December 2015

¡Hola Familia!

Well, first, it was great to see everyone this past week. It seems very much like everybody is more or less the same, or hopefully improving every day! That´s good. 

This past week has been great! We found a wonderful, whole family who is excited to learn more about the gospel. They came to church and we are having a FHE with them today. There are a lot of people we tried to find, a lot of walking, a lot of people weren´t home, but it was nice to feel the Spirit of the season and embrace the Savior in our lives even more. I hope that we can continue with these feelings always, so that we may utilize the Atonement that will cause a change in each of  us. 

There isn´t too much to say then. I love you all! Keep on kicking! Happy New Year! I will send pictures someday! 

Con amor, Elder Martin

ELDERS MARTIN AND MORALES

Hola, familia! 

First, don´t be alarmed, all is well, but I wasn´t able to email yesterday due to technical difficulties on the myldsmail page. Nobody was able to write. 

But it has been another great week! We had our ward christmas activity and a junk ton of investigators and other non members came. Lots of people that we are teaching have gone out of town and stuff, so it has been a little out of pace this week, but still with a lot to do. 

Ok, so I will be contacting you guys on skype on Friday! Super excited! I will be phoning in at 6 o'clock YOUR TIME (7'oclock here), and anybody who would like to be there is more than welcome. Obviously, the gparents have other grandkids out, so I totally understand. 

ugh, well, I had a nice thought planned out about the meaning of Christmas, but there really isn´t time. However, I want you all to recognize the importance of our Savior Jesucristo in our lives. He is the center of the plan for our salvation. Even though he was born to this world in a humble stable because there wasn´t room in any of the inns, He later went on to conquer both spiritual and physical death so that we might live lives full of hope and peace. May we all make room for Him in our lives and accept His atoning sacrifice so that we can change ourselves and conquer our everyday challenges. I know and testify that He lives and loves every one of us. I have both seen and experienced the power of the Atonement in my life. When we focus on this, we can have Christmas in its truest sense every day! That is what the mission has been like -- like Christmas every day (but away from my family and with a serious lack of pumpkin pie). But it´s seriously true. I am so grateful for this opportunity! 

Nos vemos el viernes. ¡Les amo!

-Elder Martin

Hola familia! 

Ok so I don´t have very much time, but I am doing well and it has been another beautiful week in the mission. We had the opportunity to attend the dedication of the BEAUTIFUL new temple in  Tijuana, México. It was great! Among other General Authorities, Presidents Eyring and Uchtorf and Elder Oaks came. It was great to be nourished by our leaders´ words, and it is a testament that the Gospel is restored anew in its FULNESS on the earth, and you canfeel and know it. The church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the only true church on the face of the planet. And it is a blessing to be serving in the work of the Lord in this Christmas season, and I am so happy to be here! Don´t worry, I´ll still miss you all, but more than anything else, I am excited. There are lots of exciting things about Christmas, but the best part is the opportunity to reflect on the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I invite everyone to really do it throughout these next few weeks! 

Well, It´s not actually that warm here like everyone is thinking back home. But It´s definitely not windy-angry-snowy-getinyourcarasfastasyoucan type weather like Idaho. 

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

¡Hola Familia! 

Ok so I don´t have much time to write today because we´re hosting new missionaries today. I found out that there are 2 more Idahoan Elders so that´s exciting! But one of them is from Pocatello... poor kid. haha no I´m kidding, but anyway another 6 weeks have passed here. Another cycle is over and for the first time in a while, my companion nor I have transfers! That´s really exciting too! But every other companionship in our zone has transfers, and so it will be sad to see them all go. But that´s life for ya - full of changes and new experiences.

This week was full of challenges with respect to the work, but we´re getting there. We are always blessed with little miracles every day still. And I stand all amazed at the food people offer me. Just amazing. 

I am so excited for this Christmas season, and for the opportunity to share the message of His life with all. And I hope you are all doing the same, and spreading a little Christmas cheer while you´re at it! You all have to check out christmas.mormon.org and share the video that the church has published that helps us to understand the importance and significance of Christ´s birth in a simple yet powerful way. 

Con amor,

Elder Martin

#asaviorisborn

SKYPE WITH KADE ON CHRISTMAS 2015

Fall in Tecnologico Pachuca

Time passes quickly, and Elder Martin is loving his assignment in the Tecnologico area of Pachuca! He has been there since August and is presently serving as a zone leader. Their apartment has an extra room to host new missionaries and they are fairly close to the mission home. He really loves his ward family and those he serves with. Here are some photos and letters from November going backwards to September. His letters make us smile.

                                Baptism of JUAN PIO and son ALAN

¡Hola familia! ¡Hola familia!

I am glad to hear that Thanksgiving went well for everyone. Is there a lot of snow yet? I miss the snow, and everyone thinks I´m crazy because I am prefer colder weather.

I am doing very well as usual here, and I can really say that time is flying. I´ll be home in like 9 months!. I´ve been teaching and serving, and lately we´ve had to leave behind a few of our investigators who can´t commit to getting married (even after being together for like 20 years), but it´s ok because the family that got baptized a couple of weeks ago, is thriving. I think their next step will be getting sealed and then called as general authorities. They´re golden!

What else? Oh, we sort of had Thanksgiving this year! We coordinated with a family in the ward and a few missionaries, and it was pretty fun. Not the same, but fun. 

This week we have another zone training meeting to coordinate. And lots of work! haha. 

Well, that´s about it for the moment! Have a great week everyone! We´re already in December! ay que caramba.

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

¡Hola, familia mía!

I will just get down to it. Yesterday we were able to finally have a baptism for Juan pio and his son, Alan. It was so great and they are so happy. It has been an incredible journey finding and teaching them, and it`s really satisfying to know that the Lord oversees this work. They are ready to endure to the end, and it reminds me that we are all protected as long as we are loyal and faithful to the covenants we make with our Heavenly Father. I am happy every day for the opportunity to be serving as a missionary, and I know that I am being blessed. 

Things are going pretty well here, we just had a zonewide conference (almost all of the missionaries in Pachuca), which is a special meeting that we have every 3 months in the mission. President Egbert and a few others shared their thoughts and taught. My companion and I also had to prepare a presentation and teach for a while, which was really fun. Anyway, It was great to be edified and to learn and I am excited to keep working and finding people.

What else? I bought some new pants today, and I also received a wedding invitacion from sacia and a letter from the YW in ward. Tell them thanks! 

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

PRESENTATION AT ZONE CONFERENCE

"Beautiful Mexico" 

Hola familia!

Ok, sorry I have been sending really brief letters, but the truth is that I don´t think I have a lot of time these days. But you´re all still important and I love you so much! I am so happy to be serving as a representative of Jesus Christ and help advance His work here on Earth. 

So Dia de los muertos has been going on these past few days. Everyone asks me about it and honestly as a missionary you don´t get to celebrate as much as everyone else. Our holiday experience has been walking the desolate streets because everyone has gone to their hometown or to the cemetaries or a fiesta (but the fiestas are always going on here, so that´s usual). We are however, planning on having a baptism this weekend! It was going to be last weekend, but we had to extend it a little. Also, it has been flash flooding a few times, so that´s been fun. We 

I had transfers last week, but THANKFULLY I have the same area. I am with Elder Morales from Veracruz, Mexico, and I am pumped. We are going to have a good cycle, and our zone is killer. I can´t believe that it´s already November. What the heck!  Do me a favor and enjoy all things pumpkin flavored, because it doesn´t exist here. 

Also, I can´t believe Sacia is getting married! That is still so crazy. And parker on his first date!? And killing it in swimmin!? I am impressed. Life is flying by. 

Well, I love you all! Try a little harder to be a little better this week! And remember that Christ didn´t shed his blood for nothing! So repent! That is simply how we become a more happy and perfected people. 

Con mucho amor, 

THE Elder Martin

¡Hola, mi familia!

Well, I don´t have a lot of time to write this week (again) due to all of the business and things-to-do. But, just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and thriving.

We were able to haul 12 investigators to church this week, and we did it all in one minivan. Don´t ask me how, but I will say that an entire family fit in the trunk.We were definitely cruising Mexican-style. It has been difficult commiting people to be baptized, but we are working hard and trying to help people overcome all of their problems. Marriage, addiction, etc.We are not counselors, but the Gospel contains the answers to everything. 

Things are going pretty well in general. The weather has started dropping at night. It has been great getting to be able to help all of the awesome missionaries in our zone, and I can really see how missions change lives. I hope that I have been able to change too, and I continue to try every day. It´s not easy, but it also means that I don´t have to live with all of the things that I don´t like about myself, so it´s kind of nice.  

Have a great week everyone! Develop your talents, feel the love of our Savior, and behave yourselves. 

Con amor, 

Elder Martin

October Zone Conference!   He was too busy to write the details of the day but it sure looks fun!

                                                         Elders Martin and Gomez

HOLA HOLA HOLA

I hope everyone is doing well back at home. Sounds like things are moving into the fall season, which is good. The weather here is pretty nice, even though it has extreme rain and sun, it is low 70s and high 60s always. However, I will miss this time of year back home. 

Well, my first and only Mexican Independance day was pretty calm, actually. We live in a gated community and pretty much everyone left it to go downtown or to party. Sadly, I was not able to fulfill my wish of riding a donkey with a sombrero and poncho either. But we will definitely celebrate it at home next year. Remember the Alamo! But Mexico is kind of a wreck as far as the government and their failed revolutions, and I am still partial to my country, so we will just celebrate the food they make here. I think a sister in the ward is going to teach me how to make tamales, so that will be a nice way to finance my studies when I get home. ¡JAJAJA!

Ok, so this week we were able to find a lot of people who have been prepared to receive the gospel. I know that we are going to have baptisms this month, and trying to work hard to get our investigators to that point. Please play for the Alvarado family specifically. I mentioned them a couple of weeks ago, but they still haven´t gone to the doctor or gotten all of their paperwork ready to get married. They are also hesitant. Frustrating, but I am trying to have patience. But like I said, there is lots of potential in my area right now. My new companion is Elder Gomez, another Peruvian, who is a hard worker in many aspects. If I am honest, I hate having to adapt to new companions, but it all gets better with time. We are both leaders of our zone, so I have been showing him the ropes on all of our responsibilities, hoping that I learned it all last cycle.

 Anyway, I have been having lots of great experiences this past week. We found one investigator who has asked us to visit him as much as possible, especially at night, because he wants to be able to quit pretty much every substance prohibited by the word of wisdom (especially drinking) and knows that he falls into temptation often when he has nothing to do at night. It is a good reminder to always try to put good things in your path, because if you do, you won´t have too much time for the bad stuff. And we always have a choice, however hard it may be to choose. 

Well, that is about all I have this week. Say Hi to everyone back home and telling them that I am loving the mission!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Martin

Hola Familia! 

Well, one more week has passed by way too fast. But it was a great one! We were able to witness the rededication of the Mexico City Mexico temple. It was an awesome experience. We even got to see the broadcast of the cultural celebration, which touched on the history of the Book of Mormon and what the restored gospel means for families. In the rededicatory session that I attended, Elder Eyring presided, and among seventies, Elder Holland gave a great talk about the importance of Elijah in the restoration of the keys needed for the temple ordinances. Really great. It was great to feel that familiar spirit only found in a temple of God. I really have missed it while out on the mission, not being able to attend often. Moral of the story: go as much as you can and stay worthy to do so! 

But we have transfers! Well I don´t, but my companion does. I hate that because I will have to show my new companion around and get adjusted all over again. And it´s more bitter considering that my current companion and I have gotten along so well. But, I guess that´s that and there´s nothing more to say for the moment.

We are currently hosting two brand new missionaries from St. George and from Mesa Arizona. They´re cool, but I don´t have much time to day, sorry! 

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

 Old CLOCK tower in PACHUCA

 One of ELder Martin's favorite companions, Elder Rubio
(and a favorite dessert!)

One year down! AUGUST 2015

Here are some great letters and pictures from August 2015. Elder Martin is half way through his mission and loving it! Letters are in order from recent to earlier this month. We sure love getting these! If you want to write, his email address is kadem@myldsmail.net.

ELDERS RUBIO AND MARTIN

Elder Martin is now right in Pachuca with Elder Rubio. They have new assignments as ZONE leaders. Below: a recently painted neighborhood in their city and the Pachuca zone with Elder and Sister Egbert

PACHUCA

PACHUCA MEXICO ZONE AUGUST 2015

hola hola hola! 

It sounds like everything is going busy and well at home! That is so exciting! Tell parker and Jackson to kick butt. And you should read the BOM as a family! Do it fearlessly!

Oh my goodness, this last week has been so stressful, but it is over.  On monday, we did a 3 hour zone activity and we had to do it based on Fitness and health. Well, knowing that there would be people who wouldn´t want to participate in our zone, we had to make it really fun (If you look at the blog, you will see a little bit of what we did). We got really creative, but it was worth it because everyone participated and was SO SORE the next few days. It was great! We did divisions with Elders Hernandez and Hazelgren.  Next, we had zone conference this week. We had to plan everything that we were going to say and how we were going to train a big group of missionaries. And coordinate with the sisters, make a presentation, etc. That was scary, but it ended up alright.We had to go to the mission offices today because of the potential packages and letters that may come to our zone. It took forever because they just put in a new transportation system here in Pachuca and... there was only one letter. We just got notified that there´s a companionship of elders going home in our zone, which is so sad to hear :( One of them was district leader, which means we are going to be doing double duty as district leaders and zone leaders. One of them will be with us for a few days this week while the arrangements are made to go home. And we have zone training in two weeks! This is probably a little scattered, but the moral of the story is that missionaries are always busy!

Ok, so really soon we will be having a baptism for the Alvarado family! They are the humblest, shortest, best-intentioned people ever. There are 5 of them - Manuel y Alejandra (los papás), Nicolas 14, Amir 13, and Robin 9 (the sons). The only thing is that they are not married! apart from them we actually have two other cases that are totally ready to get baptized, but can´t get divorced or married, so they still can´t which is dumb but it will all work out in the Lord´s time. But anyway, we are helping them to get married this week. On saturday, they are going to the temple open house in Mexico City with the ward, so we are trying to get it to work out so that they can be baptized before! It would be such a great experience to get to see the temple just after being baptized. I am really jealous we can´t go to the temple, and the one in Mexico is super pretty (there´s pics on lds.org it´s a unique one).

I often think about the oft-repeated quote, "What ere thou art, act well thy part". I invite you all to simply think about that this week. As we are given assignments in this life, it is important that we understand our potential and expectations. We tend to overcomplicate things, but all we have to do is our best. 

Well, have fun everyone. Get married, make a hole-in-one, conquer the world, and above all Remember the Alamo! That´s actually kind of funny because the Mexicans are bitter about Texas. 

Con muchissimo amor,

Elder Martin

TEACHING AT ZONE CONFERENCE

ELDER MARTINS NINJA MOVE AT THE ZONE FITNESS ACTIVITY 

¡Hola familia!                                                                                                        Aug  17

Pues, ha sido una semana loca pero también era otra oportunidad de progresar y aprender nuevas cosas y por eso estoy agradecido. Now, let´s see if Google can translate that!

Before I get into everything, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY first, to my papá Mike, and later to my favorite grandpas in the world, JR and Dave. What can I say. You´re all getting old! Hahaha but you all still look young, don´t worry. Later, Happy Anniversary to my favorite sister, Erika, and her husband Jordan. That´s still weird to think about, but I am SO happy for you guys! Also, this isn´t actually an anniversary, but 1 year from this day (August 17-don´t forget it and leave me alone in the airport), I will be coming home. I technically have until september 3rd until I have a year in the mission, but because of the way transfers are scheduled, I technically only have 1 year left starting today. AND I DONT LIKE IT! Time just passes by way too fast. But it will be nice to be home as well. 

Well, this has been a crazy week. I went on exchanges in Loreto (mom, where Elder Jeppesen started his mission) and it is super crazy there. It´s up on the mountain in the center of Pachuca, and the whole thing is super steep and crazy. Even the roads are super narrow in order to cope with the slope. It was a thigh burner day, but it is super beautiful there. Today, we just had our zone activity that we had to plan which was stressful, but I really enjoyed it and it was really awesome. Sister Egbert gave us a theme that we had to follow this time for some reason, which was physical fitness and health, but we made it super fun and did lots of obstacle courses and stuff. I am sore! And we have a Zone Conference that we have to plan before thursday and it´s stressful and the work simply never ends. But I am really grateful for these opportunities I have to learn. 

Well, we are working with the Alvarado family to become baptized. They are a very humble family with three kids. The parents have never gotten married and are afraid to, but we are trying to help them see that things really won´t change after sealing the deal legally. Anyway, they are really great and it has been cool to see their growth throughout this time that I have been here. 

It´s raining right now which is nice. It gets hot in the days. But not arid, it´s more like Bear Lake hot because really all it is is the sun burning you because it´s strong. we´re way up in altitude. But you gotta count your blessings, because it´s not humid. Wish me luck this week! I hope you all are keepin´ on in life, and living the dream! I love you all! 

"The Lord knows what He wants to accomplish with each one of us." (Rafael E. Pino, April 2015 General conference) May we all trust in His perfect plan and  try to become who we are really  meant to be through his redeeming and perfect Atonement. It means we have to change some things in our lives, but it also means a better future. 

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

Hey all! 

As you know, this week I had transfers. I was really sad to leave all of the people and Teotihuacan in general. I really enjoyed it there, but change happens and there´s nothing to do but embrace it and move on. Now, I am in Pachuca! It is soo awesome. My area is called Tecnologico 1 and I am with Elder Rubio, who is from Mexico. He´s a champ; he was in my first district there in Apan. He was working in the next city over so I got to know him and yeah long story short we´re already good friends! And.... we are zone leaders. Yao. It was unexpected receiving this assignment, but I am slowly getting adjusted to the additional responsibility. Basically, for almost every stake there is a zone of missionaries. In our zone, there are 3 districts and 21 missionaries, and more than half of them are sister missionaries. That will be interesting, because I have never really worked with them before, but we´ll see how it goes. We are in charge of these missionaries and we help them in quite a lot of ways. Our zone is called Pachuca Mexico by the way. So to wrap that all up, I am excited, surprised, nervous, and stoked to be here! 

Oh, and I had to laugh when you guessed "inner city". Actually, Pachuca is really beautiful. It´s not too ghetto and it´s nestled at the foot of some stellar mountains.

Jackie is home! That is so exciting. And Evan, too! Tell them I say hola. 

Life is busy and I have got to go! But I love you all very much and hope you have a superb week.

-Elder Martin

Hola!

Pues primero, I dont really have time. I have transfers tomorrow! I am really upset because I love the people and this area SO MUCH. We even have a baptism coming up this weekend for an awesome investigator, but alas. The Lord´s will and not mine. Changes in life kind of stink sometimes, but they are admitedly necessary.

This week we cast out a bad spirit! That was interesting. I also got to see the baptism of Maria de Jesus. She´s a champ, and really excited to be a member. 

WEll, more to come next week! I love you all very much and I will keep you updated.

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Martin

PHOTO BOMB!