The start of a New Year

This week was a good one. Thursday we had our zone service activity and we had a great time sharing food with the homeless around the hospital in our area. 

Christmas is interesting as missionaries because we don't have a lot to do other than missionary work. I think these last two years of Christmas has made me appreciate my Savior a little bit more. He who was greater than them all, descended below all, coming into the world He created, as all of us do, as a child. He came as a newborn wrapped in swadling clothes. 

Christmas #2 topped Christmas #1 for sure. Not having to worry about all those normal Christmas things, and just focus on my Savior made it the best one yet. 

On top of all of that I got to talk with my sweet fam. Tait is taller than my mom, and crackily voiced as ever. Odd to see clips of what home is like every 6 months.

Tomorrow for our training with the zone we are focussing on obedience. It's easy with a lot of time now in the mission (15 months) to get relaxed about the little rules of the mission but to steal from Elder Hipster Hortons email "The purpose of our being here is "...to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command [us]", independent of what that may be and which servant of God proclaims it. As we are obedient we are able to progress." We can't participate in any part of the Lords work if we do not first begin with obedience. I invite you all to ask the Lord as did the rich young man "what lack I yet?" and make that your focus this new year.

  

Elder Draper

Zone Christmas Picture

Christmas HEAT

Service Project

Yo Tango un Gato

HEY GUYS MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

This was a great week because RAFAEL GOT BAPTIZED FINALLY! We were pumped for him and he was really excited to finally join the rest of his family as members of the church.

OK so the subject line has to do with probably the weirdest thing a companion has asked in my whole mission. Wednesday we were visiting this investigator named Mari and as we knock on her door this little kid runs up to my companion with this little kitten and goes "ten!" or "take this!" so I forgot to mention my companion LOVES cats on a seriously weird level, anyway, he grabs it and is like "aww look at the little kitty". He looks up and the little kid had RUN AWAY! It was like some weird form of religious truth or dare and this kid had taken the dare of "ditch a kitten with mormon missionaries and run away". This was our conversation following that event.

My companion

     "ELDER THAT KID JUST DITCHED THIS CAT IT'S SO LITTLE ITS PROBABLY GONNA DIE" 

me

 "yeah probably BUENAS TARDES" (still trying to get mari to come to the door.) 

     "elder we have to take this cat with us and give it to someone"

 "elder we cannot take the cat with us"

     "Are you a cat killer"

"no I am not a cat killer"

     "than we have to take the cat"

"Elder We cannot take the cat with us"

(my companion now very frustrated looks at me and goes) "Elder Draper....What would Jesus do"

Long story short we ended up spending the end of the afternoon taking the cat around and using it as a contacting method. Nobody wanted the stinking cat so it slept with my companion and then Thursday we gave it to a member. 

El Gato

Apart from that we had a cool Sunday because Jairo and his dad Manuel came to church and loved it. Manuel told us before we had mentioned it that he wanted to stop drinking. It is cool to see how understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes sinful habits so quickly. 

I am so thankful for all of you guys and I hope you have the greatest Christmas and remember it is CHRISTmas not GIFTmas or FIGHTSmas or TOYSmas. Go watch the christmas.mormon.org videos and be happy that we have a savior :)

Merry Christmas you guys!!

Elder Draper

Z is for Zach - I like bread and cheese - I am very popular in the elementary school books

Painting a House

Temple Dedication

Hey guys I hope you all had a great week! Merry Christmas season to all of you!

This was a good week, Rafael told us he had a dream where Christ told him he needed to get baptized so he is getting baptized Saturday! MIRACLES!

Thursday we had our Christmas conference with president Greer and we learned about being the 4th missionary, all current or future missionaries need to go look up that talk "the 4th missionary" its great.

Sunday was the Tijuana temple dedication and we got to hear Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Oaks speak it was amazing. GO TO THE TEMPLE! 

This week I was studying the Restoration, go study the restoration of the Gospel. It is pretty amazing!

I challenge all of you to read the book of Mormon starting Christmas and before Easter! 

LOVE YOU GUYS!

Elder Draper

Christmas Activity

Pinata

Elder G

Zone

FHE

P-Day

P-Day

Karla

Elder Marin - AP

Merry Christmas and Happy Guadalupe Day

This week flew by and we didn't have very much success so there isn't much to tell about!

We have the Tijuana temple dedication next week and we get to watch it so that's going to be a great experience. 

We had stake conference yesterday and they talked about the Book of Mormon. THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE BEST MISSIONARY. If you guys want to see miracles share it with non member friends or family and have them read it. Also go check out christmas.mormon.org and share the #ASaviorIsBorn it is a great way to spread Christmas cheer.

 

This week the Virgin Guadalupe parades started. The 12th is the virgin holiday so starting the 2nd they do giant jimmy rigged parades where they just hold up these giant Virgin Guadalupe statues or duck tape them to the front of semi trucks and walk down the street singing. It kills my vibe but "men are free according to the flesh" so not much I can do about it.

This week is our multi-zone Christmas conference with president. Papantla is coming to poza rica to do it with us so I will see some mission friends. 

This week I studied the church history around the building of the Salt Lake Temple if you guys want to hear some miraculous stories go study the church history institute manual. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

Elder Draper

Dos Banditos

Consejo in Xalapa

Mariachi and a trip to Hawaii

Hey guys I get on a bus in 30 minutes and its a 20 minute taxi ride SO Here is a little message for you, I'll attatch the voice link.

Love you guys!

My New Mariachi Hat - Click here to listen to my audio file.

Vegas and Camacho Wards

 

Ward Activity - Trip to Hawaii

 

Giving Thanks

Hey guys hope you are all having a great day, and enjoying this time of year! This is my favorite season-from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is the time to be grateful for the blessings we all recieve in our lives. This week I am especially grateful for my all you guys. I may only write you once a week but you guys are on my mind throughout the week constantly and I pray and search the scriptures for ways to uplift you. I love you guys a lot and am so thankful for everything you have done to help me be who I am!

It was kind of a weird week, but yesterday Jose Alberto was baptized and that was awesome! He is a super cool kid and already has a goal to start his papers in july of next year to serve a mission! We are super happy for him.

This week my companion invited me to pray only giving thanks and not asking for anything and it has been cool so far. This week of thanksgiving I invite you guys all to try it out. 

Have a great week eat lots of turkey and potatoes, I'm going to eat tacos al pastor that probably none of you have ever tried but it's better! 

Elder Draper

Black Sheep

Chucho

 

Possums and No Tiempo!

What a week!

Adriana and Cornelio are doing fantastic and are super excited to go to the temple.

Alberto is pumped for his baptism, and went to the YSA conference this weekend and loved it.

Rafael is nervous but excited for his baptism!

This week at albertos house I killed a possum with a giant machete!

Well, today was kinda weird so there is about zero time to write so have a great week! sorry no pics or anything!

Elder Draper


Note from the site administrator (Zach's Dad):

Zach also sent a boice (yes he said voice with an accent) recording.  I couldn't get it loaded, but he sounds really good - tired but good.  Didn't hear about the possum, but I hope to hear more next week.

The work is going really well.  Had several investigators come to church this week. Rafael, Alberto, Adrina, and Cornelio all working towards baptism! He is really escited.

Miracles and Church Policies

HEY GUYS! 

This was a pretty crazy week.

   The work this week was amazing! we had a really weird week, we were in Xalapa until Tuesday late we got back to our house, Wednesday quite a few missionaries were sent home for a problem that was kinda crazy in the mish so I spent most of my day with my comp figuring out companions and buses and moving stuff from one area to another and changing houses, we worked about an hour in our area Wednesday, Thursday we had a few ward meetings and again a few problems we had to work out in the zone with some changes and we worked very little only about 4 hours, Thursday we did divisions so I worked with elder Gamboa and WOW we taught some good lessons, found some great people to teach including a miracle that is going to get baptized this Sunday hopefully! Thursday night the Bishop was like "hey elders come to a family home evening at brother Lucios house we are waiting for you!" we ran over and met Cornelio and Adriana. They were like Hi we want you to teach us so we said OK! we taught a little but it was late so we went back Friday night with them and they accepted a baptismal date for the 29th of November and came to church yesterday and liked it a lot! it was super good. 

   OH The coolest thing happened also! so we have been teaching this guy named Alberto, he is 19 and his sister is a member. We found him when we went to reactivate his sister and we found out while we were getting to know him that he had read the BOM all the way to 2nd Nephi so we were like DANG! that was like 2 weeks ago, anyway Thursday we went and visited him (we weren't even going to but he saw us in the street and was like hey come over) and we talked for a few minutes but he and Elder Gamboa (the guy I was in divisions with) were talking about anime and I was like idk what the fetch they are talking about for like 15 minutes so finally I was like OK well, we gotta run right now but, go read 2nd Nephi 31 and watch the because he lives video, we will come back tomorrow to talk about it. SO FRIDAY, we come back and he says hey guys hows it going?...I had a dream last night. We were like uhh....what was it about

He said

   ¨In my dream, I WAS DRESSED IN ALL WHITE, in a big WHITE room with a big WHITE DOOR at the end of a LONG NARROW PASSAGE, at the door, draper was standing there barefoot in white with Hernandez also in white (my companion who he had never met before that lesson) I really recognized draper because he kept telling me TO GO THROUGH THE DOOR so I did and right as I passed through the door I woke up.

So we were like what do you think it means? and his response was GOLDEN, he goes

Well, baptism is the door that enters in the straight and narrow path....you guys have invited me to be baptized....I think I am ready to be baptized.

That was super awesome.

This week the church also announced some policy outlines in the local leadership handbook of the church. I don't want to explain it or say anything other than this; As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are to uphold and sustain our leaders. Any member that affiliates him/herself with comments, groups, or literature that goes against the standards of the church is not worthy of a temple recommend. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the Lords Prophet and that the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are Prophets, Seers, and Revelators and speak in the name of Jesus Christ.

Have a great week, if you have questions, ask God

Moroni 10:4-5

Santiago 1:5

Mexicant

The best Zone ever - Zona Palmas

My New Comp - Elder H and a chicken that ran into our house

Guess What?  Chicken Butt!

Dinner with my new comp