Week 24 (Kobe's Week)---May 11, 2017---ALL YOU NEED IS MEXICAN FOOD, ELDER JONES SE FUE, IMAGINE

May 11, 2017

ALL YOU NEED IS MEXICAN FOOD

I had been cheating on my diet the past few weeks and just eating a lot of unhealthy food. A lot of Americanized food. I think this pattern started to take a toll on my health, and I began to get sicker and sicker. For a couple of days I was just drinking water and eating saltines. But a few nights later, a lady offered us some homemade Mexican food. I wasn't supposed to eat it. I wasn't supposed to, but how can you resist a homemade Mexican meal of tostadas, carne, frijoles, and tres leche cake? So, I ate it. Not only was it delicious, but immediately after, my sickness had left. The Mexican food healed this quarter-Mexican-body. Needless to say, I believe more in Mexican food than American food at this point.

ELDER JONES SE FUE (he went)
My companion Elder Jones has now left the area. He has been sent to another area within the state of Mexico, and so my new companion is Elder Ellsworth. He hails from Bakersfield, California (which is pretty hardcore if you know anything about Bakersfield). Elder Ellsworth is a great guy and we are pumped to continue the work here in Polanco and Lomas de Chapultepec. 

IMAGINE

At times I think to myself "What would my life be if all I had disappeared? Who would I be? What would I do?"  This question may seem purely hypothetical, but in reality, we will pass through times in which we will lose things that we hold dear. Money, possessions, friends, family, health.  If we do not face up to this reality now, we will meet these trials unprepared. But if we have the courage and honesty to answer this question now, we will have the capacity to meet these trials. 

What do we focus on? What do we spend our time doing? What do we desire? If we focus on the Savior and desire nothing more than to draw closer to Him by serving God and our fellowman, then we will be prepared. We will not face these moments empty-handed and alone. We will face them with a knowledge that God stands with us. He will see us through. Money will fail us, possessions will fail us, friends and family may fail us, and our health will surely fail us, but God will not. He is faithful. He is sure. Trust in Him the Rock of Salvation. Que bonito (how nice). 

Week 23---May 1, 2017---DRAW CLOSER TO GOD, GOD IS BEAUTIFUL, READ THE WORD OF GOD

Week 23

May 1, 2017

DRAW CLOSER TO GOD
We have been meeting with a family this past month. They are such a great family. They are so humble and desire, more than anything else, to draw closer to God. As we talk with them, we feel uplifted and humbled. 

GOD IS BEAUTIFUL
God is beautiful. All are His children. All are welcome. All are invited. All can change. All can feel of His immense love. I have felt of His love and His presence. He watches over us and is always there. 

READ THE WORD OF GOD
Get on your knees and offer a prayer, serve someone, read the word of God. Don't fight the feelings that soften your heart. Open your heart and let it be filled with the love that is already surrounding you. 

Week 22---April 26, 2017---A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

April 26, 2017

A PICURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

1. Taco stand next to the immigration office.

2. Saw a super artsy setting so I asked my companion to take a picture.

3. Next album cover (November 2019).

4. Elder Jones' birthday Oreo milkshake that we made in our house that didn't have lights for a week because we didn't know that there was a breaker switch in the garage. 

5.  Sweet tamale. With raisins on the inside, too. 

6. Meat de tacos al pastor ready to by put on the grill by a ninja cook that is in the background.

"Picture 6 never made it,"  Dante.

WEEK 21---APRIL 20, 2017----CIUDAD DE MEXICO, RAINY, COCHINITA, FUEGO

​​April 20, 2017

Ciudad de Mexico

Rainy

This week has been a little bit more rainy than usual. And it also only happens to start raining when we get outside. We tell people that you can tell when we are out and about because it starts to rain.

At the bottom of one the hills, there is a bridge that leads to one of the pueblos. This bridge has a lot of traffic and has really narrow sidewalks. So when it rains, all the water drains to this bridge, and there is only one small drain to drain it. 

One rainy day we had to walk across. The water was up to the curb of the sidewalk. The first half of the bridge we were feeling good because no cars had come across yet. We then realized that if we made it across before a car came, we would not get soaked. As soon as we both thought this, we just started sprinting across this bridge. A lady across the street realized the same thing at the same time and started sprinting too. We were all sprinting for our lives and then we saw some headlights flash in the distance. This only made us run harder. Alas, the car beat us. It drove straight through this water as fast as possible and completely soaked us and this lady across the street. I was a little upset about the disrespect. However, like five minutes later, I thought it was the most hilarious thing.

Cochinita

We have a found a little taco stand that sells cochinita tacos and now we are sold. We love it. It is a type of meat made in the Yucutan. 

Fuego

We found a piano that can record, so now I am a happy guy. We spent a lot of our rest day playing and recording.

Week 20---April 11, 2017---BLESSING, WHAT HAPPENED, THOUGHTS

Blessing

A lady that is a member of the church here in our area is off to get surgery for eyes. She asked us to come over and give her a blessing beforehand to help her with the operation and the healing. I felt humbled to see her faith in the power of God. I realized that I can always put more faith in God and His power to bless my life. We can always increase in faith.

What happened

Other than that...this week was one of those weeks where I literally cannot think of anything else that happened. I need to improve my attention to what goes on in my life obviously, because how can a week pass me by and I cannot remember what I was doing during that week? Downright embarrassing. Don't do the week like I did last week. 

Thoughts

One idea that has been in my mind lately has been the power of thoughts. A space can only be occupied by one object at time (I think that is how it goes). And thus it is with our minds. Our mind can only be occupied by one thought at a time. Therefore, we can use this to our advantage if we fill our minds with positive thoughts. This is easier said than done, but I think it may be one of the noblest quests we can pursue. Pay attention to how your mind shapes your day and your life. It cannot be overstated. As we try more and more to fill our minds with positivity, it becomes a habit. That is the goal. Habitually thinking good thoughts. What more could you want?

Week 19---April 4, 2017---COMIDA RETURNS, NOPALES NO PROBLEM, PRINCE OF PEACE, ELDER JONES AND ME, MISSION FATHER AND SON REUNION

Comida Returns

This week I got pleasantly surprised by one of the best meals of my life. A family invited us over for lunch on Saturday, and as we descended the stairs into their front patio, we saw the husband of the family stoking up the grill. At that moment, I knew my life would change. He agreed to show us how to grill the Norteño way (because apparently in the north of Mexico they make better meat). He made us steak after steak (the meat was called arrachera) and chorizo (which is the true fifth love of my life (obviously after God, family, freedom, and liberty (necessary to state twice))). 

It was a really good meal of tacos accompanied by Manzinita soda and Coca Cola. It was a great meal. 

Nopales No Problem

We are still on that health wave craze so we decided to take the craze to crazy and by some cactus (nopales). Since then, we've eaten cactus every night, and Elder Jones put it into his smoothie. Ha it was crazy.

Prince of Peace

Easter is up and coming, and so a new video has been produced to explain the peace that Jesus Christ brings to the world. This video struck a chord with me. I am convinced that the greatest source of peace in this life is Jesus Christ. The peace Christ offers is often criticized because of its simplicity. But, because something is simple, that does not mean that it is untrue or foolish. The peace of Christ is simple but is real. The peace is a personal peace that only comes as we learn more about Him and strive to draw closer to Him.

Video that will change your life and that has a surprisingly good soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly9xk59Qkfc

Elder Jones and me

Mission Father and Son Reunion
Thought I would share this picture of our boys that Elder Edwards sent with this caption: "So Elder Sweat (my child of the mission) was called to be the new finance secretary here in the offices. Father and son reunited in the offices haha. We found a bronze eagle and American flag in the offices and took the photo because...'Merica"  from Julie Austin Edwards Facebook Page

Week 18---March 29, 2017---BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT COSTCO KEEPS THE COSTS LOW, NEW MISSIONARIES, CHARACTER

Because We All Know That Costco Keeps The Costs Low

Before I get any further into the email, I must give credit where credit is due, and that line was definitely from a certified lyricist off of a Supahot youtube video. Moving right along. We have a Costco in our area. I am  grateful to announce that they still have deals like no one else, most importantly, they sell their Costco dogs with a drink for about $35 (mas a menos $1.50). The game changer that Costco Mexico version brings to the table is its condiment spread: ketchup, mustard, mayo and jalapeños.

New Missionaries

Every 6 weeks, new missionaries arrive to the mission field ready to get some missionary work done. This 6th week was no different. This week we met 13 new missionaries that will be serving in our mission.

Character

I´ve thought a lot about the difference between reputation and character. I read a John Wooden quote that was shared within a talk given by Elder L. Tom Perry. The quote says, 

"Your character is what you really are. Your reputation is only what others think you are." 

The real success in life is not to achieve a good reputation but to achieve a good character. Character is so much deeper, more lasting, and more worthwhile than a person's reputation. Another interesting thing is that character can only be made and destroyed by one person: yourself.