Zarahemla Week 20

We went all the way up to the North Shore of the Island.
The St. Lawrence River is completely frozen solid!

Another week gone, and in just a few days, I will hit my 6th month mark on my mission. That's so crazy! I still feel like I'm brand new! I have a lot of things I want to do, so I hope that I'll be able to use this pressure to work harder. Elder Landetta and I had a great week, and I'm learning a ton from him. We’ve had a lot freezing rain lately, so almost every day we have been helping tons of cars get out, which has been funny. Here's what we have been up to this past week.

Last P-day we spent most of the day deep-deep cleaning our apartment. It's still fairly new, so it's not bad at all, but it definitely needed a bit of cleaning. After we finished all our chores, we headed to the familia Vinces to eat dinner. They're from Honduras, so they cooked us some classic Honduran food. It was super good! Then we met up with a recently returned missionary to go teach Edward, a referral that we received from one of the sisters in our ward. He's from Venezuela, and had an insane number of stories to tell about his expériences from there. He's here basically in a type of witness protection program which is crazy. We talked a TON though, and got home pretty late. He's a great guy!

Visiting Francisco 

Wednesday was very busy, and we got a lot done. We had a leadership meeting (Elder Landetta is the district leader) which was cool, then left to meet with Francisco. It was our last meeting, since he keeps having some problems with some commitments. But it's fine! It was fun teaching him, and although it might not be his time now, he still has a chance! Then we headed over to a recent convert who is less active to see how he's been doing. We got there a bit early, so we decided to do some contacting. We knocked a door of a Haitian couple, and they invited us in! We taught them all of the Restoration, which was cool, but super weird. I'm only used to doing basic contacts in French, but not full lessons! Luckily Elder Landetta is basically fluent in French, so it wasn't a problem. Then we met with Jose, the recent convert, who's a really cool guy. Got him to commit to read his scriptures every day again, which is great! Hopefully he'll be able to come back to church soon. Then we went and ate at the Familia Escobar's house, and she taught us (well me basically) how to make rice the real Hispanic way. I finally can, and it's super good! Then we went down to visit with Hermano Sanchez which was fun. He's a really nice guy.

Elder James & Elder Higbee - both from the Cedar Hills Manila Stake 

Thursday wasn't as busy, but we got a few things done. We had a coordination meeting with our ward mission leader and the other missionary teams in our ward which was good as always, then we had district meeting with the zone leaders and sister training leaders. Basically, the entire district has been super busy lately, so it's been difficult to get studies in every day. Wee got chastised a little bit on that which was needed, haha. After district meeting we visited a former investigator that Elder Landetta taught here when he served in Zarahemla, and he wants to investigate again which is awesome! Then we went home, and did some weekly planning. After that we passed by a few potentials up north, then went to a couple, Cynthia (Peru) y Andres (Guatemala), that we contacted on the bus and set up an appointment with a while ago. They were super nice, but we all talked a lot, and it was super late, so we were getting stressed about getting home on time. Then we heard a knock at the door, and it was the pizza man. We should have left a long time before, so we just wrapped it up and ran basically. We got home SUPER late, but it wasn't a big deal. You can't do much when you teach such great Hispanics.

Friday was fairly busy as well. We visited Guillermo (who's meeting us today to go visit the Biodôme), which went pretty well. He's on track to get baptized fairly soon—next month! We went home, had our studies and ate, then went contacting in the same area where we found a lot of people last week, but didn't have as good of luck. Then we went down to visit Alicia, who we hadn't seen in a LONG time. She still wants to be baptized, but it's just so hard to visit her since her parents work a ton and we can't get in contact with her sometimes. But we will hopefully be able to see her more consistently! We then passed by a few potentials, then went home.

Elder Landetta barely made it inside the door - he was exhausted!

Saturday was pretty good; we got a lot done. We left right away to help a member from Honduras move apartments (just one building down). We didn't want to spend too much time there, but the other people they asked to come didn't show up, so we ended up doing it until around 13h30. It was a bit inconvenient, but they gave us pizza, so it made it worth it! We then went to the opposite side of the island to pass by a potential that said he would be home, but sadly wasn't there. Since we were already in that area, and an appointment with Jesus and Yeni fell through, we decided to pass by a referral we got the day before. They weren't there, but we noticed a couple of kids playing across the street who we heard were speaking Spanish. We found their mom at the window watching them. Turned out, she was the cousin of the member who we had just helped move that morning! We asked if we could share our message with her, and she told us to come back later that night and she'd be able to. So, we left, passed by a couple of people, then went back and were able to teach their entire family! It was such a miracle, and they were pretty interested! Such an amazing experience. We then tried to go home, but it was super difficult. We had freezing rain the night before and into the day, and by this time at night there was a thick sheet of ice over EVERYTHING. It was SO hard to walk! It took us 20 minutes to walk to a place that should have taken only 5! We both fell a few times, but it was pretty fun.

Sunday was great; fairly average. Went to church, and had a few of our investigators there, which was great. After all the meetings, the ward had a surprise birthday party for the Bishop in the gym. It was extremely loud, and there was a French ward still meeting in the chapel and they were NOT happy about it. But our ward didn't care and kept having a great time, haha. After that, we went to pass by a referral who lived super far east, and then went to visit Hermano Mendoza to give him the sacrament. Then we went home and had some dinner that the members had given us. It was a fairly good day!

Saying goodbye to Nicole's Grandma

Monday was alright, but we had a few people cancel on us, so we didn't end up being able to do much. We were able to repent and get all of our studies in that morning though! We spent a lot of time contacting, passed by some of the people Elder Landetta remembered, and went our way to Nicole's house to say goodbye to her Grandmother who left back to Mexico later that night. While on the bus on the way there, Elder Landetta asked for the phone and I handed it to him. He didn't have a good grip though, and dropped it about 3 feet onto the floor. It wasn't a bad drop at all, but for some reason the phone just wouldn't turn on again! It was super funny, since the phones they give us are not very strong. So, for last night, and this morning, we don't have a phone. Luckily today is P day, so it's not that big of a deal! We went to Nicole's house, and visited with them for a while, took pictures, and said goodbye to her grandma. She was so awesome in helping with Nicole! We'll miss her for sure. Then we went and got some Haitian food and ate it at home. I freaking love Haitian food; it's so big here in Montréal.

It’s been a great week. I'm loving working with Elder Landetta; he's been really helping me with my Spanish. We basically only talk in Spanish all day, which I've been loving. He's an awesome missionary and is super diligent. I'm still loving it here!

Love you all so much—hope you have an amazing week!

Elder James

Zarahemla Week 19

My new companion - Elder Landetta

This week has been awesome, and I'm so happy that I am able to stay in Zarahemla! My new companion, Elder Landetta, is a BEAST at missionary work. I've been learning a ton from him already, especially in Spanish. I'm so glad that I have another native Spanish speaker as a companion, my language skills have really improved with him (but his Spanish is a little different than what I'm used to). I'm starting to dream and think in Spanish which has been so crazy! But, anyway, this is how this past week has been.

I'm very proud of myself!

Last P-day was mainly focused on getting Elder Durgante all packed up, which took a while. I converted him to use vacuum bags, the same as Elder Colunga did to me. We fit what he had in 2 large suitcases and 1 medium suitcase into only 1 large and 1 medium. I was very proud of the accomplishment. After P-day was over, we headed over and had another great lesson with Issac y Laura. They have such an amazing little family, and the lesson we had was super spiritual. They have so many sincere and meaningful questions, that lessons are always very focused. They're so nice!

Nicole got a polaroid camera and gave us the pictures!

 Wednesday was spent making sure that all our transfer plans were set and getting everything ready for Elder Durgante's trip on Thursday. We were able to see Hermano Mendoza to share a little message, take pictures, and say goodbye. He's such an awesome guy. We then went to a dinner appointment with the familia Diaz from Chile. It was SO good, they are super nice. Shared a little message with them, then left to visit Nicole so Elder Durgnate could take pictures and say goodbye. She got a Polaroid camera for Christmas, and we took a few pictures.

Saying goodbye to Elder Durgante 

Thursday was transfer day, so everything was a bit stressful, but it all went smoothly. We took all of Elder Durgante's stuff to the bus station, and said goodbye to Elder Durgante. It was fun to be with him for a transfer! Short, but great! Then I went with another Elder to the mission office to wait for my new companion, Elder Landetta. At the mission office, I was able to see a ton of missionaries I came in with that had been marooned out in the barren wasteland areas of the far north. It was so great so see them! After a while we went back out, and I picked up Elder Landetta at the bus stop. He had a bag that weight about 42 Kg that I took home on the metro and busses. It was so awful having to take it through the snow to our house, and it ended up breaking. He didn't care though, since this is most likely the last time he is being transferred (he only has 2 transfers left). We did weekly planning so he could be updated on all the new things in the area. He's so excited to be back! After we finished, we left to go visit Marcela, but there wasn't another man in the house so we couldn't teach her. We might be passing her off to Sisters so that it's not as hard to teach her. We did some tracting the rest of the night, and we found a couple of good people!

Friday was really productive. I'm so grateful to have such a seasoned missionary helping me learn! We had District Meeting in the morning, which went well, and then went home to do some transfer planning for a little bit. We set some goals that we want to accomplish this transfer, and we are shooting for 2 baptisms this transfer. It's realistic; we will just have to work super hard! Then we headed to Francisco, and had a pretty good lesson with him. We had a lesson planned, but when we showed up he wanted to read a passage in the Book of Mormon and discuss it. The lesson went about an hour long, and we only went through the introduction and three verses. At least he likes the Book of Mormon! Then we went to pass by a couple of people that Elder Landetta remembered teaching that were really solid. Went knocking a little bit in a Spanish area, then went home.

Saturday was also really busy. Planned for a little bit in the morning, then left right away. Went to visit Guillermo, who last Sunday just randomly showed up at church and really wants to be baptized. Had an awesome lesson with him, and have him committed to be baptized in the next couple of weeks! It's so amazing that there are people that are so prepared for the Gospel, it's very humbling. It makes you want to try so much harder to find the people who are just ready to listen. They're for sure out there! Then we went and visited Jesus and Yeni, who are doing great. They still are struggling with the same legal problem, but that should change very soon. When it does, we hope they will be able to be more focused on the gospel! Did a few other things, visited Roy, a potential Elder Durgante and I found, but he sadly wasn't home. We then went home, and started calling our investigators to invite them to church the next day.

Sunday was super awesome! Went to church, and when the meeting started, only one of our investigators, Eddy, showed up. I stressed out about them for a while, but when it was time to take the Sacrament, I knew I should just focus on that and forget about the other things occupying my mind. When I did, Jesus, Yeni, and Guillermo all showed up! It was so amazing! Jesus and Yeni haven't been to church together in so long! It was such a blessing. After church we went straight to visit Hermano Mendoza and give him the Sacrament, and shared a message with him. He's doing awesome, still improving little by little. After that we went to visit the Mayta family, whose son served his mission in Washington DC! I talked to him a bit about it, it was so cool. He really loved his mission.

Monday was really busy as well, and we got a lot done. We completed our studies in the morning, ate some lunch, then left. Passed by Mauricio, who set up an appointment with us but wasn't there. We had a block of about three hours free, since it was Monday and we couldn't set up any appointments, so we decided to go street contacting in an area that Elder Landetta remembered being super successful. We went, and it was like we were in South America (except for the fact that it was FREEZING cold and SUPER windy)! We kept finding tons of Hispanics. Cubans, Mexicans, Chileans, Peruvians, Guatamalans, Argentinians, it was crazy! Almost everyone you saw was Hispanic! It was so awesome. We then walked about 7 kilometers to pick up food from a member, got lost, and got there super late. But we still got it, and everything was good. Walked down to the metro station, and it was so nice to be somewhat warm again. We were outside for about 3.5 hours straight! It was rough, I couldn't feel or move my face by the end! Went to visit Issac y Laura again, and had another great lesson. They have been super interested, and super warm and open. Then we went home, and ate the food the member had given us. It was such a great and busy day!

Goodbye pizza (sorry it's blurry)!

I've had such a great week, and again, I'm so grateful that Elder Landetta is my companion. He's so great, and has been teaching me a ton about missionary work. My Spanish is improving so fast, which is great! I was really worried about not getting it polished off a little bit before serving in French, but I've been doing so much better! It's really been so cool. I'm definitely going to savor the little time I have left here!

Love you all so very much, and I hope you have an amazing week!

Elder James

Zarahemla Week 18

Our last District Meeting together

Family,

Los cambios están aquí, y voy a permanacer en Zarahemla! Elder Landetta esta viniendo, y él empezó su mision aquí tambien. Él es de Ecuador, y estoy listo para practicar mi español consigo. Le quedan dos cambios, pues va a morir (terminar su mision) aquí probablemente. Estoy súper emocionado.

Well that's all the news regarding transfers, again, I'm super excited to stay! It's probably going to be my last transfer here in Zarahemla, so I'm going to make it count! But anyway, here is how my week went.

We are bats!

Last P day, after emails, we decided to go to the Biodôme! It was super cool, and it was funny to think that the only zoo they can have here in Canada has to all be indoors since it's so cold! It was really amazing though. There was a huge room for tons of different environments, and one of the coolest ones was just like a rainforest in Brazil. Elder Durgante felt right at home and loved it!

Sister Sanataria is dying (leaving the mission for home)

On Wednesday, we had the last district meeting of the transfer, and it was really nice. Took some funeral pictures for the Sister that is going home this week, which turned out hilarious. After that we went to pass by a few potential investigators. We had looked up their addresses at the mission office on Google Maps to know how to get there, but for some reason when mapping things out all of the house numbers are switched on the Avenues in Montréal. For example, on the north end of the island, on 1e Av., the house numbers should be around 12000. Google maps was showing them as 1000. So, we were completey flipped around which messed up most of our day. But it was fine--we learned our lesson to be more careful when looking up addresses. We ended off eating dinner with Hermana Piña which was awesome as always.

Thursday was fun, we woke up and got into service clothes to help move some stuff out of one of the missionary apartments. The Montréal North zone leaders (who I used to live with in the 4 man) were going to come to pick us up. For some reason though, they went on exchange, so Elder Colunga was with Elder Tueller! It was so weird to all be together again, but it was awesome to see all of them. We moved everything out of this apartment on the 4th floor (no elevator), which took a very long time. Afterwards they gave us some money and Subway coupons, so we ate there together. It was so much fun to see them again! They then took us home and we did some studies, did some contacting, then went all the way to the east tip of the island to give a Book of Mormon to a media referral. It took over 2 hours to get there! That basically took up most of the day, but it was cool.

Elder Durgante is Home!

Friday was a really successful and busy day. We were able to get some studies in, then we went to see Francisco. We decided to show him a video on his phone, and he was able to understand a bit better with a visual aid. He really wants to be baptized, but he has things he's working through. But, hopefully we'll be able to figure out how to teach him well! We then went to Hermano Sanchez, and had a good lesson with him. He had lots of questions that we were luckily able to answer, and he was super happy! He really is doing well, but he still has some issues with certain commandments that we're trying to help with. But he's still awesome, we just have to work with him patiently. We then were able to have Family Home Evening with Nicole, which was really fun. We taught her about Family History, why we do it, and what we do in the Temples. The spirit was super strong, and she is excited to go to the temple soon! We then played a little game together, and she had tons of fun. Next time, she is planning it for us!

Wedding of Hermano y Hermana Trinidad

On Saturday, we helped the Sister Missionaries in our ward get ready for a wedding/baptism that night. They have been working with a part member family from for a while, but the parents were not married, which they have to be in order to get baptized. The mother was baptized, but less active, but the father had never been involved in the church. He's really amazing, and it's so clear to see how much the Gospel has improved his life. He's tons happier, a lot better of a father and husband, and he's just improved so much. On Saturday, they had their wedding, and then immediately after, he was baptized! It was really great; the members were so awesome in decorating the church and bringing tons of food. It was such a special experience for him! At home we got our transfer calls from the zone leaders, which I was really nervous about. I thought for sure that I would be transferred, but I'm so happy I'm not! Elder Durgante isn't too sad he's leaving since he hasn't been here for too long, but he is sad he has to pack again haha.

The Olympic Park (where the Biome was)

Sunday was fairly typical. We had Ward Council early in the morning, which is always great to coordinate efforts with the ward. During church, two random guys from Guatemala came in, and I sat with them and talked to them. They are super excited about the Church! They have only been here for a little bit. They are brothers, and one was baptized in Guatemala about 8 months ago, but the other is not a member. We helped them during the meetings, and will be working with them a bit in the coming weeks. They were really nice! We then had the opportunity to meet with a few families that we had contacted in the past week and had awesome lessons with them. One in particular was Luis and his family, who came from Mexico only recently. We taught them the Restoration, and they were super interested! It was awesome since it's hard to find families to teach over here.

We are hatching!

Monday was fairly chill, we didn't have much to do. Hermana Piña had an operation the other day, so we stopped by and visited with her to see how she was doing. Stopped by the church to do a few things we needed to do on the computer, then spent some time contacting then had dinner with some members. They made some really traditional food from Spain which was super good!

Anyway, this week was great. I'm again so glad that I have another transfer here in Zarahemla. I will have spent exactly 1/4 of my mission here! I will make sure to live it up while I can!

Love you all so much, and I hope you have an amazing week!

Elder James

Monkeys were just roaming around everywhere!

Piranhas

Elder Durgante refused to look at this!