Week Twenty-five and a half: Another week in the offices

My zone after our zone meeting with an activity with balloons and how to set goals better.

You would think by the title that this week was super boring, but thats is probably the furthest thing from what this week was. I was crazy busy with a bunch of stuff and then a few days ago i accidentally bought bus tickets for some sisters thinking they could just pick up the tickets in the bus station, but i didnt read the policy thing and i found out after i bought the tickets that the cardholder has to be present when the tickets are picked up and i couldnt cancel the tickets, so i got to go on a nice field trip to the center of guadalajara to sign a piece of paper, get 2 tickets, hand them to the sisters, and then get on another bus to come back to the offices while i had a ton of stuff to do there. Overall the trip took about 3 hours, but i got some pictures! haha This week we didnt really have time to leave the offices and that was frustrating for both of us, but we still got some good teaching experiences in. Last change we got new missionaries in the district, so after one change we are the elders who are supposed to know where all the food appointments are and we have absolutely no idea. One day we wandered around for about 3 hours looking for the house of a sister and when we finally got there she just gave it to us to go haha, she didnt seem upset, so i guess that wasnt too bad. Also, she had an Iphone 6! so that was pretty cool. Also, when we were searching for the house i got so see my first car wreck! it wasnt really that crazy though, it was just a bumper hit thingy (i totally forgot how to say that it english) and then on our way back from house, we got on a bus and we realized that we didnt have change to pay the bus driver, only big bills and we asked if we could just get off the bus, and i didnt understand anything he said after that, but my companion told me later that he was swearing a lot and thats why i didnt understand him haha. apparently theres a device on the bus that counts all the people who get on the bus and it had counted us already and he needed money so we had to go through the bus and ask people if they had change for the bigger bills we had. We eventually found a girl who helped us but it was pretty scary haha. 

Challenge: Read 3rd Nephi 27. As a missionary have come to love this chapter of the book of mormon. It explains so simply the doctrine of christ and tells us all the things we need to do to find joy in this life. i love this gospel because of how simple it is. So many missionaries and members of the church get so lost in trying to understand "deep doctrine" but i have come to realize that if we complete the commands the Lord has given us, we will one day return to his presence as long as we are obeying his commandments and staying faithful.

Les Amo Mucho!!! Elder Wagner

Some giant catholic church thing we saw. sorry about the quality, but i was trying not to look like a tourist so its kind of crooked. i had to no scope it and make it look like i wasnt taking pictures haha

This is an example of what all the houses look like. they pretty much all have gaits and weird trees cut into squares and there is zero separation, they almost always share walls.

A luchador wrestling poster we saw while on the bus. i didnt think this was actually a real thing here. i thought it was just a steriotipe, but its actually real!

Some giant monument thats in the middle of Zapopan which is the city where i am right now. im not really sure what it is, its just a giant yellow arch things that goes over the freeway

Some government military building with helicopters outside. im not really sure if i was supposed to take a picture of it, but i guess if i dont email next week youll know i wasnt supposed to and im in jail.

Week Twenty-four and a half: Flying solo.... er.. sitting solo

This week was my first week without my trainer in the offices. It actually wasnt too bad. I only called him about 100 times haha but he hasnt had to come back to help me so thats good! my trainer told me that his trainer had to come back about 3 times a week for 3 weeks after he left haha so i guess im not doing too bad! Its been tough because we havnt been able to leave the offices much because i had a ton to do, but hopefully next week we can leave more and teach more. My weeks are probably going to seem really boring to you guys for the next few months because im just going to tell you stories about how i balanced all the transactions perfectly and got carpel tunnel haha. Actually, theres a companionship in our district who is teaching a guy who is kind of crazy. he is pretty much a perfect investigator (for example, a few days ago he sent them a message and asked them to teach him more about baptism) but he is kind of crazy. he has problems with drugs and for that reason he has trouble understanding things, but he says hes reading the book of mormon. oh yeah and last week he asked them if he could rehearse rosarie (i think thats how you say it in english) to the angle moroni... so yeah hes got some growing room haha. Crazy office story!: im changing the reimbursement system of the mission!.... yeah thats an example of the crazy stories youre going to be receiving in the next few months haha. Also, today we were washing our clothes in the laundromat and the lady was watching the mighty ducks! Even though it was in spanish it took me back to the good old days of wearing roller skates around the house and playing hockey in the kitchen.

Challenge: Set goals. this is something that missionaries do daily and it really helps us. since coming to the mission i have also set some goals a lot more significant than how many lessons i will teach the next day, and it has helped me widen my view of how this life should be lived. Before the mission i didnt really set goals and looking back at myself i didnt really know what i was doing with my life. but now that i have set some life goals and eternal goals, i feel like i know that i need to do with my life when i get back from the mission and also in the mission. so my challenge to you this week is to asses your life and set some reasonable short term and long term goals. look at where you want to be in the future and set goals to achieve that!

Les amo mucho! Que tengan la mejor semana de sus vidas! Elder Wagner

My district before we had changes last week.

Same people, but normal haha

Elder Garcia, Elder Martinez, Elder Hutchings, and me (left to right). My companion and our trainers from the offices before they left.

 Elder Hutchings and me acting like were in elementary school.

Week Twenty-three and a half: I was planning on sending more photos....

I was planning on sending more pics, but i brought my memory card with music instead of pictures haha sorry! but i have lots of new pictures that i will send next week! 

This week i start my first change alone in the offices. Im pretty scared, but im pretty sure ill be ok. apparently, my trainer said that was learning stuff up until his last week haha so ill be winging it for the next 8ish months! yay! this week wasnt too exciting, just really busy, we are preparing for the changes that are this monday so it was crazy busy. oh and my trainer for the offices is going to be in my old area and replace my trainer! haha i never thought that would happen, but yeah it happened and thats pretty crazy.

-Love you all! Elder Wagner

Week Twenty-two and a half: The Mission

This week we didnt have much time to write because the internet cafe we usually go to was closed and so were the other 3 that we went to so this isnt going to be the longest letter, but im going to send pictures!

This week was pretty normal... actually no it wasnt, my companions trainer went with the mission president to interview all the missionaries in the mission so we were in a trio all week, and my trainer sprained his ankle last week playing soccer so we were kind of stuck in the offices all day and all week except for like 2 days where we had splits with members, but it was good because i only have one more 2 more weeks to learn everything and i still have a ton to learn! I started teaching me companion more english because he hasnt really learned much yet and its really funny because there are a lot of sounds in english that they dont have in spanish and its pretty hilarious to hear them try to say some words. like "zero". i tried to start with the basics and teach him numbers, but the very first number he couldnt and still can pronounce very well haha. but hes a good sport and laughs along with me instead of getting upset or embarrassed because he cant say it right. I have been blessed with a really great companion. im excited to spend the next 9ish months with him. he really wants to work hard and we have a lot of goals that are the same that we set at the beginning of our missions or at the beginning of them.

Challenge: Find a reference or be a reference! if youre a member already, find a friend who is ready to receive the gospel or who might be open to receive visits from the missionaries and give their address and phone number to the missionaries! If youre not a member, accept the missionaries into your home and hear what they have to say! It amazes me the amount of joy that be had just from listening from a few young men in white shirts and ties!

Elder Garcia, my trainer Elder Hutchings from provo utah, and me wearing stuff that i got in my christmas package.

My companion Elder Garcia in a hat that a member made for us and glasses that my mom sent me.

Add some crazy giant ant thing with wings

Me and the book of mormon (for those of you who cant read spanish or are too lazy to use google translate)

 The office trainer of my companion and some tacos we bought the other week. his name is elder martinez and he is from oaxaca i think its called haha i know how to say it but not really how to spell it.

Week Twenty-one and a half: The Mission

This week was i realized that i need to work out more. Since my new area is more populated, i have some fast food places really close like mcdonalds and DQ and i have to buy meals 2 times a week now because the secretaries have to do that so i may or may not be eating a lot of unhealthy stuff. oh and today we went to a place called sterloin stockade which is pretty much a full on american buffet like golden corral and i ate a ton of food. Plus we are sitting int eh offices all day instead of walking so that certainly doesnt help. i think ive gained about 5 pounds already so.. yeah i need to do something about that haha. Also, this week i lost my card reader and i forgot to bring my cord to transfer pictures, so youll have to wait just one more week to see some more pictures of mexico. this week we stared teaching a man named Juan Manuel (yes all the typical mexican names still apply in mexico. i cant number the amount of juan carlos´, pedros, and other typical names i have heard) and he is actually going to fast with us tomorrow! this is something that we cant get most recient converts to do and he is doing it his first week listening to the missionaries, but he cant go to church because he is really poor and has to work every day so hopefully we can work with him on that. i had a lot of stuff to write about but i forgot all of them haha. next week im going to keep notes in my planner on the things im going to write about so i dont forget them. 

Challenge: Read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY! its something that sounds hard, but i know that if we read a part of the Book of Mormon every day, we will receive blessings! its a short challenge but a powerful one!

Love you all! Elder Wagner