist off I’m allergic to something cause I have a rash all over my body that itches so freaking bad. So that sucks. I think it was the soap I used to wash my clothes and then I had to use my clothes all week.. I’ve just been suffering a little. But we have seen quite a few miracles this week and it has been awesome! My comp and I have been working really hard on inspired goals. On Monday night our family night bailed so we didn’t have anything. So we went to what we know best and contacted all night, haha. We said a prayer that we could find someone that would accept us who lives in a yellow house. So we went knocking on the doors of every yellow house. Man it was one of the hardest 3 hours ever. No one accepted us, literally, it destroyed me, but we just kept on going knocking. I knew the Lord was testing my faith and I knew he would help us. But at the end of the night we only got the information of 3 people and none of the them were too interested. So I was a little bummed and discouraged. The next day we get back to it, knocking on doors and contacting. We knocked on a door and a woman came out and said she didn’t have time but we were persistent and kept talking. Turns out we had a nice 40 minute chat and a good ole return date! And as we were leaving we realized she lived in a yellow house! We went with her later in the week and she has a lot of questions and I hope she will progress! But I know this is the Lord's work and He will always help us! Maybe not on our time, but His time, which is perfect! Ether 12:6 “for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith”.

      Spiritual Thought Of The Week

Well I already gave a spiritual thought kinda, but I gotta keep the “Spiritual Thought Of The Week” alive. So I just want to tell you all that I love the mission so much. It has changed my life and I am so grateful that the Lord has so much trust in me to allow me to talk to His children. It truly is a life changing experience! I love you all so much!

Con Amor, Elder Herman

Chilpa

Chilpa

Opening an Area (Week 31)

Elder Rogel, Elder Herman, Elder Passeri, and Elder Wegner
working hard in Tepalcapa.

      What a week! So at transfers I figured out we are opening the área. There weren’t Elders here for about 2 months, then some other Elders came for 3 weeks, but one got sent home. So we don’t have much. We even had to start with a new phone and no contacts. So this week we have been doing a ton of contacting and we’ve gone with some members to help us know the area a little bit. My companion is Elder Rogel he just finished his training. Funny thing is that he used to live in the stake that we are serving in (Tepalcapa) but then moved about 2 hours away and got called back on his mission, haha. But he is a good Elder! Doesn’t do many things on his own, but I like the work, haha. Also Elder Wegner became a Zone Leader this transfer and he happens to be my Zone Leader! With my other favorite missionary Elder Passeri from Argentina! He was my first Zone Leader in the mission and we share a church with them. So I am pumped about that also! The ward is amazing. So many member missionaries that are so excited to help us! Every time we eat with a family someone comes and helps us. Yesterday we went with a member to her neighbors and were able to set a baptismal date with them and the member invited them to church and everything! So I am way excited to be working here! Also last night we had a family night with a member and a less active. This girl has been through a lot! She’s been a member for a while. She knew the church when she was 16 but her parents didn’t support her so she couldn’t be baptized. Then later  she got baptized and was going to institute and she met her husband, an ex missionary. But then he went a little crazy and left them with nothing. Then she got diagnosed with cancer. So she couldn’t afford to get to church anymore. She said the hardest loss was her scriptures. So we gave her a Book of Mormon and she just started crying. She said that it is her time to return and the members are helping her a ton! Tender mercies like these make me love being a missionary so much!

 

Spiritual Thought Of The Week

      Well this week I’m gonna keep the spiritual thought short cause the first part is long. So I just wanna testify that this truly is the only true church in the world. Restored by the Prophet Jose Smith. I got the opportunity to knock on a lot of doors this week and I decided to focus on the restoration. Just like the missionaries when the church was starting, declaring that God has called a prophet and the same church Jesus Christ established is on the earth again. Well I love being a missionary. I love all of you and I hope you all have an amazing week!

Lots of Love from Mexico,

Elder Herman

Tepalcapa

Elder Rogel and Elder Herman