First Week in the Heat of Delicias‏

Pretty good week this week.

I'm getting to know Delicias more and more. It is incredibly hot. I'm going to be able to very proudly say that I survived the heat of Delicias in the summer when all is said and done. hahahaha!

Didn't put sunblock on my legs...

Not too much happened this week. It was a pretty normal week of missionary work -- helping people go to church and helping people remember who they are, Children of God; and as such, the things that they can do to become like their Father.

I had an interesting experience this week with a Chinese man that I met in his store. My comp and I were buying some food when the Chinese man asked me, in very broken Spanish, where I was from.

#aloevera

I told him, "the U.S."

He said, "And how much time have you had here in Mexico?"

I told him, "About 9 months."

He was amazed and said that he had been here for about 2 years now and that my Spanish was way better than his.

That was a reminder to me of how blessed I have been here in the mission. And how blessed we are as members of the True Church of God on the Earth. When we put our shoulder to the wheel and do our best to help God in His work, He blesses us and helps us progress faster to help us help Him bring about His eternal work. I would not have made it as far as I did in my Spanish as quickly as I did without the help of my Heavenly Father. I am eternally grateful for His presence in my life, and I hope that I may be worthy to help His children, my brothers and sisters, come unto Him.

I love you all! Hope that you have an INcredible week!

Para Siempre Dios Este con Vos.

Elder Greenwood :)

Cambios!

Crazy stuff going on down here in good ol' Mexico!

This week my comp, Elder Murillo, and I were able to help one of our investigators get baptized! It's crazy because he had only been to the Church 1 time. We had been teaching him for about a month, and he couldn't go to church one week, got lost the 2nd week, and made it at last the 3rd.

But this guy is one of the most chosen people that I have ever had the privilege to meet. He always was down with the idea of getting baptized. He knows the Bible inside out and, after a week and a half, he was in Alma 5 in the Book of Mormon.

Jose Adan Ramos Ayala's Baptism

He just kept asking and asking about when he could get baptized, so we brought the mission leader with us to a lesson. He said that he could get baptized if we got special permission. The zone leader interviewed him, found him worthy, and called one of President's counselors (President was out of town), and he said, "yes!!"

Crazy to see someone so chosen in those moments to have been baptized so early. The Lord's time is something that I will never fully understand in this life. Everything will happen in it's time.

Elders Sanchez, Greenwood, Murillo (former companion), and Jimenez

New Abode

Speaking of "in it's time," after 5 months and 22 days down in the south end of Chihuahua city, I have been changed to the city of Delicias. The city 2nd most known for the heat in the state of Chihuahua. hahahahahaha! God likes to laugh at this white ginger. But I know that I am here for a reason and that there are people here that need help. If learning how to endure the heat of Delicias is the way to do it, then so be it.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Greenwood :)

Miracle

Hey people!

How are all of you?

I'm doing very well thank you :)

This week was a very stressful week, but a big miracle happened.

Last week, one of the people who was baptized was unable to get confirmed on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting because her husband went kind of crazy and locked him, her, and the whole family inside with the only keys to the house.

Bus Ride

This week, we couldn't find her at any good time to talk and make plans for the next week, until Friday. We went over, waited for her to come out, played with her kids. But, she was acting strange and didn't talk to us. She just sent her kid out to say that she was going to go with her sister on vacation at 4 o'clock that day and would be there until Monday.    We were dumbfounded, without any way of communicating with her or changing her mind or anything. We passed by later, and their gate was locked and everything.

I didn't know what to do.

Then, the next day, we decided to just pass by out of a dying hope that she would be there or that we could do something. AND SHE WAS THERE!!! She got a splitting headache that day and decided not to go. She still had that headache, so we gave her a blessing and helped her clean her house for 2 hours, with great excitement that she would get confirmed the next day.

Elder Greenwood's Zone

Then, strangely enough, her husband didn't have work AGAIN on Sunday (which is rare). He came out and yelled at us for the 2nd week in a row, this time with more dynamic swear words and a couple threats. He prevented his wife again. BUT! God always puts the means by which those who desire to go into his kingdom can.

We were able to get permission to confirm her at her house when her husband wasn't there. And everything turned out ok. She has an incredibly strong testimony and truly wants to follow God. She did everything she could. And God showed his merciful hand to us.

The Gospel is true, and God will and does help us every step along the way. All we have to do is walk.

Love you all!

Elder Greenwood :)

Crazy Crazy Week of Stuff

We had a pretty insane week this week. SO much stuff happened and so many challenges and miracles passed that I believe that this last week will be a week that I will never forget in the mission.

Starting off, on Monday night, me and my District Leader went to the house of someone who literally the day of her baptism sent us a message when the font was full saying that she wouldn't be coming. On that same day, of course,  we ran to find her. She told us that she wanted to stay Catholic with her family and stuff. But my comp and I knew that she knew that the church was true. But, there was nothing we could do, and it was an incredibly sad day.

My district leader and I went there, now after about 2 months, and he interviewed her and she found her testimony and chose to be baptized! This time she came to her baptism and everything was incredible and wonderful. She loved her baptism and said that she felt a peace that she hasn't felt before.

We also had the chance to baptize a little 9 year old girl named Xochitl (pronounced - So-chee-tl with less emphasis on the t). We found her and her family by a pure miracle, knocking on the neighbor's door of one of our investigators to see if they knew if our investigators were home. They have the goal now to reactivate as a family and make it to the temple to be sealed!

DJ Landon

 Crazy things happened and more crazy things are sure to come. The mission is full of miracles and I am extremely happy and humbled to have the opportunity to be here, a part of the front lines of God's army, fighting to bring others to the truth.

Celebrating Elders Sanchez & Heindal's Birthdays

Lots of good food in Mexico!

Have a great week everyone, and remember to be a good soldier in God's army!

Elder Greenwood :)

Summer is coming...Surprise!

Hi guys!

Landon playing "Where's Waldo?" Can you find him?

This week's weather was pretty crazy. It started to get super hot like the summer heat of what I hear June, July, and August was here. And then, one day, it just decided to rain. And the next day too, and then on Sunday!Hahaha!! Pretty crazy.

Here he is!

 This week, my comp and I put a lot of work in and didn't see a whole lot of results. But, we know that our hard work will pay off eventually and we will continue to do just that with Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 in mind:

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed".

The Lord will ALWAYS come through as we put our shoulder to the wheel and push along. Have a great week everyone and apply D&C 123:17 in your own lives!

With Much Love,

Elder Greenwood :)

Paying the Price

This week was an incredible week of Work.

Elders Greenwood & Jimenez

I read a thing that had a bunch of quotes from apostles recently that all talked about how every blessing comes with a price. When we pay the price, we receive the blessings.

It totally changed my vision about the bad days that we have in life. Those days are there to give us the chance to Pay the Price. While it may be hard in the moment, if we still do our very best, even when it's hard, and ESPECIALLY when we don't want to, the price will be paid, and you will receive an incredible blessing. :)

Carlos' Baptism

This week , we paid the price a lot.

AND

It all paid off. My comp and I were able to finish the week with 3 baptisms! It was an incredible experience to be a part of the Lord's work and help these people get baptized.

Brother and Sister Baptized

Dark time?

The good times always come and the dark times will always go away if we turn towards Christ with Faith that He can and WILL help us.

Good time =)

And I testify to you all that He can and WILL help you.Just trust in Him. Have the Faith, and Keep the Faith.

Satan works hard to bring us down, but we work harder and we always come out on top. :)

I love you all! Have a great week and Love Life!

Elder Greenwood :)

A Week of Work

This week was a big week of work for me and my new comp. We got a lot of stuff done and hope to see the fruits of it this week. We had a certain investigator in the church (who claims to not be religious but has an incredibly strong belief in Christ) with his son (who has already been baptized) who, when they got to the Chapel, started to talk about how they didn't understand why they don't go there more often. 

Then, at the end of the meeting, the guy (Carlos) told us that for sure he would be coming back the next week, and the next one, and the next one too. This guy was thought to be an eternal investigator, but now his baptism will be this Thursday :) It was an incredible feeling to hear him testify to us that he now wanted to truly come closer unto Christ and do what He would have him do.

The work of missionaries is hard, but it always pays off. The work of trying to be worthy of Eternal Life is hard, but it always pays off. What Carlos didn't understand was that of all the sins that he has committed, not one of them was left unpaid by the Savior. 3 Nephi 11:11-

And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

Christ paid for all of our sins. And we all have the chance to repent and become better people.

The biggest mistake that we can make in our lives is not to sin, but to not repent of our sins.

We all make mistakes. We can all repent thanks to our kind and loving older Brother, Jesus Christ.

I love you all and invite you all to remember and apply the sacrifice that Christ made for you.

Elder Greenwood :)