HOLA SHENULOS Y KAPUTLAKANS

Hope you guys all had a good week, and are still showing some love to your mothers even though its not mothers day.

This was a rough week, we are struggling to find new people to teach and the people we find last a week and then hide from us in their house when we go to bring them to church, so that's bummer but it's all good. The Lord knows who is ready, we just have to find them! I was reading the story of the brother of Jared this week and it brought me a little personal revelation. 

Home Sweet Home

When the story starts, the brother of Jared is really worried because he doesnt know how to make light so he is like "hey God, I really dont know what to do, could you help me?" the answer he gets is basically, show your faith, take action and then I will help you. The brother of Jared then went and FOUND the stones, and BROUGHT them to the Lord. THEN the Lord could put light into them and help him. So thats what we gotta do, find the stones, and let got put light into em.

Tuesday I had a leadership conference with President Greer, it was only the 12 district and zone leaders in Xalapa, and we had a nice meeting with Pres. and Sister Greer, and the Assistants. I learned a lot and the biggest way we can have success here is work with the members so be good members in your wards and help the missionaries.

This week I wanted to share a scripture I was reading in Alma 17 verse 11

"And the Lord said unto them also; go forth among the Lamanites, thy bretheren, and establish my word, yet ye shall be patient in long suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

This scripture hit me hard as I serve literally among the remnant of the Lamanites.

On a side note I got another stomach infection this week, that was steller.

Ok, I gotta go clean my suit for the first time in 8 months because we have got 3 General Authorites coming this week to the mission; Elder Pino on wednesday and Elder Peiper and Elder Christiensen from the presidency of the seventy on friday, and I don't want to look like that kid in charly brown that's really dirty.

Love ya all!

-Elder Draper

The picture doesn't do the storm justice.

Meet the Mormons

 
 

We study every chance we get.

Mother's Day

Hello family and friends! Happy mothers day to all you moms but especially my mom, it was so good to talk to you guys last night!! 

Happy Morthers Day Mom!!!

This was a pretty slow week, not much happened but we found a really cool girl! Her name is Dania and she is 19. She is a teacher and is studying at the same time. She's pretty interested and came to church on Sunday so she is doing well. She has a baptismal date for the 7th of June.

Other than that we had a pretty frustrating work week. Most of the investigators we had fell of the man. The guy we found last week who is living with a less active member hit his step daughter really hard so the sister kicked him out. We are working with the sister and the bishop to get her active again and in better living situations.

Thursday Elder Moser and I started English classes again. As we were walking there it started to rain. Hurricane season is coming on so the rain is going HAM. Anyway we ran to the church but got super drenched still. Then nobody came to class. THAT was a bummer. But its cool, I speak English already so no harm done.

Pretty decent week but we are really really working to try to find someone who can get baptized in the next few weeks and we have a few people that are possibilities but we have a promise from the Area Presidency, 1st Presidency, and the Lord that we can baptize every week if we work hard and connect our goals with heaven. 

Congrats to Mckayla Faddis on getting her mission call to RUSSIA. Stoked for ya.

Until next week,

Elder Draper

Home!

Ward Activity at the Macuiltepetl ecological park

 

Que la Fuerza te Acompane !!

Hola family and friends! 

First and foremost I want to say happy birthday to my dear grandmother and my cousin Ry Ry. I love ya guys and I hope you have a great birthday! 

Secondly, this week is mothers day so I want to publicly tell my dear mother how much I LOVE YOU. Thank you for everything you have done for me mom. You are honestly the best mother anyone could ask for and don't let anyone tell ya otherwise. Can't wait to talk Sunday! 

This was a pretty weird week I am gonna start with the bad/funny stuff. Tuesday it rained really hard and when I say really hard I mean I have never been in a bigger rainstorm in my whole life. Unfortunately we were about 20 blocks away from our house and had an appointment so we started to run. Needless to say we got a little wet.

Wednesday I got a serious stomach infection and was up all night long with double dragon. That was stellar.

Thursday I got the flu for getting wet and not sleeping for 48 hours.

Friday I called the sister in charge of like medicine and all things health oriented to see what I could take, she said a nap, I said "Booyah!" and when I woke up an hour later, well I can only describe it as Alma said " And I was born again of the spirit" I felt a ton better and we got some solid work done and found some cool new investigators.

OK for spiritual stories, Brother Leon Lopez Alavez, the first stake president in Veracruz was in our ward and died this weekend at 91 so we went to his funeral and Elder Moser and I sang a special number, it was really cool and the spirit was really strong. He was a pretty amazing guy, there were 4 members of th

e 70 that were there, the two stake presidents in Xalapa, and just a lot of people who he made a big impact on. He and his wife are the nicest people I have ever met and are the epitome of enduring to the end. I hope someday I can be like brother Leon was in this life.

That's about it for this week happy star wars day and like I said, Que la fuerza te acompañe!

Until next week, 

Elder Draper

The new Zone

After 20 blocks in the Rain

Brother L approves!!

Xalapa Sunset

7 Months and Changes

Hola todos! 

Hello to all from Mexicooooo. This was a rough week, a lot of investigators fell off the map for different reasons, we didnt find much, and it is getting hot hot hot hot here but its cool. We are working hard to find people and I think this will be a good week for sure. 

Today I have got seven months in the mission and I am loving it here. It is for sure the hardest thing I have done in my life but definitely the most rewarding as well. 

Yesterday victor got confirmed in sacrament meeting and this sunday he will recieve the priesthood. He is really progressing well and growing his testimony to be a lot stronger. After church we went to a baptism for the other missionaries in the ward and the changes came. I am staying here in Xalapa with good old Elder Cardona! I am district leader now so that will be fun this change. I am already just exhausted all the time so why not eh??

Other than that not much happened this weeek! I did find out however that the mexican postal service is in good graces with the sweedish post because my letter got there in 3 months. So go MPS.

Have a great week, go read alma 40-43 and learn about the plan of salvation.

Elder Draper

Family Home Evening with Victor and his Familia

Me and my home girl Melissa

Mexicool

Hey all! 

Hope you are all doing well and loving life. Congrats to all you cool kids that got a mission call last week. You guys rock.

This week went by super quick but it was a good one. 

I did divisions with my zone leader elder spainhower from layton but my comp took the keys and went to their zone thirty minutes away so I had to jack bower my door open by climbing over our ledge and using a 20 foot pvc pipe to slide the lock open. being an Eagle Scout came in handy there. he got super sick with like a stomach infection so that was a funny day with lots of stops by the house.

Saturday Victor had his baptismal interview so our district leader and his companion came to his house to do it at 4. Me my companion, and the DL's companion went upstairs with his wife who is a member to talk. she turned her tv on and hooked up her phone and we turned on conference and then 2 hours later we were like holy cow why are they still in the interview??? we were way scared but its cool, victors super catholic daughter came and tried to tell my dl he was a fool and a bunch of stuff but victor passed the interview.

HE GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY I have been working with this guy for 2 months, since the second day I got to this area and finally he told us he wanted to. It was a really cool moment when his wife got up to say the opening prayer and just sobbed tears of joy as she thanked God for the opportunity they now were going to be able to have to be sealed in the temple. Super cool day.

Thats pretty much it this week! Hope you guys have a great week, oh go read the new testament. My comp got super sick yesterday so we got home at like 7 and I read from mathew to john and it is good stuff. Made me a lot more thankful for Christ!

Love you all!!

Elder Draper

Victor's Baptism

Big Smile from Elder C

Baptisms and stuff

Hola to all, hope you're all doing fantastic

This was a really good week! Yesterday was the baptism of Mayra and that was awesome to see her finally get to the baptismal font. We met a new guy named Diego this week and our investigator Manuel came to church and is progressing really well. 

Weirdest thing happened this week though. On like tuesday we were walking down this street in our area we always do and this combi pulled up in front of us on the corner so we stopped to let it pass. Instead it stops on the corner and the door swings open and I hear "DRAPE!!!" IT WAS MY CONVERTS MIGUEL AND GINA! They left perote, took a two and a half hour bus ride, and then walked all over Xalapa, the biggest city in the mission, looking for me! They just remembered that I was on some hill so they asked what the biggest hill in the city was called and someone told them there was a van that drove up to the top of the hill so they hopped in with high hopes and guess what? They found me. Miguel was crying and he goes "Look what God did for us! We prayed to find you and we did! Look what God did for us!" it was so cool to see them. Miguel is getting the Melkizedek priesthood, Gina is the young womens leader and got her young womens madallion and they are just way good. We ate dinner together there on the corner at a restaurant, took a pic and they headed back to perote. Kind of fun. 

Other than those two things it was a pretty chill week! If you wanna read a scripture we used this week, go read Proverbs 17:12. we use it as our parting scripture when Jehovahs Witnesses want to bible bash.

Love you guys, have a great week!!


Elder Draper

Bautismo!!!

Mayra and the Ward Mission Leader who baptized her

Zone Activity this week

My companero after tacos!!

Miguel, Gina, Emelio, and Eric

Me and Elder Moser on Divisions (Dominoes Delivers)