Week #3: June 29 2016

Hola everybody!

I'm going to begin with some things I forgot in my last letter/things that are reminders to tell you guys. First, HAPPY FATHER's DAY! I was thinking about you but I forgot to wish you well on my P-day last week. Second I just wanted to let you know that I am super grateful for the picture of Grandpa. Third, try doing this, read your patriarchal blessing in the temple, specifically the celestial room. My teacher suggested it, and it was awesome. Fourth, if I forget things, it's because I don't have a ton of time to actually write and read everything. Fifth, Mom can you send my outlines that are on my email? Sixth, find my picture on the Mexico MTC facebook page. Seventh, a Hermana in my district made an awesome mission video that you should look up and share. Her name is Marissa Maxwell. Her video has gotten a ton of views already. VERY IMPORTANT, p-day is being moved to friday for the rest of my time in the CCM.

Okay, enough with business. This week has been really great! both of our "investigators" have committed to baptism and things are going well. I am excited to get to go to the temple again today. Other note, Hermana Maxwell got transferred to a latino district for the last three weeks and now we have two trios in our district. I am learning lots each day.

THE GOOD STUFF! here are some important things I learned this week.

1. Focus on the work is not a drain but a fountain of strength. I feel more tired after p-days then I ever do on normal days. I am grateful for this wonderful blessing

2. The Lord has exact timing. We are here at this moment for a reason. It is like the timing of a pink sunrise. Trust in that.

3. Be a disease! Do not give up, but keep on coming back to spread this great joy to the children of God.

4. Apply likes and dislikes to your investigator. Our teacher Hermano Gomez was demonstrating teaching and the investigator liked Clash of Clans, a strategy game. So, he used that to compare God as the master Strategist and that He being wise, created a plan whereby we could return to Him.

5. I will never complain about my size. I heard a story of a humble Elder who was 7'8"! he had a size 23 foot. He told the president not to worry about a bed because he didn't remember the last time he slept on one; not to worry about getting him shoes, because he had none, because he didn't remember the last time he had any.

6. I am not here to learn Spanish. I am here to learn how to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Spanish Language.

7. Who can I help today? Who can I lift today? True conversion has a visible impact on people. The way to be truly happy is to let go of yourself and serve. When you do this, God changes you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually!

This week was amazing in the things I learned and I wish I had more time to expound them and share them, but I hope my message was clear. I am here to help God's children have this change and come unto Christ.

Sincerely,

Elder Haynie

Elder Waters

Elder Summers

Our classroom

Our motto

How we learn Spanish

Our Branch

At the temple a couple weeks ago

Week #2 - June 22 2016

Hello everyone,

This week went SUPER fast! that may have been due to the previous week feeling like mollassess. Last p-day we got to go to the Mexico City temple which is HUGE! Like it is crazy big. It was a super neat experience to be able to go through a session but i was in spanish. (Later our district found out we could ask for headsets) It was interesting the new things I learned from it being in spanish. I am super glad I was able to go a few times before I left because I was able to understand most of the session. Everything is beautiful here but the days are long and full.

This week was kind of a difficult week with my companions. I thought I was a stubborn person...yeah, we kinda have things worked out, but mostly I just have to listen and learn. Planning is difficult in a trio, but I think it has been good for me. The language is progressing well and teaching is getting much easier. We are now teaching two "investigators" named Daniela and the other Raymundo. We had a couple of really neat experiences where we finally were able to plan effectively and we could tell that it would be a good lesson before we even went in.

Here is the good stuff, I mean the stuff that I learned this week:

1. God truly calls people to do His work. I know that our district leader was an inspired call because we had interviews and afterward I had such a feeling of comfort from the counsel that I knew he was the correct choice.

2. Following counsel is just as important as hearing it. The reason our planning improved was because we all listened and followed the counsel of our leaders. We can listen all we want, but unless we actually change, there is no point.

3. Humility can come in a variety of forms, but it is dependent on attitude. Background, one of my companions tends to make us late to things. On Monday, we change our sheets, and they set a new set on our beds for us to make. We had a weird meeting early that morning before GYM time that got out late and we were about ten minutes late getting back to our house to change. I took some time to make my bed and we were about a total of fifteen minutes late getting to GYM. We ended up not working out for the whole time anyway and everything was fine. However, the making of my bed bothered my companion and he used a story of something that happened in his ward to chasten me a little bit. Now here is where the attitude comes in. I could have completely ranted on him or just shrugged off the chastening but I thought about it, and realized a couple of things. First, my companion really showed love to me by taking the thought to think of a story to use to help teach me. Second, it probably was not the best time to make my bed, and even if he is not always on time doesn´t mean that I don´t need to be either. I realized that I should not compare my behavior to his, but I need only to look at how I can better myself.

4. It is more important to focus on learning the languages of the Spirit and of Love than it is to focus on learning Sanish. Presidente Packard, one of the counselors in our branch presidency gave me this wisdom. I am having an issue of improving my spanish because my companions are not quite as far along and don´t always want to try and speak it during free time. That is fine for them, but that is the help I need with the language. However, I can practice the language of love or the Spirit. It just focuses what I can do to better myself  fro what is really important.

5. Repentance is change. Last night´s devotional was all about that and I think it is something to remember that in order to repent, we need to change, or vice versa. 

Another interesting thing I forgot was that yesterday about 130 new missionaries arrived which increased our numbers a whole lot. I love you all and the work is going well!

Sincerely,

Elder Haynie

P.S. I really like Alma 22:16

Also, I have a pic from the temple that will have to wait because it is on one of the Hermana´s cameras. I don´t have many pictures but enjoy!

the quidditch field

Week #1 - June 15 2016

To All that care to hear the wonderful adventures of Elder Haynie in the CCM,

It sounds like things are going great back home. I really appreciate the little things like how different aspects of life at home are going. I also am very appreciative for your spiritual thoughts.That is so great that Lucy started to crawl! tell Aurélie that and Sabra that I am so grateful for their prayers. I am so grateful for all of them actually. It's been a tough week but it's getting easier. Miranda, you will love being a missionary wherever you get called! The first week is... kinda difficult...but after you hit sunday, you learn to appreciate the day of rest that God has given us. As missionaries, finding even 5 minutes of time where the day is not planned is difficult. 

I'm going to try and describe this week but it may be a little difficult. Mexico is a beautiful place. There are so many colors! The CCM or  Centro de Capacitación de Misioneros México. That''s what we call the MTC here. The day I arrived was pretty relaxed. Every Tuesday they serve Costco Pizza which is pretty fun. That night we had a video broadcast devotional from Provo where Elder Bednar gave a devotional. He talked about how Christ loves us one by one. We are each loved equally and have the opportunity to know Him one by one. Look for a new song to be produced in the new era inspired by this devotional and pseudo written by Elder Bednar (he had help). The devotional was the first live performance of the song. After that we went to work. Day one started and it was crazy! literally there are only a few people who actually speak english, which is great, and it is very intense. It was probably the longest day of my life! Mostly it was orientation, but we had class and all sorts of things to get done. Day two, we taught our first investigator completely in Spanish. The work is progressing rapidly. Every day except Sunday, we've taught Sara Molina Hernandez. Yesterday we committed her to baptism! I almost forgot, I am in a trio and my compañeros son Elder Waters y Elder Summers. (In many ways it is easier to write i spanish) My district is composed of us two other Elderes, Elder Bench and Elder Cammack. Also there are 4 Hermanas, Hermana Maxwell y su compañera Hermana Nelson, y Hermana Heaton y su compañera Hermana Durant. Today is el día de preparación and we get to go to the temple today! The language is progressing VERY fast but very well. I have to thank Heavenly Father for that.

Enough about daily life, it's pretty much the same we eat study, study language, be taught the language teach the gospel in the language..., yeah...But here are some of the things I've learned this week.

1. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be humbled. Everything is so immersive that the only option is to rely on the Lord. It makes me think of how that really is true for everything in our lives.

2. The power of prayer is real and total. I have been saying all prayers in Spanish since day one, but there are two miracles that have come from that. First is that Heavenly Father hears them and answers them. The second is that while I am praying, words come to my mind that allow me to pray.

3.I testify that the Gift of Tongues is real. I've multiple experiences just during this week, but the most amazing happened yesterday during our lesson. I was able to speak with clarity and understand all that was said in the lesson. Then after, any Spanish I heard for at least two hours after I could understand. I just felt the urge to speak Spanish. It was miraculous!

4. We need to have gratitude in our struggles. During a district meeting, Elder Cammack mentioned this. It is truly wisdom to be grateful for in and through our struggles because that is when we grow. If things are difficult, it's both one for us to grow, but also proof that Satan is trying his best to stop what we are doing.

5. God directs our lives. Elder Summers shared something with me that truly touches my heart. He shared that in his blessing when he was set apart that there would be someone who would push him to learn the language and help him. Also that there would be someone who he could help who had never been away from home before. Last Friday, before he shared this with me, he had a pretty rough time with the lesson. The language was escaping him and he got pretty down on himself. I just was like hey, you did great! Do you want to help me study for pre-class work for tomorrow? Anyway, I got Him studying and got his mind onto progressing. His mood drastically improved and the day went on. He told me later that that really helped him get through the day than told me about his blessing. I felt honored to be able to aid in God's work. He then explained that he thought that the other person mentioned was Elder Waters. Elder Waters grew up home-schooled and has never been from home. He is bright as all get out, but he tends to be a bit out of his shell. It just amazes me how we were all put together for a reason.

This is truly a marvelous work and a wonder! I have memorized our purpose, the first vision, the baptismal invitation, and Moroni 10:4-5. I am working on D&C 4 for this saturday because that is the goal the zone leaders set. By the way that was memorized in Español. The work is going forth! Let the good times roll!

Sincerely,

Elder Haynie

ps: The campus is all open and it is so wonderful! From left to right Elder Cammack, Elder Bench, Elder Haynie, Elder Summers, Elder Waters, Hermana Durant, Hermana Heaton, Hermana Nelson, Hermana Maxwell