Week 94

Family and Friends,

So this week I am going to have a little more time to write so don't worry.  The next transfers are in 2 weeks.  Things are going smooth this transfer and I am feeling great!  It is awesome because we have been able to stay in our house a lot more because of the intercambios that we have in our area.  It is a blessing for me because we get to work in our area everyday.  And we are sleeping on our house 6 days a week.  Our house is 10 min in taxi from the mission offices and 30 minutes from the presidents house.  We don't go to the offices everyday,  we just have meetings on Monday but then we go in occasionally as needed.   President lives in the other mission, right next to the other mission Presidents house, we are actually going to eat Thanksgiving dinner in Presidents house, so that will be fun.  I am sure that it will remind me of home a lot.  My companion is really good.  He is more serious then Elder Cook but we are feeling good and we are very similar in Character.   

The other day we were able to have some amazing lessons with members.  I think that I have already told you but there are 2 members that are so great in our area. Hermano Robles and Hna Estefania.  They are like Alma and Amulek in the lessons. Remember Elisa and Elizabeth?  they are doing great and we have seen a lot of progress in them.  We had a lesson with Hermano Robles and Hna Estefania; Elizabeth started to cry.  It has been hard for her because her friends and extended family don't support her.  

Last night we were in a lesson and an investigator started to talk bad about Hno Robles. It made me really sad and to be honest it made me mad. It was the first time in my mission that I actually felt mad in a lesson.  I offended the investigator with some things that I said and right after I felt horrible and knew that I didn't listen to the spirit that told me to not say what I said.  I felt the desire to repent as quick as possible and asked forgiveness as soon as I could.  Thinking about it after it made me sad that, still, after so much time being a misisonary I could get mad.  but I am grateful for things like this because it helps be see how much I depend on the Lord and the spirit.  After getting mad I could hardly talk...there is a huge difference of teaching with the spirit, and without the spirit.  It was very obvious and I never want to let that happen again.

Well I think that is all for this week.  Thanks for everything Family.  You mean a lot to me.  Talk to you next week.  Have a good thanksgiving.  Say hi to the Quists for me.

Elder Quist  

Week 93

Family,

I was really bad at writing last week but I am sorry, I am going to be even worse today!  I am doing great and have been able to feel the spirit really strong lately!   Love you you mom, dad, alex and shelby.  I promise I will write more next week but I really do apricate your letters and the time that you take.  You are the best.  

Elder Quist

Alex- be careful driving

Week 92

This has been a busy week for us.  We are writting a little late today because we were busy all morning in some training meetings.  

Things went well this week!  I am happy and getting used to my new companion.  I am happy and we love our area!  I will write more next week.  but I love you all.  I am learning a lot and am very grateful lately.  One of the biggest things I am grateful for is the friends that I am making on the mission.  

Have a great week everyone.

Elder Quist

Week 91

Hello,

Well on Wednesday Elder Cook went home.  I was sad because he was truly a great companion!  We had an amazing 3 months working together and reflecting back on it I am so grateful.  

We have been sooo busy these last 7 days.  I have barely had a chance to stop and catch my breath but today is a great day to rest a little bit.  

So there are two stories that I would like to tell this week.  

#1.  Remember the story that I told about the family that we are teaching, the mom that had a kidney problem.  Yeah, so after I wrote about that story last week we were able to return and talk more about the experience.  She told us that when the doctor told her that she didn't have a defect in her kidney anymore she was so happy and told the doctor, "it must be the young men that are praying for me".  The doctor asked "which young men?" and she explain that she was listening to the LDS missionaries.  He proceded to tell her that he was LDS also and that she should keep listening.  So a few days later after praying for more direction in her life, she got a call from the Doctor. He had recieved the impression to call her but he didn't know why.  She took that as an answer:)

#2.  On Saturaday night the first counselor in the bishopric let us know that we were going to be asked to speak the next day, so I started to pray to know what the Lord wanted me to speak on.  In the morning I planned out that I was going to speak on following to spiritual impression to build faith and become aninstrument  in the hands of the Lord.  I thought about some of the many experiences that I have had in my life related to this theme, but then I started to think,  it does't matter what I have done in the past, It matters what I am doing now.  So I stopped thinking and started listen....only an hour before church started we were farther away from our church building because we had to stay in the offices the night before,  in that moment the impression came "don't take public transportation, walk to the church."  We didn't know why but we followed the impression and started what is at least a 45 min walk.  Not even 5 minute into the walk we saw a lady that looked lost.  She came up to us and asked us what church we were from, we responded and she said " I am looking for a church here close by that some handsome young men invited me to and gave me a beautiful book.  So, as she told us why she loved the Book of Mormon that the missionaries had given her, we walked back to the mission office with her which is the church building where the other missionaries go.  If we hadn't  listened to the spirit she would have given up, having already looked for 20-30 minutes. She was about to go home when we should up. just 40 minutes later I was able to share the experience with the ward in my talk and testify, that we are nothing but instruments in the hands of the Lord!  (1 Nefi 9:6)

My new companion is Elder Romero from ciudad de juarez chihuahua.  I am really excited for these next couple months.  I really am going to miss my old companion Elder Cook because we got along really well and he was a really fun missionary! Today we are not doing much because the past 7 days have been packed.  We are just cleaning our bedroom in the offices and then we are going to go back and clean up our house. To answer your questions, Monterrey barley got hit by the hurricane but it was rainny for a few days. 

 So this transfer the area presidency changed the way all the assistants in Mexico are going to do the intercambios with the zone leaders.  Instead of one of us going to their area and one of us staying in our area we are going to both work in our area.   That has the purpose of our area being the example area of the mission!  I feel really excited because we are going to see a lot more time in our area and help the people there more. We are going to have some baptsims coming up pretty soon.  I will let you know more as they get closer!

Love you family! hope you are doing as well as you sound!   

Elder Quist

Week 90

Hello, 

It's been a short time since I have written you but I am doing great as always. These last few days have been packed with good experiences.

1.  Sunday morning was great...as we were walking to church a car passed by and stopped right next to us.  They rolled down the window and told us that they are a young couple from another stake and wanted us to visit the wife's sister.  That was a little miracle that we saw!  It was pretty awesome because they called us last night to set an appointment for saturday to go visit her with them(that almost never happens!)  we are excited to see what happens

2.  Remember I told you about the lady that we were teaching named Dora that was like my grandma here in Mexico!  yeah we are teaching her again!  I never wrote you again about her because she fell off the charts!  It was really sad actually because at first she wanted to be baptized and then her children from a different religion started talking bad about us and making her feel bad about listen to us so she backed out.  A week ago we found her in the park next to her house and put an appointment to teach again.  On the day of the appointment she told us that she doesn't doubt that what we share is true and she is now willing to do what she knows is the will of the Lord and put off her fears!  She told us that she just needed some time.  I´ll keep you updated about her.

3. One of the families that we are teaching is great, family Montemayor.  The mother of the Family had a some sort of disorder in her kidney a few years ago they did an operation  and put some sort of metal apparatus in her kidney but supposedly she still had the defect and she was going to have to go get an operation to get the apparatus out and fix the defect in her kidney...she was really scared and had a constant pain side.  We decided to pray and fast for her last sunday and two days later when went to her house she told us that a miracle had happened.  When she went to get her final check-up before the surgery and the doctor told her that he didn't know how but she didn't have the defect any more!  The was just going to have to have a small surgery to get the apparatus out.  She was so happy!  The power of fasting and prayer is real, try it.  

4. I went on intercambios to andalucia( my second area) .  I got to see the Sanchez family.  They are doing so great and passing through a lot a trials. Jonathan the oldest son( who works for Melisa and Pablo)  is doing amazing and talked to the bishop last week to see about his mission papers.  How grateful I am to be a part of this families life!  I love them so much and have formed an eternal friendship.  

5. Someone told me that I look like the little kid from "back to the future"

Love you friends and family. Tell Alex I love him and Abby too.  Have fun back in Idaho Shelby. 

Elder Quist