Hola Hola Hola!

This week my feet were about to fall off because we walked sooooooooooo much. We were all over the place trying to find new people to teach and there always is! We found some new families and I am psyched to teach them everyday. Fernanda's baptism was my favorite of my mission! She was so nervous and excited it was funny. ha And when she went down into the the cold water she was laughing haha. Elder Brewer and I are doing awesome doing what we do best!

I love you all! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Love,

       Elder Shurtliff

P.S. I'm pretty much used to taking cold showers now.

At Immigration - Year 2!

 

HOLA CAMPEONES (Champions)

My week was pretty great as Elder Brewer and I are really getting along and learning from each other. I love having a newer comp because he helps me remember the fundamentals which are really the most important. It's hard just speaking in Spanish with him but we are working on it. It's also hard to get him in on the lessons because he doesn't talk much. He's trying though and I try to give him a window, but it usually results in a silence ha.

 

We are trying to talk with more people on the street too and we have the goal to talk to 35 a week when we should be doing 70 for our mission goal. It's hard because we are always busy, but we are improving and we found an awesome family from talking to a mom who was going to pick up her kids from school. It was a miracle to find her house too because she gave us what is commonly called a "Yucateco address" which is when they tell you where they live saying that you have to turn a million times looking for a certain coconut tree. Ha we found it in the night though so I was pretty happy.

 

This week I really enjoyed seeing Fernanda really progress. We have taught her for a while and in a week she has completely stopped smoking. I couldn't believe how good she is doing reading and everything. She going to be baptized on Tuesday!

SHOUT OUTS for everyone! Thank you so much for reading my blog!

I have loved sharing the Sacramental prayers this week Moroni 4 and 5.

 

FUN FACT: The milk here comes in a milk carton like the little personal ones we have in the U.S. and you can keep it out of the fridge for months. Its also only 50 percent real milk ha. YUM! It took me a while to get used to it.

Have a good week! THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

Love,

       Elder Shurtliff

Happy First Cold Week in Mexico!

Awesome week! Elder Brewer and I are working hard. I like teaching him the area and investigators. It gives me a chance to talk about how awesome everybody and everything is. We are getting a ton of help from the ward. I love working with members! They are literally your best friends. Like last week we got a couple more lessons with members present than the goal of excellence. Oh ya! 

 

The big miracle of the week was that Abigail got baptized! On Tuesday we had an awesome lesson outside in the cold (it was actually cold this week) and the spirit must of warmed her up because she told us she wanted to be baptized on her birthday. I was like, "ok when is it?" and she told us, "the twelfth," and I was like, "That's this week!" Ha she got the best gift ever for her birthday. The gift of the Holy Ghost!

SHOUT OUT for my first Christmas package! I love you mom!

Helaman 15:7-10

I hope everyone has the best week ever!

Cultural fact for the week: There is a little store on pretty much every corner full of snacks like chips, cookies, and drinks. Its like a 7-Eleven minus the slurpees!

Love,

       Elder Shurtliff

Its 2014!

Hola Hermanos y Hermanas,

Transfer Day! Elder Hernandez retired and left me to be comps with Elder Brewer! A gringo! He's from San Diego and one of his brothers served in Merida! He's one of those theater types and just has three months in Mexico so President told me to polish up his Spanish, but I'm stoked because this is the closest I have gotten to getting a son. This transfer the mission got 9 Sister missionaries and only 2 new Elders. 

Elder Brewer and I

My last week with Elder Hernandez was awesome! We worked real hard to talk with everybody and we got a ton of success with finding new investigators and teaching a lot more lessons. I'm trying to master having a good and spiritual 30 minute lesson like they talk about in Preach My Gospel. It has always been hard not to take 45 min or more but we are gettin' there! On New Years we planned on getting haircuts but after going to get haircuts, but we ended up partying in a 7-Up type store and eating junk food. Party!

This week we were teaching a sister who is all ready to be baptized and she's super stoked about it, but she has just one problem. She's hung up on her boyfriend who left her and she still hopes he will come back. We keep helping her see that if we just put our faith in Christ and obey, he will guide us to what's best even if it means leaving something you once loved. There's so much more blessings that God wants to give us but we just need to learn to let go to the stuff that keeps us behind. 

I hope everybody has an awesome week! Say hi to a random person today!

SHOUT OUT for my Grandmas!! Grandma 'Due and Grandma Shurtliff both have birthdays this week!

I love you all!

Con amor,

              Elder Shurtliff