His letter the week before last was so short and sweet that I decided to pair it with last weeks letter instead of posting it alone. He has had a ton going on and he is still loving every moment of it!! I'm not sure why but last weeks letter about the vineyard really touched my spirit. I wish it was closer and I could visit them and work there also. Maybe when we go back with him to visit that can be on our list... Although I'm thinking sometime early spring or late late fall LOL. 110 degrees!?!?? Those people are amazing! He said he cut his finger "a little". I would also like to know what "a little" is if they were all worried about the white boy!! ??? hahaha. Be sure to watch the video about the vineyard he sent. It was inspiring!! Only 1 paid employee in the enitre vineyard. Wow!
Only 8 months left!! HOLY COW! Is it weird that I'm now having mixed emotions about him coming home??? I want to see him sooooooo badly but yet I feel so sad for the people there who will be losing my sweet boy in Fresno too. I will also miss the spirit that is in our home from having a missionary! Of course, by then Weston will be getting ready to leave on his and then that brings up the rollercoaster ride all over again!! I don't know if I want my little Butterbean out on his own or how I will do it!! ??? This rollercoaster is giving me whiplash ;) hahaha!
Enjoy his letter :)
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| Temple Trip |
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| Exercising |
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| Making tortillas for investigators |
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| Zone activity in Oakhurst |
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| Elder Quintana picked one of the biggest ones out there |
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| It was 110 degrees out there. Man it was HOT!! |
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| After the vineyard |
August 24th
Hey what's up!
I need to apologize because this letter will be very very very short. I just got back from a Zone activity up in Oakhurst! And we have to finish our other chores for the day I'll be sending more pictures than I will a letter. I'm really sorry about that.
The Zone Activity was fun though! Probably one of the best ones we've had thus far! We did lots of stuff like ping pong, roping, pool table, lunch, a whole bunch of activities. We were not able to stay for very long though, wish we could have. Ping pong was probably the best! Made it pretty interesting. There was about 18 of us missionaries up there and all of us were playing around the world ping pong.
This week was loads of fun! Had a temple trip last Tuesday. They normally do temple sessions for zones every two transfers. I'm so glad I've got 3 more after before the mish ends. Love it! During the trip I felt lots of impressions that I just need to keep losing myself in the work. At times, especially lately, we have obstacles and hard tasks that come to us and when I feel tempted to think selfish and I feel like my body deserves a rest, I feel like President Henry B Eyring says, "Remember him." So those will be my "rallying words" as he puts it.
Our investigators are doing great! C. got baptized if I haven't mentioned that already. She started her english class this week and I'm helping her with that as well. I never thought I'd see myself teaching english. I never really even liked my english classes when I was going to school haha. M. is coming back this week. His baptism date is this weekend so were praying that he's been doing what we've taught him since he's been in Mexico so that he can be baptized.
Can't believe summer is gone and school has started again. I got to Madera at the end of the school year and it feels like just yesterday. Can't believe it!
Sorry to hear about the game last Friday. Weston has every right to keep his head up. Those group of boys are hard working. A little bit of more hard work and some fine tuning and they'll be ready to go! Tell Marz congrats about volleyball! I got all your pics and stuff and it looks like everyone's doing good!
I gotta go! love ya!
Elder Horrocks
August 31st
Que pachuca!
Sounds like this week has been awesome! I got your pictures this week. Haha I'm sorry Weston had to come back home from Hurricane after his game late at night. Sounds like there should have been lots of things that needed to be better but that they overall had a better game. 10 times better from what I've heard, that's good! Now just moving on to the next one. What did they have a game so far out there for? I'm glad everyone at home is doing good. Tell everyone that says hello that I say hello back :) I can't believe my graduating class is home haha sorry I couldn't be there! I'm in the right place though.
Our week was super fun! Lot's of success in finding new people to teach that's for sure! We found 10 new investigators this week, and 8 of them are like this big ol clan. They're the M. family. They're all cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, all of the above. One night we received a phone call from our Elders Quorum President and he asked if we could go give a blessing to one of his wife's cousins I believe? Her name was L. So we went over there and we walked in and all of them were just eyes on us. Two tall white guys in a shirt and tie and the house just goes silent. We met the family sat down and talked with them all and kind of broke the ice you could say. After we got more comfortable with them we actually taught them a lesson and then gave the blessing to L. Afterwards we got everyone's addresses. Then we walked out and it kind of hit us like whoa that was 8 new investigators! The other two were from members also. One of them being J. She's 18 and has a baby and is currently still attending highschool. We taught her the Restoration and about families and she started crying. She's real special and we look forward to teaching her more later on :)... We also met this guy named E. He's english but we found him at the gas station. He's been taught by missionaries a year ago and holy cow he is animated as heck! He tells us he's not crazy but sometimes I wonder that about him haha but he's cool. He's like "Richard Shermon's interception" animated but less cocky. He's lost A LOT of things but he plans on gaining everything back. We know he can if he will start following God again.
We went to the vineyard on Wednesday and picked some grapes with some members of the ward. That'll be the 2nd time for me going this year. I went once during the winter and now twice this summer. Haha I ended up cutting my finger just a little bit. I put a little dirt on it and it was all good haha the bishop of the ward saw and he looks at me and he just starts teaching me how to pick grapes immediately. The rest of the members heard what happened and they started getting worried for "the white boy". But they taught me well! And I can now say I work as fast as a mexican! Because they work soooooo fast! I remember we were a third of the way done with a row and the other wards were about halfway or a fourth of the way done. Actually here is a video about the vineyard in Madera. When you watch it there's a guy that says,"they worked as fast as the brown brothers! "https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-05-16-madera-volunteers?lang=eng
We had awesome opportunity to hear from a member of the Q of the 70! He came to our leadership meeting last Saturday and he was powerful! These men are just amazing! It was Elder Hamula and he came and taught the importance of the Sabbath Day to all of us. He taught the significance of what the Sabbath Day and the Sacrament really does for us. He said that if "all" the world and/or members had a profound and deep understanding of what the Sabbath Day is, then we would be so much more converted to the Lord than ever. Apparently the whole church's focus is the Sabbath? It needs to be implemented in our minds! The Sabbath is the only time for us to be clean again and perfected until that final day when the Lord can change us. He dissected the sacrament prayers and turned it into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish I could explain and give all of it to you but he basically said that Christ's gospel and purpose of the Sacrament is so that we might all be "spotless" at last day, and we will if we're faithful. (3 Ne. 27:13-21, D&C 59:9) I know it seems like all of you have heard it before. I'd have to teach it to you to help you understand what I learned, it was sweet!!
Last thing before I end. So President basically spilled the beans to us about transfers. Yes transfer calls are this Saturday. Crazy huh! I think Elder Quintana might train or stay with me. I don't think I'm going anywhere yet. But it's all up to God. So we'll see! Hey we might even train a missionary together??
I'll send you some pictures of the vineyard! My time is up and I got to head out
Love ya'll
Elder Horrocks
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