March 12, 2012 - FINAL POST

I expect this to be the best week of my whole mission. Claudia, who I think I told you a little about last week, will be baptized on saturday. And, miracalously, Carmen and Enrique will finally be able to get married this week and will also be baptized on saturday. I`m so grateful that I will be able to witness this long awaited saving ordinance before I return home. I never imagined that I would have the chance to see it with my own eyes. It truly is a miracle. The best part is knowing that in one year they`ll be able to be sealed as a family for all eternity. This is the first and only time during my whole mission in which the husband and wife of a family I`ve taught will be baptized at the same time. Immediately following the baptismal service we have an activity planned especially for the new and recently reactivated members. What a great way to finish.

Another investigator of ours, Isabel Molina, the sister of Lucia, our recent convert, accepted to prepare to be baptized the 1 of April. Too bad I won`t be here.

I was very happy yesterday to see the gospel principles class totally packed. An inactive member attended with us for the first time in years and several others that don`t live in our ward boundaries also attended chuch for the first time.

I really never believed this time would come. Now I understand why they always told me that my time as a missionary was going to be extremely short. Until now, these really have been the best two years of my life, although I hope to have even better years in the future. I`ve discovered that real joy comes from dedicated service to the Lord and HIs children, and from seeking His will and direction for my life. I`ve learned and grown so much over these last two years and, yet, I still feel like I`ve only reached the very first step of my full potential and everything the Lord expects me to be.

I normally end my emails with Brett, because I feel like that`s still who I am to you. However, I feel it appropriate now to use that sacred title of Elder seeing as it will be the last time I`ll be able to.

Elder Graham

March 5, 2012

Today we went to visit the pyramids in Cacaxtla as a zone. It was cool, but my companion suddenly starting bleeding from his nose like crazy after (he´s been a little sick and it was really hot and really dry today) and we got way behind in our other planned activities.


The zone leader council with the president was on friday and sister reeves made us sheperd´s pie and a giant chocolate chip cookie cake. It was delicious. Apart from that there was an announcement that really made me jealous of all the other missionaries that aren´t going home at the end of this transfer. On April 14 Elder Bednar is going to visit the mission. He visited the mission almost two years ago and a lot of my generation got to see him, but I was still waiting for my visa in Utah. So, I´ll never get the chance see an apostle come. That reminds me of another announcement I keep forgetting to tell you about. A few weeks ago, President Reeves notified us that the Mexico Puebla Mission will be divided the 1 of July into the Mexico Puebla North Mission and the Mexico Puebla South Mission. It´s pretty exciting news because it means that the work is really growing here.


Sunday was excellent as well. Four of our recent converts bore their testimony in sacrament meeting, and everyone could feel the spirit. We went way over time. Everyone wanted to go up. Besides that, one of the very special people we´ve been teaching, Claudia Marquez, went for the first time. The day before she accepted a baptismal date for the 17 of March. We were going over the law of chastity when suddenly she blurted out, so when am I going to be baptized? We couldn´t believe it, because she hadn´t even gone to church yet. Moises Paredes who just got baptized a couple weeks ago is a counselor in the sunday school presidency and Miguel Angel is the secretary.

February 27, 2012

Sorry, I have almost no time to write right now. I was signing up for classes. Moises was baptized on friday and confirmed on sunday and, miracously, his wife finally went with him to church on sunday after more than half a year during which she`s never agreed to go with him. He`s an amazing person. He was describing to us what he felt after being baptized and, with tears in his eyes, said that he just couldn`t contain himself. He wants to tell everyone about the Gospel and the joy he`s found, especially his family. He loves his family so much even though they weren`t in agreement with his decision. I can see him as a bishop in a very short amount of time. Now, we`re just waiting on Enrique and Carmen. They`re so close. I pray everyday for them. Margarita and Leandro, two people I baptized when I was in this area the last time had gone inactive, but this friday they went to the baptism of Moises and to sacrament meeting on sunday. I was very happy to see them there.

It`s really starting to dawn on me now that I have very little time left as a full time missionary and it makes me sad. It almost moves me to tears every time I think about it. So, I try not to think about, but everyone always reminds me.

I love you,

Elder Graham

February 20, 2012

This week was not as great for me as the last. A lot of investigators told us that they no longer desire that we teach them and many times during the week I felt like I wasn´t receiving any guidance from the Holy Ghost. We are having difficulties finding more people to teach, and the people we´re teaching aren´t attending church, even when they commit to do it. I´ve also been thinking about something my patriarchal blessing mentions about me being going on a mission to touch the lives of those I need to touch and that there are people here that only I can move to make correct decisions.

Ok, enough with my negative attitude. Sorry, there´s just a lot of things going through my mind now that I only have a month left. I continue seeking for that voice from Heaven telling me that what I´ve done is enough and that the Lord is pleased with my service. A scripture I read today helped me a little, 1 Nephi 21:3-6. The good thing is that Moises and his wife were married on saturday and he will be baptized on friday. The other good thing is that all of our recent converts have continued faithful despite challenges and opposition. Lucia was just called to be the adviser of one of the young women groups and Alfredo just received the Aaronic priesthood. Miguel Angel also received the Aaronic priesthood on sunday and is close to finishing Alma in the Book of Mormon. Ugghhh, but it really worrys me to know of the challenges and trials some of them are facing.

I wish there was something I could do for Marc. Give him a big hug for me and tell him to read these scriptures that tend to cheer me up: Alma 26:35, Moroni 7:41-42, Alma 29:9-10, 2 Nefi 9:3, D&C 14:7.

I got your dear elder package. thanks for the giant cookies.

February 13, 2012

This week was excellent. Miguel Angel Garcia, someone weve been teaching for a month or two was baptized and confirmed. And, the very same sacrament meeting in which he was confirmed he bore his testimony in front of everyone. (Fast and testimony meeting was pushed back because of the stake conference.) I think yesterday might have been the only time Ive ever seen one of my converts bear their testimony in sacrament meeting. He shared his experience of how the first two times we visited him he didnt really feel anything special until he came upon 1 Nephi 8 and read about Lehis vision. He remembered every detail of the story in the book of Mormon and compared it to his own life and said that since that time he knew the Book of Mormon was true. Now he reads like crazy. He already passed Alma 7. I think hes reading it faster than Ive ever read it. Hes made many changes in his life and is a very humble man. The sad part was that none of his family agrees with his decision and, therefore, none of them went to his baptism. But he also expressed in his testimony yesterday that he knows that one day theyll understand and be there with him as well.

Besides his confirmation, the four people that were baptized last saturday were confirmed as well, and a recently reactivated man shared his testimony as well. It was an excellent sacrament meeting.

We also recieved the good news that Moises will finally be able to get baptized the 24 of February because his wife finally agreed to civil marriage. She was against her husbands decision to be baptized and therefore hadnt wanted to get married for a long time even though theyve been living together for 29 years and have several children. Even under these circumstances Moises has been reguarly attending just about every activity in the church and reading the scriptures much more diligently than most members for many months. Hes such a wonderful, caring, humble, kindhearted man who loves his family despite the fact that they arent in agreement. Its so great that he will finally be able to achieve his desire and the blessings of the ordinances of the gospel.

Carmen and Enrique are so close to being able to get married. Weve been working with the connections we have in the local government (the community presidentss wife is a member) and they should be able to get married at the latest, next week.

Everyone weve been teaching have been getting baptized so now our struggle is finding more people to teach. Weve been so occupied with teaching appointments that now its been a little hard for us to open our mouths and talk to everyone, but weve got to get into the habit again.

Another experience that Im not sure if I already shared with you is when one of the people baptized last saturday and confirmed yesterday, Lucia, shared with my companion and I how we had helped her feel important to God. She told us of an accident she had a little while ago while she was traveling I dont remember to where but somewhere far away. There was an exhaust leak in the car and as a consequence during the course of her trip she got carbon monoxide poisoning and went unconscious. They took her to the hospital and after a while were able to get her to wake up, but the doctors said that she was very close to dying. She said that after recovering she wondered why God had allowed her to live as she would have preferred to leave this life. She explained how during this time in her life she felt like she wasnt important to anyone. Luckily, her sisters expressed their love and support to her, but she said, in tears, that until we came and taught her the gospel and showed her our love for her, she really didnt feel that God cared about her. She told us we were angels sent to help her and let her know the He does care about her. Its hard to describe what we felt in that moment with words.

I know God loves all His children. One of the greatest blessings of serving a mission is being able to feel a little part of what Our Heavenly Father feels towards His children.

February 6, 2012

This week was amazing. Four amazing people were baptized on saturday. They have such a strong testimony and desire to follow Christ. I usually don´t cry in baptismal services, but I could help it in this one. The mission president came as well. It was incredible. I enjoyed the stake conference this weekend with the area President, Elder Johnson of the Seventy. This is my last transfer, six weeks, and the good thing is I get to stay with my companion who I love and who has helped me become the best missionary of my entire mission. It´s been raining quite a bit and therefore the Malinche, a nearby mountain, and the Popocatapetl, the volcano, are covered in snow. We have to run to an appointment soon. So, I´ll tell you more later.

January 30, 2012

We have four baptisms planned for this saturday. We invited president Reeves. Hopefully he can make it. Elder Avendaño and I both feel like these are some of our best converts of our whole mission. They are all so determined to live commandments. On saturday, Three siblings, Anahi, Alfredo, and Miriam told us they wanted to be baptized right at the beginning of the lesson without even giving us time to invite them. They received answers to their prayers in so many ways. Alfredo, 17, plans on going on a mission before going to college. Anahi studies like crazy the whole week at a college in Mexico City and still finds time to read the scriptures and pray everyday. Six of our investigators went to church this sunday along with many reactivated families. Things are going good in the ward. We finally taught more the twenty lessons this week. But, I still feel like Im not doing enough. I hope we can maintain the same level of success.

Today we played soccer with the whole zone on a full size field. It was fun, but tiring.

This week should be great. We have the baptism, the stake conference which President/Elder Johnson, the seventy president of area Mexico, will attend, and the zone leader council with president Reeves. The stake presidency is going to be reorganized.

The weathers been cold and rainy here lately. Hopefully it warms up a little bit again.