Week 36 ~ Etchojoa ~ Elder Caravallo

Hello fam fam!

So this week was a great new start from the old men in the mission to a new companion that has less time then I do (7 months).  It really is a true saying that the younger missionaries have more energy to do the work and it helps revive us and gets us excited again!

 

We went on Tuesday and we found a family, and we asked them if they would let us share something with them, and they accepted! It was cool but short powerful lesson!  We visited a lot of less actives this week, and we had success in coming to church!!!! ONE of the 100's of less actives that we visited this week came to church!!!! It was just as rewarding as seeing a baptism! Because with him came his 2 sons!! It was something very very very good to see!!! it was awesome, because Javiercito and his family came to church too! So that meant 2 families came to church. Javercito is going to be baptized this Sunday! 5th of July! and we are hoping that his dad is going to follow the example of his son and get baptized soon. His name is Javier also.  

Well for me and my companion, we get along very well, just have a little bit of differences in the things that we like to do. I like to play sports, he likes to be on the computer, I want to be a professional football player, he wants to be a professional league of legends player (Computer game). But we get along really well because we are both strange... haha

Gaby is progressing but just a little slower then we would want. haha but we gave her aBook of Mormon in English to help her learn English, and she is reading it! she is just waiting for a answer I guess. We have explained how simple an answer from God can be but we are just waiting. She is really cool, she is willing to change for the gospel, she has already stopped drinking coffee and has told her mom and brothers that she doesn't drink it anymore!!! How cool is that!! and she was staying with a guy when we first met her but she ran him out for some reason, they weren't married so.. if they would have stayed together we would have had to have them marry first then she could be baptized, I was just thinking that wow, how she is prepared to follow the Lord. and I hope and pray that she receives a baptism! 

Today we were able to play soccer as a zone!!! It was so awesome!! But I guess I am really out of shape.. I mean dang,I couldn't breathe!! But I had the time of my life! I was a little rusty but I got to play with Elder Walker & Ramirez, two of my favorite companions!! it was awesome! But ya this has been my highlights of my week! 

love you all so much!! 

 Elder Horlacher said "Adios" to Elder Miranda and gave him a Kakui Nut Lei to remember him by.  He was finished with his mission and was going home.

 He also said, "Adios" to his previous companion Elder Hernandez because he was going home as well. He also gave him a Kakui Nut lei.

 These were pictures from Elder Hernandez's mission pictures from Facebook

 Elder Horlacher's new companion, Elder Caravallo at their District meeting

 Elder Horlacher and Elder Wahlstrom in the same district

Week 35 ~ Etchojoa ~ Elder Miranda (Transferred) Elder Carvallo

Hola! pues... this week we had the opportunity to do a lot of fun bonding things as a companionship!! Like I challenged my companion to the Milk Gallon challenge! haha 
So after the district meeting I bought him a gallon of milk and he did it... well, he tried. He drank half of it then couldn't do any more and puked it all up, haha good times. 

But we also had the opportunity to go up to Obregon to listen to a seventy Elder De Hoyos.

It was really cool, he talked about we need to have the spirit and how we need to change the manner we teach to accomplish new. he used a phrase from David A. Bednar which says "if we continue to do things we have always done, then we will continue to accomplish the same we always have accomplished" so if we want to be better we need to change! Change is for the better! Everyday strife to change something that we need to approve on because we all have things to improve on! 

Well there is a child of a member that wants to be baptized, so we are teaching him because he has to have the lessons to be baptized because he is 9 now. But his dad isn't a member (Javier, who I've talked about before) and I think it will help him a lot see a baptism! and help him want to change, because he already wants to be baptized but has a few issues... but little by little!   and Gaby came to Church!!! She is on the coarse of baptism!!! 

I have killed my first companion (missionary terms in Mexico, when a elder goes home)  haha and I now have a new comp. his name is Elder Carvallo, he has one transfer less then I do. He is really funny! He is a good Elder! I think we will get along just great!

ooo and a crazy storm hit us the other day, it started out as a dust storm to lots of thunder to rain dumping on us, like the heavens opened! it was awesome!! so cool! We took shelter in a members house and hung out with them for a little while. So I took pictures of everyone's faces and showed them my camera. 

Thank you everyone for your letters of encouragement, you have no idea how much that helps me to be able to read your experiences and learn from them. I loved my package and appreciated all the LOVE that was stuffed in there. Thank you to those that helped replace all of my stuff that was stolen, you will be blessed by helping this poor missionary. I love you all so much. Thank you again, I can't thank you enough. 

Let's all try to change something everyday to be better. Till next week, I love you all,
Love, Elder Horlacher

 This was me after the storm, I was soaked!!!

 Sunday morning at church

WEEK 34 ~ Etchojoa ~ Elder Miranda

Hey family!!

To start off, well funny story... so we had intercambios on Tuesday and I was with Elder Haveron (gringo!!) We had planned to go to Las Guaybas (little, little town) about 40 minutes to an hour bicycle ride.

So we started going and it was about 3:30pm in the heat of the day, and it was really HOT, so we found a spot where we could shade up and rest for a little bit. While we were sitting a "fly" (what we thought was a fly) started bumping into our heads, haha So we swatted it, and it left, but in like 2 minutes it returned and started doing the same, but in this moment another one
came and started attacking me! Then I realized they were bees!! So I took off running!! haha and Elder Haveron just stayed there swatting the bees (and by now there are like 10- 15 bees) haha and while I was running away the bee chased me and stung me in the face! haha But I finally ran back and told Elder Haveron, and we rode away... and let me tell
you we were in the middle of a dirt road, away from civilization but there were people just sitting watching 2 white boys running like freaks, slapping, swatting, and a little bit of screaming! haha great time now looking back at it!

This week we really thought that our investigators were progressing, they were asking questions that were awesome! Like about the Plan of Salvation, and how we believe about the people that weren't baptized before they died and how we can do the temple work for them.. Really cool experience
teaching these people new hope for their family members that didn't make the best decisions. The message we bring or teach as missionaries is amazing! We can teach the principles but the depth of the message is amazing to me. It is truly amazing to me how perfect the Plan of
Salvation is. How God puts all the ways possible to move his work forward, and to get as many souls back to him in the celestial kingdom!
But really I stand all amazed at the Plan of Salvation! It is awesome!

So our investigators... THEY JUST DON'T COME TO CHURCH!!! IT's SOO FRUSTRATING!  We explain that if they want to know the church is true or if they want to get baptized they need to come to church. But they
just don't come... But we do have one investigator that is 15 years old her name is Paola, her mom is a less active, but she wants to be baptized. She has assisted the church a lot, so we asked her if she wanted to be baptized this Sunday and she said yes, so we are going to try our best to do all we can to help her make this covenant with our Heavenly Father! She is really cool, and really wants to be baptized, and she said that she wants to be a missionary!! So she is a awesome
girl.

Love you all! thanks for all you have done for me!!  I really love you all so much!!

Elder HOrlacher

 hipster me! haha jk just because it was windy and there was dirt in the air!! haha 

 Family Home Evening with a family in Etchojoa

Week 33 ~ Etchojoa ~ Elder Miranda

So, this past week, we heard that a hurricane was coming to hit us!! and man, I didn't know much about it just heard that, and I was pumped!!! I wanted to be in a hurricane so bad! haha  but they said it would hit Saturday or Sunday... so we had to wait... Obviously we didn't get one, bummer!!!

On Tuesday we gave a blessing, then we also had a family home evening with a partial member family. And it was great, it was so fun, we taught on how important the Holy Ghost is in our lives in making decisions, and doing good. Then we played a game, that our zone leaders did with us, one person left the room and said a prayer to have the spirit with them, and the rest chose one card of nine and the person that left returned and had to choose the correct card by the spirit! haha Just to show how important the spirit is!  Then we ate Nachos!! haha good time!

But this week we also had zone conference and some things that we gringos have to do now is teach classes of English!! I'm actually pretty pumped to teach English!! 

One thing that has been improving in the branch is the mutuals for YW/YM! haha more and more teens come and most of them aren't members! But it's great fun to play volleyball with them... haha because everyone is pretty short here so I can spike the ball pretty good on them haha.  Funny story, so everyone here calls me John Cena (I didn't know who he was so I googled him to see if there was a resemblance)

for some reason... but whats even funnier is that a member was voting and one person was talking about the Real John Cena, when another asked, "wait John Cena came here?" when the other said, "NO the Mormon!" haha dang I'm getting popular here as John Cena!! haha how funny que no?

Well love you all!! I really felt your prayers for me this week and I really needed them! Thanks!! and thanks for all that have supported me all me life and especially this week in those that collected money to help my mom replace my stuff that was stolen, I soooo appreciate that! Your kindness is recognized by our Savior and me, thanks again. I love you all. 

Elder Horlacher

These pictures were taken by Trevor's cute mission presidents wife in the green and posted on their facebook page. I love that she has such a beautiful smile and has such a great relationship with the missionaries.

Week 32 ~ Etchojoa ~ Elder Miranda

So, This week we really tried our best, we went and visited with a lot of less actives. We had a lot of members come with us to the lessons. 

The highlights of this week has been: 

We got to go to Obregon for a Multi-zone conference. We spent all day there, practicing the lessons and all of our missionary stuff. I got to see my old companion Elder Ramirez! All went good but I'm still struggling with being a little shy when we do practices with people or other missionaries... haha sad, but its true. We got back from Obregon at 11 in the night! crazy!! but we bought Little Caesars pizza so we were happy campers! 

We have a few problems with our investigators, one has a pride problem, other has a drinking problem, and other has a problem with going to church... But we have one investigator her name is Gaby (REMEMBER: she was the one that I was standing on curb waiting for before we had to go inside and she walked up with her baby). She is really cool, she wants to come to church, and wants to know more! She has her baptism date on the 27th of June!! 

This week the heat has come, strong!!! Dang , I was in inter cambios (transfers with the zone leader) with Elder Mendez in Navajoa, and it was sooo HOT! We were practically dying... haha but all went good with him!

The story I think is pretty funny now but not at the moment is... after we got done washing our clothes we headed home in a hurry, and my bike only has brakes on one side and my hand was occupied with my clothes.... so I thought use your foot in the front wheel... so I did, and BOOM my foot went all the way in THE WHEEL and I fell!!! I fell pretty hard on my knee... and there were 2 guys sitting watching me just laughing! Which made me embarrassed and mad.. haha but ya that is that. 

MY MIRACLE OF THE WEEK is we contacted a house, and the lady that we contacted use to live in Utah and assisted the church and the Visitors Center in Salt Lake! She had the coolest story about the visitors center. While she was sharing it the spirit was so strong for me, it really opened my eyes of how God puts people in our paths and leads us to them! She hasn't been baptized. But I am excited to possibly share more lessons with her and baptize her. It's a small world.

Love you all,

Elder Horlacher

 Multi-zone conference: He loves Elder Walker-his very first companion in the MTC.

 He bought himself a hat because he has been getting fried from the sun.

 Trevor said that he was ready for the day and bent over and split his pants.

 They had a fire drill and teaching how to use the fire extinguisher on Sunday.