October 6, 2016

Yesterday we went with president to center to buy some glasses for my companion and then he bought us some pizza. It was really good. We had to wait two hours before the glasses were ready so he gave us some money and we went on a tour of the cathedral in Zócalo. We went up in the towers and walked on the roof and it was really neat. It was really dirty inside and had a lot of graffiti. They had people confessing their sins there and we saw them do some kind of ordinance. It was pretty strange. I talked to president about some of the problems we have in our district and with some of the elders and he told me I need to talk to them our they will be having an interview with the pres. He also told me he wants me to work in the area of Nick so I can continue his legacy. Pretty neat.
We watched conference in Spanish at the church and we had two investigators come. They are going to progress really well. Oh yeah I did divisions with an elder and his area flooded with the rain.
Sorry I am just dead right now.
Love you all.
Love Elder Ivie

September 26

We had a lot more success this week than we did in that last week. We found a lot of new investigators and we were able to recieve a lot of references from members and other people that we met. This Sunday we had a member help us by bringing one of our investigators to the church. She was also able to sit by her during the services and it was a big help. If only we can find members like her for all our investigators haha.
We just had our district meeting that I was in charge of and I was not as prepared as I should have been, but it turned out really great! We talked about how we help the less active members and how to ask them for references, we talked about a topic called, How to begin teaching, and we talked about attributes of Christ. It was really neat. I have to leave a compromise or a challenge for all the Elders at the end of the meeting. I shared a scripture that I found in the week in Doctrine and Covenants 112. It talks about the 12 apostals . I changed it up so it talked about missionaries. It talks about a lot of the attributes of Christ and at the end it said that if we work with these attributes an effective door will be opened up for them from that moment and on. It was a really neat meeting and I hope that all the Elders in my district can try and find the effective doors in their areas.
Today we went to the center of the city and we didn't really do much. We walked around and my companion wanted to buy a watch. I just went and bought some churros and thats all I bought. It was a good week in all. I did divisions with some Elders in my district this week also to help them out with the way they teach and with things they need help on. It is a really fun job I have. Hope everyone else had a great week!
Love Elder Ivie

September 19

I am now in a new area and have a new companion! My companion is from Cancun, Mexico. His name is Elder May. We get along pretty well which is good. We had a pretty good week. We worked really hard trying to get to know the area and there were two days this week were we were not allowed to leave the house. We just stayed in and slept and studied and stuff like that. I am about to finish to book of 1 Samuel. I already finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It helped me out a lot with my Spanish! I am still working as the District Leader. It is a lot of work but it keeps me busy. I have to make sure everyone gets home on time and is doing what they should. If their are Elders that want to go home I have to help them with whatever is going on.
We had a bunch of investigators that we were waiting on this Sunday and not one came! I was pretty upset because we had a couple members that were going to pass by for them and they told us that they called them and they didn't answer so they didn't even bother to pass by for them. It is pretty frustrating that they don't want to help us out or finish what they told us they would do. We are doing a lot of things in this ward to help them out. I don't know how well it is working out. We will have to see in time. We had a pretty good week in all. My companion showed me a new snack we always are eating now. They are called pesqueses. they are the necks of the chickens. They are soo good! It seems nasty but it is roasted and tastes super good! Well I hope everyone is doing good, and have a great week!
Love Elder Ivie

September 12, 2016

We are looking at a pretty slow week ahead of us! On the 15th we have to return home after the food and can't leave the house until the 17th! It is the independence day here in Mexico and they do fireworks like crazy! They are already starting to do them! I have found a bunch in our house and I don't even know how they get there! Some people have told me that you leave your house and you have to have a helmet or something because you will get hit with a bottle rocket or some kind of firework! haha it is pretty crazy! We had interviews with the president this week and they were really neat! President took me and my companion with him afterwards and we went to burger king and bought some food!
Yesterday after church we had a member come up to us and said she wanted us to visit her friend. She took us there and she told us that her son has gotten into drugs and when we got there he stayed up on the balcony because he thought we were going to take him with us. He stayed up on the balcony the whole lesson. It was a very special lesson that we had. We felt the spirit very strong. The testimonies of the members that came with us helped out so much! We were teaching about how the Holy Ghost feels like, peace and comfort and right then the sister started crying! It was amazing to see the spirit working through her and through the members! It was an amazing lesson!
We were able to get 5 of our investigators to church yesterday and they are all getting pretty close to their baptism dates. The only thing is, I am going to be getting moved to a new area tomorrow. It is the same area but they are dividing it into two again. I will be getting moved to a new house and have a new companion. It will be a neat experience. I am pretty excited to see who my companion is. I hope everyone had a great week!
Love Elder Ivie!

September 5, 2016

Picture emailed from Pres. Stutznegger

We were planning on having a baptism last Saturday. We had the interview with the zone leaders and all and she passed the interview. She had quite a few questions. Like what would happen with her marriage with her husband and stuff like that. Later that day after we had made a bunch of plans for her baptism she called us and said she felt too much pressure and she didn't want to get baptized yet. She doesn't want us to visit her for a while also! It is pretty difficult when things like this happen! We wanted to go talk to her to see what was going through her head, because her family can put ideas into her head that are not correct. Hopefully we can visit her this week and baptize her this week!
My companion is going to be training a new Elder next week in the changes! That means that one of us will be having changes. If he has changes he will have to open up an area so it is pretty rare when they do that. So it is very likely that I will have changes next week! I am pretty excited to see where I will get sent.
We were going to have interviews with the President last week but he got sick so we will be having them tomorrow morning. I am pretty excited to see him! It is always fun to have the interviews with him. It has been really neat to be the Disrtict leader here in Los Reyes. I get to learn all about the other investiagators that the other Elders have and help them out with problems they have. I am learning a lot of new things. I hope everyone is having a great week!
Love Elder Ivie

August 29, 2016

Not much happened this week. The carnival that was in our area right outside the house finally left... but now it is just down the road in the new part of our area hahah! They sell some bread there that is really good!

In the week we were walking down the street and we couldn't find any of our investigators so I decided to knock on the door of this bright yellow house. When they answered the door it was some guy that seemed like he was drunk or something. He let us in and we started talking to him. He told us that he was a Jehovah witness. My companion and I looked at each other and we were just like no! We had a lot of fun with him. Missionaries always hope for moments when you can teach a member of the Jehovah witness`s. We started talking to him about how Jesus is Jehovah. He started to think we were crazy. We shared a bunch of scriptures that were super clear that Jesus is Jehovah but he didn't want to accept the fact that we were right. We asked him why their bible isn't called bible. It is called the New World Translation or something like that. They say it is because they have it in modern day words. We asked if they took any scriptures out and he said no. Then I pulled out a couple scriptures that they don't have and when he searched for them he stared to freak out because they don't have it. It was hilarious. My companion couldn't stop laughing. He started trembling because we caught them lying haha. I don't think he will want us to come back again. It was a pretty fun experience. There was not that much stuff that happened in the week. We are hoping for 2 baptisms this Saturday we just need to see if they are ready. Hopefully they are. I hope everyone else is doing good and has a great week!
Love Elder Ivie

August 22, 2016 Break in

We had a pretty busy week this week! We had to open up an area. It was pretty difficult because the Elders that were there left the directions to the houses but the streets were not on the map! We had to call them like two times a day. They are going to send two Elders over here again they told us but we don't know when. This week we will also be having interviews with the President! I am pretty excited for them!
One day we went to a house where we contacted a couple people outside. They said we could pass by another day. We went back the day they said we could and her husband said she was sick. So we asked him if he was interested. We talked to him but it was outside. We started teaching the restoration and then some kids drove by on their bikes and stopped by to see what was going on. They started to listen and we put an appointment to visit with them the next week. Then the parents of the husband came out and listened to us and we were able to get 5 new investiagators right there in the street! It was a neat experience!
The church got broken into during the week! They cut through the chain link fence and went in through the window of the bishops office and overturned his desk and broke through the wood to find whatever they could. But there was nothing there. They broke through a couple other doors but nothing real bad. It is a pretty sketchy area I am in but we usually go home pretty early.
It was a good week all in all. We had 3 investiagators in the church and are pretty close to be getting baptized! Hope everyone else is doing great!
Love Elder Ivie