15 Jun 2015 - Trainer Training

Dearest family,

I got another great short tale of my adventures this past week. 

So we found this girl sitting on a bench as we were passing by, on our way to an appointment. We stopped to talk because we had a bit of time. We told her that we were missionaries and that we had a message that we wanted to share with her.  She told us that she lived two houses down from where we were and we said that we'd pass by this week in the afternoon. She accepted and we said goodbye. Alright, this is where the story gets crazy. So we return Wednesday and we start knocking on the door. We're waiting a bit, we knock again. Behind us passes a little white town car and like normal we wave at the people but after we waved the car went another 30 meters and the lady slams on the brakes and throws it into reverse. At this moment I'm thinking, ''hm, maybe she forgot something in her house.'' But no she just really wanted to talk to us I guess. So she reverses and starts yelling stuff like hey how are you guys doing and we're like ''Hi we're missionaries'' and she says, ''What do you do as missionaries?'' and I answer something naive like ''we visit people in their homes and invite others to come unto Christ'', but before I had finished she said, with a very uncomfortable tone, ''How can i get me an appointment with you guys?'' Let me set the scene a little better, shes drinking, and so is her friend ,shes like 35 years old, shes got her sunglasses tilted and shes checking us both out. So you can only image how we felt. She asked us if we needed a ride and we asked to where? and she said to her house. hahaha We said no thanks, and she zoomed off. It really wasn't that crazy, I just hope it never happens again. 

My comp and I were invited to a training meeting in Obregon this past week for newly called trainers. I'm pumped!! We're still not sure which one of us is going to be a trainer this next transfer or if both of us are.  There's a ton of new missionaries coming in. In this next transfer there'll be 17 in the generation and in the next there'll be 18. This will be a very green mission in these next few months. I feel good and ready to train if I'm called but I feel like its more responsibility to be a trainer than a district leader.  

Its really starting cook here, check the weather bug. There's practically no point in putting on sunscreen because in the first 10 minutes of walking it all drains into my eyes from the sweat. I love it, its so great. 

This is my 5th month here in Navajoa so we'll see what happens, 

Love you all! 

Elder Padilla

So, Hermana Rojas just got out of the hospital because she fell down a few flights of stairs, shes a champ.

8 Jun 2015 - Zone Conference

This week was pretty normal. 

We had a zone conference with the President and he's doing a great job motivating and encouraging us to be excited about the work in which we are so very much involved. He talked to us about how the path is straight narrow and simple, but life is not and for that reason, the path becomes less simple to follow. As missionaries we're set at a higher standard, we have more rules and norms but through these weeks with my comp I've figured out the difference between a good missionary and a great one. The difference is that one is obedient and the other one isn't. One justifies his/her own actions and other takes responsibility and changes when their actions to follow the objective of their calling. I really enjoyed the letter that was sent for us about change. I read it about 3 mins ago but I'll probably ponder it a little more later. 

I'm trying to think what we did this week but its all becoming mushed together with the lessons that we taught of months before and meals we've had with members. I don't know, this mission is just flying for me right now. I'll have spent a quarter of my mission in the same area, practically everyone here knows me, the people in the stores, the neighbors, the little rascals that steal car batteries. 

Oh yeah, so we have another new investigator and his name is Ramon. He has a sad story but its pretty straight forward. He drank too much so his wife left him. We taught Word of Wisdom and made goals with him,but near the end of the lesson he told us that there were people that were planning on or trying to kill him. I don't know what it is with these people but we're like magnets that only attract to people with problems like this. But it all made sense in the end of the lesson because during the whole time of our visit with Ramon, every time a car would pass by, all of a sudden he'd stop talking, squint his eyes and follow the car until it left. It was like those dogs on UP, ''squirrel.''

But yeah we invited him to church, he'd didn't come, still talking with my comp if we should go back or not. I think we planned on visiting him only in the mornings because according to my comp, people only die in the movies in the night time. Sounds about right.

Well I'm now teaching English to about half the ward with the help of another American sister missionary from California, its hard not to laugh sometimes because of their accents.

I love you guys,

Mom keep up the good work,

Dad, keep up the good work,

Luke, stop looking like me.

Your favorite Mexican,

Elder Padilla

1 Jun 2015 - Obregon Meetings

Oh Amados Hermanos Mios,

On Wednesday we had a meeting in Obregon for the whole day (9am-8pm). Its about an hour drive from Navajoa and so we had to run to our neighbors house, wake them up and hitch a ride because the buses to central don't come that early. From central, we took the hour bus ride. The meeting was very inspired and really really spiritual. We're really focusing on how we can trust in the Spirit as missionaries! To extend the right commitments, to know when the time is opportune to ask a certain question. when we don't have the spirit, no one is being taught. I learned a ton. hahaha So the bus ride home was pretty crazy. So we enter the bus and I enter the bathroom in the back of the bus. When I stepped in and shut the door behind me, I smelt something that I've never smelt in my life. It wasn't bad or gross smelling just very potent. So the bus driver guns it, I slam my head and from there on I remember very little until the next morning. I can remember returning to my seat and walking into the house when we got home but the middle was like I was blinking for 45min intervals. My comp took pictures of me and was telling me that I was laughing a ton and I was sleep walking apparently. Who knows.But the next morning I felt great so yeah who knows.    

So we have this investigator, well I should say that we ''had'' this investigator, that practically told us of all the people he's killed or attempted to kill.  It was crazy because he's a really chill person but out of no where he just starts telling us this and that. Heres a little segment of the conversation that took place, ''Cleophus, as of right now, do you have any questions or doubts about the things that we talked about. Nope alls good, but the other day my neighbor was making a ton of noise so I had tried to poke his eyes out.'' VERBATIM. So we said thanks for the cup of water and decided to never return. 

So that was fun. 

We also found a family this past week and in our third visit, by this time we've already set a baptismal date, we had a bit of......well lets just say words were said. They attend the Catholic church and they were saying that they feel comfortable in their church and my comp just starts slamming the scene with questions like ''Have you prayed to Heavenly Father to know if your church is true?'' It was a bit uncomfortable but I was shocked because these questions made them think and they were like, ''Yeah we should pray before we accept any church, you're right.'' So we'll see what happens this week when we visit again, fingers crossed. 

That's just about all the action that took place this week. 

I'm loving the mission and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

love you guys,

Elder Padilla.

25 May 2015 - Spooky old House

Dear Family, 

these weeks are flying. The highlight of this week was when we received a referral from the sister missionaries. They gave us the name of the lady and her address on Wednesday and we went to find her on Thursday. So we arrive and we're thinking ''there's no way that this woman or, a human in general, lives here. There was a half fallen tree in-front of the door and the windows were bashed out and the yellow paint was turning to an orange brown rust color. So we knock and nothing. We knock and all of sudden the neighbor whips open his door but only a little bit and whispers at us that no one has lived here for 2 years. So we're thinking, ''alright cool, thanks sisters.'' But we take advantage of the opportunity and introduce ourselves to the sketchy man. It was sketchy because it was like 4 in the afternoon and his house was completely dark and we couldn't see his face but we chatted anyways. So we hand him a pass along card and he grumbles a thank you from his cave and snatches the card. It was like the mom on Tom and Jerry, we never saw his face but I'm sure we made his day. But the best part about it was that when we had finished conversing with Dracula, the Señora across the street offered us water and we were able to teach her and her husband the first part of lesson 2. We gave them both the pamphlet and the husband, Juan, had read it completely through by the time we'd left. Tomorrow we're going to challenge them to be baptized. I'm stoked!!

Not much has been different, but one our new zone leaders, Elder Walker, gave me a talk that helped clear things up about the way a missionary should conduct him/herself with the key indicators we have and just in general the things that aren't exactly clear for the life of a missionary. It really helped and he understands where I'm coming from because he was also called to be district leader in his 4th transfer and he's only been out 9 months and is already zone leader. Its called the Donaldson papers and it was given to a group of missionaries in Las Vegas but its applicable to missionaries all around the world.

I'm learning a lot and doing well!

Love you guys, 

Elder Padilla

 

18 May 2015 - Funny Story - District Leader now

Dear family,

Not much has changed since our last chat but I have a funny story.

So we're teaching this old man, he has 78 years, and we can only teach him one principle or point of doctrine at a time because if he teach more than he'll get all confused and forget. So we've been teaching him by using the pamphlets and he's really grown in these few weeks and he accepted a date to be baptized and so to prepare for this date he came to church with us this past Sunday. So we get settled and sit down in sacrament meeting and as the sister is going to give the opening prayer, his phone goes off and I'm thinking ''please don't answer, please don't answer, maybe he cant hear it'' but nope he not only heard it ring but he answered. oh shucks was that embarrassing, during the whole prayer, the whole ward could hear him saying ''what? what? who is this? I cant hear you? I'm in a church right now and cant talk.'' haha it was pretty funny though.

I'm super psyched for this new calling and I hope I can be of some help to those missioneras en mi distrito.

es todo.

Les amo!

Elder Padilla 

4 May 2015 - May the fourth be with you ...

Family,

This past week was killer. We found a ton of golden's who are super interested and with about half of them, they want their family members to listen too. These weeks are going by super fast and this Sunday is bittersweet because we're going to have transfers but I get to see you guys. Which reminds me, Happy early Mother's day Mom. I miss you and hope you have the best day! Here's a picture to show my love. 

Elder Padilla

27 Apr 2015 - Finding

Dear Family,

This week was pretty smooth. We found a ton of new people to teach and we needed to because our current investigators haven't been keeping their commitments and so it was easy to see the hand of the Lord in this past week.  I Hit my 5 month mark yesterday and man has this time been speedy. We had interviews with the President on Friday and it was pretty short. He told me that I'm going to start training this next transfer or the following. I feel ready and I hope I can be a good trainer.

 

Yesterday I got to confirm the daughter that was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! It was so neat! 

This past week we've really started to focus on the less actives that are in our area and how we can reactivate them! We've been working with the President of the Relief Society to get visiting teachers over there so I hope that they can make a difference. 

I've really started to buckle down on my studies and my purpose as a missionary. My comp and I speak English in the house, but everywhere else we're speaking Spanish. I can understand just about every word now, and I can speak.... enough, haha.

The weeks are flying and I'll be home before you know it.

Love you all, Luke stop growing and looking like me haha

Elder Padilla 

Happy Birthday Lucas. Kisses from Mexico.