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

Miracles and special changes

This was one of the weirdest weeks of the mish but superrrrr good!

Monday was pday and we pdayed the whole pday.

Tuesday we had interviews with president and we scared them a little with how insanely clean our house was ( we stayed up until 12:30 the night before cleaning....:) 

Wendesday-Friday we found some amazing miracles. Alfredo is the brother of a less active family and he is super excited about getting baptized and stopped us in the street to tell us about it! Alberto is the brother of a recent convert that we just barely met. My comp started talking to him about anime (like japanese cartoons...) so they talked for around 15 minutes, me in lala land like "woah thats a new freckle on my arm..." and I hear my comp say "hey have you ever listened to the missionaries" and alberto responds "nope but Im reading the book of mormon right now, I am on chapter 21 of 1st nephi" I was like HOLY COW MAN HI!!! haha he came to church on sunday and is excited for a baptism on the 29th of november. Martin a recent convert and Georgina a less active member both brought their nephews to church on sunday and both of them are excited for baptism as well. SERIOUSLY MIRACLES! Thanks to a lot of fasting and prayer we are finally seeing some results. We are stoked.

This week we had to shower and go potty downstairs in the members house because we (the last six months of missionaries) clogged the plumbing so badley (we've had diharea since easters) that they had to redo the entire houses drainage system. lol sorry bout it land lord.

Lastly my comp got changed so I have a new companion named elder Hernandez! He is a great missionary and it will be a good time working with him.

Love you guys, have a great week!!

Elder Zach Draper

Alma 17:11

this is our "mama helana" she lives in tuxpan and is like our mom here so she came to visit saturday night with pizza and her kids helana and pablito!

Well Shoot

There is just no time in this world for everything! Great week here, super hot, no hurricane weather, someone tell poza rica its october cuz I think she doesn't know.

Tomorrow are interviews with President Greer, super excited!

Go read Alma 5 and ponder on how you can be better, it is a good learning experience.

Congrats to you kids that got your mission calls, bienvenidos a la viña del Señor!

Les Amo,

Elder Draper

Roberta's Baptism

Hola a todos!}

Este semana se paso muy rapido y la verdad fue bien difícil. Casi todos los que hemos estado enseñando ya nos dijieron que no quieren seguir escuchándonos. Estoy animado estar con mi nuevo compañero elder Herrera del DF. 

Roberta got baptized on friday and confirmed on sunday! google me if you wanna see pics.

Hurricane season is starting.

Go Jazz

Elder Draper

Lunch at Leetlay Saysars

Using the Atonement

Hey you guys how's it going!?

This week we didn't have much time to work because we had a mission conference in xalapa, then we had zone class wednesday, we spent like 4 hours on the phone on thursday because of some little problems. Friday was our family home evening and we had a good turnout, we played volleyball and I am about 6 inches taller than everyone so I was banned from participating after the first game so I spent the night reffing volleyball :)

I studied the atonement of Jesus Christ this week and I learned something an old friend taught me last year before I came out on the mission. The Atonement is not only for sinners. The Atonement can be used for all wounds, self inflicted (sin) or those that are just part of our mortal journey. When we are faced with growing trials, and it seems that we have in some way failed or fallen short of our potential, I invite you to get on your knees, and pray. Through your prayers you will feel the love and succor of He who descended beneath all so that He may raise all of us.

D&C 122 says:

5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

 6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

 8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

Don't forget to use the atonement.

Tomorrow my comp goes home, my new comp is Elder Herrera! I am pumped to work with him. We got here the same day.

Have a great week guys, stay safe, and as President Monson said "Keep the Commandments"

Elder Draper

Zone Class

My Comp's goodbye party