Monday, November 25, 2013 - "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Hola Mi Familia! So it is that time of year where everyone starts getting super duper busy eh? But it sounds like you are having some pretty fun events! Dad, thanks ton for the music you sent! It has helped a lot! We are just going to be doing a special musical number for a multi-zone conference for the first week of December. It will be our zone and one other one. I think we have decided on ¨O Holy Night¨ and we had our first practice last night and it sounds pretty good! I really enjoy putting together quartets and leading everyone and telling them what to do and then having an amazing end result! Well, this week seemed like a busy week and a long week and a little uneventful in the progress of our investigators so let´s see how we did! It has begun to get COLD!!!! I LOVE IT!!!! Okay so not as cold as you guys, but for us the mid 50s is FREEZING for us! We did interchanges twice this week! On Tuesday we did it with one of our district leaders and I stayed here in my area with his companion and my companion went to the other area with him. I don´t really like interchanges because it is a little out of my comfort zone, but I have learned to get used to it. On Thursday we did it again, but this time with the assistants! Once again, I stayed in my area and one of the assistants, who came with me. It was really fun to be with him because this Elder was my zone leader in Agua Prieta and he has been one of my best leaders in the mission I would think. We did some service and found a few new people to teach. So that took up two days of the week. Last Monday P-day was quite a day! On Wednesday was the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and so on Monday all the schools and work places had a holiday. We went that morning to downtown and met up with a few other Elders to watch the Revolution Day parade. It was a fun little cultural event and they had some neat dances and things. After that we went up the the cerro de la campana and chilled and took pictures for a while. That day a sister in our ward had found out it was my birthday the past Saturday and so she invited us over for a Carne Asada and as always....boy was it good! You won´t believe it, but we had Carne Asada a few more times that week....all in all we eat it like 4 or 5 times in one week! Not complaining...it is really REALLY good but just a lot of times! Investigators... Well, the 2 boys are just STUDS!!! Like I said, they are the grandkids of the new bishop and they are just really awesome! They love us and we love them. They really really like the church and all of its activities. They have been practicing all week with the Young Men and Women for a stake cultural night they had this past Saturday and they said they really enjoyed themselves. They also attended mutual Friday night and we went to give them a little lesson and to play basketball with them. They are excited to learn and have a lot of good questions! I feel a baptism coming on here soon! They just need to want to do it and ask their mom and they are set. Let´s hope they make it for December! We are still teaching this other guy and he is coming along too. He has a date for the 7th of December right now so let´s hope everything comes out good. His family is reactivating itself and his 12 year old sister is being a member missionary! They just have about 3 or 4 weeks going to church, but the sister has invited friends to go each time and she and a friend even participated in the youth cultural night of the stake so that is cool. If everything goes well we should be counting on 3 baptisms for December and all youngins! The girl we are teaching is going through some rough times. She is really really shy and timid and we don´t know what to do with her. The Young Women try to get her to participate but she gets so timid that she doesn´t want to participate. She has at least been going to church and she stays with us the first 2 hours because she doesn´t want to go with the other youth for the 2nd hour, but come the 3rd hour and she is regretting going to Young Women’s. Yesterday was not a good day. Everyone wanted her to attend the youth Sunday school class and she just did not want to, but everyone was very very persistent and she started to get mad and upset and at the end of the 2nd hour called her mom to go and pick her up. We are a little nervous that she won´t want to go to church again because she doesn´t like to be pressured. Everyone is just trying to help her get to know the other youth and to be sociable and comfortable but she doesn´t want to. She could really progress a lot more if she got to know more youth, but we just don´t know how to help her. We will see what happens. Yesterday during church was the Ward Primary Program and it was quite cute! Kids are so funny and just have so much faith and spirit with them! The theme this year as I´m sure you know was ¨I am a Child of God¨ and it was a special theme. At the end of the program the spirit was so strong and it was really beautiful. Primary Children just have so much faith and spirit that we as adults and youth sometimes lose. They also are very bright and have and learn a lot and have precious little testimonies. No wonder Jesus said that we should be as little children: submissive, meek and humble and I would add full of faith! If you ever get a chance just observe the primary kids and it will amaze you! Well, I hope you all have a super fantastic Thanksgiving and eat some yummy fried Turkey for me! I am especially thankful this year to be serving a mission in this wonderful time and to be a part of God´s Army! I am so thankful for you all and for the never-ending love and support you give to me always! I appreciate it more than you´ll ever know! I am especially thankful for my parents and the sacrifices they make for me. I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Restored Church and most importantly the Atonement of our Lord and Savior! I know He lives! ¡Yo sé que vive mi Señor! Con Mucho Amor, Elder Joyner