Caxhuacan - Alma 13:23

Hello everyone. Espero que todos se encuentren bien. I´m tempted to just write in Spanish. I feel like sometimes it would just be easier. Anyways, we had a good crazy week, full of adventure and excitement! No but really, we went to a really far away town on Tuesday. It was quite the experience.

So on Tuesday we got up early and went to go search for a reference that we received through a the missionary web site. So when we got to the bus stop we got into a combi that went to a town called Zapotitlán, to get there we had to cross the mountains through winding roads and cliffs. Two and a half hours later we got there and then took a different combi to a town called Ixtepec. It also went on an even more treacherous road with some really good views. After an hour in that combi we came to the last town that the combi went to. So we got off the combi and it was pretty hot and humid. All of the people had traditional clothing on, all of the women were wearing a white skirt with a red band around their waist with two pig tails. The men all were wearing white pants and white shirts and had Jesus sandals on with white hats. There were a fair amount of younger people that did have some regular clothes on like jeans and t-shirts. So we went to go talk to the people to ask them how to get to Caxhuacan, and we went with one group. Out of the 5 ladies only one spoke Spanish so we asked here how to get there. It was pretty funny, we would ask a question or say something then they would talk among themselves in Totonaco (their native language).

So we figured out that to get there we would have to take a truck that passed by every 30 minutes we we got in the back where there were some benches welded in and rode another 25 minutes into the town. The town itself isn't actually too tiny, and it was really surreal. It was a different climate with different plants because we were on the border of Vera Cruz. It was interesting to talk to all the people. It was a pretty sweet experience. We did not however run into the reference that we were looking for. We got to the house, but the person was working and wasn't going to get home until 4, and we had to leave at 3 to catch the last combi back to Zacatlán, but we left her a Book of Mormon with her son :). So after that, we went home the way we came. We also saw a funeral in Ixtepec as we were waiting for the combi. Everyone was dressed in the traditional clothes. Also we saw a big street market in one of the towns on the way. It is super beautiful in the sierra.

Nearing the end of the rainy season??

Yup. Wednesday we had some lessons, talked to Edwardo what he would have to do to get married. Thursday we had a few other lessons and I taught mission prep in the branch. Friday we had to go to Tlaxcala for a mission conference. The president talked a lot about obedience and changing the culture of the mission. I think we had the conference because some things happened with some Elders in Puebla. Who knows, we´re pretty out of the loop out here. That night we stayed in Puebla with the Secretaries so we didn't have to travel to far for a meeting of the trainers the next day. We were 7 Elders in one house. It was pretty crazy and I understand why there is only one companionship per house generally. However it was really fun to be with the secretaries and with Elder Breceda. Later in the day we came back to Zacatlán and helped the other two Elders out with their baptism. It was a very spiritual experience, except that when the convert came out the water, he said, "I feel like a cat." haha.

Sunday was disappointing. We didn't have any investigators again. We even went to the house of one and woke him up. He told us he would be ready in 10 minutes, but after the 10 we went to check and his cousin told us he had left. It was pretty frustrating. Oh well, we can't take away their agency I guess, even though it would be easier. And I would be Satan in that situation. Have a good week!

-Elder Hartvigsen 

Alma 13:23 And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard.

Branch Changes

Hello everyone. I hope that you are all well and enjoying your fall. It still gets hot here during the day but in the mornings it gets pretty cold. I`m expecting the temperature to drop pretty soon. We've had a good week. We've been finding a few new investigators (some that live pretty far away) and have been teaching them.

Mowing the lawn??

 On Tuesday we had a day of walking around looking for people until the evening. That night we had a good lesson with one of our investigators, Asael. He`s a 17 year old guy who is the cousin of some members. It`s a little funny because the other Elders are teaching his mom. He lives with his cousins on our side and his mom lives on the other side. Wednesday we had district meeting (in our house :D) and had exchenches with the other Elders. I was with Elder Hammer in our area. We had a good day, a member took us with a few references and we taught some investigators. We also tried unsuccessfully to fix the churches electric piano. It was a good day, and it`s always interesting to be with another American working all day. 

Better days for the church electric piano

Thursday we had another day of searching and had weekly planning in the morning. In the night we went with a member to a part of our area called Ayeualulco (something like that) and got lost looking for a reference. I just love when the people who we talk with just blatantly lie to us. We were looking for the contact that we had talked with and we knocked a door and asked if they lived there and were home. The guy said just a minute and went to look for them. When he came back out he told us that they didn't live there. Yup. It was pretty funny.

Friday we went to another part that is pretty far away in our area called Tlatempa. There we contacted a reference (yay!) and did a bunch of contacts. We also had a funny experience but to understand it I need to explain something. So in Mexico there is a store called Coppel that sells a bunch of stuff like appliances and they give people loans to be able to buy there. So many times they have people that go out to collect loans from the people. So when we went to see if one of the contacts that we had done was home, his wife greeted us and then when we asked if he was home he wife told him "the people from Coppel are looking for your!. Also when we had talked with him before he didn`t tell us his name at first because he thought we were from Coppel haha. Friday night we also taught Edwardo and Karen the law of chastity so that they get married. It was a good lesson but Edwardo didn`t seem too excited. He told us he wants to save up to have a fancy wedding. He told us maybe in about 4 years they could get married. We`re shooting for November haha. We`re going to see how it goes. 

Saturday we had more lessons, one was really tense with the daughter of a member. The member is really pushy that they accept the chruch. It was a pretty akward lesson. You can`t really force the gospel on somebody. We`re going to see if we can visit her without her parent there. And on Sunday President Nelson came to the branch to implement a lot of changes in the callings. President Cordova now has two councilors who are members! Now the missionaries won`t have to be councilors in the branch presidency! We`ll have less meetings!

Yup, it was a good week. Tomorrow we are planning on going to a town super far away. It`s called Caxhuacan. See if you can find it on a map. It`s on the border of Puebla and Veracruz and is going to take 3.5 hours to get there in a micro-bus. It will be an adventure.! Have a great week!

-Elder Hartvigsen

D&C 1:23-24

Heyo, everyone. Hoped you all enjoyed your general conference weekend. I sure did. General Conference in the mission is like Christmas haha. All the missionaries get pretty pumped up. It was a really great conference too! Three new apostles! That's not something that comes along very often. There were a lot of talks that I really liked. I especially liked Jeffery R. Holland´s talk, Pres. Eyring, and many more. If you missed them go check them out or rewatch them on lds.org!

Working out in the country

This week was a good week. We had a lot of things to do this week too. On Monday we had a good lesson with an investigator that has an autistic son and it was really spiritual. She just didn't want to commit to go to church. That is one of the hardest commitments sometimes. Tuesday we had a good day, we visited a sister of the branch that is recovering from a health problem induced by her diabetes. She´s doing well, but I´m sure that when she had the problem it was pretty scary because their town is 4 hours out of Zacatlán and 2 hours away from a clinic. She´s recovering however. On Wednesday we had interchanges with Elder Hammer and Elder Pantoja. Elder Pantoja and I were in our area working with my comp in the area of Elder Hammer. We had a really long day of appointments falling through. We were walking around from lunch until we finally had a lesson at about 8 in the evening. It was a long day but we had a lot of contacts.

Thursday we ended our interchanges and had interviews with President Nelson in Chinaguapan. They were good. Also while we were waiting we went to a nearby catholic church with a virgin that is 13 meters tall. Es gigante! We also had some good appointments in the night with Karen and some new investigators. On Friday we moved into a different apartment because our old one is the branch Presidents and he wanted it back haha. So we spent the whole morning doing that but now we´re good and settled into our apartment which is a little farther out in our area. However it´s OK because there is a really good panadería (bakery) nearby! And on Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed general conference! However our investigators didn't show up this week. :( Also today we played pool in the morning which was fun. Well, everybody have a good week!

-Elder Hartvigsen

D&C 1:23-24 - That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers. Behold, I am God and have spoken it; there commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.

The gigantic statue

September 28 letter

Hey everyone. Another week has flown by. 

We´re doing well here in Zacatlan de los manzanas [of the apples]. I don´t know why it´s called that, I haven't even seen one apple tree! But one of the things that I do love is that the sweet bread that they have here is super cheap. 2 pesos. I might gain some weight here for that. We've had a good week. We had a few days of a lot of walking around but overall it was good. We've found even more of the investigators that we hadn't been able to find. We also found two new investigators. On Wednesday we found the two new ones and they´re good people. The only problem is that the husband talks way too much. We couldn't control the lesson very well and we had also brought a member that likes to talk. We could barely squeeze in a word between those two haha. But they have a lot of potential, he´s named Carlos and he seems to have a lot of interest and is ready to study what we give him.

Thursday we taught a few lessons to members and taught a mission prep class to a member who's preparing to go on a mission. Friday we made contact with another investigator that also talks a lot, but we managed the lesson a lot better. We also had a really good lesson with another investigator and her less active boyfriend. That was a really good day. Saturday we taught some recient converts and passed by with Karen and Edwardo (the investigator and her boyfriend). We just read a part of 2 Nephi 32 with them but the spirit was really strong and Karen had a bunch of really good questions about baptism. The best part was that on Sunday Karen and Edwardo went to church! It was great! Now the only thing we have to do is get them married and help them quit smoking... We´re really excited for her though. Its always a big obstacle to get investigators to church.

OK, now for a funny story. It will make more sense if you speak Spanish, but we were talking with some people in the street about the church the other day, and one of the ladies asked us why we both have the name Elder. So in Spanish there´s a word  that means that two people have the same name, which is tocayos (or however you spell it). However I got my words mixed up and said tlacoyos, which is a a type of Mexican food. So I basically said to this person "Yup, we´re quesadillas!" Tlacoyos aren't quesadillas but you get my point haha. It was pretty funny, we all had to laugh it out.

Well, I hope you all have a good week! Enjoy the first days of October!

-Elder Hartvigsen

Zacatlán de las Manzanas

Hey y'all! How are you all doing? 

I've had a week with a lot of firsts, and it was a great week! On Tuesday we had the changes meeting and I met my companion! So my comp is named Elder Dominguez and is from Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua. He´s an awesome Elder, and has really surprised my of how prepared he is. If I didn't know I would say that he has at least a few months in the mission. He´s never afraid to do anything, he talks to everyone and teaches really well. I feel very blessed to be with him. We are in the area of Zacatlán, which is one of the three branches of the mission. We´re pretty far out of Puebla. From the bus station it takes about 2.5 or 3 hours to get here. However I love it! Its super pretty out here and I like the town a lot. Our area is huge however, there is one part that takes 4 hours to get to because the roads are pretty bad, but we've been here in the main town for this last week. Maybe this week we´ll go check our some of the other ones. It has also been a little difficult to open area. We've gotten lost a few times and one time at night haha. However the people here are nice and help us out.

So on Wednesday our first day in the area we helped out the Branch President, Pres. Cordova clean up a little shop that he has. Also, Pres. Cordova is good, he´s an ex-missionary that served here in Puebla and in this area and came back and got married. But that shop was super dirty. The floor was also made of wood, and it was rotting. We had to start taking out the floor. We also saw a parade if like the whole town that day for the Mexican Independence day. Thursday we had a zone conference with Elder Valenzuela who is an Area Seventy. It was a powerful spiritual conference. But we went to the conference really early and got home really late. We´re pretty retired from the other parts of the mission.

Mexican Independence Day in the rain

Friday we had a day of normal work. We've been working on finding the investigators that the other Elders left behind and getting them progressing. We had a good lesson with an investigator who accepted a baptismal date but didn´t look too convinced. We´ll see how she progresses. Saturday we got to know the area better (AKA we were lost much of the day) and had a lesson with some recent converts who are awesome. They were so happy to see us. It was a really good lesson. Sunday we had church in the house of prayer (its like a mini chapel) and about 60 people showed up. It has a whole different feel than a ward does. Sunday was also really good because we had 4 lessons that day.

Beautiful Zacatlan

Yup, I¨m really content to be training out here. It's a really cool experience. Oh, we also share the area with Elder Hammer (ex-assistant who's a great elder) who is also training a new elder as well. I´ll have to take a picture of us 4. Have a good week!

-Elder Hartvigsen

Hijo! (A Son)

Hey everyone. The time of transfers rolled around again and it happens that we are going to close our area. That means that both my companion and I have changes. We´re pretty sad to leave the area, and the members are also a little disappointed too. It seems like the president always closes our area. The sister missionaries are also closing area, but they´re closing theirs for good. Next change there is only going to be one pair of missionaries in the ward Tule. 

Last days in Tule

We had an alright week this week. It was full of stuff that took us away from really working. On Tuesday we had an average day. Only a few lessons with new investigators and a meeting with President Nelson and President Delgado, the stake president. It was a good meeting. Both of the presidents are great leaders. I like our stake president a lot, he´s a great guy.

On Wednesday I got sick. Who knows why. My companion ate the same things and he was fine. I was pretty miserable that day, so we stayed in the house. It is the worst thing ever to be sick as a missionary. However I have been very fortunate in my mission so far. Many times the Americans get really sick sometimes, and sometimes they get sick frequently. I´ve only gotten really sick 2 or 3 times in my mission. I have a pretty strong stomach, most of the time haha. Thursday we had our weekly planning session in the morning and in the afternoon we did splits. My companion went to San Martin Texmalucan to do a baptismal interview for a member had his information lost in the system, and I stayed in the area with Hno. Artemio Perez. It went alright, all of our lessons fell through, which is tough to deal with when your in splits apart from your companion. In the end we finally found an investigator in her house and we were able to teach a lesson.

Tlaxcala Zone Conference

OK, I forgot to mention that on Wednesday we received a call from Elder Suarez one of the assistants who told us that we´re going to close area and that I'm going to train! I´m really excited for this opportunity to be able to train a new elder. It'll be a great experience and I'm looking forward to it. So on Friday we went to Puebla for a meeting with the trainers. It was really good, we learned that we need to provide our companions with opportunities to make decisions, and how to provide "leadership as a shadow." Afterwards we went to the baptism of the son of our (awesome) ward mission leader. It was good but they fed us tacos de canasta (it literally translates to basket tacos). They´re these tacos that they make in a town near here with a ton of grease and they usually sell them pedaling around on bikes all day. So there is always a bunch of guys with their bikes around here that have baskets full of little tacos. They also sometimes call them tacos de la muerte lenta. I¨ll let you all translate that haha. After we had a good activity in the ward.

Concilio (Council  Meeting)

Saturday we were in Puebla all day in the hospital with my companion and his knees. We also saw the cultural event broadcast for the rededication for the Mexico City temple. On Sunday we saw the last rededication session with Pres. Eyring and Elder Holland and it was sweet. Really powerful.

Well I have to go but have a great week everyone!

-Elder Hartvigsen

Mexico City Temple - rededicated September 13, 2015

Matthew 16:25-26

Hello everyone. I hope you´re all enjoying your Labor Day weekend. American holidays just pass me by haha. Soon it´s going to be the Mexican Independence day which is good. It means that we are going to eat a lot of Pozole which is alright with me! 

Working in Hill Country

We had an alright week. We had to take some time to do other things that took us away from proselyting which was a bummer but that´s how it happens sometimes. Monday in the evening was good, we went to one of the ends of our area to a town called Ixtlacuixtla. We had a lesson with an investigator that went well. On Tuesday, we had some good lessons. We had an investigator that was studying to become a Catholic Father for 2 years until he left. He was doing well. He seems interested when we teach him he almost doesn't have questions which seems strange to me. I would think that an ex-future-father would have a ton of questions. We also had a few other appointments and in one of them we put a baptismal date which was great! Her name is Claudia and her father in law was a member. She also works in a bakery and gives us bread. :)

On Wednesday, we visited an other town in our area for the first time to contact a few references. It´s called Tizostoc and its pretty high up on one of the hills around here. We also taught a new family there of 7 which was good. It was an interesting lesson, it was difficult to keep them focused. After we went and taught a few other people in Por Venir, another town close by. On Thursday we had our weekly planning session in the morning, went to lunch and then went to the hospital in Puebla for my companions knees. We got back to the house super late. The next day we had the leadership council in Puebla. So we went to Puebla again. It was good, the President is getting into the swing of things. The last one was controlled mostly by the assistants, but now the President is becoming more comfortable. 

On Saturday we only had a few lessons with Ivett, the girl that was baptized a few weeks ago. She´s doing super well, she had a great testimony! She even asked us where she can go for institute. Puro poder! Sunday was good but kind of a let down. We were expecting to have at least a few investigators come but nobody showed up. We even passed by to go with Claudia but she had to work. It was a bummer, but the meetings were good. Our bishop gave a talk, he´s pretty powerful. He´s been a bishop for about 8 or 9 years here, well he technically started as branch president when Tule was a branch.

Foggy P-Day

Today was good but pretty bland. We didn´t have any activities, but in the morning it was super foggy. Visibility was really low. Yup. Everyone enjoy the end of your Labor Day weekend! Adiós!

-Elder Hartvigsen

Matthew 16:25-26
  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
  For what is a man profited, if her shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul.