Week 9: Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning... Finding legos in my stocking! 

 Elder Rivera opening his own stocking in a package from my family

Elder Martin and Elder Cox

Hello Everyone, Happy New Year!

Because all the international college students we normally teach all went home for the holidays, this week was likely the lowest numbers in proselyting for a long while! But this is the last week of the break, and it will certainly begin to string up from here. The BYU English Learning Center, where we've met the vast majority of our investigators, opens back up soon along with BYU's regular winter semester this week.  That should bring a whole new wave of people to contact, as well as our recent converts and investigators coming back into town.  It means we are hoping that this week is the calm before the storm!  Regardless though, this week was still filled with some good teaching and great fun. 

I guess we'll go in order of the week then:

So, on p-day we played some sports and I had my first legit Snowball fight, full fledged, and fun. That night we had a lesson with Toree about the temple, learning in the process that she has a calling now and is preparing to get her patriarchal blessing! Things are moving along so wonderfully with her, just better and better all the time.  Elder Rivera and I come out of her lessons just so stoked that she is continually and proactively improving and learning. She's set an example for me at the very least.  

On Christmas Eve we mostly ran errands, grabbing some last minute Christmas presents, dropping off Christmas cards and having Pho soup for lunch. We then had dinner with a Hispanic family, which was fun and filled with delicious tamales and pasole. Afterwards, we hung with the other Elders in our District.  We also spent Christmas Morning with them, so they served as our family away from home. It was good fun, and both the starry eve night and sunny Christmas morning set a nice backdrop for a wonderful day.

I got some Legos for Christmas, and I was glad to see that tradition was not impeded by the mission! But the best gift was certainly getting to Skype with my family, and seeing them all. It's only been three months, but Sophie sure has grown a lot, and the rest of the family is moving along as they will. It was wonderful to say the least. The rest of Christmas day was relatively chill: we visited people, hung with district bursts, had dinner with the Baird family, and said goodbye to Elder Kim, who was to leave (two years done) the next day.  It seems weird that missionaries I know are already finishing up. In any case, that night back at the apartment as I was finally finding some quiet time to reflect, I read the book of John (finished the next morning) and listening to the Lower Light carols, I ended Christmas Day on a note of the love of Christ and feeling so glad to be a missionary.

The rest of the week we had Elder Cox with us since his Mongolian companion is not out of the MTC yet and Elder Kim had already left. We contacted bishops in our new wards, did some work on Facebook, and had dinners at a nice variety of restaurants.

Our scattered lessons also went well.  We are gaining ground with Diana Fernandez. She was at church again on Sunday and that was good to see. We had our final lesson with Diana Gabriela, as she is leaving Utah for good now, having finished her time here.  She seemed touched by our friendship and concern for her, hopefully it will lay seeds for something more, and we'll keep in touch on Facebook. We also had to help Angel Corrona late one night, as his car got impounded. He was just on his way back from vacation and this will put a major dent in his normal life for now.  Please keep him in your prayers.  He is an honest soul and one of the best people I've met.  It was a nice way for me to spend the night before my birthday, helping out someone I'd grown to love over the mission.

My birthday itself was rather chill, I got birthday wishes from Sister McCune (the mission president's wife) and some investigators too.  We went to the Japanese ward with Elder Cox since our schedules are kind of combined right now.  This actually gives us more to do and works very well.  We were able to have dinner with a Japanese family that night, which was fun and delicious, it's cool to jump into other cultures every now and then as a Spanish Elder.

But yes, now I'm 19, and both this year in my life and this calendar year of 2014 will be entirely dedicated to The Lord, start to finish.   I'm grateful for this opportunity to serve, and as I set goals for this new year to forge me into the best missionary I can be (three month interviews with President McCune on Jan.1st as a matter of fact!), I pray that the Spirit will abide with me as I press forward.

Beyond that, all is well here in Provo! May the new 2014 year be the best, 14 is my lucky number after all!

Best Regards,

Elder Martin

Missionaries for Christmas Dinner

We received an email with pictures from the Baird family, 

who had Elder Martin and Elder Rivera over for Christmas dinner:

Kristine wrote: "We love having your missionaries.  They are AWESOME!"

Week 8: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

 Our Missionary Apartment Christmas Tree

(With gifts from 12 Days of Christmas from my family & packages from friends) 

Angel's Baptism Picture

Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas!

All is Merry and bright here in the Utah Provo mission! And Christmas will be no exception, I am finding more and more that being a missionary allows you to say Merry Christmas (or Feliz Navidad) to anyone without any trace of being weirded out.  But yes, the snow is falling again, lots of fun Christmas activities happened this week, and we are filling up the days as best we can in this calm before the storm, because come January not only will everyone be back, but the new semester will bring in a whole wave of new people to teach.  Exciting!  This week also held my three month mark, which is scary because it's going by way too fast.

As for this week though, p-day we played laser tag and that was way fun. We had two zone conferences, one where we had Elder Arnold of the 70 come and teach us, and the other was a Christmas Party, where we walked up and had a talent show,  I played piano while the other elders dressed up and reenacted the Nativity.  Suffice it to say Elder Kim was our zebra-blanket wearing donkey and Elder Rivera was Mary (or María), and you get a good idea of how that went.  We also watched the movie "Up" during the zone conference, and with all the elders pointing out the funny things it made an already good movie great.  Indeed, I got to see a lot of my district this week, not only from the joint meetings or talent show practices, but also from baptismal interviews and helping fill fonts and set up for many baptisms: the UVU Asian missionaries had four baptisms this Saturday alone. This is a busy and exciting mission district to be in for sure!

And my companion and I are not too behind the mark either! Diana Fernandez from Colombia is the only one in her apartment during the holidays, while the others are in Florida (for Oscar Corredor's wedding!)  He plans to be sealed in the temple in 10 months, a year after his baptism), so besides for her hectic work schedule we will be able to meet with her one on one (or two I guess) much more this next week or so.  We committed her to baptism if she receives an answer since her last lesson, and hope to set a concrete date next time.  Toree Coleman is still doing well and we are teaching her the new member discussions (one of which is tonight and about the temple, which is way exciting!)  In fact, her father is also participating in them, which means things are getting better and better.

In other news, we have been combing through our three North Provo family stakes and finding the Spanish speakers.  Most of the Spanish speakers there are already members, which is good as we are building relationships with them through service and visits.  As of yesterday, we have also received two more family stakes, bringing our grand total up to 27 stakes covered!  This includes President McCune's stake, which is fun.  This also means we'll have more families and bishops and leadership to meet, which will be much easier when tithing settlement is complete.

But beyond that, this week was rather chill, but it has given me some good time for reflection and solid blocks of study time, in which I have been continuing to read the gospels and become more acquainted with Christ's life and words.  Throughout the whole thing I am continually struck with really how perfect and farsighted he was and how he truly was the Son of God.  This time of Christmas takes the life of Christ and looks at it at the very kick off, the day of his birth, and with it comes a sort of irresistible hopefulness, like the star that shone above the manger, pushing the night out and making day night and day that seem as one day. I think that's not only miraculous, but symbolical and foretelling of Christ in many different ways. As was so well said in the Carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem, "so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven".  Every string of garland, every ornament, every twinkling light reminds us that it's Christmas time, and that reminds us of Christ.  And as I have said before and will say again, I love being a Missionary.  It's especially great during Christmas, as I get to fill the shoes of the valiant missionaries who years before visited my home on Christmas. It's great to see it from the other end, and I sure love it!

Well, Merry Christmas to all!

As only perfect music is allowed in heaven, let us take the Angel's Chorus as perfect too:
Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth Peace, Good Will to Men!

-Elder Martin

Week 7: For Unto Us A Child Is Born

Hello everyone!

Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope the holiday season is treating you well! It certainly is for me, though as predicted we weren't as busy as usual, and so there's not too much to say for this week. That being said, it was still a great one and we got some good stuff done.

Much of the day to day was filled with hours of shoveling snow, visiting families the Bishops had referred us to stop by and see either for helping them out or asking about Hispanic families or friends they might have for us to teach. Elder Rivera has also been scoring a lot of lessons on Facebook, and though I have had not nearly as many, in the more down times or while waiting for people to respond I've been practicing Christmas carols on the piano.  I now have a handful of carols down and was able to play piano for District Training Meeting this week. I hope to keep up the habit, and perhaps in time I'll have a belt full of hymns to choose from. In the spirit of service I'd also like to mention me and Elder Rivera's amazing hot chocolate creation we made for the district at that meeting, which was enough to fill 10 missionaries with leftovers.

In terms of lessons, of the few that we had, many were actually canceled or postponed due to holiday festivities. No hard feelings there though, we went to a few of our own festivities! We got to see many Christmas programs and parties this week, and I must say it has worked wonderfully in bringing the spirit of Christmas into this valley.  No where else do I receive a warmer reception to saying goodbye with a "Merry Christmas!"  The carols seem to be showing up everywhere now and the snow just makes it all the better.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and it's so fun being a missionary in the middle of all of it!

But once again, this week's highlight was a baptism! This time for Toree Coleman. Having taught her from the first lesson several weeks ago, I'll be the first to say that Toree is a prepared person. Genuinely seeking a way to better her life and put behind her anything that'd hold her back.  In spite of a rough past and a Catholic mother that did not want to have her last daughter to be baptized like her two older siblings before her, Toree chose to fully embrace the gospel and its teachings, repenting, changing, and preparing for baptism.  She was baptized by her father, who had been making great efforts of his own to be prepared to perform the ordinance.  I was able to be a witness with Elder Rivera for the baptism. As I could see her face under the water, eyes closed and face content, I could feel the spirit testify to me of the power and cleansing of this divine ordinance. This will have a huge impact not only in Toree's life, but also in her family's and her many friends' lives. I feel so honored to have been a part of it and an instrument in the hands of The Lord. She was confirmed yesterday by her brother, who also had made his own efforts to be prepared for the blessing. What better than the gift of the Holy Ghost for Christmas?

Well, that's about all I got here, as short as it feels. Merry Christmas to you all, and may your days be Merry and Bright!

-Elder Martin

Week 6: First Snow!

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!

I won't get many chances to say Merry Christmas, so I'm doing it now! Things are wonderful down here in Provo, and the snow just makes it better! That's right, there has been snow on the ground all week and I am proud to announce I am both loving it and not too cold (Granted, we have a car, so w we'll see how a walking area treats me later).  The week went well though.  Our last p-day we went ice skating at 7 Peaks and I only fell twice. Pictures to accompany.

After ice skating, we had a lesson with Toree Coleman, who has been struggling a lot recently and has definitely felt the strong pull of the adversary on her in light of her upcoming baptism this Saturday. However, she has gone through the repentance process sincerely and after another lesson or two and her baptismal interview, she is still on track to be baptized on the 14th. Way exciting!  On a side note, we were at her bishop's home setting up details for the baptism one night, where all the bishop's children and grandchildren were staying, when Santa came to pay the kids a visit! It was so fun to see a family and little kids all excited together about Christmas, and it was fun to be the Elders in this situation--finally being in the shoes of the many Elders we have had in our home around Christmas time.

The day to day things this week involved several "last appointments" since people are already preparing to go home for Christmas, and thus we won't see them again until next year. We've done this with Felipe, Alejandro, and Desiree already, and are bound for a few more next week. With all of them this trip will likely prove a catalyst point to them, since they will either slip off the commitments they have made or hopefully try on their own to bring the Spirit into their lives. Either way, we'll be praying for them especially during this time and by the end hopefully more change will come from it.  In fact, it may be just what we need to shake things up a little with some of them.

Otherwise, we did a handful of snow shoveling activities, which I was so stoked for because I can never get enough service and people didn't take up our leaf-raking offers as much as I would've hoped. Luckily, when it snows, service seems to fall right out of the sky, and I am already convinced from my limited snow experience that shoveling someone else's snow for them is the best way to get warm, period.  Plus, I actually quite enjoy it.  There's something gratifying about shoveling snow that's different from other activities.  Elder Rivera and I want to get our own shovels soon so we can ambush unsuspecting people's homes with a cleared pathway, I'm so excited for it. Good stuff comes out of these service projects too: while we were shoveling for the Minonds, a family from Chile who owns the Pantrucas restaurant in North Provo on Canyon Road by Days Market (so flipping good, all of you need to go there, we get free lunch every week. Tell 'em Elder Martin sent you, haha) we got an offer for dinner by the lady that lived across the street. In the course of a wonderful dinner we not only found out that he was the Bishop of a YSA ward of four of my friends (Traci, Cassidy, Micah, and Ephraim), but also that they had lived near Mom's family in Cairo many years ago, and that they knew my mom and aunts and uncle and grandparents. They attended the same LDS branch in Cairo in the 80s.  The world only gets smaller when you're a member! A picture with Bishop and Sister Riley included below.

By far the highlight of this week was the baptism of Angel Corona.  Elder Rivera baptized him, and I confirmed him yesterday, and both were wonderfully sweet experiences and powerful reminders of how simple yet deep these ordinances and the gospel are.  It was also reaffirmed to me when I saw him reading the hymns before the service began just how genuine he was about everything, but especially about the gospel.  He is a well-liked guy, and had a good turn out at the baptism.  He will be well supported in this momentous step in his life.  He certainly felt the power and witness of the Spirit.  As I mentioned before, he is from Sonora, Mexico, and came up to the US for work, but felt a particular draw to Utah, though he did not know why.  His friend Kianna from the Mexican Restaurant in Lehi where he cooks first suggested that he take the missionary lessons.  Angel started meeting with Elder Rivera a month or so before I came.  Kianna has since left on a mission of her own, but Angel was still quite up for learning, as he felt that things were true and especially that they were good, as in sound, correct things for our lives.  His conversion has been one that been laid out by the Spirit all along the way, and he will be a tremendous influence in the lives of many, I'm sure.  His confirmation was particularly poignant for me, as I had spent two days trying very hard to be extra clean and spiritual to not impede the Spirit and to be able to assist The Lord in Angel's life.  I felt the spirit tremendously and in a particular manner I had never felt before during the confirmation, and although I sound like a broken record, I won't hesitate to say once again that I love the Priesthood.  And that being a missionary is amazing, and one of, if not the best, decisions of my life.  I must say though, I feel bad for those not called to Provo, because they must know that their mission is just not the best, haha.

As a word of parting, thanks so much to the Katy 3rd Ward youth for the Christmas Care Package, it was wonderful and the letters were lovely.  Thanks also to Grandma Wadley for the Christmas Tree! We set it up in true Charlie Brown Christmas fashion.  And especially thanks to everyone for all your prayers for me and missionaries in general around the world as we saw given in the wonderful Christmas broadcast yesterday.  Please know that the prayers do not go unnoticed and that we all are striving to do our best with them, and I am no exception.

And to end with a warning, please know that my snowball threat is ever more real now that there is snow on the ground. I WILL throw snowballs at you if I see you, whether or not you are aware I'm there.  Don't take it personally, but I just can't peg any old person.  Equally however, I will feel slightly offended if you say hi to me and don't throw snowballs at me.  This is a fair exchange here people.  But in the mean time, as was so well repeated at the Christmas Devotional, Here's to Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men!

Happy and warm,
Elder Martin

Week 5: Thanksgiving Was Amazing. Enough Said.

Hello y'all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Mine certainly was!  Let's start from the beginning...
Because of Thanksgiving break sweeping over a college town, this week turned out to be less busy than usual, as many people went home for the holiday. That being said, there was still a lot of fun that got accomplished. After my email on p-day we again played more Star Wars Episode 1 Monopoly, and then that night pegged quite a few birds with one stone by watching the Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration video in Spanish with three investigators, Oscar Corredor (a recent convert now) and his fiance, a member. I highly recommended everyone watch it, whether in English or Spanish.  I've seen both and both are fantastic.

The next day I got to go on exchanges with Elder Hatch from Arizona, one of my Zone leaders. He is a rock star missionary, actually first came out to Pleasant Grove and lived behind Grandpa Wadley's farm during the summer of 2012, and thus has been out 18 months or so. This was great for me, since he had a lot of experience not only as a missionary, but also as a Utah Provo missionary. I was able to learn a lot from talking with him about everything on how to better improve myself as a missionary, though granted with some differences since I'm Spanish speaking.  Elder Hatch was also a state champion wrestler, and I had a good time asking questions and learning about the sport, which is both quite interesting and as Elder hatch will always mention, draws so many gospel parallels. For example, in wrestling, finding yourself on your knees is the most dangerous position to put yourself in, as it makes you unstable and vulnerable to be thrown down or pinned.  Curious then, is it not, that we kneel when we pray, submitting ourselves humbly and vulnerably to The Lord?

Thanksgiving itself was kicked off with the Turkey Bowl, which was played on a BYU artificial turf field. Due to the sheer numbers of players, I didn't get much contact with the ball, but it was highly enjoyable and fun, and the weather could not have been more perfect, sunny, cool, and with the mountains looking as thankful as ever. We hung out with the UVU Asian Elders until dinner, when we went over to Bishop Bennett's home. They were swell hosts, and the family there was wonderful, many Spanish speaking too. The food was so good and I ate my fill with plenty leftover. Upon arriving home, I sat down and, in the company of my pilgrim hymns and dirges, hammered out a list of things I'm grateful for, found at the end here. It was a good way to end a thanksgiving, and a sore, full, grateful Elder Martin slept quite well that night.

The rest of the days featured sparse lessons and ample personal study, which I found as quite an acceptable adaptation to the times. Reading El Libro de Mormon once again continues to help my Spanish tangibly, down to the very word (orgullo, or pride, was used multiple times in a lesson with Diana Gabriella, and I had learned it only that morning from my reading. She's progressing well too, has many wonderful and specific questions that keep me studying!). We topped the week off with another lesson with Angel, to be baptized this coming week.  In order to have him ready, we had to teach the law of chastity, word of wisdom, and tithing all in one night. To our delight, he was basically already living most of them, had no problems with any, but still had insightful questions that showed he cared. The Lord has truly prepared him, and I am so excited to see how these next few weeks go for him. It is a pleasure and honor to serve in this area, and I am excited to continue to improve so I am able to help others come unto The Lord!

But yes, other than that, the week was rather chill!  So, in lieu of stories from investigators, a little something more about the Provo City Center Temple. The first thing I found to my liking regarding it was an Elder Holland quote I believe from the dedication that reads, "It is inspired to build a temple out of the ashes of the Tabernacle." Such depth in that statement, I don't know where to begin. The second is something I also found regarding the original structure of the tabernacle, which is still applicable to the remaining outer portion today: "...President Young had advised that it be designed with a view to preserving for the youth of Zion a sample of the kind of edifice in which many of their fathers and mothers, as members of the Presbyterian Church, had worshiped before they heard the gospel."

These both coupled with some passages from the article I quoted earlier: "Both were already useful structures, dedicated to serving the Savior. But an extensive renovation process was necessary in order to create something that filled an even higher purpose.

“The first use was very good and very attractive, but the new use will be even more attractive and more important and more divine,” Elder Walker said. Similarly, “When we’re restored or converted, we’ll be the best that we ever were and a little bit better.”  Each individual’s conversion begins at a different starting point. As with the Provo Tabernacle, an individual’s conversion process can involve difficult, painful events.

“No one wanted the fire, but sometimes those crises can cause us to refocus on what our real value is,” said Dean Davies, formerly managing director of the Church’s Special Projects Department and recently called as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. “Sometimes we have to go through a shock in our lives to reawaken us to what our real potential can be.”

I'll leave y'all to ponder these messages yourself, and keep my own interpretations to myself so as not to redirect your own, but man, "treasuring up the words of life continually" sure does lead to some interesting thoughts!

Now it's time to unpack the Christmas spirit!

With a grateful heart,
Elder Martin



My Thankful List for this year:

The feel of grass, Texas grass or Utah
Music, the specifics of which would require a separate list
Friends and family, who are would require a separate list to name each and every one
Laughter and jokes
Laying down when you're tired
Being full of good food
Ramen
Snow (pending)
Snowball fights (already decided)
The gospel
Prayer
The numerous teachings and scriptures we have, and access to them
Continuing revelations
The light of knowledge
Paper and pen, "which have enlarged the memory of this people"
Tul Pens
My investigators and people I'm teaching, who would also require a separate list
Stories and experiences
The mountains
Memories
Seasons
The temple
Covenants with The Lord
Progression and improvement
Trials and afflictions
My trainer, Elder Rivera
My time at the CCM and the people there
My time in the field so far, and my friends there
The chance of enduring the cold
Different peoples and cultures, which would require a separate list to specific each and why
My native people and culture
Language and the gift of tongues
Art and other mediums of expression
The atonement and my savior, Jesus Christ
My country, the United States of America
My home, Texas, and especially Katy
History, and all we can learn from it and compare by it
Holidays, all of them (the specifics would require a separate list)
Getting warm after running around in the cold
The rain
Clouds
Patches of clovers in the grass
Names for different specific things, like certain actions or feelings
Proper nouns, and names for mountains and people and lakes and rivers and areas etc.
God's love and plan for us
The simplicity of the gospel's core, and the infinite glory and embellishment surrounding
My ancestry
The trees, in all their kinds
Deep blue, particularly the hue Ultramarine (look it up)
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars
Pokemon
Avatar the last Air Bender
Legos
Jurassic park and dinosaurs
Wit and wisdom
Dúnith: The Black Mazda 3 hatchback I drove at home
Being a missionary In Provo Utah, the greatest mission on earth, having been called there by an Apostle of God, and being directed, trained and surrounded within Provo by fellow servants of God
Feeling the Spirit
That I still have 22 months of my mission left!