A New companion and new chapel

 The New Chapel they are building in Chiapa De Corzo

 So excited...pizza.  Boy was it nasty!

Great family baptism!

 

 

Thanks for the letters. I am going to try to write fast because we dont have much time so there might be a lot of errores.

 

First off, Elder Turpo has been transferred to Tapachula. I will be going to Tuxtla tomorrow to get my new companion. I will be training a new missionary.

 

We had a baptism this week. Danna nine years old. There were two other baptisms. Her sister Yeroma eight and another girl with 8.This baptism was really special because we helped activate the family and the dad received the priesthood last week so he could baptize. Then he asked that Elder Turpo and I confirm his daughters. The love the people have here for the missionaries has strengthened my love for the people.

 

We are really close to the family of our ward mission leader and a couple others. One daughter in this family just turned 8 and wants us to teach her. She then said she would choose who would baptize. Us or her brother (our ward mission leader). I told her better her brother but she told me that she wants me to baptize her. I feel bad for the brother and want to convince her otherwise but she told me if I am transferred to take her in my suitcase so i could baptize her haha.

 

As far as my talk goes, I will share that after a high councel member (who was president of a mission in Panama) approached me and told me he can see that I have a true testimony and meant what I said. Something like that but that made me feel really good.

 

The other pictures are of the chapel they are building and the nasty pizza we ordered.

 

We have been teaching a woman named Alba for several weeks. Her husband cheated on her and she has lots of problems. She worships images in the catholic church and didnt undertsand why we didnt. We explained about 5 times but she wouldnt accept it. We stopped teaching her and then she came to teach because she is a reference. We taught her again and she didnt want much so we planned to visit one more time. We shared a video about the family and after we planned to talk about that and invite her to church. I felt we should invite her to baptized but I immediately thought she would say no. I decided to do it anyway and she accepted the invitation to be baptized. She told us she feels closer to God now that she has been praying and listening to us.

 

I love you all.  I found out we might get to skype for christmas but I dont know.





First Month in Chiapa De Corzo

First off, I completely forgot it was Thanksgiving because they dont celebrate that here in Mexico. It is hard to even describe what I am thankful for as a missionary. First off, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent my Savior Jesucristo. I know that this is truly a privilege in my life. Also, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve here in Mexico. Spanish is super hard for me to learn. I think it is the first thing that had not come naturally easy for me to learn. However, I have learned so many lessons from the people here. They just give and give and its hard to accept but they are so happy to help us as missionaries. One sister in the branch does so much for us and she told us because her son was a missionary and her other son will be that she hopes people treat her sons as she treats us. I am thankful for the changes in the mission. We dont have many investigators right now because a lot of the members are learning to work and help us but it is so fun to see the happiness of the members as their friends or family members accept the gospel.
Most importantly, I am thankful for my savior and for a loving Heavenly Father. I dont remember when but one day I decided to kneel in prayer and dedicate MY LIFE not just my mission to God. Heavenly Father will always come first in my life unlike before. As for my future, I am here to serve my Heavenly Father. If that means I become a teacher in elementary school vs a doctor I will do it because God knows more than we do and he will only guide us. I say this as I have learned that we avoid the natural man when we submit to the will of God which is extremly hard but rewarding.
Yesterday, I gave my first talk here in Mexico. I talked about the Atonement and conversion and how we as members have to convert to the gospel to receive the blessings of the Atonement. A person converted is unshakable in the gospel. Conversion is a lifetime process but if we dont strive daily to convert ourselves more we wont become converted.
We have cambios again next week so we will see what happens but I think both Elder Turpo and I will still be here.

Elder Lythgoe and his companion, Elder Turpo (from Peru) in Chiapa de Corzo

First Transfer

Dear Family,
Thanks for the letters and pictures this week. My letter is going to be a little shorter today because there have been transfers. Elder Gamez is going to Tuxtla this afternoon to be trainer again for another gringo. I will be leaving tomorrow morning for Chiapa de Corzo just outside of Tuxtla. I dont know who my companion will be. It is really hard to leave because I am beginning to understand a talk and we have some really good investigators right now.

We werent able to talk with the parents of Jalil and he was scared to because he just wants to wait until he is 18. We are teaching a young man who is 15 years old and he will be baptized in a few weeks. He is so excited about the gospel. After our first visit he told us the next time that he had prayed about Joseph Smith and felt really happy about it so he knows it is true. He has told his whole family and friends and is not afraid to talk about his lessons with the missionaries which is great.
I am excited to go to my new area and get to work.

As far as spanish goes I understand during lessons and the other times I dont understand much. It has to be quiet and I have to focus 100% to understand.

Elder Gamez and I are feeling better but monday, tuesday, and wednesday were pretty tough and we werent able to work a lot.

Now that I can understand kind of I get to hear all the funny things said about me. I havent noticed until this week but people always explain stuff to Elder Gamez and then tell him to tell me and I just laughed when I understood this for the first time.
I love you.

 

The picture is of the young men and some others in Barrio Indeco

Love, Elder Lythgoe

A week of Lessons

This week was a week of trials. On wednesday we committed three women to baptism and it felt great. We had lessons planned for all three saturday. First one was cancelled because she moved out of her daughters house to another daughter out of our area. Second, she wanted to be baptized and only needed to talk to her husband and he said no because his family is a different religion and he was mad she had two young men in their home. Third, this sister was extremely emotional and laid her problems on the table big time and we told her to read the book of mormon and pray and she wanted to receive an answer and be baptized but the last couple times we tried to visit she told us that she was too busy or didnt answer the door. We went from having zero investigators to having three to having zero in three days.
We had a cool experience though. We went to the house of a member last sunday to ask for a reference. When we got there the daughter Alexia walked out put a chair in front of us and asked for a blessing because her dad isnt a member. We ate with this family two days later and the mom told us the experience her daughter had. She was sick sunday and when we arrived asked her mom who was there and her mom said los elderes. Good they are here to give me a blessing. Her mom said no they arent. Then Alexia said yes they are mom because I just prayed that God would send someone who could give me a blessing. God answers prayers.
Now that I can talk more and understand more its kind of scary because the mom of some girls was indirectly telling me to marry her daughter. She told me a i will marry a mexican return misionera which describes her daughter because her daughter wants to serve. I didnt know what to say but it was scarry.
I contacted a man in english yesterday and completely butchered some words in english. It was pretty embarrassng.. I love you all.

 

Genaro (the little short man) was our recent convert at almost 80.  He has so much faith.

 

Love,
Elder Lythgoe

Mi Apartado

Here are a few pictures of Elder Lythgoe's and Elder Gamez's apartado in Tapachula.  Not too bad considering.  Elder Lythgoe was informed that Tapachula is the richest city in the state of Chiapas.  And he said, "And it is really poor here."  He is filled with gratitude at all times.

Don't freak out but I was in JAIL . . .

Elder Lythgoe's version of the story. . . 

So I had an experience this week and I dont want you to freak out because it wasnt dangerous but i was in jail for a day. Me and two other missionaries were travelling to Tuxtla to be legalized and we only had copies of passports and they put us in jail for not having official documents. We slept  on cement beds and it definitely was not an Alma and Amulek experience or nephi and leih experience. president cardenas rescued us the next day with our passports luckily. then we still had to go to tuxtla so that was a three day experience.

I (Tyler's mom) happened to be on  Elder Palmer's blog - a missionary in Tyler's mission and I came across this . . .

Cool story: 3 missionaries got put in jail last week close to Tapachula, but Pdte. Cardenas didn´t know that they were in jail or where they were. They were going to tuxtla in OCC, and the records said that they boarded the bus, but in Tuxtla they weren´t there. President Cardenas sent the assistants to a conference in Oaxaca while he went looking for the missionaries. He had been praying very hard, and after asking many immigration people and having many of them say that they had no idea, a man came up and offered to help. He made a few phone calls and found out that they were sent back to Tapachula in a prision there. As Presidente got there, they wouldn´t let him see them until they had done the paperwork so that they could leave (which takes a long time). After the whole ordeal, he saw them come out. Their shoes and belts and ties were taken away, so they looked really funny, but he saw them super happy. He asked them, how are you?! And they responded that they were so excited and had just taught one of the guards and were sending his name as a reference. They contacted and taught -- even in a little bit of a different situation. That is being a missionary. But they didn´t get hurt or anything, all was well. (but this is not to scare you, it is just a cool experience that happened to a few missionaries)

We can't wait to hear all about it in two years.

Gratitude

I have more time than i thought so i wanted to share some thoughts about gratitude. We have been working with a less active family. 7 people in the family and the live in a house about the size of my room at home. The ten year old works every saturday to help pay for stuff as well. Houses here are often cement walls with cement floors with metal sheets for a roof. when we eat with members they give us so much food and sometimes dont eat or give themselves and their kids only a little. this is extremely hard for me but i have to eat all my food and i feel horrible. some families are more well off but there are some super poor areas. people think they understand but they dont. I had no clue until i actually got here. This has taught me that humility leads to happiness. These people are so loving and yet they have nothing. The ward mission leader has been a member for about 6 weeks and he doesnt really know anything about church organization or missionary work but his attitude is contagious. Attitude makes all the difference. I remember one time last week just feeling happy and sweating and smiling for no reason and this old lady walked off the sidewalk to shake my hand when I smiled at her. This simple act of service can make someones day.

Remember every day to thank God for what you have because someone always has it worse. 

Remember to smile through afflictions because Jesus Christ went through the same thing FOR YOU and he didnt have to.

Remember God always loves you and he is sad when you are sad.

This last week has been super frustrating but I am learning great life lessons. I figured out why the mission is the best two years. Because you study, live, and allow the gospel to change you. Never before in my life have I lived and studied the gospel like this and when we are obedient we are happy. Helping others and teaching others is great but the joy i have comes from living and teaching not just baptizing.

For anyone struggling read DyC 122 8. I think. It is the one that says Christ has descended below all... think ye are greater than He.

Quiero compartir mi testimonio en espanol. Dios quiere que seamos obediente y cuando somos obediente, podemos recibir mas bendiciones. Hay muchos mandamientos pero muchas veces los mandamientos pequenos son mas importante come leer las escrituras, orar, y asistencia a la iglesia cada domingo. Podemos superar las tentaciones del diablo por medio oracion. Jesucristo puede ayudar en cualquiera cosa en nuestra vida proque El sufrio por todo en el jardin. Recuerde! Dios nos ama mucho

I love you!