Week 20 - Esperanza - Elder Salazar

HOLA Familia... haha 

Well this week was pretty dang good!! I just want to start off by saying a HUGE THANKS to EVERYONE that sent me a heartfelt letter, for the letters of my fellow SC Missionary buddies and emails to those that wished me a happy birthday, it really was one of  THE BEST birthdays in my life!! IT WAS SO AMAZING! I have the best family and friends!!!

Well this week started of pretty hard, with finding or meeting with people to teach. But all went well! So on my birthday, Friday-March 6th, we went to Obregon for a zone conference, which is always awesome. I get to talk and see people that I haven't seen for awhile and to add to that excitement, they all sang me a Spanish church "Happy Birthday" song haha then all the gringos sang, "Happy Birthday" to me, it was pretty cool! Then I went to the mission offices and got my package!! Man THANKS SO MUCH for that package!! I think my favorite part of it is all the wonderful letters!! haha I love reading what everyone of you had to say!! All so different haha.  Afterwards, we went back to Esperanza to eat and from lunch we went straight to the Baptism for Javier!!! We got there and there wasn't a lot of support because, it was on a Friday, at 3:00 so it was hard to have a good attendance.. but I baptized him and it was pretty cool!! The water was a little cold and I was so focused on saying his name right that I almost messed up on the prayer... haha but all went well and it was such a cool experience on my birthday, what a great gift for me to give to someone that I care about!! Then after the baptism, my companion told them all that it was my birthday and they sang the Spanish church song again haha Then the grandma of Javier came and it looked like she was going to give me a hug... so I just put my arm out stiff and shook her hand... haha. 

After the baptism we went to teach Joshua!! And that was a cool lesson! He is soooo ready, soooo prepared, he has the desire to be baptized, to study, pray, but the one slight problem is that his dad won't let him....and that is a big problem for us missionaries... but we are going to continue to teach him the lessons and pray for him, and we have faith that heavenly father will soften his dads heart and let him do what is right!! Then to finish off my birthday we bought a tres leches cake, and so I ate that, then I sat on my bed and read all the letters that night:) thanks so much for those letters!! I can't thank you enough!!

A Spiritual experience that I had this week was we went to see how Annie was doing and if she still wants us to teach her. So we got there and started teaching her but as normal she started asking a TON of questions, and one of her biggest doubts about us is that we can baptize her.. that we have the priesthood! So we told her if she doesn't believe us then we will bring the Bishop to explain it to her... and she was pleased with that..So then we wanted to show her a video (The Hope of Gods Light) and so we put it on and watched it... and wow that video is so powerful! After it got over she turned and had a different face... then my companion told her what he liked about this video and said that every time he watches it he feels something. Then she turned to me and asked "do you feel something?" And I said, "yes I feel peaceful, joy, happy, and a love like no other". Then she didn't say anything and I thought "oh no those sound like cliche responses!!" so I hurried and asked if she felt something, and she said, "you know something, I have always asked why God keeps sending you two here, when I forget to do my homework, when I don't study or read. But when I was watching this video   I realized that it's NOT Elder Salazar or                 Elder Horlacher knocking on the door.. it's God!!"  WOW!! I cant tell you how strong the spirit was... literally I wanted to cry in joy!! but I held it in:) and I told her that I was going to be talking in sacrament meeting on Sunday and she said, "ok I will come!!" so we left happy!!

But when Sunday came around... we waited and waited and waited but none of our investigators came... not even Javier to receive the Holy Ghost!!! So that was really kind of a punch in the face or a downer... But I still had to give my talk, so I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting, and it went alright haha I didn't look at the paper the whole time!! and I talked for 9 minutes haha I was pretty surprised with it but I still don't have control of my knees when I give talks... haha but ya this is my week!! 

I love you all thanks for all you continue to do for me and all of my letters, they were the BEST gifts ever!! Be safe and remember that not only I love you, but Heavenly Father and Jesus LOVE YOU!!

LOVE,

Elder Horlacher

You have NO idea how much this birthday box meant to this boy.

He could not thank me enough for the LETTERS that I collected from coaches, teachers,

friends, families, uncles, aunts, cousins and sisters. That was all he asked for and the

Jesus The Christ Book (Thanks to Coach Campbell). He said it was the BEST BIRTHDAY!!

Elder Horlacher and Javier.

Elder Horlacher & Elder Salazar with Javier and his family.

Trevor said that this is a BAR in Mexico.

He said at least they don't DRINK and DRIVE! haha

Week 19 - Esperanza - Elder Salazar

mom!!! how are you? thanks for all the check ups!!! that's so cool to hear where everyone is going on their missions now!!"! So crazy that it is already that time to start opening all their calls!! Dang seems just like yesterday! And yes the 6th month mark!! WOW I'm getting old in mission and in 3 days I'll be older, not just a little 18 year old!!! It really is like what every one says "a blink and its gone" how crazy!! It feels just like yesterday that I was in the MTC, or at home watching you work in the office... haha or playing Rubgy & Football!! But I can honestly say that this 6 months have been the biggest teaching and building as a priesthood holder, member, man, and all in all A BETTER ME!! I have a found a love for people that I didn't even know... when I think about that... it's just kinda weird haha but its a good thing!!!

This week we have come back in touch with an old investigator named Joshua and he is 14 years old, and he has been prepared!!!! He is ready, its amazing because we have tried teaching him ever since I arrived here in Esperanza, but in his own time (Heavenly Father) he prepared him! he loves to read out of the Book of Mormon, and wants to be baptized!! It's amazing to watch Joshua learn more and find the light. His date for baptism is the 20th!!! so pray that his parents will allow him, and that he will be able to prepare for this day!! Then we have a baptism Saturday for Javier!! So I'm pretty much pumped in this work right now!! My Spanish is alright I can talk a little more fluently, but ya I can understand mostly all!! what a blessing haha 

Lourdes is doing great she is going to the temple this Saturday to do baptisms for the dead for her family!!! She is amazing and such a strength in the gospel. wow really already!!

Annie is good but she still hasn't come to church!!! She is starting to understand our religion but she needs to come to church!! 

The guy that I gave him a blessing he doesn't want to come to church so there is nothing we can do so we said we will come back to his house in a while to see if he is ready.. but I gave another blessing to the grandma of Javier and she said if we hadn't have come when we did that she might have done something that would have been really bad... she is really sad, depressed... one of her sons is a drug addict and beat her because she was protecting her grandson from him.... how sad... so I gave her a blessing of peace, comfort and of health.. I was stumbling on words and all, but she felt a lot better after the blessing, I could tell.

We had intercambios (transfers for a day) and I went to another area in Obregon, it was really different, which is really strange because its only like 20 minutes away! But it went really good, we had a apostolic yell at us and tell us to leave because we were teaching about the Book of Mormon to her son that is like 70! haha She almost called us the devils but my comp. Elder Flores corrected her... hehe then I got to see Elder Funk and Elder Vargason from the MTC! which was good! well I don't know really what else to say... 

But all I can say, is the best feeling is when you see the light of the gospel start to shine in someone you love, or see them find it for them selves! It's amazing :)

Love you all and thanks for the emails and package, and especially THANK YOU for all of your prayers (if you pray for me;) even if you don't thanks!! Love you all!! 

Elder Horlacher

Making pancakes for his district with Elder Cruz

Trevor with the Yaquis Indians in the street

Trevor got to spend some time with Elder Funk & Elder Vargason, from the MTC

Getting ready to go out in the rain!!

Shoe UPDATE: Hanging on by a thread

Week 15-Esperanza - Elder Ramirez

RAIN! MUD... :)

So this week we really tried to focus on contacting at least 10 people in the streets.. and one thing I like to think about when we are doing this is "that every contact or person we talk to is very important or is a little seed we plant in their heart". So we went and the first little lady I just started talking to, haha my broken spanish, but she understood me and she let us put her address down and we gave her a pamphlet! and I can honestly say that we have encountered some good people that are very ready for this gospel!! 

On Thursday we went and taught Annie the first lesson and she was really confused with our principles and doctrine and the Book of Mormon. So we tried explaining it all and try to unconfuse her but it was just making it worse, so I just said lets teach her the first lesson it answers all these questions.So we did and by the end she didn't have any questions! that was a good day. Then after that she gave us some cereal! Man Fruit loops are amazing.... I dont know why I didn't like them before but wow, today I went and bought me some haha.

Friday It Rained!!!! I was soo happy! :) I love the rain, but during the rain we had a meeting with President and all the 6 months and fewer missionaries.. so I didn't get to work in the rain... I was pretty sad but glad I wasn't wet, so that was a blessing:) but I also went on a intercambio with Elder Reich. That was a good day with the zone leader. We taught 2 lessons and contacted 11 people in the streets! haha it was funny to watch people look at 2 Americans walk down the muddy streets and talk Spanish with them haha. Elder Reich helped me with my study's and told me not to listen to people when they tell me that I don't speak good Spanish or anything like that which helped a lot. 

Sunday. Javier came to church with his uncle and with his cousin which are members! I think they really like church and they will become more and more involved in the church. But before church started the other elders contacted a guy on the street and invited him to church and he accepted haha and after sacrament meeting, in the principles of the gospel class he gave a cross necklace to a sister missionary and made her put it on haha it was so funny!! She couldn't say no... haha but after church we went over to Annie's to teach her the 2nd lesson plan of salvation, but they were watching the super bowl and she invited us in to get a drink and I saw that Seahawks just scored and it was 24 to 14 Seahawks... and that was such a temptation... dang football haha but ya we left in a hurry haha but ya that is this week. 

But I just want to say it is important to be happy, because when we really think about it we are children of god!! who loves us so much that we can't even comprehend!! And is always there to support, help, and lead the way for us! we have the Atonement to help us feel this peace and joy and love of our father and jesus our brother!! and by showing your happy in your smiles and such in the street or where ever you can plant seeds in peoples heart about Mormons, or our church, or even like the quote,

 "Live your life so that those who know YOU but DON'T know him, will want to KNOW HIM because they KNOW YOU!"            Love all of you thanks!

Elder Horlacher

Elder Horlacher made Teriyaki Chicken ALL BY HIMSELF!!

I think someone is missing his mom's cooking!!

 GOOFY MISSIONARIES!!!

Trevor's MOTO "ALWAYS BE HAPPY!!!"

 He Looks very BIG in the air!!!

 I don't know what they are doing here, but having fun!!!

Elder Horlacher and Elder Wahlstrom

These people are Elder Wahlstrom's parents.

I met his mom on Missionary Mom's Facebook page and we have been communicating since our

boys were called to the same mission. It's so much fun to meet fellow missionary parents.

We are hoping that they get to become companions!!

Week 13 - Esperanza, Elder Ramirez

HOLa! 

That is sooo crazy!! Cecilee has her wedding dress!! What the heck! I'm actually sad that I'm not going to be able there to witness it... or participate in it.. 

This week was a solid normal week, with some crazy Book of Mormon stories in it too!! Well, to start off we found & contacted A LOT of new investigators this week. We had a lot of lessons and mas o menos (more or less) success. But we taught Alfonzo on a Tuesday and it went good but he is really confused and doesn't have confidence that he can stop smoking... we offered to give him a blessing and he denied that, then we asked if we could say the closing prayer kneeling and he said that was too much for him.... so I am wondering what he is going to do or if he still wants to listen to us..  but we bore our testimonies on how we know that God his Heavenly Father can and will help him if he shows his faith and takes action!! But I don't know if he really took it to heart. 

We didn't really get to talk to Annie about what we gave her because she wasn't there or didn't have time, until a Friday. We went there and started talking and then they asked me if I liked football american and I said, "YES of coarse! I play it" and then I asked who was their favorite teams and haha Annie's reaction was so funny, she was all like "OOO my team is The Packers!! and his is the cowboys and we beat him haha!!" I was laughing so hard, then she invited me to come watch the game on Sunday of the Seahawks and the Packers!!  I had to explain that we have rules in the mission and things we sacrifice for the mission and part of that is TV :) but then we planned a soccer match against us 4 elders vs their family!! haha and there are tacos on the line. Losers have to buy tacos haha and that is happening next Monday, so I will tell you all about that next week! but also we didn't get to catch up on homework we gave her because we were teaching and showing Mormon messages to her husband. But ya she is excited about us elders and knows a lot about our church!! It amazes me haha.

A teenager that we are teaching came to church!!! His name is Joshua he is 12 and is really smart, he knows a lot of English!! He really likes the church and enjoys the time in the church and with the other kids. But the challenge with him are his parents.. they are really Catholic and right now have him on a really tight leash no joke! But he knows and wants to be baptized but is scared of his parents I think... (Please pray that his parents hearts will be softened towards the gospel)

Service this week we gave one of our old mattresses to an investigator that was sleeping on his chairs and really has nothing.. I was really humbled when I walked into his house.. its sad so me and my comp went and got our mattress and gave it to him!! haha we walked about a mile with the mattress on our heads! People were looking at me like I am a white person or gringo! haha but after that we felt good, warm and fuzzy no joke:) 

Well I love you all! and mom what you said about prayer is so true and awesome, I'm going to start saying a new prayer every time I pray to my Heavenly Father!! thanks I love you all so much!

Love, Elder Horlacher

 This cracks me up especially after he explained that they walked a mile carrying this mattress to one of his investigators that had nothing to sleep on.

 He gives "BED HEAD" a new meaning!!

We sent Trevor a package and he asked us to please send him a backpack because the shoulder bag was hurting his back. So here he is modeling his new backpack.

 He is pretty excited!! He is also modeling one of his new ties to match his tan pants.

 I sure love my boy and miss him like crazy!!

Week 12 - Esperanza-Elder Ramirez

Hello Home.. 

Well this week was a normal good working week.  We visited with our convert (Lourdez) and she is doing great! lShe has so much faith in Christ! I am amazed at how much she is learning and everything she tells us is just wow!!!.. She is already an example to me in this gospel! She reminds me every visit how lucky I was to be born into this Gospel... Honestly, I never really thought about that before.. how lucky are we to be born into this gospel with our family to support us in the church and everything... this is a very great huge blessing in my life! and I want to bless others with this blessing that I have been blessed with!! So from now on, I am going to give all I have and plus 10 percent!

This week we were showing a video called, "Who are the Mormons", it shows basically everything about us and what we believe and do.. and in one lesson with a new investigator, Annie, after showing the video we asked her what she learned new about us and what she liked. She replied normal.. but then she just got into deep thought. 

(and she has been taught by elders before like 5 months earlier) and she looked at my companion and asked, "why would Elder Horlacher get called to serve here in Mexico? and he pulled out the scripture in D&C. Then she said, "yes, ok your commanded of God to places"... then she said, "why wouldn't he get commanded to go to somewhere he can speak & explain it is easier?".. then she looked at me and said, "explain it to me! why?" 

And I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous, but the spirit was really powerful. 

 So I just said, "well.. why I think and believe why I was called to come here to Mexico and learn Spanish is, before this life we lived with God and everyone that has ever lived in the world and we all needed to come to the earth to receive a body and be tested, and I believe that I knew people there, I had friends there and I promised them that I would find them here on earth and that my purpose or reason for coming here to serve is to find my friends and share this joy, happiness, knowledge that I have with them!  So that they can live with God again." 

And she just looked at me with, I don't know what to call it, but it was like she was pleased with my answer or was just feeling the spirit as strong as I was and nodded her head up and down like you do when you agree or understand.. and then she had questions about the Book of Mormon and really was confused on why we had the Book of Mormon and in the Americas and such.. so we thought we should give her the reading assignment to read 2 Nefi 29. and we´ll check up on her on Tuesday. (Please pray for Annie and FOR ME & my companion that we will be able to answer her questions & help her understand the gospel more clearly.)

But  Sunday, no body came to church.. no investigators... we went to get Alfonzo but he was feeling bad and was still asleep... But we taught him on Friday and all but we really focused on getting him to read the Book of Mormon, and he told us he will so I guess we´ll see.. I have faith he will!! (Please pray for Alfonzo too!)

And I have had troubles sleeping lately... I think it's because the new beds are hard.... really hard.. I don't like them that much but I guess I'm just going to have to get used to them & suck it up, haha.Bbut the mission life is all about being tired.. having your whole body tired all the time, that means It's been a good day! haha but I found vitamins in the house and I'm going to see if they help, so here we go!

I love you all!! and so does God and Jesus our brother!! Don't forget that!! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Horlacher

 Elder Horlacher met Elder Wahlstrom

I had met Elder Wahlstrom's mom on the mission Facebook page and she messaged me

that her son was leaving for the mission and to please have Trevor look out for him.

Well Trevor sent me this picture. They both look pretty happy.

 Trevor messaged me in one of his letters to please send him the recipe for cocoa rice.

I did and he made it. He said that it was soooooo delicious and that his companion LOVED IT.

He said that he told him, "Why can't I stop eating this, it's so GOOD!"

(I did tell him not to fill the pot too much because it will overflow and make a mess!)

 Absolutely beautiful fields 

 After singing the song from his last baptism

"I Like to Look For Rainbows"

 Rainbows take on a new appreciation