Week 22-Esperanza-Elder Salazar

Some of the things he shared while chatting back & forth:

Mom I found out today that someone in my zone in the MTC died... she was in Argentina! I asked him if it was the sister missionary who died of Ecoli and was a soccer player from Utah, and he said YES. He was pretty sad about that. 

Ahola..... Woops.. Aloha!!

Well this week went really good and really hard, frustrating.. but all in all it went really good! To start off on Tuesday we were looking for a reference from a member and so we went to a house thinking it was it, but it was empty and the door was open, then we heard someone behind us say... hey Elders, haha he then told us that his son is a member and knows English.... so of coarse I was a little curious about his English because no one in Esperanza can speak perfect English ;) haha but so we went to his house and I was talking to him in Spanish then it just was like his accent changed and spoke perfect English!! haha I was shocked, and I  was so happy, like I had a huge smile on my face while I was talking with him! But what where the chances that we would find him, he lives on the corner of our area and just barely like that day moved back to Esperanza!! and to make it better he plays Football, he's a running back!! Man I was just a very content little boy right there! Oh, his name is Lorenzo! 

Then next big thing that happened this week is a little bit of companion conflict... but all went well we sat down and talked it out, and right when we started we both started to cry... haha I don't know if I should say that, but o well its the truth! The spirit was strong. And now we are going great we get along a lot better, I think almost one month of thoughts just attacking the mind just need to come out, then after I told him like one or two things I didn't like that he does, it was like I started to say things about me, then I started focusing on me instead of him! which really opened my eyes. 

we went to Hornos again and taught 3 lessons in 2 hours!! It was so cool, and the people we taught are very potential investigators, the only problem is how far they live.. Its like a 25 minute bus ride, that cost 15 pesos one way!!! Dang how expensive!

Saturday while we were giving tours 2 ladies stopped and asked for limonada, so we gave it to them, then one told us that she has family that lives in Utah and she loves it there and all this stuff!! haha and then we asked them if they wanted to take a tour and they said yes. So Elder Miller and I (two gringos that have the same time, not fluent) took them on a tour! And when I was explaining about the chapel and what we do in there, they asked us if we could sing a hymn. So we had a member there and he played the piano and we sang a hymn haha, (I'm getting pretty good at this singing thing) then we went and showed the baptismal font and after that they asked us if we could give them a blessing!!  I was just wondering can we do this? But then I remembered that Jesus used his priesthood for all to help all! So Elder Miller gave one, and I gave the other! That was one of my best blessings I've given! But what a strange tour that was haha. 

Sunday! Javier came and received the Holy Ghost!! and after he received it I was going to sit at the sacrament table and saw him say to himself "wow" haha I read his lips. He felt the spirit really strong! and so did I! Such a cool experience! But ya that's all in this week!! 

Love you all! Thanks for everything!! I hope that you can feel my love EVERY SINGLE time I pray, because I pray for you guys.

Elder Horlacher

 Trevor loves the carnival, so he was pretty excited when he saw this on his way to church.

 This is their chapel.

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 18 - Esperanza - Elder Salazar

HOLA con todo mi corazón!!

This week was a really good week, but really sad at the same time.... haha but to start off I want to just tell you how crazy last Monday was & how protected we are as missionaries!! So to start off we packed up Elder Ramirez, then we were waiting outside of our house, then we started walking & then stopped and thought, its better just to wait for a bus to pass here, so we walked to the shade and when we got there, we heard a tire squeal? then a boom!! and there was a car accident right where we were standing!! haha that was a dang cool experience! Nobody was hurt but it was really cool, because we know that Heavenly Father prompted us to move!! Then the bus came and while on the  bus we drifted a muddy corner in a bus!! haha I was just loving life, (I hadn't felt adrenaline like that in a long time) Then on the way back from dropping off Elder Ramirez's things, we got stuck in the mud on the bus for 20 minutes... and I was still loving life!! haha we were just laughing at NOTHING!! Everyone probably thought we were just "crazy mormons"... haha But I really had a great day, I thought it was funny, I just kept giggling. 

But this week we really tried to work with members. So he took us to one of his elementary teachers... and we already tried to teach his wife, and she is the really, really catholic women... but he is really different, he doesn't have a lot of religion aspect like his wife. He doesn't read the bible and doesn't go to church that often... so we started teaching him and everything went really well, he said he would read the pamphlet and that we can return!! so that was really cool! 

This week we contacted 72 people in 5 days... and I don't think I've seen or have received so much rejection in just contacts... but maybe we weren't contacting that much before, but we only received 22 references! I was a little discouraged and thinking, "what are we doing wrong, what do I need to do?" but we are talking to people for the first time maybe, but I can say that we have found new investigators! People that are facing some troubles and we literally have the answers from God in our message for them!! and I am so happy glad that we found them when we did, I cant wait to share this message with them.

I just want to say, "Let your light so shine forth!" 

 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

be the best that you can be, & be proud that you are mormon, because it is true joy that we can participate!! I got to watch the movie, "Meet the Mormons" and that's what I realized is that they expressed the joy and happiness that they felt with others, whether it was through charity or by helping others, sharing what we know with our friends or just someone. Lets be the light of the world!

Love Elder Horlacher

 Brand New District:

Elder Miller, Elder Salazar, Hermanas, Elder Cruz and Elder Horlacher

 Elder Horlacher's companion hurt his back and so Trevor said that he did

a Doterra treatment on him. He said, "Mom all I had was DEEP BLUE RUB,

so I put that on him and put a warm compress and then put a bag and a towel.

He said that he felt so much better the next day. 

 I think these two pictures are quite interesting, taken a few seconds apart

and one is filled with orbs and the other clear. GO FIGURE!!! 

 ON Saturday, which was my mom's birthday I received this.

 He LOVES his grandma!!

 He said that it looked like this dog just came from grocery shopping

Elder Horlacher, Salazar, Miller and Cruz

Trevor's new companion: Elder Salazar

Week 16 - Esperanza-Elder Ramirez

HELLO FAMILIA!!!!

Well this week was pretty good, to start off Monday we went to Sam's and bought 12 liters of milk and I've drank 8 of them already, yep I love Milk and I'm getting chubby. Then we went to Walmart and ate Chinese food, which was really good & cheap-I know it's kind of surprising. I picked up Oreos and Chips Ahoy and I am almost done with them and they were BIG packages. (Oh I am not eating very healthy!)

But Monday, Fui Bien we still haven't been able to play soccer with the family.

(In the background Elder Ramirez-"Hello Family Horlacher" Trevor corrects him and says, "Horlacher Family" Elder Ramirez - "Horlacher Family-Sorry I am stupid, I'm learning English" haha)

On Tuesday we were trying to do a pyramid as 4 of us, but it's kind of hard when we don't have someone to take the picture so we put it on self timer that was hard but all was well. I hope you liked those photos.

(In the background "THE BEST TWO YEARS" music playing and Elder Ramirez singing, Trevor laughing).We also ate nachos and I ate one of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten 

at a members house, Hermano Osoona very good guy that gives us cheap prices for food.

On Wednesday we had Inter cambios with Elder Cruz and we did SOME WORK!!

Contacted quite a bit of people and I sent you pictures of my backpack. I attached a waterbottle at the bottom so that my back doesn't get sweaty to put air in between. 

And during the lesson it was my first day with it, I put it on my lap and the bottle was in between my legs and the dad and the sons were all laughing at me and I was wondering why are they laughing is something wrong with my face? So I started watching their eyes and they all started looking in between my legs and the bottle was in between my legs and it looked very bad.  That's all I'm going to say, it almost ruined the lesson. It took an hour to get started with the lesson again.

I think the highlight of the week was when we got a reference from Elder Cruz and Elder Salazar and we went to go contact them at their house and it was a family and we taught them the first lesson and we felt like they were prepared "CHOSEN". It's pretty cool. Pretty cool family, 

it was probably one of the best lesson I taught, it went GREAT!!!  And in the end they gave us cookies, that made it even better.

Thursday we taught 5 other lessons (Investigator lessons) That was such a great day!!!

On that day we didn't have time to plan that day so we didn't plan and that ended up being one of our best days. So we figured if we don't plan we have better days so we are going with that, we aren't planning anymore. (Just kidding Mom)

Friday-NOTHING happened, absolutely NOTHING - we walked and walked and walked.

Nobody was home or weren't able to listen to use until 7:00pm with absolutely nothing then we went to Hermano Davalos and gave him a lesson and we ate. 

Saturday we gave tours and contacted Jehovah Witnesses, they are so funny they don't ever want to listen but they want to teach, not a good teacher.  Then we gave four lessons with Hermano Davalos and he has got to be the funniest old man that I know. He is 80yrs old and so active. He invited an investigator to church and he straight up told him that he wasn't taking NO for an answer, you are coming and that he would be there tomorrow to pick him up so be ready. 

So the next day we went to pick him up and he was sitting out in front of his house,

He said, " I'm not going to go, It's too much of a hassle for me", he has a sickness that only half of his body works, he only has feeling on the left side of his body and he has to go pee very often. 

Then they told him, "we have been teaching you for hours and you haven't had to go to the bathroom, so just come for an hour and we will bring you home and after this one hour you can do what you want."

So the man said, "OK I will go" 

I really think he liked it, He was happy and told us, "I want to see you tomorrow."

Also 2 investigators came to church, the best that I've seen in my area since I've been here.

Javier's family came to church and that was so good to see. This week has been GOOD!!!

LOTS OF GOOD WORK IN ESPERANZA!!!

Today we are going to go to the market and see if we can find some cheap Mexico Soccer Jerseys.

And I'm going to make oreo balls. 

I hope you all enjoy this, I'm standing in the road talking into this little thing and everyone is staring at me weird, but it's ok they don't understand what I'm saying!! I love you all!

ADIOS, HASTA LUEGO!!!

Elder Horlacher

Trevor LOVES food, he said that this burritos reminded him of ALBERTOS!!

Trevor made a contraption to add to the back of his backpack to allow airflow between his back and backpack, because it's so hot. 

He shared a funny story, The first day with his contraption they went to an investigators house and he had his backpack on his lap and totally forgot about his contraption. While holding it on his lap the family was laughing. Trevor was thinking, "What's on my face?" then he followed their eyes to his lap to the waterbottle. He said that they were not thinking good thoughts and it took a while to start the lesson. 

Elder Horlacher & Elder Ramirez with Hermano Davalos

 These Elder's love that Trevor is so strong and big.

Here he is carrying Elder Salazar with Elder Cruz

 ESPERANZA

 Trevor has transfers coming up, so he is trying to take in ALL of Esperanza, just in case

he gets transfered

 He said that these were the scariest stairs that he has ever used.

 Elder Horlacher cutting Elder Cruz's hair after doing his own.

 The finished job of haircuts

 Working out with Elder Ramirez and Elder Salazar

 Trevor has come to LOVE to cook, so he said that he looks forward to breakfast & Dinner

everyday to cook something new. He asked Cambria to send him the Oreo Balls recipe.

Well here are his Oreo Balls in his refrigerator.

 I think his face is like that because he doesn't usually wear long sleeve shirts or a suit.

He's getting ready for Zone Conference.

 Trevor bought himself a green mexico soccer jersey.

The Red one was from Angel before he left on his mission.

 ZONE CONFERENCE