Pray in your heart!

Hello!!!

Muchismo gracias for all of the happy birthday wishes! My eyes popped out of my head when I saw how many I had! I'd love to respond to them all but I don't type very fast! I feel very, very loved! Thank You! :)

Some weeks feel long out here but the majority go by too fast! This week was one of the fastest! I don't know how to slow this whole mission down but if somebody does please let me know!

We had a multi-zone conference with President this week! It was sooooooooo awesome! One of the things that really touched me was when we talked about having a prayer in our hearts. I've probably heard it about a billion and 5 times but I guess I never really understood it. Christ taught that we should have a prayer in our hearts constantly, in every single moment. So I tried it this week, and we saw miracles! I learned how easy and simply the Spirit can work through us, but only if we let it! 

Some of the miracles were simple but others were huge!! We saw a ton with Judith and Paco! They aren't married...but they are working on it. But we had a really cool lesson with them on tithing. They don't exactly have any money to get married, but we made a promise with them that if they fasted and prayed the Lord would provide a way for them to keep the law of chastity and get married in this next week! They called us two nights later and told us that Paco got an early pay check and they went and paid this morning so they can get married this week! We are praying real hard that they can be married Friday. President gave us permission to baptize them Sunday after church because I'll probably have changes next week! Its been soo cool to see them progress so fast this week, especially because we've been teaching them since November!

I was very humbled because I learned that I've been relying too much on my knowledge and my abilities, but I know that by the power of the Holy Ghost and the enabling power of the atonement ALL things are possible, and when we allow the Spirit to do the walking and the talking -- miracles follow!

elder minnick

Cake Face!

Made pizza hoy!

Weston having fun with his comp!  

To Obey is Better Than To Sacrifice

Hola mis amigos. Mexico is great and much warmer than home :)  Had one of those weeks where so many things happened that I can't remember last Monday. Friday is even a little hazy. So I'll start today and work backwards.

I bought myself a fancy new birthday suit. I love Mexico because if you look hard enough you can always find dirt cheap but super cool things. Then we walked around the centro again and saw all the cool things here in Leon for the 100th time! I guess I've learned the city pretty well! 

(Tam note:  I asked Weston... "Is BDay suit a real suit?"  This was his response, "hahah yeah I didn't even think of that... clarify for me.  It's light gray and awesome. I pick it up next Monday!")

Sunday.... I spoke in church.. again :) This time on love, service, and missionary work. My three favorite things. We had a ton of people in church -- filled one row with investigadores and another with less active members! Sundays are either the worst or the best... its awful when nobody shows up, but miracles happen when they do and start talking with the members.  I love Sundays because of the Sacrament. I wish I REALLY understood the sacrament before my misión. Best 10 minutes of the week by far. 

Saturday... We helped a guy move to another house. I rode in the back of his truck with his chickens, llama, and mattress. I'm mad I didnt have my camera. Classic.

Friday through Monday... Like I said this part gets hazy and I can't remember what happened before.

I learned a ton about obedience this week. Not because I'm a disobedient missionary, but because I'm not a perfectly obedient missionary. I learned that disobedient and not perfectly obedient are the same thing! I also learned that obedience is better than sacrifice! 1 Samuel 15:22  So that means I have lots of repenting to do! This week I'm especially grateful for the opportunity I have to learn from my mistakes, and above all for the Atonement -- only through Christ's ultimate sacrifice can the weak become strong!

SHOUTOUT...Great Grandpa Heaton! Happy Birthday the 23rd! You're the youngest 90 year old in the world! Love you!

Elder Minnick

Tam Note:  Missionary Mom FAIL!!  It is Weston's birthday THIS Friday, the 24th.  We totally forgot to wish Weston Happy Birthday on Monday (yesterday).  I was thinking we had another Monday.  And... he probably won't get his bday pkg. either.  SOOOOO, help a mom out!!! Email Weston a quick happy birthday!  weston.minnick@myldsmail.net   We can flood his inbox with belated Birthday wishes!!!  Thanks for your HELP!!  

Tam:  Classic Weston.  GQ pose with his eyes closed!!  

super late Christmas

Hola,

I need to thank all my wonderful friends, family, and Abbey Kener for the packages this week! 

(TAMI: Weston sent a separate email that said he got packages from Aunt Kim, Jill Klein, The Willes Family, Keners and ME.  SO SO happy he finally received them.  I'm not sure if the Mexican post or the mission is just WAAAAAY slow at delivering... but Weston didn't seem to care, just loves hearing from you all!!)   

My zone leaders hate me, cause they had to bring all 6 packages here all the way from Queretaro :)     Ha Ha Ha they will forgive me after I share all the candy I got.  Elder Perez told me to tell you thanks Mom!  He told me that this week I need to help him write a thank you letter in English! He is learing fast... he can say "Elder Minnick is pretty" and he can almost pray without help!  WOO!!!

This week was super normal. We worked hard, walked a ton, and ate too much. Yesterday we were walking to a members house to eat, and they live in a not so pretty place.  This drunk guy started talking to me in English.... and next thing I knew he had one of my shoes!  It was awesome!  But he was super drunk and fell over... he dropped my shoe and then started talking in Spanglish again like nothing happened.  We had a good laugh!

We are going to have a wedding next Monday!!! Judith and Oscar. We are hoping they will get baptized the 24th... I'm praying for it!  They asked me to be a witness but I don't think I can! Either way I'm stoked. We've been working with them forever.

Well there's your little update of my life. Hope all is well back home, and if not, its because you need to read the Book of Mormon MORE, and exercise MORE humility!!!! 

elder minnick :)

Christmas finally came!!  Thanks Aunt Kim, Jill Klein, The Willes Family, Abbey Kener, and MOM!

Christmas!!  

2015

Familia,

I had a wild New Year's Party! Bought a bottle of coke and lit a fire in my house. Burned some cockroaches and made a torch with an axe bottle. Went to bed at 10:30.... pm or am, I'm not sure. The two liter coke hit me hard.  Legit though, the morning of the New Year was HILARIOUS. So many drunk people in the street. Most of them were sleeping.  Everyone lit fires all over-- so that was fun. I had some really great conversations! Won't forget this day.

No but really this was a super crazy week! So many things happened and I had a ton of cool experiences. We had two surprise baptisms! They weren't so much a surprise but EARLY! We had them both planned for the 10th of January but Maria de Jesus told us Wednesday that she got a job on the other side of the country, that she was leaving next Tuesday and it would be better if she wasn't baptized. It was a littttle frustrating in the moment but we didn't take no for an answer...I was ready to drag her into the baptismal font if I had to. We have been working with her since November, passing by her house almost everyday and she is so awesome! But after some super powerful lessons and some inspired promises, and asking President if we could baptize her this past Saturday -- she got baptized! It really was a miracle, and I won't forget this tender mercy. The other baptism was Erik! His mom is a member, but they became less active two weeks after she was baptized, and that was five years ago!! It was cool to see the family reactivated! Erik is a stud. The baptism was last minute but we still had an awesome experience! 

We contacted this guy in the street named Pablo! He lived in Utah for 17 years, his two kids and ex-wife are members, and some missionaries at Temple Square gave him a B of M. He got deported 8 years ago. This guy has been an answer to my prayers. I found another B of M in English to give him. He's been typing it up, because he wants to practice -- next month he starts his job as a customer service guy. He did a ton of construction back home. He told me he worked on the temple grounds and he always talks about President Hinckley. He told me one day he met him! I don't know how much I believe because he's convinced hes still alive! Pablo is a funny guy and will be baptized next month!

It was a super hard week and sometimes I just wanted to fall over cause I was soo tired, but it was so worth it. There is no greater feeling then helping other people come unto Christ! My testimony of prayer and fasting was strengthened this week!  I know God hears and answer every single one of our prayers, and answers them in the perfect way!

Happy 2015,

Elder Minnick

Tam:  Comp desk clean... Elder Minnick desk dirty -- Weston doesn't have Britt around!!!  :)  

"My Saturday is better than your Saturday!!"
Tami: Weston has the knee pop down  

 

Tam:  Love to see them BOTH smiling!!  Good sign!!