Yay Mexico

Well hello there everyone! How are you all doing this wonderful day?! I know I have been doing fantastic on account that I have pretty much chilled all day because all of my errands are done, and I am now chewing on melty, chocolately goodness known as an American Snickers bar. OH YEAH! Life is good! And also, this week has been really good as well. I don't know why, but I really struggle with being bold with people. I guess I am afraid that what I say will do more to prevent the lord's work from progressing than helping it. But I am done being complacent. I realized, especially yesterday, that we aren't just teaching lessons to people; we are helping them find the correct path that leads to eternal salvation with their families, and I will not look back and wish that I had done more.

But anyways, this week has been a pretty good one, but I really just can't believe how fast the time goes. I legitimately cannot remember what happened this week, and the stuff I remember, I'm not sure if I should write because I'm not sure if I already wrote about it last week, but here we go. I will do my best. This week went well, we had quite a few investigators to talk to, but there really just wasn't enough. I just feel like we could be doing soo much more, but we are just going to less actives, actives, and recent converts, and the investigators don't seem to realize the importance of our message, and most of our appointments with them fall through... :( 

Ok, so I will jsut talk about the stuff i remember. First off, THEY HAD THE HUGE BREAD AGAIN!!!! This time I got a doughnut instead, but i ended up not eating it because it just wasn't hittin the spot, but really, that bread is so incredibly huge it is insane! I wish we had pan (bread) like that in the U.S. because everyone would buy it! So we just happened to be walking by that place that sells the pan because we had an appointment. Luckily they were putting the bread in the cars to leave. We asked if we could buy it from the cars, but they said that if we wanted to, we were welcome to go into the place and buy it. So, we walk in. You would have thought we were there to either arrest them or shut them down because everyone in there looked at the two dudes (good-looking dudes too if i might add) and froze. Then we asked with pan we could buy and they went back to doing their stuff, but that place makes such good bread, but i'm pretty sure no one knows they use it. 

Also, this crazy dude tried to get me to marry one of his daughters. So, after we drop the pan off at Schaap's house, we have an appointment. we walk by this family who has a little tienda (little store to buy everything) and this guy just yells at me "Yerno" which translated is son-in-law. I just look because he was obviously yelling at me. I say "buenas tardes, como están?" and he just yells at me, here is your future wife, come talk to her, or if you want, I have another daughter!!!!! I was like "dude........ PSYCH! No! and we took off. Sad part is that he lives by a lady that we teach quite a bit, and there is no way that we can really avoid him, but we are going to try to get him to at least not call me his son. The next time we visit Hermana cruz, we'll just do it like seal team 6. Do some covert ops and stuff. Lugo will take the back door, and i will hide behind the mobile taco vender until I can get close enough to james bond, arnold swartzheneger (who knows how to spell that) army dive through her cement opening to get into her house. I can already see it now. Operation BOM. Initiative: get in. Preach the gospel. Give a blessing. and get out. We hope for no fatalities, but who knows haha

we also have a rather intersting story. We have a couple baptisms this week, but what's funny is that our investigator Jordy had his first communion on saturday (how to become initiated into the catholic church) and this saturday he is going to be baptised into the LDS church! His mom made him do his first communion even though she loves the Mormon church and I know she is going to be baptized. She said that jordy had been preparing for almost 8 months when we starting teaching them, and she said that he had to do it. He wanted to do his first communion in the morning, and his baptism in the night, and even though we thought that would be awesome, we decided to do otherwise. however, we did get to go to his little fiesta after his first communion. we walked in. Silence... I could almost here their thoughts "what is this white dude dressed in a shirt and tie with a name tag that says JESUCRISTO doing in our party" well, the answer is easy. I'm here to convert you all! haha not really, but really yes!

We talked a lot to them, and they wanted to know what we believed and why were were in mexico. We explained to them that we are here to teach about the gospel of Jesus christ, and we are here for 2 years. They actually grew to like us I think.

SURPRISE!!! Christmas came early!!!!! Not really, but seriously. I got all of my packages for christmas today.... Not sure what I'm going to do for the next 7 weeks before christmas, but I refuse to open them! I will wait til christmas. I already bought wrapping paper so I can wrap stuff up that I buy for myself so my christmas can be more exciting haha :) But hopefully the last package shows up in about a month because I can't handle having all of them here early. 

I do want to share one last story before I finish. I was with my nephew elder juarez last night, and we went to a lady's house at about 7:30. She hadn't talked to the missionaries in a couple months because her daughter died two months ago after having surgery. we started just getting to know her and started to talk to her. Like a freight train, I got hit with the words "Plan of salvation, eternal families, where her daughter is" We bore our testimonies about what our church really believes, and elder juarez gave me the look of "hey, it's your time to talk". he handed me the plan of salvacion pamphlet, and I started to cry. I felt so terrible, and I couldn't even imagine losing a daughter, even though i don't have any. Through my tears, I bear my testimony about the plan of salvation. I promised her that I knew where her daughter was and that, someday, they would be together again in a state of happiness. I also asked her if she would please read the pamphlet so that she too could understand why she lost her daughter and understand the plan that god has for her. She agreed, and we gave her a blessing. I have never felt the spirit so strong during a lesson, and she promised me that she would read the pamphlet with a huge smile on her face! I am so excited to go back and visit her again. it was one of those moments when I really understood what it meant to be a missionary of Jesus christ. 

I truly know that this church is true, and that someday we will all be together forever with our families. I know that God truly does love each and every one of us, and worries about us, but also, helps us through all of our trials. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life that helps us have the answers to so many hard questions in this life. I truly do know that the spirit will guide our words, and that we will be able to touch not only the hearts of people, but their souls too. I love you all!

AND MOM, you are the most incredible woman in my life, and I hope you have an INCREDIBLE BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! I will be thinking about you. Stay looking young! All of my companions and elders think you are my sister haha LOVE YOU!

Love, Elder Nathan Bill Norr

 I guess we worked harder than I thought. The last thing I remember was reading my scriptures haha

 That huge guy is my nephew elder juarez. That doughnut was dope, and the little kid is Jordy (our investigor) it was his 12th birthday.