Week 7

WOW it has already been 2 weeks and I have so much to tell you, but so little time!  SO SAD.. hahah

Okay one story.......  It was 8:57 and we were passing by our house and about to go in when I remembered Shelby and Carter telling about the 8:59 miracle.  We had already contacted 30 people that day, but I wanted to get just one more.  So we started walking down a different street through the crazy market and I saw two women....well actually they were teanage girls, but I didn't know that at first....jajaj  but yeah we contacted them and I was like "We are missionaries ....ect..."  and I asked " Can we come by and share this message with you at your house"    And one of the girls just stared at me and did not answer....I was like WHAT?  My Spanish was so good this time!"  But then she said " I'm sorry, what did you say ? I did not catch it....YOUR EYES are so bonita".  I guess that they are not used to blue eyes here! hahah..... so that is my story about the 8:59 miracle!  Not as inspiring as Carter and Shelby, but I am sure I will have an experience like theirs another day!

SO life is good in Mexico!  It is so layed back here and easy going, except for the roads!  But it is hard being a missionary in a layed back country because most of our appointments fall through and it is rough!  But I know everything is in the hands of the Lord and He is watching out for me!  Pray to be able to see the hand of the Lord in your life everyday and you will grow to love Him more then ever.  I have come so much closer to the Lord and I am trying to focus on doing everything to please Him.

Our house is crap, but I like it as long as it is clean!  hahah..  I have been working on getting rid of the mold.  I eat nutella and peanutbetter and bannana every morning and night for breakfast and dinner and of course lots of cucumbers! hahaha.  I am learning to love the food here.  At first it was hard but now I eat sooo much at the members houses.  I don't think that I have had a meal without tortillas! 

SO the Spanish is good and coming along!  I try to speak so much in the lessons and with everyone I meet to practice, but most of the time my companion has to translate what I was trying to say...he understands my terrible spanish better then others..I say some ridiculous things some times!  One time I said that God is not an orange god!  I was trying to say God is not an angry God! haha  I love it!

It is ridiculous how nice the states are!  We have it sooooo good!  I never realized it...it is very humbling.  I wouldn't trade these difficult times for anything!  Well maybe a rootbeer but nothing else..they don't have rootbeer here and it is sad.  

This gospel is amazing and I am so greatful for every blessing in my life  especially my Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that He lives.  He can help us with every problem we have.  He is my brother and I love him.  I can't believe how much I don't know about this gospel and I am loving learning more every day.  

Missionary work will not move forward without charity!  Pray for charity every day because it is a gift that GOd will give us.  We can not have the spirit with us if we do not love the people we teach!  If nothing else I am learning to have charity.  

I thought MTC life was hard! But really that is the life!  Also life in the field is the life!  but alot harder life.  

I went to the doctor because of an ingrown toenail today!  He squeezed 3 shots into me toes and my toes tripled in size.  It was hard to watch and then he ripped out half mynail!  But it is all good now.  It just hurt to walk and that is a little bit of a problem because we walk many miles a day! But it is all good "missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience!"  

I am so happy here because I am doing the work of the Lord.  

ELder Quist

PS it is beautiful here from afar but not up close!  like shelby said!

Week 5 & 6

Family and friends!  I'm in Mexico right now and I am going to be here for 2 years! I love it so much. It is so crazy and hard and difficult and awesome and Mexico it definitely a different country!  Sorry I haven't sent a real email in like 2 weeks!  We went to the temple today so we switched our pday for this week!  So I will write on Monday in 4 days!  This week has been so awesome!  SO hard but so awesome because I am changing and growing and having new amazing experiences!  First week went well!  It was so great to get to talk to you in the airport mom, dad and alex and abby!  You are such an amazing family!  I am so blessed to have you to strengthen me!  Saturday we went to a stake center to listen to a prophet of the Lord!  ELder Quinten L Cook came to our mission on the 5th day in the field!  It was amazing!  He speaks english, so that was very conforting!  I love hearing from him!  He talked about how this is absolutely the best place for me to be!  The spirit was so strong and I know this is where I am supposed to be, even though it is a struggle!  He gave us a sneak preview about what he will be talking about during conference! hahahha It was awesome!  ELder Tad R Callister of the presidency of the Seventy came to the mission to and talk at the same meeting!  He talked about the atonement and how we can apply it in our lives!  It was so powerful and he is one of the best speakers on earth, besides Elder Holland!  HE said "What ever we are stuggling with in life, the Lord has the perfect plan for us and He knows exactly how to help us!"  The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real!  I know it and I am learning to trust  the Lord!  It is hard because the natural man is so stubborn!  I Know that Christ lives!  He is my Savior and I am coming to love him even more !

Okay so details!  Sorry I don't have much time because I want to get to work in the streets!

1.  My companion speaks little to no English.  He is from the Dominican Republic.  He is very hard working and wants to be obedient and that makes me so happy!  The first few days were hard with him becuase I didn't know that!  We drove 40 mintues to our first area in a taxi on the crazy roads of Mexico!  We got to our house and opened the door to a crappy apartment!  It was hard to see but now I am grateful for it because after being in so many humble homes I would not want to live in anything better then I live!  It is very humbling here!  The first thing my companion did was put on a goo goo dolls song in english!  My heart sank!  I thought to myself, if he is going to listen to this as the first song...oh man we are going to have problem/////don't get me wrong, I love the goo goo dolls, but not on my mission! hahahah//////  I asked him to turn it off and then I realized he thought it was a church song because he doesn't know English and he thought it was a church song! haha  He got the music from other missionaries!  

I have got to go now!  I know it must be hard for you not to hear much from me but I will write alot more on monday!  Love you so much mom and dad and alex and cameron and abby and shelba!   Peace out!   I am doing so well and loving so much of the experience!   

Love ELder Quist!

Week 4

 Life is going great!  I don't feel like writing a long email today because I don't have time!  Tell Davis and Chancey that I am excited for them!   William is getting married! haahah!   I am so excited. but so sad also because I am not going to be able to be there!   I love Alex's  hair cut!  Keep it bro!  It is so exciting to hear about all the misison calls !  It is amazing!  Already I know that serving a misison is going to be the best experience  of my life!   It is so uplifting and it is so hard!  Learing a new language is ridiculous I have decided!  But spanish is seriously so much better then english!  We try to speak in all spanish all day 100% of the time and I love it but it is so hard to communicate sometimes. However it is getting easier and easier every day!   SO last week on Tuesday I got called as the district leader and served faithfully for 5 days!  It was a great experience and I learned so much.  I love being a leader!  It is awesome to try to help other missionaries to the best of my ablilities!  Being district leader was good while it lasted! hahah.   Basically I was in charge of making sure the district was progressing and the purpose of a district leader is to invite other missionaries to come unto christ and help by being an example!  I got to have interviews with the missionaries so I could report in all the meetings and I am in charge of helping elders who are struggling in the district!  It is a fun job I learned a lot but now I am on to bigger and better things! hhahah Just kidding.On sunday morning they called me for an interview and my companion and I sat in the interview and they told me that I would be released as the district leader! I thought "DId I do something  wrong!!   I guess they only needed me for 5 days!"  hahah but then they told us that my companion and I would be the next zone leaders! I did not see that coming, but I am glad I am being given these opportunities to learn and grown! It is great. I love all the people in the zone and it is so great to be here in the MTC and learn so much from all these amazing people!   I think that they were just testing me for 5 days as a district leader to see if I could handle being a zone leader!  

Life is going great!  It is going so fast! It us crazy. I have so much to learn but that is so exciting to me!  I am improving  so much with spanish but I am so terrible still!  

Last Thursday I saw Zac at the temple as I was leaving!  We didn't talk but be said hi and it was great to see him!  I guess he works with my branch president in the technology department at the MTC because last week when I sent my report  to the branch president I got a message back and he said "do you have any smoothy recipes you want to give me? and by the way how is Gail!"  I was so confused!  I had no idea how he know a these things!  I was wonding if he facebook stocked me or something!  hahah   But no I guess he got some inside info form Zac!  hahaha It was hilarious!  My branch president is my favorite person!  He is soo funny!  I bet Zac could tell you some stories but yeah he is so chill and it seems like he is sleeping 24/7.  Right after I saw Zac at the temple I saw Haley Charles!  hahah! Ihave  literally seen 15 people I knew either at the mtc or at the temple!  Tell Haley I say hi! 

We have so many good times as a district and we are leaening so much and feeling the spirit so much!  I need to learn to rely on the Lord more but I love Him so much!  Tell Onna thank you for me for the cookies! They were amazxing!  She always sends me things just when I need it!  I love playing basketball ever day!  There are some many good players and we play with elders and sisters that play division 1 basketball in college!  They are amazing and I love it!

We had something called TRC skpye and my companion and I taught a lesson to a memeber over skype in Ecuador! He was so cool and it was the best experience this week! The spirit was so strong!  Feeling the spirit is the best gift that we are given on the earth. I am a seeking to have the guidance in my life 24/7 !   I love this gospel and I love you all! 

Love you mom,dad, alex, Abby, cameron and shelby!  you are the best family any one could ask for!  I miss you all!  You are such a strength to me! Keep up the reading ALex you are amazing!   

The Book of Mormon has brought me so much closer to Christ and I love it!  The MTC is the best place and I am going to be sad to leave, but I am so excited for leaving soon!

Count down begins 12 day!  Peace out family!

Love ELder Quist!