Week 5---December 29, 2016---NAVIDAD, LOCK YOUR HEART, LAUGHS AND SCARES, DREAM CATCHERS ARE A MARKETING MYTH

         Picture 3. Upward angle photo of the companionship that runs the CCM.  

Navidad

Here in the CCM we celebrated Christmas with songs. Mucho songs. Like almost the entire day was filled with meetings, and like almost all those meetings were filled with song-singing. All in all, probably around 25-30 different times where sang. I thought I loved Christmas songs, but man, I think I need a break haha. 

The day before, we had a white elephant gift exchange for our district. I brought one of my smelly shoes as a joke, but the best joke was Elder Simmons brought a 5 foot toilet plunger wrapped up in bed sheets. The Hermanas were less than impressed haha. 

 

The best part about Christmas was calling back home for a half hour. As missionaries, we are limited to weekly emails and four phone calls with our family during the next two years. Thus, getting the opportunity to speak with my family was awesome. Family is one of the greatest blessings in my life. 

Lock your Heart

Another rule as missionaries is to not associate with members of the opposite sex in a flirtatious manner. I guess some kids haven't read the rule book yet, because the girls in our district have had all kinds of flirting coming there way. The guys in our district had had enough of the Hermanas (that's the official title for the girls serving missions) being harassed. We have proceeded to get big brother on any Elder (the official title for guys serving missions) that has worked up the courage to break the rules and flirt with one of the Hermanas. Needless to say, the incidents of Elders trying to get at the Hermanas has decreased dramatically since our operation kicked off. 

Laughs and Scares

We always have some good laughs here in the CCM. My district loves to joke and laugh. The only downfall is our teachers don't have the same feelings. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges is learning to laugh at the right time. Its definitely a work in progress. 

Also some Elders in our district love to scare people. When we get home at night, Elder Simmons and I are always paranoid and scared to death, because we know that the Elders are hiding somewhere in the dark casa just waiting to scare us. 

Dream Catchers are a Marketing Myth

One of the devotionals we attended, the speaker talked about how people treat life like they have a dream catcher. That if they can dream something, than the dream catcher will take care of bringing that dream into reality for them. He said "Thats a lie." "Dreams come true not by dream catchers, but by hard work." That rang true for me. Often we get caught thinking that dreaming big is enough. Its a first step, but calculated, hard work is part of every next step after that. 

Picture 1. The Classroom we spend all day in. 

Picture 2. Elder Simmons, Elder Grimshaw, Elder Pizzi, and myself in front of our casa. 

WEEK 4---December 22, 2016---SHOE SHINE PARTIES, COUNTING, GIMNASIO TIEMPO (GYM TIME), NAVIDAD

Shoe Shine Parties

This week we started having shoe shine parties in our foyer. We have about an hour of personal time from the time we get home from class till we are supposed to sleep. This hour is often the hour packed with the most activities. The shoe shine parties being one of these activities. Its a good time to gather round with the district Elders and talk doctrine, shoot the breeze, or just tell some good jokes. 

Counting

Elder Simmons and I were in charge of preparing the sacrament for the branch. We were told not to waste sacrament cups, so we had to count the amount of people in the branch and add a couple extra just in case. We counted and were fairly confident we had gotten more than enough. As the water was being passed around, we realized near the end that we were one cup off. This meant that there had to be another preparation, blessing, and passing for that one cup. Elder Simmons and I were pretty embarrassed but also in disbelief that we could have been so close yet so far.

GIMNASIO TIEMPO (GYM TIME)

We are allotted about an hour for our lunches and dinners each day. Elder Simmons and I did some math. We eat in about 30 minutes and talk for 10. We basically have 20 minutes of wasted time. That is, we USED to have 20 minutes of wasted time. We decided to get to the gym and get in a quick workout. We keep it minimal, since we are wearing full missionary attire (shirt and tie). The only thing is, a lot of the other missionaries passing by either mock or scorn us for doing what we do. We are pretty convinced that is a good way to pass 20 minutes, work off some tacos, and get the blood flowing for class, so the verdict is still a go on working out. 

Navidad

Merry Christmas and remember that is better to give than to receive (even though getting gifts is pretty sweet). I challenge everyone to think about a little gift they can give someone in their life and to give it to them. Also read the stories of Christ and think of the blessing that Christ is to our lives. 

Love,

Elder Sweat

WEEK 3---December 14, 2016---CLASS, IMMIGRATION OFFICE, DEVOTIONALS

CLASS

This week was mostly classes. The hardest part of Spanish right now is learning all the grammar.  

IMMIGRATION OFFICE

We had to go to the immigration office to get certified to live here in Mexico for two years. We just mobbed the office with over 50 elders. I felt bad for anyone else that had decided to go to the office the same time as us, because it took almost half a day to get us all taken care of.

DEVOTIONALS

We have seen 3 devotionals this week. Two of them were reruns, but still relevant as ever. The third devotional we saw was given from Elder Holland. He spoke about the inspiration and help we get from reading the Book of Mormon everyday. The main message distilled from all three talks was to strive to become better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Take care this week!

Elder Sweat

*If you would like to write to Dante, his email address is:

dante.sweat@myldsmail.net

WEEK 2---December 9, 2016---TEMPLE TRIP, CLASS, FOOD, GIMNASIO, LAUGHS, PURPOSE

TEMPLE TRIP
After emailing last Thursday, our district got to go to the temple in Mexico City. It was a good experience. 

Elder Simmons and me

CLASS

Class in the morning, class in the afternoon, class in the evening. Mucho Español. However, I have been noticing that as I learn a word, it just sticks. We believe that as we have faith and work diligently, the Lord will bless our efforts beyond our own capabilities. This makes learning a lot easier.

FOOD

Definitely one of the best things about here is meal time. We get to relax, decompress, and get to know each other better. One of the missionaries in our district is a really entertaining story teller and ends up always getting a laugh out of the district at meals. 

GIMNASIO

Gym time is another plus. We get to work out and play sports. Always a good time.

LAUGHS

The district I'm in likes to jest. My companion is a bit of a kidder. I, myself, enjoy a laugh once in a while, too. District laughs abound. Sometimes people think we are immature, but all I hear is envy.

                          Working to get a new outfit approved for the missionaries worldwide.

PURPOSE

The thought of so many kids serving missions still is pretty impressive to me. What makes so many people motivated to give up 2 years, spend hard-earned money, and leave behind their lives to speak solely of one message? There are indeed sacrifices that have been made. I think there are many reasons, but when the reason becomes to love and serve others, then all of the sacrifice becomes minuscule to the magnitude of the work. 

I truly believe there are people in the world that will want to hear the message we share. The message that each individual that lives, has ever lived, or will live is of the utmost importance and worth. We are of such great worth, that Jesus Christ paid the price that justice demands of all, leaving us to have joy. Joy because we can be forgiven of our wrongs, comforted in our pain, and blessed for our desires to become and do better. The message that death is not the end, but a pathway to another, more glorious existence that can be shared with our families. I do not claim to have all knowledge of the world and its workings, but I do know that every one of us is important and worthwhile. Our worth is not because of what we do or say, but is in fact in spite of what we do and say. Our worth comes from our innate identity. We must rise above the belief that ourselves or others are lesser in any degree. We must remember our common worth and our common potential. 

Go get-em this week,

Love you guys,

Elder Sweat

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Week 1---December 1, 2016---Arriving and Getting Settled, El CCM, Daily Schedule

 December 1, 2016

​​Picture 1: District 6-B at the CCM. Elder Simmons is on my left.​

Family and Friends,

Arriving and Getting Settled

The plane ride over to Mexico City was a close call. There was a lot of airstrip traffic coming into LAX, delaying us almost an hour. This would have been no problem for me usually, but my layover in LAX was only about one and a half hours, therefore giving less than 30 minutes to get to the other side of the airport and check through security. I literally made it within 5 minutes of them taking off. 

The roads are about the width of a regular highway, but they have no lines, and the craziest drivers I have ever seen. There are no driving laws here it seems. Everybody just drives at their own pace and risk. 

Picture 2: District 6-B.​

El CCM

The CCM is a Language Training Center for missionaries. It is located in the Northwestern part of Mexico City.The only language being taught here is Spanish, which makes it easier to be immersed. 

Here at the CCM we are paired up with another missionary, or a companion. My companions (the keyboard has no visible apostrophes, so bear with me) name is Elder Simmons. He is from Burley, Idaho. He is a champ. He is a super good basketball player and a really cool guy. 

Also at the CCM, missionary companionships are grouped into what is called a district. My district has 12 people. We get along well, and I feel blessed to have a district that is happy and relaxed.

Daily Schedule

The daily schedule looks a little like:

6:30 Wake Up

7:00 Breakfast

7:30-12:00 Study (with the district)

12:00 Lunch

1:00-5:30 Study (with the district)

5:30 Dinner

6:30-9:30 Study (with the district)

9:30 Personal Time

10:30 Bed Time

 As you can see, mucho study. Luckily, I think my time spent in school has helped me build an endurance for this type of work. For study we go to a lot of language classes and have a little bit of time for religion study. The meal times are what keep the day broken up, so we love the meals a lot. The amount of study greatly improves language learning, though, which is what I need. I am surprised by the amount of words and grammar I have already learned.​

Thanks for all you love and support. Until next week.

Love,

Elder Sweat