30 Hours

Note from Tam:  I got a one sentence letter today and lots of pics from Elder Minnick....

He said....  "see ya soon momma"!  

That's Why God Made Mexico!

Hola!

It seems that every day I am doing something, I am doing it for the last time as a full-time missionary. My two companions really enjoy reminding me every ten minutes too. It's been a rollercoaster of mixed feelings and sleepless nights and its so weird to me that in a week I will be home.

Mexico is a very sacred place for me. I will forever and ever be grateful to God for sending me here. I love the people, food, culture, and even the plague of bed bugs that attacked us this week. I am very grateful for all the incredible experiences I have had. From getting chased and saved in the ugliest parts, feeling the power of the Holy Ghost in the humblest homes, and seeing the mighty change of heart that people have as they repent and are baptized. I had some really good days and some really really bad days. I have failed more times than I have succeeded, but I never would have succeeded if I hadn't failed first. I am very grateful for all of the hard times just like all the good times.  I will miss walking and walking and walking. I will really miss the food, but the thing I will miss the most are the people that I have come to love. 

Here, I came to know who our Father in Heaven is and what Christ did for us. I don't think I will every stop learning more about them.  I have received an unshakeable testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a conviction to obey God's will, and I have felt God's love for me and all of His children. It's hard to describe just how I feel about Mexico. 

It's my simple testimony that God lives, and loves us. He weeps when we weep, and is happy when we are happy. I know that He hears and answers our prayers. I know that we can show Him we love Him when we obey Him, and we can bless and serve His children. I know that Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. He suffered and died for all our sins, imperfections, shortcomings and pain. Like my sister said over the pulpit three years ago, "the price has already been paid".  I know that if we repent, we can be clean and happy. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that families are forever by the power of God.  I love this work!

Elder Minnick

Zane made this last week!
Weston gets home in 8 days....on June 21st!!!

Lessons in the Baptismal Font

Hello!

Man.... we ate a lot this week. I’m thinking I’ll probably gain all the weight I lost cause I just love Mexican food. One of the greatest things about Mexico is that everyone and their dog is offering food, and even when you can’t eat more they’ll serve ya another plate.  Imma fatty.

We worked hard this week.  Laura is awesome!  She has gone to church once and is already paying her fast offerings and taking food to the relief society activities. The ward has been a huge help, we don’t even have to teach much, we just answer questions! The greatest blessing in the mission is being able to see the mighty change of heart that people have when they come unto Christ.

Yesterday after church, we divided up with some members, opened up the church and contacted péople right outside. We invited them for a 5 minute tour, and ran them through the whole church. It was cool because the stake choir was practicing. The last part of the tour was in the empty baptismal font, where we explained the importance of faith, repentance and baptism. We met a girl named Jazmin that had a million and two questions when we were finishing in the font. The spirit was super strong and we shared our simple testimonies of the Book of Mormon. It was one of those moments that makes all the hard times worth it! We are gunna have another lesson with her saturday, but we hope she can come to the baptism friday! 

Well….I only promise one more letter! See ya'll soon!

Elder Minnick

Brazilian Buffets and Baptisms!

HOLA!

What can I say..... I feel very blessed. I loved this last week. It was super crazy which just made it more fun. We did divisiones with some district leaders, had a bunch of baptismal interviews, and were all over the place. 

Ana and Laura have been progressing very well. The two of them have been a walking miracle! We taught the restoration to Laura, and gave her the pamphlet for the word of wisdom. The next day, we got a message that said, "I stopped drinking coffee and tea, and I taught my friend to stop too!"  She is great!

Some of the sister's investigators asked us to baptize them, so I baptized Karen! It was a special moment for me, because it just might be my last time in the font as a missionary. Ana and Laura will be baptized before I leave but we plan on inviting the members to baptize!

Wednesday a member gave us money to go eat, so we naturally decided to go eat all you can eat Brazilian buffet...which is just really a bunch of meat. After 2 years in Mexico, my stomach has converted in to steel so I was all good!  However, our Peruvian companion just hasn't gotten to that point yet, so after 3 days in the bathroom he finally decided to call the doctor, and we spent Saturday and Sunday in the hospital. I spent about 15 hours in a lounge chair while my other comp, Elder Ramirez went to work and to church with the members. For the first 5 hours there my legs hurt for not doing anything, and the other 10  hours I really relaxed for the first time in a long time. It felt so good that I didn't even get up to eat. I'm pretty sure I wont have another moment like that for a while, so I enjoyed it. :) In the end, Elder Pacheco lives and we left the hospital this morning. 

Happy June!

Elder Minnick

30 Days

Note from Tami:  

-- Elder Minnick arrives home on Tuesday, June 21st at 8:30 PM.  

-- Weston will speak in church on Sunday, June 26th @ 9 AM at the Traverse Ridge Building.  We would love to see you there!   We can't wait to hug our Elder Minnick!  It's time!!!  


HOLA,

My companion told me yesterday, "There are 730 days in 2 years, and you have already lived about 700 of them... so what are ya gunna do with the last 30?"  A  good friend counseled me that I shouldn't focus on what I can't do in such little time, but I should focus on all the many things I can do in that time. These things have been on my mind lately.  So I've been trying my best to do all I can do while I can do it!

We put the goal as a Zone to contact every bus we get on, and that's probably a good 15 buses for every companionship every week. We have to find a solid 20 investigators this week... I hated bus contacting before, but I've learned that if I just teach a principle from PMG at least a couple people are interested. I feel cool too when we put the Book of Mormon in the air and invite the whole bus to read it. We have fun with it.

I've been really enjoying my life here. It's been super hot and for the first time in my whole mission I bought sun screen because I don't want to go home like a tomato and hopefully my nose will stop peeling. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK MOMMA! LOVE YA :)

Elder Minnick

This work is FUN!!

Hello!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK DAD! LOVE YA!

This week was just super awesome. It has been so fun to be back in Colinas. I already know all the members and converts so the appointments with members are super chill. We also found a TON of my old investigators so the work was a breeze.

We did a special fast with the sister missionaries in our ward to find new people Saturday. We worked all day knocking doors, contacting people and buses. We didn't have any success but we we didn't get down on ourselves and were confident that something awesome would happen. We sat down for a couple minutes to talk with the local drunk guy, when out of the nowhere some 19 year-old girl was running towards us yelling, "Elders, Elders!"  She explained to us that she was living in Mexico City for 2  months and had been going to church. She had been looking for us for 2 weeks! She broke up with her boyfriend and now lives about 2 streets away from. We were a little surprised and I just asked her if she was a member of the church. She said, "No, but I want to be baptized."  I learned a thing or two about exercising faith and being in the right place at the right time. I am very grateful to God for being able to witness such a cool miracle.

I am confident that I could not enjoy being a missionary more. It's so much fun. My zone has the goal to contact every bus we take... I pay the bus driver, and without checking how many people are on the bus I start talking. It's super nerve racking because sometimes the bus is super full and other times its empty but I like the surprise. I love being a missionary!

Well.... I'm thinking of just not sending any more pics! You can all see me when I get home! 

Elder Minnick

P.S.  CONGRATS ZANE on TAKING STATE! You're the man!!!!!

Bueno...

Bueno...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHIT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYOR!

Well, its my last change! I'm going back to my old area Colinas!  I'm very excited, it's been one of my favorite areas!  I'll be in a trio with Elder Ramirez and Elder Pacheco. We will be working in a branch called Paseos as well!

We taught Cecilia again this week. We talked about what repentance meant in her life and how we can know if we really have been forgiven of our sins! After a little bit she confessed that she felt the need for baptism but she doubted the feeling because she had already been baptized as a child. We just sat and listened as she explained to us about her personal conflict. We decided to read DyC 20:37 and talked about what each part meant for her, and if she had felt the spirit and  could reach the requirements of baptism.  After a moment of pondering she lifted my scriptures a little higher and said something like, "I feel that this is true." She repeated it a couple times and then said, "I know that these things are true". With a sweet spirit in the room she told us that she will be baptized when she can meet the requirements and that she will be waiting outside for us to pick her up at 7:30 am Sunday morning! I left that house very happy and uplifted, and with a stronger conviction that the Spirit testifies of the truth.

This week I heard the Roosevlet quote, "Believe you can and you're halfway there" and then a President Monson quote, "Work will win when wishy-washy wishing won't." I am very very grateful for a mother who taught me to believe and work. Thanks mom for never letting me be a quitter, and teaching me exactly what I should do and why I need to do it! I love you mom! Happy Mother's Day yesterday!

Elder Minnick

Seek and Ye Shall Find!

Hola!!!

It's hard to describe just how great these past few weeks have been. Dad told me in a letter that these will be the best weeks of my mission and it is so true!

Getting on the bus to go to Leon about 21 months ago, the first thing my trainer told me was, "attitude determines altitude". How true I have found that to be in my life!  Whether it be under the hot sun contacting people or losing missionaries in airports, our attitude as a companionship has made some hard times into unforgettable memories.

After knocking about 30 doors with Elder Zapata (this was the first time in my whole mission that we planned on knocking doors) with little to no success, he looked me in the eye and said, The next guy we talk to will feel the spirit".  Surely enough, we met Ismael sitting in front of his house in deep thought. His wife recently had their first baby girl. We taught him the plan of salvation for about 10 minutes and with a new light in his eyes he invited us to come back so we could talk with his wife too.

A while back I had a companion who found at least one coin in the street EVERY day. I was with him for more then 4 months, and he never went a day without finding money in the street. That's how he paid for transport and food. One day he found 100 pesos in the middle of the road... After a while he found so much that he would start giving the money to me and others, and after a couple months he had given me 250 pesos in pure 50, 20, and 10 cent coins. After a little more time he had almost our whole zone looking for money in the street!

I have learned quite a bit from numerous experiences I have had like these.  Jesus taught, 

7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

If you look to feel the spirit, I know that you will feel it. If you look for money in the street, my piggy bank tells me you'll find some. If you look to teach repentance like the Savior did and baptize converts every week (that's my goal) I know you can do it too!  Surely one of the greatest secrets I have discovered in Mexico is that happy and successful people choose to be happy and successful!

Love ya!

Elder Minnick

Parques Del Sur

Hola!!

I took a trip down memory lane! I was in Leon last Monday and Tuesday, so I asked for permission to do divisions in my first area! I took the opportunity to go see some converts :) I couldn't find them all, but I did find about 6 of them. Some of them are doing very very well, and some others not so well. With all of them, we talked about the temple. We talked about goals to go for the first time, or to go again. I felt really really happy to see some of my dearest friends share their testimonies! One of the greatest days of my mission. 

So many memories came back to me as I walked those same streets again. I remembered almost perfectly how I felt, thought, and acted when I arrived here. I thought about some of the really hard times and about those life changing experiences that I have had. I felt happy to see how far I've progressed, and understood what the Lord wants me to do before I go home. I felt like 22 months of missionary service hit me right in the gut (Tacos and all)!  I took the opportunity to thank God for bringing me here! For giving me a missionary experience that exceeded my highest expectations. I thank Him every day for my Savior and Redeemer, the Man that gives me hope for a amazing future and gives me a reason to work with every thing I got! 

Right now we are going to play fútbol all day :)  Never thought I'd say that I love soccer!

Love you guys!!!!

Elder Minnick

Judith

Saul y Cristian 

Coming at you LIVE!

Ask and ye shall receive

Hello!

I'm feeling grateful this week. I had some awesome experiences. I'll share a few!

Monday night before we went to work, we offered a sincere prayer asking for a small miracle. We just asked for God to put the prepared in our path, and for His Spirit so we could recognize them. Within the hour we found Gerardo, who was an investigator we had a while back who was preparing for baptism but disappeared. We are teaching him again! The days after that, we found some very amazing people without very much effort on our part, because we were a little busy in our other responsibilities. It was very clear that God hears our prayer and expects us to do our best to invite the Spirit into our lives. A week full of "little" miracles.

Wednesday was a hard day. I did not want to get out of bed. With a million things going on, I just wasn't feeling it... So I rolled out of bed and said another simple prayer asking for help, strength, and just for someone to help me smile. All these things didn't come as quick as I wanted so I repeated the process a couple times. After prayer number three I received the impression, "try being grateful dummy" and switched up my prayer.  Instantly I started to see the blessings... A member brought us a big of cereal, another member hitched us a ride to church, and then a good friend called and made me laugh hard. I also got news that a family I was teaching in another area gets baptized in two weeks. I don't getting these great things were necessary to be happy, I believe the key to happiness is choosing to be happy.

Aaron will be baptized Wednesday! Go Aaron! We are inviting his less active family members to participate in his baptismal program and they are all thrilled!

Conference was awesome! I switched from Spanish to English every session... Feels the same! I didn't take very many notes. Almost every impression I received was about sincerity and integrity. One of the great lessons I learned in conference is that the Spirit has a specific message for any individual that has their Spirit open to repentance!

I love you all family!

Elder Minnick

Elder Mohl

Elder Zapata

Salamantinos

Three future missionaries