The Emprise of Andres Bosque

Día 2: Regresó el jefe

2014-08-19T16:39:00.001-06:00

tequesquitengo
(teh-kehs-kee-ten-go for you gringos out there)

We suffered at Lake Teques with the Ochoa family. The day consisted of painful lounging about, eating hard to swallow hamburgers, tacos, and soda, and excruciating wakeboarding outings out on the lake. Life was so hard.

Doing stuff like this requires a lot of effort.

Actually, not really.

Day two in México came straight out of the opening lyrics of Yeezy's "Flashing Lights",

I'm more of the, trips to ~~Florida~~ (Tequesquitengo)

Order the h'orderves, views of the water
straight from the page of your favorite author
And the weather so breezy,
Man why can't life always be this easy?

Life was good. Reeeeeeal good. It was so nice to kick back for awhile and not worry about a thing (although I was thinking about certain loved ones back in the states every once in a while). We met a woman from Germany who was dating a guy from Mexico, played with a little dude from DF, and ate tres leches cake at the poolside. Living the life of lujo is something I could get used to.

Air Bosque and Cannon Ball Blair

We came home in the evening and got some tacos de la calle. Street tacos are by far the best tacos in Mexico, hands down. Just be careful which part of the street you decide to get your tacos.

We went home, chowed down on some taquitos, and then watched the movie Salt on the home theater. The cherry on top-- or should I say, chocolate strawberry-- to top it all off was a small pot of chocolate fondue and fruit.

We are playing hard here in Mexico!

See more photos of my emprise to Mexico here.

Día 1: Regresó el Jefe

2014-08-14T20:57:00.001-06:00

Here is a quick update on my adventures in Mexico. When I have time I'll flesh it out into a full on blog post, complete with photos.

I began my travels at 7:00 PM on the 13th and didn't finish traveling until 7:00 the next day. That's what you get when you fly ghetto economy class.

I arrived to the airport in MN at 11:40 PM. I found a place to camp out and at 2:00 AM went to sleep. I converted two armchairs into a tiny makeshift bed. I woke up at 4:10 AM because of all the noise of people opening their businesses to board my 5:20 flight.

This was my bed. Objects are true to size in this photo. At least that's how it felt.

I flew from MN to the ATL. I landed and immediately went to my connecting flight to MEX.

I slept a little on the plane but because of the noise I ended up finishing Skyfall, which had taken me three flights to finish.

After a little while I heard the flight attendant announce that the plane would begin the descent to Mexico. I freaked out. Suddenly I felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement. I WAS IN FREAKIN' MEXICO.

My emotions rapidly changed between, "Holy smokes, I AM IN MEXICO AND I AM SO EXCITED" to "Why in the world am I in Mexico? Of all places to travel to, why would I choose to go to one of the craziest places on earth?"

Mexico City

I remembered why. I am here in Mexico because of the people. I love them. I love them so much that it was instinctive to choose to go to Mexico rather than any other place on earth for my summer vacation.

I touched down in Terminal 2 and had a beast of a time getting wifi. Not only is internet sparse here but everyone keeps it to themselves. Each store has their own wifi and sometimes the only way you can get access is by buying one of their products. Being my Bosque self I found ways around that :)

I went to Terminal 1 to pick up Blair. We then hopped on a bus to Cuerna.

And of course the first thing we eat in another country is McDonalds!

I feel at home. Everything feels absolutely normal. When I stepped into the airport I felt like I had been there last week. When we rocked up to Cuerna I felt like a native. I know exactly where to go, how much it costs, and so forth. In fact, I was making suggestions to Mama O about where to eat for dinner and where to shop haha.

This "organic" and "inorganic" garbage can lead to the same garbage bag. #GoMexico

Mama O picked us up from the bus station. We (Blair and I) were united with our Mexican Mom once again! We immediately began to party. She was so excited to see us that she spoiled us from the get go. We went and got tacos al pastor from Tizoncito, went shopping, and then got some ice cream.

Mama O with her two boys!

TACOS AL PASTOR

Right now we are watching Captain America on their wall. They've converted one of the walls of their house into a screen for movies.

Life is good. Reeeal good. Tomorrow we are going to party all day with the Ochoas. We are playing tennis, going to Beraka, having a BBQ, and then watching the second Captain America. I love Mexico and my family here!

The Last Email

2013-04-08T22:25:00.002-06:00

Family,

I find it hard to believe that I will be feeling the dry, freezing air of Utah, but more importantly the warm hugs of every one of you within a week. Your emails this week made me a little sad because it got me thinking about how everything is ending. I have made an effort not to think about it just so I don't get emotional, but upon meditating on things I feel like I just need to let go and feel the full emotions of my final moments in Mexico. I tend to try and keep my vision towards the future and the next battle to conquer, because when I look back deep, bittersweet feelings wrench at my heart. It happens when I think of high school and how much I loved that time of my life, and it happens to me when I reminisce about different parts of my mission.

This won't be my last time here. I know I will come back.

Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things I have had to experience in my life and I think in a few days I will be saying some of the biggest goodbyes I have ever had to express in my whole life. The mission has been something so special to me. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ has become something so important to me and is something rather difficult to accomplish. The path to heaven is straight--and straight upward as well. It is a constant climb and we can never cease to ascend towards our Savior and God.

The greatest things I have come to acquire or learn as a missionary and as a son of God are the importance of being prepared, of working with all the strength of mind, might, and heart, and the great importance of the restoration of the gospel. The only other event more important that has occurred on this earth was Christ's ministry-- His teachings, the establishment of His church, and His Atonement.

Being an assistant taught me many great and difficult lessons. One of the most valuable was that of always being prepared in every moment, both spiritually and temporally. I learned quickly from my errors and have become a more prepared human being.

I have also become a more disciplined, driven human being. When I make a goal based upon a just desire, there is no stopping me in completing what I set out to accomplish. Through my efforts I have come to see miracles happen in the mission field.

Finally, my testimony of the Restoration has grown exceedingly. It is something that we need to teach more to the younger generations. I know with a surety that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he saw God and Jesus Christ. No, it isn't an absurd, made-up event. It happened. It has come to make more sense to me as I have studied the scriptures and learned about the nature of God and how He interacts with His children. It wasn't the first time He has appeared to a young, boy prophet (see the account of Samuel in the OT). I know that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ. I know that the prophet and apostles of Christ spoke to us this past weekend in General Conference. It is true and if we follow and live these truths we will be truly happy.

My time as a missionary won't end when I am asked to remove my black name tag. My progression will not halt when I leave the office of the stake president after my release. I have completed with one very special step in my life and I plan to continue onward.

See you next week (and this time I mean it literally),

Elder Andrew Forrest

2

2013-04-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Family,

From your emails this week I can feel the kids jumping with excitement for my arrival home in Utah. I feel like I will be on dry, sandy Utah soil before I know it and it is going to shock me so badly that I won't be able to do anything for a week. I change from happy, sad, excited, and hesitant all the time as I think about the end of my mission. It has been such a special experience and I can honestly say that I have done my best. I have been far from perfect but God has been merciful enough to let me have success. It all feels very surreal right now and I don't know if I want to go home or not. I have so many good friendships here that I am going to miss.

Every night my comps and I play Uno to determine who says the prayer in the night. At the beginning Elder Cifuentes didn't win at all but today he has been beating me quite a bit. I am not the competitive person I used to be and I don't know if that is good or bad. I am sure Mum is so happy to hear those words come out of my mouth.

Last Friday I went up to my dear city of Cuernavaca for a leadership training meeting. There in the meeting I was able to see a bunch of good friends and say goodbye to them. Good thing I will be able to see Elders Peterson, Porter, and others again after the mission.

Yesterday in sacrament meeting the bishop gave me a few minutes to say goodbye to the ward. Yesterday was my last time in the ward (because next week is general conference and the Sunday after that I will be in the mission home preparing to depart the following morning for the US). I heard a few gasps when I said that I was ending my mission in two weeks. I am going to miss this ward so much. We have brought 6 families into the ward and they are all active.

I know that we are in the true church of Christ. It is a pleasure to work for Him and follow Him. It is the only way we can attain true happiness. Why? Think about the nature of Christ. He is perfect. He is happy. In fact, he is perfectly happy. So why not become like Him? It is something that even Justin Bieber can't give you (I saw a clip of one of his videos in a store and it looks like he is turning into a naughty little chap. Shame.)

Take care,

Elder Forrest

Dominating in foosball

President & Sister Kusch

My companions

Taxco

2013-03-24T17:06:00.001-06:00

Hi fam,

I'm on two days early this week. Our mission president let us switch P-Day to Saturday so we could go sight-seeing with some families in the ward.

We had an absolute blast today. We went to Taxco, the City of Silver, to get some cool souvenirs. I wish I had more dough to buy more cool stuff! We will have to go sometime as a family in the future. I loved going with the familia Gutierrez and Hector Hugo. After going around and having people swarm me to try and sell me stuff as if I were Tom Cruise we went to eat the most delicious white meat tacos ever. I ate 20 they were soooooo good. We then started telling jokes and I had the whole restaurant laughing. The whole way home we told jokes. It was a great, hilarious, and fun day. I am going to miss Mexico.

I got the birthday package a few weeks ago and I am trying to save the sweets for General Conference in two weeks. When General Conference ends I will be one week away from coming home. Weird.

Nothing much else to say this time. I am training again for my final three weeks. It feels weird to be working and knowing that all of the work you are doing will have results after you leave. It makes it kinda hard but I work and teach every day.The work has changed here in the area with the change of comps. There isn't the same fire there was before and I am focusing more on being a patient, loving person. Our new missionary is from Guatemala and is named Elder Cifuentes. He seems to catch on to things pretty quickly.

I have grown to love so many people here in this area. I love the mission. That's it for this week.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

Every Last Drop

2013-03-18T21:05:00.001-06:00

Family,

I will be brief today because I never seem to have enough time to write and do everything necessary within the hour given us to be online.

Erin--thanks for the photos. Claire has grown so much! She is turning into a cutie. Erin seems to have grown up so much and I can't wait for her to serve a mission.

We got a call on Thursday from President Kusch telling us that we will be training. For my final three weeks in the mission I will be in a trio, training a new missionary from Guatemala and training a missionary from Honduras in how to be a good trainer. I will finish the mission having trained three times. I guess my two mission presidents have trusted me.

We have had to start from ground zero in our area this month because we baptized all of our good investigators in February. We won't end this month too well but my final Saturday here we should have a few more converts. I am learning how to have patience in myself. I lack patience. One day I will find a balance.

Gotta enjoy the last few moments as a full-time missionary. It has been incredible and will continue to be that way.

Preach the gospel. It's fun.

Love,

Elder Forrest

5

2013-03-11T20:51:00.002-06:00

Hey Fam,

I don't feel like writing much this week. I am fine. I realize that I am really focused on baptizing and finishing my mission well and it may not be the focus that the Lord wants me to have. I don't know how to relax but God is forcing me to find a way to relax. I honestly have no idea how to not work hard and be 100% focused and not pressure and stress myself to do a good job.

We had two baptisms just yesterday. A man and his daughter were baptized. The man told me before he entered into the water: "I am doing this because I want to leave everything behind. I want to forget my past, my mistakes, and I want to start over." That right there makes baptism one of my favorite covenants. It means change. It means commitment to Christ. It means salvation. I found a scripture in Moses 6:59-60 which really shows the symbolism of baptism. You should look it up and read it.

My new comp is named Elder Araque and he is from Honduras. He is a laid-back guy and easy to get along with. He is an obedient missionary so I don't have to worry about working with a slacker. He has new missionary energy.

I want to be a missionary forever. On Sunday I gave a talk in church about how to share the gospel and it made me realize how much I love sharing the gospel. You can take my tag off, you can send me back to my house, you can force me to speak English all day but I will never stop being a missionary. I think it will be a lot easier when I don't have to worry about goals and time schedules, though I will continue to wake up somewhat early and definitely go to bed early.

Don't be afraid to share the gospel. The two secrets to sharing the gospel are inviting and being a light for others (Matt. 5:14-16). People need to feel a difference in you and see the light in your eyes that comes from being diligent disciples of Christ. From there you simply invite people to church, invite them to read the Book of Mormon, invite them to family home evening, and invite them to come unto Christ by being baptized.

Take care. I will be getting my birthday package from the mission office tonight. Better late than never. I have already started to get you guys some sick gifts. You will all love what you are going to get, even Dad (he will look good in a big sombrero with a tourist T-shirt from Acapulco, right?).

Love,

Elder Forrest

My 2-year-old shoes. Eccos are the best shoes ever, but a mission takes it out of them.

Remember Carl from the children's book? This is his Mexican cousin, Carlos.

Buen perro, Carlos

Tres Hombres

Changes & the Final Countdown

2013-03-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Family,

All day Sunday people told me I look exhausted and sad. It may have been for the fast I was doing; it may have been due to the fact that we have worked harder than ever; it may have been the lack of sleep; it may have been because E. Bethancourt is leaving and I am on my final change in the mission.

I am tired. I gave everything to February. I have 6 weeks left and I need to finish strong.

In sacrament meeting there wasn't electricity in the building so it was hot. My body was exhausted, I was truly sad to see my comp leaving, and I felt like my hope and faith were fizzling out. I was thinking of what would happen if I coasted this change out. We would baptize 3 or 5 more and then I would be done with my mission and onto the next phase in life. Despite my body's begging desire to stop, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt like my hope was the final thread on a fraying rope. I didn't want to do anything. I was numb emotionally. I had no one to share it with besides God. I didn't want to let on to others what was going on inside me. I think the thing that is killing me or pressuring me is myself. I don't know how to relax. I push, push, push, and I seek to go higher and farther. I am never content with a good performance. I want it to be the best.

I set a goal coming into this area of how many I want to baptize. To reach the goal I would need to see some big miracles. I lack 22 baptisms to complete my goal, haha. I know it is possible but I don't know if I am capable. We don't have enough golden investigators right now to be able to pull off numbers like that. I don't know if I should keep pushing myself to try and at least give my goal a run for its money or if I should throw out the goal altogether and enjoy my final change here. I would love a response to this question as soon as possible.

We baptized Irma on Saturday. She is a great woman that learned quickly and easily the gospel and accepted it quickly. We had to pass through a loooong, loooong Saturday to be able to baptize her but it was worth it.

Our cita early on Saturday was with a person that is supposed to be baptized on March 16th, but she is denying the spiritual witness she has received. When we ask her if she has received an answer from God that Joseph Smith is a prophet, she claims that every time she reads and prays she feels good so she can't say that she has. I could feel her hard heart and stubbornness and it pained me to see that it was limiting her from joining her daughter and husband in the church. Anyway, the rest of the day we didn't have any citas. We met a man that refuses to go to our ward because he has gone to the neighboring ward his whole life. Because of this his daughter can't get baptized. What doesn't make sense to me is that he has been inactive almost his whole life so I don't see why he is so attached to his ward.

Bucket Brigade

We got to the chapel later on Saturday for Irma's baptism and there wasn't any electricity in the building and there wasn't any water either. By some miracle members showed up early so we filled the font with buckets of water. Actually they didn't really show up early. Let me explain. The Sunday before we had announced to the ward that Irma's baptism would be at 5:30 p.m. During the week we had to change the time to 7:00 p.m., but weren't able to get the word out to the ward members. They showed up at 6:00 p.m. for a baptism they thought began at 5:30 p.m., but because of the schedule change they were now early and could help us. Now do you see why I am tired? The baptism was good. What I loved most was to see how happy Irma was to be baptized. She had been waiting with great anticipation to be baptized and now she is a very happy member of the church.

Saying goodbye to E. Bethancourt wasn't too hard. I felt very sad on Saturday night and Sunday about his change but when he left he was his excited little self. I had already told him everything I ever wanted and needed to say to him so I didn't need to let anything out. I gave him one of my ties and gave him a family history tie to keep passing down to future generations. He is going to a great area: Puente de Ixtla. It is the neighboring area to Alpuyeca where I began.

My current comp seems pretty laid back which is just fine by me. This is his 4th change in the mission so he is still very new, which I like. It means I will be able to help him become a great missionary because he still shouldn't have bad habits. I prefer working with people like him rather than loud, stubborn, prideful missionaries.

I hope everything is going well on the home front. I have given up on making any decisions about my life after the mission and prefer to think about that stuff when the time comes. I want to remain focused these final 6 weeks of my special calling.

Love,

Elder Forrest

Elder Jefferson Vick--we used to be in the same ward in Midvale

Good-bye Elder Bethancourt

Try filling a font bucket by bucket

I'm Dreaming of a White Birthday

2013-02-25T21:09:00.003-07:00

Family,

I didn't get your birthday package but I did get a gift from God: A white weekend. Let me explain.

This past week we saw a few miracles happen and also had the privilege to baptize nine people, thus completing my desire of helping ten people make covenants with God during the month of February.

On Monday night two weeks ago we had a family home evening lesson with the bishop and the family of a man named C. He has a aluminum and glass workshop and we have been working with him and watching him change his life over the past few weeks and months. Just when we were ready to baptize him, we found out that he wasn't married. Normally that would be a faith killer but we decided to pray and asked the bishop and his family to talk about marriage and the importance of the family. On the 14th there were going to be free casamientos [weddings] so we wanted to invite them to do it.

We held the FHE, everything went well, and C and his wife agreed to get married. We left it up to them to make the sacrifices and do everything so that they would get married. There is a difference between having missionaries that do everything for the investigators and missionaries that allow their investigators to act and make sacrifices, and I didn't want to be the former. We verified and encouraged them to get everything done. They couldn't get their documents in on time to get hitched. Uh oh. Instead of giving up we kept praying. The government said they needed to turn in everything 5 to 8 days in advance in order to qualify for a free wedding, and time was running short. We hoped that a miracle would happen as they acted in faith.

Last Tuesday we had a lesson with them. We asked them how it was going with the documents and they told us that they would be getting married the following day. I don't know how it happened but when C's wife turned in the docs she asked if they could get married the following day and the secretary said yes. That was just one of the many miracles that happened.

Besides C and his family, we had some other investigators with baptismal dates for Saturday and Sunday. I didn't feel so good about the preparation of the two investigators on Sunday and thought a lot about moving their date further into March. I was hesitant because I wanted to baptize and I didn't know how they would react to it, but, after much thought and prayer, I decided to do it. I knew we wouldn't complete the goal but the investigators were more important than completing the goal. Another investigator said that she wanted to push her date one week more for complications in work. I didn't want that to happen but we respected her decision.

We went into Friday knowing that we wouldn't complete the goal of 10 baptisms in February. We weren't sad because we had given a war-like effort to do our best. We thought all was said and done when we received a phone call from a member saying that a father and his daughter wanted to be baptized.

The family had gone to church for over a year. The father is an intellectual and loves studying, but despite his great knowledge and his spiritual experiences, he denied the need for baptism for a long time, saying that he needed more time and preparation. I tried with great boldness to baptize him but he didn't budge, so we stopped teaching him. Now he was coming to us asking to be baptized! His daughter was dating a druggie who was involved with a lot of bad people, and one night the daughter had a big scare as her life and the lives of the rest of her family were threatened. The scare was enough to make her and her father decide to act now instead of delaying even more their salvation.

On Friday evening we had a lesson with the father and his daughter to review the baptismal interview. The following day they had the interview after our zone conference, and an hour later they were dressed in white and entering the baptismal font. We went from not completing the goal to suddenly completing it.

The baptismal service was wonderful. The water felt so warm and I never wanted to leave the font. There were so many people dressed in white and there was an excitement in the air as the people that came to the service ooh'd and aah'd at the sight.

On Sunday everyone showed up and we confirmed them all. Three families are now members of the church.

With God nothing is impossible. It is something that He is manifesting to me more and more as I do everything within my power to find, teach, baptize, and be guided by the Spirit. I learned that one aspect of faith is doing everything one can to fulfill the will of God. My faith has been tried a great many times this month but I have also enjoyed many spiritual experiences. I know that this church and this work is guided by God and if we seek His help He will work miracles.

Changes are next week, but I know I am staying. I don't know if my companion will stay or go. Time will tell.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

My White Birthday Present

My birthday lunch with the district

Pastelazo de Elder Forrest

Happy Birthday

A Little Bit of Everything

2013-02-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Family,

We have experienced a bit of everything this week. A day of service, a day of answered prayers, a day of stress and conflict, and a day of rest (Sunday-- and even then it isn't much of a rest).

On Tuesday we didn't do much number-wise but we did serve a lot of people. We helped a joven [young man] transfer wood from a truck to the workshop where his father was working because he tried to carry the wood with the help of his sister the size of Claire; we helped a man who hardly had the use of his legs hop up from the street onto the sidewalk; we gave a blessing to a poor old woman that is merely suffering out the final days of her life; and finished the night by blessing a woman who may lose her child in the womb.

On Thursday night we ate dinner with a drunk man and his family. He was just drunk enough to make everything he did and said really funny. At one point he was staring into E. Pearson's face (we were on a division with the ZLs and the ZL came to my area with me) with a dreamy look and didn't say anything. He had one of those faraway looks with a gushy smile on his face and his eyes sparkled because they were filled with tears. He had his head perched in his palm and was watching E. Pearson (he has blonde hair and blue eyes) and I couldn't help but bust up laughing. His wife shook him out of it and then he started commenting on a topic that we had all conversed about 10 minutes earlier. I think it is a shame that his daughters have to see him like that. He was a complete clown because of the alcohol.

The days are speeding up. I know I have said that so many times but when I woke up on Sunday I thought it was another day of work and that we hadn't finished the week so quickly. I think I have 7 or 8 weeks left in the mission. How tragic.

On Sunday we had a cool lesson with a soldier named Jesus. His girlfriend is a member of the ward and the sister missionaries had taught him before. At the end of the lesson he told us that he trusts us a lot and really likes how we teach. He says that we teach very clearly and he feels the Spirit when we talk. That is the second investigator that has told us that in this area. Jesus has a baptismal date for the 23rd of March. I thank the sister missionaries for all of their great seed planting, because if it weren't for them we wouldn't have harvested so many souls.

We had a bunch of prayers answered Friday morning. On Friday the ward went to the temple so all of my member buddies were in Mexico City. We hadn't gotten a hold of the food list for the week so we didn't know who would be inviting us over on Friday to eat dinner. I also didn't have any money in the cell phone (cell phone service here is an absolute joke-- the owner of Telcel is the richest man in the world and it is because he forces every stinking peso out of the pockets of his poor people and tricks them into credit tricks with his store called Elektra, where one pays a monthly fee for domestic technology and ends up paying a lot more for the product.) so the only telecommunication I could use was my service with God. At 11:07 we said a prayer asking God to have the person that would give us food that day call us within an hour. Because cell phone service rates are so high no one makes little calls to confirm plans, so the act of calling the missionaries to confirm the food appointment is something that has maybe happened in my mission 7 times. We went out to work and waited for the call. At 11:27 we were waiting for a joven to come join us for the day to preach. The phone buzzed to life and I answered. It was an hermana asking us who we were supposed to eat with and we told her we didn't know. We later passed by her aunt's house, checked the food list, tried to call the hermana that was supposed to give us food. She didn't answer so the hermana that called us gave us food. It was a cool little miracle to show that God is in the details.

An investigator's prayer was answered right at that same moment as ours was. The joven didn't show up at 11:30 which was odd because he is very punctual. We continued to wait at the combi parada [taxi stop] when we saw one of our investigators coming toward us on the street. She is supposed to get married this week so she can be baptized with her husband and two of her kids. We were helping her arrange the docs for the marriage and she felt like she needed to talk to us. She was in her house and a voice told her to leave her house and start walking. She heeded the spiritual impression and started walking. That was when she found us and told us that she needed our help with the docs. If the joven had arrived on time our investigator would not have found us and we wouldn't have been able to help her out. It was another cool experience that happened right at the same time that the hermana called us about the food. With God nothing is impossible!

Speaking of impossible, I hope we can finish the month well. Things are looking really difficult. Salvation is not a cheap experience.

Thank you for the birthday wishes. Enjoy shrimp and mojarra frita. I will be eating carne asada in a few moments.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

Soldiers for Christ (just kidding)

Mormon Gangstas

I love mandarinos

Going home after a long day...& a torn shirt

Marble Blue Eyes & Saying Good Bye to my Mexican Brother

2013-02-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Family,

I think I may have said this last week, but time is flying by. I felt like we were just starting last week and now we are onto another week. I will start freaking out during the month of March. Right now I feel like I have plenty of time, plenty of time. I'm in the backfield, backpedaling, I'm looking, I'm looking, here comes the challenge- the throw- annd...... CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!! CAUGHT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!!!

I dedicate that part of my letter to all my dear Yoot friends. Love!

We had another good week: 20 people with a baptismal date, 11 in church, 18 lessons with a member... My new fear is that President sticks another pair of missionaries into the ward. I feel like that would ruin the rythmn we have going. I am praying he doesn't do it, haha.

I have recognized how God has guided me this week in the big things and in the little things. Every time we are about to leave the house we kneel down and pray for God to guide us and He does it. Here is a small example: I was putting in my contact lenses in the morning and one of the lids shot off and fell behind the fridge in our little cave of a house. I thought of how bad it was going to be to pull the cap out from behind the fridge but I did it. When I did it I noticed that the floor was wet and I realized that the fridge wasn't working. We messed around with it and fixed it. If I hadn't of lost my cap behind the fridge we would have lost all of the food we had in the fridge. Weird experience, I know, but it shows that God is in the little things, too. Later in the week we had an appointment set with a young woman that is going to be baptized soon. She lives with a family that recently got baptized. We went to the house and right at the moment that we turned the corner we saw Margarita, a recent convert, show up in a truck. She had gone to Acapulco for a surgery because she has cancer. We arrived just in time to help her out of the truck and guide her into the house. She is one extremely faithful and strong woman for having so little time within the church. Our appointment fell through because the young woman didn't show up but we had to arrive there for a different reason altogether.

Speaking of helping people walk, I earned another UP merit badge! This time it was the help-the-old-blind-woman-cross-the-street-and-avoid-a-car merit badge. It is my best merit badge yet.

During la comida one day an hermana stared at me with a very serious look and said "Elder, I want to tell you something." She said it so seriously I thought "Oh no, what did we do wrong?" She continued to say (and the whole time she was staring at me) "When I was a little girl I played with marbles... And I am pretty sure that I had marbles the color of your eyes!" Everyone laughed at the comment. My comp gets a kick out of the fact that all of the female on the street stare at me and get really big smiles when I say hi to them. I wish I had this kind of attention back in Utah!

My dear friend Elder Cornejo called me this morning from the assistant's cell. He called to say goodbye. He had some blood pressure problem that affected him rather seriously and the doctors didn't know how to diagnose it so they sent him home. It is likely that he will be going to BYU so I told him to be in touch with you guys. He speaks excellent English so it shouldn't be a problem to communicate. I have a ton of respect for Elder Cornejo. I felt from the beginning that he was and is my Mexican brother.

Speaking of BYU, supposedly it is getting full apartment-wise. I want to see if you guys can't help me in finding an apartment and contacting Derek, TK, D-Reich, if Durrant doesn't have plans then him, and Elder Blair and see if they don't want to room together. If there aren't apartments big enough we can do what we did 2 years ago with the apartments on the same floor.

I got a sweet testimony from my convert Giselle. She is super intelligent and very quiet. I have never taught someone with such ease. Lessons lasted 15 minutes because she always understood everything and never had questions. In her testimony she talked about how we came into her life just when she started to think that life was losing its meaning. She also said that there were many times that I would say things that she needed to hear and answered the questions and doubts she had. I really appreciated her letter. Her husband was the one who told me thank you and I will never forget it. They are a really cool couple with a child dad would die to play with and I am going to miss them.

We are having a lot of spiritual lessons every day. We are facing more and more challenges as time wanes and the 23rd of February draws closer, but you know how I love the challenge. Salvation is not a cheap experience but I am willing to pay the price, whether it be for myself or for someone else. I want to end my mission walking on clouds and I feel like we are doing it.

Love,

Elder Forrest

P Day Basketball Game

Mexican Tongue Twisters

Lady Roasting Chilis

Another Delicious Feast

Camarones & Pink Wigs

2013-02-04T20:24:00.004-07:00

Family,

We had a great week. I hit an all-time high with my stats: 15 people with a baptismal date, 17 in church, and 17 lessons taught with a member (not including other lessons). It was awesome!

We had a spiritual baptism on Saturday. A less-active young man came back to church and got to baptize his wife. Before he entered into the bathroom to change into his baptismal clothes, he turned to me and said "Elder Forrest, thank you." It was one of those thank you's that your ears itch to hear and heart yearns to receive. It was one of those few thank you's that really come from within and sink deep into your soul. He told me that things were changing in his family. His dad is becoming active again, his younger sister came to church to participate in the baptismal program, and his cute little son has a bright future ahead of him, a future that will definitely include serving a mission. I love baptism. It represents a new beginning, a new birth. It represents purity and dedication to a work a Will so perfect and holy. I love it.

We fasted to complete the monthly goal. We needed a lot of people in church on Sunday. The services began and we were missing about 7 of the people. I was right by the door letting people in and praying that the two families would show up. Just before the sacrament was passed the two families showed up. Woo hoo! Gospel principles class was full and we had a lot of activity in church.

Some of the members have been feeding us barbecued camarones [shrimp] lately and it has been absolutely delicious. Wow, I can't get enough shrimp. Below is a photo of one of the plates of shrimp and fish that I devoured.

I am almost out of time but I hope everyone is doing well. I got letters from everyone in the family this week which was really nice. Tell Elder Blair I got his package (I also got the other package with the eggnog candy and the bowl for my spoons-- thanks!) and I found his signature on the package to be quite interesting. I got Tress's letter. Woo! She found her eternal companion. Felicidades. I also got a letter from Brett and Joy. The family looks great. Emily looks so grown up! I look forward to playing Halo 4 on Legendary with Alex when I get back.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

A very happy family

A very happy family and two happy elders

All work and no play makes boring elders

Mmm, camarones (shrimp) & fish. Delicious!

Onward, Ever Onward

2013-01-28T15:55:00.003-07:00

Family,

As for crazy, awesome events I don't think I have much. The week came and went like a dream. We wake up, pray, eat and exercise, study, preach until we are exhausted, go home, plan, and go to sleep. We have had quite a few spiritual lessons lately. I feel like I am recognizing to a finer degree the Spirit and am thus enjoying my mission even more. I look forward to the future but am really trying to enjoy being a missionary while I have the time. I don't want any regrets and I have already started my kick to the finish line.

We should be baptizing two people this weekend. Giselle is the wife of a once less-active member who is now active. Teaching her has been so unbelievably easy. In fact, reactivating her husband was a breeze, too. We showed up to their house with Antonio, a future missionary in the ward (and friend of Daniel, the husband of Giselle); we spoke to the couple; invited them to church; and they have gone to church ever since then. It goes to show that the Lord prepares His children and we merely act as catalysts in helping people convert desire into action. Very few times does this occur in a mission.

The other person being baptized is named Irma. She too has been prepared for some time and is excited to be baptized. We will be having a Family Home Evening with her and her "family." She is a young single adult that lives with a family that just got baptized a few months ago. She has lived with them for so long that she is basically an aunt to the children. She is very intelligent so teaching her has been fun and easy.

The key to having quick baptismal success in the mission is finding the people that are already prepared. You have to sift a lot of sand to find the gold nuggets, but when you do so it feels amazing. Some people aren't ready in the moment that you meet them, but they develop over time till the point where they are ripe and ready to be picked off the tree. Lucas Li, for example, didn't get baptized the first time he heard about the church and the gospel but over time he was prepared to receive it.

We had a powerful lesson with a family that is preparing to go to the temple to be sealed on February 15th. Their son, Ivan (nicknamed pollo), goes out with us often to teach. He is going to the Bahia Sur mission in Argentina and leaves in March. Everyone in the lesson was crying (well, except me--but that doesn't mean I didn't feel the Spirit strongly!) as we talked about the plan of salvation and the incredible opportunity we have to live with our families forever.

We have big plans for the ward. We set a goal to baptize 10 people this month. In this mission that is very, very, very uncommon. Perhaps in the Mexico City missions that is normal, but here it isn't. My plan is to unite the ward through missionary work. We have a monthly theme and will be utilizing many means to get people involved: giving training meetings, having a "Wall of Love" in the church where people can put up their testimonies about sharing the love with others (everything is based around a theme of sharing the love of Christ with others); and we have even considered using Facebook to remind the members to keep visiting others and inviting them to come unto Christ. Ivan would manage the FB page with another really cool youth in our ward named Antonio. We merely have the idea and would never look at or use FB, it would be the responsibility of the members to manage it because we can't use FB (and I have never used it my whole mission).

I still have a bit of time left on the mission but at the same time it will disappear before I know it. I have all of the month of February and all of the month of March. I think when March ends is when it is going to sink in. I am feeling the Spirit often, I am seeking to experiment and try new things, and I am learning how to work intelligently and efficiently.

Thank you for your letters and support.

Love,

Elder Forrest

Breaking the Paradigm

2013-01-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Family,

I am dreaming big again. I hope to make a miracle happen this next month in the ward.

This past Thursday, a General Authority named Elder Zivic from Argentina came to our mission to talk to the missionaries. His talk focused on breaking the mindsets that often limit our potential and abilities and used examples like that of Roger Bannister and the four minute mile, and a bunch of monkeys in a cage filled with bananas. It is a long example to write out but basically they started with four monkeys in the cage and every time the monkeys tried to reach up for a banana they dosed them in freezing water until they stopped going for the bananas. They replaced one of the four monkeys and stopped throwing water on them. However, every time the new monkey tried to reach up for a banana, the original three beat it up to prevent it from getting wet. They then kept replacing all the monkeys until there were four monkeys that had never seen or experienced the water soaking but for some reason had no desire to reach up for a banana. The scientific experiment showed how a certain mindset can affect people for generations or ages.

That got me thinking big time about my area and the work we can produce here. This month has been so hot; we are going to finish with two, perhaps three baptisms. That may be good for a regular missionary but I am not satisfied. We have been teaching lots of lessons every week (we average 16-18 lessons), we had ten inactives in church yesterday, but for some reason I just feel like we are having troubles in the area. We are working hard but all of the sudden the investigators we have aren't progressing or are progressing very slowly. I think one thing that I have learned or needed to learn is that despite my grand desire to do a great, miraculous work here I can't do it alone. The results of this month are a manifestation of that. So, to change things up and share the vision with everyone, we are going to involve the ward in a way I have never done before to baptize ten in the month of February. We just got a new ward mission leader that has no experience at all and I am going to put him to work like no other, along with the 16 ward missionaries we have. I believe we can do it.

We had the most spiritual baptismal service of my entire mission on Saturday. Monica, mother of Galilea and wife of Saul, was baptized. It was so cool, especially because her husband was the one to baptize her. It was exactly a month earlier (December 19th) that we met Saul for the first time. Who would have thought that within one month his whole life would change-- his daughter baptized, the opportunity to baptize his wife, and now they are all preparing to go to the temple. I think if I ever came back to see converts be sealed it would be them.

Elder Bethancourt and I sang hymn #50 "Más cerca Dios, de Ti". I don't remember what it is in English. It was super powerful. At least five people were crying in the room when we finished and the bishop had a huge grin on his face. I felt the Spirit a lot. After the service we celebrated with some cake when Saul called me aside. He asked us if we could go to a studio of one of his friends to record the song because his wife wants it on her ipod. Cool! We are going to go record the song this week so they can have small gift from us. It is Hermana Monica's favorite hymn and I think it is one of my favorites now, too.

Glad to know everything is going well, especially in Zim. We are doing our best out here and hope to see big results.

Love,

Elder Forrest

P.S. I don't need anything for my birthday next month. Save your money for the doctor and dentist visits I will need when I get home in April. I need parasites purged and cavities filled.

Monica's baptism

Monica & Saul & their children

Exhausting Week

2013-01-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Family,

We had an utterly exhausting week. All of the running around and working hard is getting to us. I have been sick on and off with intestinal problems and then my companion got sick on Saturday. On Sunday we walked around the church building like zombies. We are taking it easy today to recuperate from our exhaustion.

We didn't baptize this week. This month we have a goal of five and so far we have had one baptism and one that will for sure happen this Saturday. I have no idea how we are going to pull off three more baptisms by the end of this month. It is a little frustrating for me because I want to do so much more but sometimes things just don't work out. This Sunday for example was an all time low for investigators at church. Last week we had some 13 people there and this week we had 3. It was a little frustrating.

I am really excited for the baptism this Saturday. She is the mom of the girl we baptized last month. Her husband reactivated himself and has a deep desire to have an eternal family. We have had a ton of spiritual experiences with this lady. Ever since the first lesson we had with her I knew she was going to get baptized. At her daughter's baptism she felt the Spirit strongly and cried. Now that I think about it, she has teared up and cried a lot when we teach her. For example, this past week we had a lesson to commit her to baptism. She expressed her doubts about doing it. She said: "I don't understand why I feel I should be baptized now and not at any other time. When the sister missionaries taught me I didn't feel anything. In fact, I didn't enjoy listening to them. Now you missionaries come and somehow I feel it and it is so different. I don't know why this is happening to me!" We talked to her about how the Lord has plans that are greater than our own plans (Isaiah 55:8-9) and how now is the time to act. Her husband helped her out a lot and we testified of the truthfulness of what we were teaching her. I asked her if she had prayed to know if she should be baptized on January 19th and she said yes. When I asked her how she felt when she prayed she spoke about how she felt tranquility and peace. We testified that she felt the Spirit and invited her to be baptized that day. She said yes. We encouraged her to trust in the spiritual experiences she has had and to walk forward in faith. When we have trials we should always remember the spiritual experiences we have had and realize that the Lord is guiding us. To make sure she was firmly committed, we sang a hymn to her: "Más cerca Dios, de Ti" ("Nearer My God to Thee"), in parts no less. It is something Elder Blair and I did for some members and it turned out well. I knew that if we sang she would love it and would cry so we did it :) She did love it and cried. We announced her baptismal service in church so we should have good attendance.

I want to finish my mission strong. Imagine the final ceremony of the Olympics and that is how I want to finish. I am not going to be a weak elder that finishes his mission well before he gets on the plane to return home. It can be so difficult to keep going at times but I know I can do it. My desires to be successful, to work hard, to work miracles, is something that I don't express often but it burns within me. I feel so weak at times because I fall short of what I desire to do, and I pray that God can put His hand in this work to accomplish what I cannot do by my own means.

Things are going great with Elder Bethancourt. He comes from a culture where talk of witchcraft and evil spirits is commonplace which has been interesting for me to hear. Thank goodness he is a very faithful member of the church.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

Fish dinner

Doing a service project

Belated Christmas

2013-01-07T16:56:00.003-07:00

Family,

I finally got the Christmas package you sent. Can you tell from the photo how happy it made me? I have been dining on pistachios and chocolates. It is the best. I have been reading the conference edition of the Ensign you sent too. It is my favorite part of the morning. Thanks for the package. I got to enjoy Christmas a little longer than usual.

Erin will be happy to know that his week I didn't get the "help an elderly person cross the street" merit badge, but I did get the "help the elderly woman go down a rocky hill and get into a combi" merit badge. Just a few more merit badges and I will be done!

This week was pretty normal. We are back into the routine of things. Unfortunately we don't have anyone for baptism this week. It makes me sad but we are going to try our best to work a miracle. Next week's baptism is almost 100% for sure and we don't know who will be baptized at the end of the month. I hope we can keep it up!

I went and worked with some other missionaries in a tiny pueblo called Ocotito. We traveled deep into the hills of Guerrero and went to other tiny places like el Zapote. I feel bad for the missionaries there because they have the difficult task of hauling these poor farmers from their tiny pueblos to Ocotito where the church is on Sundays. The people are so poor that they don't have money to go. The stake is considering putting a tiny branch in a place called Chacalapa so that those bordering pueblos can go there. I had the opportunity to see the church from its beginning roots out there in the area of Ocotito.

We had a baptism on Friday of a cute little kid named Luis. His family has been inactive for years but started going back to church recently. His grandma came from Acapulco to see the baptism and I feel like the experience really lifted the spirits of the family. Yesterday the whole family was in church which made me happy. Luis was so happy to see me in church and gave me a handshake-hug. He was so happy to see me that he crashed into me because he was running so excitedly. I confirmed him and E. Bethancourt baptized him.

I love the ward. They seem to love us, too. I hope we can continue to work miracles in this ward.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

P.S. I rewarded to Luis a bag of Doritos chips for reading 5 verses every day.

Luis & me

The water pipe for the font was rusted shut...

...so I was lowered down to loosen it.

Keep on Trucking

2012-12-31T20:01:00.002-07:00

Family,

I wanted to share two thoughts with you before I forget them:

1. A family here gave us some mandarinas (tangerines, or naartjies for the Zimbabweans) and other fruit as we left their house after a visit. Last night when I was eating one I realized that the last time we were in their house they had also given us fruit. It made me think of all the small sacrifices the members make for us. It made me feel the desire to give something back to them. When I look at what I can give to them, I realize I don't really have anything I can give them in return. I then recalled how the members always comment to us about how they love to have the missionaries in their home because they feel like the Lord blesses their home and their family. My thought is that we bless members by being in their homes, sharing messages, and thanking them for what they do for us. God, through His missionaries, blesses the members. I sincerely hope these loving people are blessed. I feel the Lord does that through us as we visit them. I guess that's what I have to give them.

2. It is so interesting to see how certain things impact people more than others. During my whole mission I have used the 20 minute long video about the Restoration to help explain the story of Josè Smith (that is what we call him down here). I have used the video countless times and I have had vastly different results with different people.

This past weekend we baptized a young girl who is part of a part-member family. Her dad is a returned missionary that recently activated himself in the church after being inactive for many years. His wife is not a member. We taught the mom and daughter the missionary lessons and showed the Josè Smith video. At the end the mom was in tears and accepted a baptismal date for the 19th of January. At her daughter's baptismal service it was the same: she was crying in happiness as she saw her daughter be baptized. She was deeply touched by the Holy Ghost and she now knows that this church is true. We didn't need to say a word and she knew it was true. By the power of the Holy Ghost she received a witness of the truth. It is awesome.

Peace!

Elder Forrest

P.S. Here are some photos for you.

Christmas dinner

Our Christmas tree

Merry Christmas

Baseball on P. Day

Christmas Creche

Playing a cello at a Christmas concert

Nothing is Impossible

2012-12-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

Familiation!

In the US we always think Spanish words end in "o" or "a", like taco, burrito, hot dogo, etc. Here in Mexico they think all English words end in "tion". Salvation, graduation, Forrestation, etc. Sometimes I like to joke around and speak in Spanish and finish words with "tion". Hola mi niñation, como esta? Vamos a jugar fútbolation hoy, no?

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Everyone tells you to believe in the unbelievable and believe in doing the impossible and I have come to reailize that believing that nothing is impossible is a mindset or mentality that one acquires through small experiences where the person sees the impossible done. It is the small experiences where God uses His power to do the seemingly impossible to the human mind.

I got a cello this week. For free. And now I definitely believe that nothing is impossible when your desires are just and true.

By divine coincidence (I call it that because it seems like an accident or coincidence but guided by divine power) we found a music school after searching in many stores and talking to a lot of people. We found the school on accident and it just happened to be that the helper of the odd and crazy music director was a Mormon from another ward. After a lot of waiting on the crazy director we were able to get a cello. It ain't the purtiest thing I have ever played but it is sufficient for what I will be doing. I am going to play for the ward party, for the mission conference, and for a stake activity. The music is easy. I can still play, which surprises me. My form is pretty poor and my fingers no longer have their callouses, but I can play. I am so excited to play. So is everyone else.

The experience of finally finding a cello has shown me that if you have a just desire and work hard enough for it you can get what you desire. I had to be very, very, very patient with this director and I had to look a lot, but I found a cello. Nothing is impossible for me if I do things for the right reasons and with the grace of God.

I will be sending some photos soon of one of the biggest Cathedrals in Mexico. It is in a tiny, obscure pueblo called Chilapa. It has at the eave of the building a statue of Michael as he kills the devil with a spear. It is sick.

I gave a talk in church about missionary work and the Old Serpent Satan. I explained that the old serpent bites and poisons the members of the church so that they don't have desires to participate in missionary work to bring about the Lord's Will (más que nada the gathering of Israel). I talked about the two poisons of the old serpent: Judging beforehand if our neighbors, loved ones, and friends will accept this message or not, and also the fear of rejection. I talked about the antidotes of the poisons and based parts of my talk from President Monson's talk on how we should look at people not as they are but what they can become. One never knows if a friend or relative is ready to listen and accept the gospel and our reponsablity isn't to judge for them but to invite them. That is what I plan to do with all of my friends when I get home.

I finished Jesus the Christ last night. That book is a masterpiece. I loved it. I wrote more about it in my journal so after the mission I will let you read what I wrote.

Gotta go buy some presents for Christmas. I will be getting you all cool presents at the end of my mission. They will be sick gifts so it will be worth the wait.

Peace,

Elder Forrest

Backpack, Backpack, Backpack

2012-12-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hey family,

As you may guess by the title, my sleek gray backpack from you arrived in Mexico. It is sweet. I also have a giant map of my area in there so go ahead and call me Forrest the Explorador. I avoid the drunks in the road (Swipers) and my street dogs help me on the way. I go from the rusty bridge to the Coca Cola at the member's house and finish at the baptismal font. Woo! My life should be a movie.

Thank you for all the Christmas notes. It got me into the Christmas spirit and now I am excited for Christmas. I miss snow. The song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" has a lot more meaning to me now. It is becoming colder in the mornings but there is no chance of even rain falling from the skies. I also got a letter from Susan Olsen. She is excited for Kylee to go on a mission. It is so cool to serve a mission and it is worth every moment.

We had two baptismal services this weekend. Adrian, a 19 year-old skater and Alberto, a 9 year-old niño that decided before his baptism that he wanted the tall, blue-eyed güero to baptize him instead of his uncle.

Alberto is a niño whose mom is less active and he goes to church with his cousin and uncle and aunt. He was going to get baptized a few months ago but it never happened. We taught him a lesson, filled up the font, and baptized him. All of his cousins and fellow primary amigos came to his baptism and sat on the front row to watch him be baptized. He had participated in the primary program earlier that day and everyone was pumped to see him baptized. His little friends participated in his baptismal program and prayed for him and everything. It was one of those "Ahhh, how cute!" moments that all women love.

Adrian has been dating a Mormon girl on an off and for the past few months and she has been working hard (Adrian says that she was his first missionary) to help him change his life. When we arrived to the area he was ready to go. We taught him one or two lessons more and he got baptized. I loved Adrian's testimony after he was baptized. He said that being baptized brought indescribable feelings into his heart and he does not regret making the decision to be baptized. After the service he said thank you to me in a way that I felt instead of heard. Those have to be my favorite thank yous and it makes everything you do worth it.

We heard many expressions of thanks this Friday when we went to give service at the hospital in Chilpo. We gave away scarves and served up food. It was really cold and I think everyone appreciated the free food. Some missionaries started singing Christmas songs from the hymnbook. I passed out spoons and invited people in to where we were serving food. I was in the entrance and spoke to everyone that left after they had finished eating. There was one woman who, in tears, expressed her appreciation for what we did and left. It was touching.

Things are going well and I hope it all gets better. There are so many members in our ward that we have yet to meet. I hope to get to know them all soon and start working more with them.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

The Arrival and Cake World War I

2012-12-04T12:16:00.004-07:00

Family,

No manches, Chilpo está BIEN CHIDO!!! I love this place. It is amazing! Think of a small city the size of Park City inside a small valley (the city spills out onto the hills), imagine the word fresh and that is what the weather is like, and think BAPTISMS and that's what my new area of Chilpancingo is all about. Taking vengeance on being an assistant has never felt so good. We should be baptizing two people this weekend and two more in two weeks. Our goal is to baptize every week as a district and work to baptize every week as companionships. I love this place. I love it. It is a big, middle class city in a fresh/hot/slightly dry climate. When you walk the streets you feel super tranquilo.

The ward received us in great anticipation. The bishop and his family were overjoyed to have us here. I have never had such a huge influence on people I have never met before in my life. We hadn't done anything and we were receiving the support a king would deserve.

The first house we went to when we arrived here was the bishop's house. We went with the zone leaders so they could show us where and also to celebrate Elder Quinnelly's birthday. My goal was to win the bishop and his family over and my indicator of success was if they gave us lots of food. We arrived and Hermana Sarai (the bishop's wife) showed us a sign that said "Barrio Centro doesn't want the missionaries!" and made us read it out loud. Then she flipped it over and it said "Welcome to the ward. We love you". Awwwwww.
We ate dinner and then it came time for cake. As a preface let me explain that word of the pranks and jokes Hermana Sarai does are so famous or well known that I had heard about her even before I was called to barrio Centro. Anyway, we sang the birthday song and did the customary sticking of E. Quinelly's face in the cake. Then, in a sudden movement, E. Quinelly shoved a bunch of cake in Hna Sarai's face. A huge gasp sucked the air out of the room. Then the battle begun.

The hermana grabbed the cake and started throwing it at everyone. We ducked for cover and ran, all four of us missionaries. We then ran back into the room to grab cake and throw it at her. Only minutes ago I was trying to make a good impression on this woman I had never seen before in my life and now I am throwing cake at her!

Hna. Sarai called in the reserves: buckets of water. We got soaked but made sure she did too. Just when we thought the fun was over (by now there was no cake to eat), a bag of eggs appeared and egg shrapnel was splattered across our ties and knots into our hair. Fetch! I laughed the entire time. It was so fun and hilarious. The show ended and we rushed to clean everything up before the bishop arrived. We had just finished cleaning the egg out of our hair and off the ground when the car headlights signaled his arrival.
He knew what was going on. He had a smirk on his face as he came in to greet the two new, soaking, frosting-stained missionaries for his ward. We chatted and I expressed how grateful we were to be in his ward. I had heard many, many, but many good things about this ward.

Bishop took the ZLs home and without even needing to ask Hna.Sarai started giving us references. She also told us of a youth that is preparing to serve a mission that would basically become our tour guide to help us learn the area. Oh my blessings, Batman! Everything was provided for us. This ward had definitely been anxiously awaiting our arrival.

We went with bishop for two evenings to get to know the area and some members. I talked to him about his vision of the ward and did everything I could to gain his trust. I think we have accomplished something because he said to us "Anything you two need or want just ask me and I will do everything in my power to get it to you". Wow. Best bishop I have ever seen on my mission.

On Sunday I was stunned to find almost everyone at church was dressed in Sunday dress. There were enough youth to bless and pass the sacrament, and when it came time to share testimonies the stand filled with people to share their testimonies. During Consejo de Barrio (translate that), Bishop invited all of the ward missionaries (16) and leaders of the organizations to present themselves to us. At the end he put up the days of the week and had the priesthood holders sign up for days to accompany us. After that he said "Everyone here in this room is here to help you out." Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I told my trainee that he shouldn't be depressed if his next ward is not like this because I have never seen this before in my life.

I love the bishop's family. His wife calls us her niños and gives us food all the time. We get so much food here I can't eat it all. We've also received about 20 references in the 4 days we have been here and have a few investigators getting ready to be baptized. I feel so blessed to be here and hope to take advantage of it. Hermana Sarai was stunned when I got up and washed my own dishes. She told me later she was impressed by my attitude to serve and it touched her.

I think God indicated to quite a few people that we would be coming here. Before I had ever heard about the power of barrio Centro, President had assigned me there (4 weeks before the change ended). Upon hearing about barrio Centro while I was still serving in Cuernavaca, I started feeling that I would be going there. Apparently when I met bishop as an assistant (I was in Chilpancingo for a conference and he was there and the ZLs presented me to him) he thought later that I would be coming to Centro. It is crazy.

I love you all and hope all is well. Remember to serve others this season like President Monson mentioned in the Christmas devotional.

Love,

Elder Forrest

Vengeance on the Assistant

2012-11-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

Hello family,

My life is drastically changing once again. I am saying goodbye to my dear Cuernavaca, the offices, the secretaries, my comp Elder Azueta, president and his wife, and being an assistant. I have been moved to Chipancingo, Guerrero to serve out the rest of my mission.

On Monday I had an interview with President. He asked if we could stop by his house before our district meeting. I had a feeling this conversation would be coming. We got into his house and he asked me to step into his office. The door clicked behind me and president said "Well, you knew this day was going to come." Indeed, I had been thinking about it all change. President expressed his love for me and how grateful he has been for my help as he learns to become a mission president. He said "I don't know if words are enough to express how my wife and I feel for you but I hope the Spirit can transmit this message to you." It was funny he said that because when he said he loved me I started feeling tears enter my eyes. He said he would miss me in the offices and that he has a lot of respect for me.

He asked me where I thought I was going. This past change I have imagined what my future was going to be like. I predicted that I would go to Centro in Chilpo as a district leader and training. I also ventured to guess that my district would be a bunch of young missionaries. I made my guess and was exactly right. The only thing I got wrong was who I was going to train. I thought I might train an American. I will be training Elder Bethancourt from Costa Rica. I will see him in about two hours.

I had mentioned about barrio Centro to Pres. in an email a few weeks ago. It has been closed for two months but the ZLs of Chilpo were telling me how flipping amazing the place is. It is a missionary's dream ward: 16 ward missionaries, a cool ward missionary leader, and a missionary-minded bishop with a wife that adores the missionaries. I told Pres. in my email how it would be a good idea to put an experienced missionary in there to dominate it. Before President had ever received my email he had already decided that I would be serving there. It is funny how the Spirit works within us.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be an assistant. I have learned a lot. I have changed even more. I have learned the importance of discipline, organization, and preparation. I have had a lot of difficult experiences that have refined me. After 9 months I have come to realize a few of the reasons why I was called in that position as a missionary. I think I will continue to discover why I was called as an assistant as the days and years roll on.

I am swearing vengeance on the office of assistant. Lots of time not baptizing is a difficult thing. My plan is to take revenge on that lack of time because I was an assistant. I plan on doing everything I would have done in those 9 months in the 4 1/2 months that I have left in the field. I hope to inspire all of my young missionaries (not a single missionary in my district of 8 has a year on the mission besides me, and three companionships including mine are training) and baptize every week as a district.

I am excited to serve and have a change in scenery. I loved my change with Elder Azueta. I had a lot of fun with him and I will look back on that change as one of my favorites.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

Miracle in Acapulco

2012-11-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

Family,

I will be brief. I spent most of this week in Acapulco and doing divisions. I still haven't gotten the new backpack and I think it is the first time I have been a little impatient for a package. I think if I did want anything for Christmas it would be a cool Swiss Army watch. I saw a sick one in the airport that was black and I coveted it (not really).

A miracle happened in Acapulco. Anything is possible in Mexico, besides finding a cello to rent (trust me, I've tried). After doing divisions with the elders in Acapulco, we went to the bus station to buy tickets to return home to Cuernavaca. We needed to get on a bus at 5:40. The bus we took to get to the station took FOREVER. With 7 minutes to spare we got into the station. We checked the seats and there was only one left on the bus. Darn. We tried to work something out but being the stale, dry business they are they didn't help us out. We ran to another bus service and found out that their bus left for Cuernavaca at 5:37. Darn. We tried to work something out with the workers. We knew that sometimes buses that go to Mexico City make quick stops in Cuernavaca so we decided to go ask the bus driver if he would be so kind to let us off in there. We had to talk to two or three people who tried to dissuade us but we were persistent.

We talked to one driver that was leaving at 6:10. He agreed to drop us off in Cuernavaca so we ran to buy our tickets. Just our luck, the ticketing system in the building shut down. We prayed and prayed and prayed and the system didn't come on. Finally a woman began to sell tickets manually. Unfortunately by that point we had run out of time to catch the 6:10 bus and had to wait for another at 6:30.

We repeated the same story to the next bus driver and he too was kind and agreed to drop us off. We ran back to buy our tickets. I bought my ticket and while E. Azueta was attempting to purchase his, his credit card stopped working. Luckily, by a miracle, I had extra money with me. I had brought extra money to buy a watch and was able to use that money for his ticket. We got on the bus and arrived home well.

Think of this: Because my watch had broken weeks ago and because I couldn't find one I liked, I brought more money to Acapulco. I grew frustrated with my search and finally settled on a cheaper watch than what I had planned on buying. Because of that, I had money to spare for the emergency tickets. It was a cool miracle that happened.

I love you all and hope all is well. Tell the Pringles and Aunt Angi and family that I love them and that I loved the pics my dad sent of my future Olympian relative, Ari.

Bye,

Elder Forrest

Dedication

2012-11-14T15:29:00.002-07:00

Family,

I am enjoying the semi-hot weather of Acapulco right now. We decided to do some divisions with some elders here in Acapulco for the next few days. We are neglecting the work in our own area all in the name of bettering the mission.

Since you all seem a bit concerned about my trip to the hospital last week, allow me to explain the health system here in Mexico. Everyone and their dog goes to the hospital when they are even a little sick. The common cold requires a shot from a nurse in the hospital. It is the best place to go for any medical treatment, big or small. Because we couldn't diagnose my problem over the phone (I called the national church missionary doctor) it was the next best decision to make. I have no signs of the allergic reaction and I now feel fine. I am a little tired but have recovered from the cocktail of sicknesses I had only a few days ago. I am glad you guys didn't freak out.

I went to a district meeting here in Acapulco and was surprised to find a missionary that hadn't brought his Preach My Gospel manual, the missionary manual we use in our work. What surprised me even further was that the young man hadn't shaved either. I asked him why he hadn't done/brought those things and he said "There is no excuse, I just didn't do it." It got me a little bugged and I started thinking about the missionaries in the field. There aren't enough missionaries that are dedicated to the work. It is evident through the lack of sacrifice that is made on their part. I think being an assistant has made me more dedicated to the work. When I had food poisoning I couldn't stay in bed and wait it out, I had to get in the car and drive for six hours while puking and making frequent road trips to do my business. When I had a fever, couldn't walk because of pain, and was tired, I still had to travel to the zone conferences and give training meetings. I had to lug a bunch of stuff for hours to be able to stay here in Acapulco. I do it all because it is my duty.

It isn't easy being a missionary. There are the perks but when all of the fat is boiled off it comes down to doing your duty. I know as soon as I get a shot at having all the time in the week to preach, study, and work like a normal missionary I am going to tear it up. I have come to appreciate the time I had as a full-time preacher because I have gone so long without that ample time in my week. As a missionary I need to give it my all in every given moment because I will never have this time again in my life.

One thing that has been especially hard on me is maintaining a positive attitude even when I am tired and stressed. Being an assistant also means being stressed and serious. It has been a battle I still haven't overcome to be myself but also magnify my calling here in the mission. It is really, really hard to be relaxed and easy-going when you have tasks to complete and missions to accomplish.

In stake conference this past Sunday, Elder Richard Scott spoke to us. It was a satellite transmission to some 69 stakes across Mexico. At the end of his talk, Elder Scott used his apostolic keys to invite us to: 1) pray sincerely and find out from God the things that He is pleased about us, and 2) meditate and pray to know what God and Christ want us to strengthen so we can have more happiness. He then challenged us to study about Christ and gain a greater understanding of His Atonement. I am going to take up on the challenge. It is something I need to know. I need to know what Christ thinks of me. His opinion is the most important opinion that I desire to know. I need to know if I am not only being a good missionary but also if I am becoming a true disciple.

I am barely beginning on the path of discipleship. I have learned that it is not something that is easy in any way or form but I know it is where I need to go. I know that I need to become more converted to this gospel. I need to have a deeper knowledge of the scriptures and a more profound witness that Jesus is the Christ. I hope to progress in this manner even after the mission, and I hope you do the same.

I love the work even when it is hard. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. I love you all a lot.

Oh! One more thing: I am not coming home at the beginning of April. That's right, I will be coming home later than expected! I will be home on the 17th of April. There has been a change in the timing of the changes (transfers) and I will have 2 more weeks in the field. I think the change happened as preparation for the changes in MTC time and amount of missionaries coming into the field.

Take care,

Elder Forrest

A Visit to Hospital

2012-11-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Family,

This past week I felt like Michael Jordan dropping 35 points while fighting the flu (sorry Jazz fans to bring back that bad memory). He had to play even if he didn't want to. I have had my battle with a veritable cocktail of sicknesses over the past week. I started off battling flu-like symptoms, mainly the fever. During that time we moved apartments because the apartment we were in was becoming run down and the landlord could care less about helping us. Then a sudden pain started in my lower-right part of my torso a day later. I struggled into bed (it hurt to walk). On Sunday (the next day) I called the doctor for the church missions in Mexico. He said it could be appendicitis so he made me go to the hospital. I did not want to go but being the obedient young man I am I went. While there I sat with an IV needle in my wrist for four and a half hours while I waited for exam results. I was praying that I wouldn't have my appendix removed. My prayers were answered. I had a small intestinal problem that was causing me a lot of pain (and a pretty nice hospital bill). That is why I don't have as much money in my account anymore, haha. I was reimbursed so I have the money with me. I got medicine from the hospital and prepped to go on a trip to Acapulco for zone conferences. However, by the time we got to Acapulco my skin had a bunch of red sploches and I had a headache. Apparently I looked pretty sick because everyone asked me if I was alright. I did my best to magnify my calling and survived the conference.

After the conference I went back to my old area in Acapulco and visited the man that was baptized after 6 visits (in less than a week) from us. Come to find out Gerardo is super active in church! He is 1st counselor in the Sunday School presidency and he wants to learn how to use the computer so the ward has a secretary.

Gerardo told me that his phone hadn't been working for months and that very day that I called him he had his phone fixed. It was a small tender mercy from God. He said he will be saving up to go to the temple at the beginning of February.

I am getting better from all of the sicknesses. I haven't had a break (as always) and I have had to keep on truckin' even as I have been sick. My allergic reaction to who-knows-what has died down almost completely, my throat only hurts a tiny bit in the mornings, and my intestines are working just fine. Through this experience I have learned how health determines the quality of life, and especially in being sensitve to the promptings of the Spirit. It is basically impossible to focus when all you can think about is the pain you are experiencing and the fact that you are getting sick. It is important to keep good care of your body.

We went to Costco today and I found the raw tortillas that Mum always buys. I had to buy them!!! It is so nice to have the little things from home even when you are so far away from home.

Hope all is well,

Elder Forrest

Gerardo & me in Zapata

Acapulco

A Tarascos Taco party

Sunset in Cuernavaca

Happy Halloween from P. Kusch & Elders Azueta & Forrest

Pan de Muerto

2012-10-29T20:55:00.003-06:00

Hey family,

I am sure lots of cool things happened this week, I just haven't had any time to write in my journal. I feel bad because I want to write but there never is any time.

We were going to baptize Norma and her family but Norma went to the hospital in an emergency Wednesday night. There in the hospital they discovered a tumor in her leg but they couldn't operate because she has a heart problem and the nearest family member lives in Acapulco and couldn't come to sign for the surgery. They helped her a little bit and she is home again. She said that while in the hospital she perfected her prayers. She had a little trouble remembering how to pray but after the million prayers she shot up while in an uncomfortable hospital bed she got good. We hope to baptize them this weekend.

We are limiting the amount of people we teach so we can continue to have contact with all of our investigators. We only have time for the most golden of investigators so those are the only type of people we focus in on.

I have gotten to the point on my mission where people don't ask me how much time I have but rather how much time I have left. It barely started happening today and it is making me sad. I really don't want to go home. I complete 19 months in a few days. I can't believe it. My whole "teenage months" phase has been here in Cuernavaca as an assistant. From 9 months in the field (11 in total) until now I have been in the same area. A lot of missionaries would complain but I am happy to be in such a strong ward and to serve in the heart of the mission.

Mum, did you manage to talk to John Hilton III at Time Out for Women? He is such an incredible man. I miss him. I hope you learned a lot at Time Out for Women. It sounds like a big zone conference for chocolate-lovers and Pride and Prejudice snobs.

This week we have been working a lot for President. We updated a doc I created to compare stats with the Standards of Excellence and he also asked us to create a survey to administer to district leaders to find out about the quality of the candidates for the baptismal interview.

A delicious bread you have to try is called "pan de muerto." OH MY GOODNESS THAT BREAD IS SO DELICIOUS. I am in love. Allow me to tell you how I tried it for the first time:

An inactive sister in our ward had avoided me (and my companions) for months. She doesn't have the best habits. One night I spoke to her and invited her to come with us to a lesson, along with her active and totally awesome sister who served a mission some 20 years ago. The inactive sister said yes. She loved the lesson and even accepted a homework assignment we gave her to read in the Book of Mormon. Later when we were walking home from I heard someone shouting my name and we turned around to see her running down the street with some pan de muerto. She gifted it to us and told us that she was going to see if she could get work off to go to church. I was completely stunned. I don't know what was in the water she drank but it sure helped her change. Later in the week she went with us to another lesson or two.

It is a small testimony that people can change. They may be far down dark roads but as we continue to pray for, fast for, and invite those people to come back they can change. Repentance is real. We can be horrible, sinful people, but with Christ and our own inititative that can all change. We hope to continue to help her so we can get more pan de muerto. Just kidding! We do it because we love God and His children.

Love you all,

Elder Forrest