Week 58

Hey everybody:

   Well first off, If you guys remember the family of 4 I baptized in my first area, Raquel, Gabby, Naylei, and gustavo....well Raquel died yesterday.....right after church, she had a heart attack, and died in the hospital....It mad me really sad at first because, I never said goobye to her...I was taken out of my first area so fast, that I never got the chance to say goodbye and I have a letter written to her in my hand that I never got around to sending....It would have taken me 2 minutes to give it to the zone leaders, but I never did it...It hit me pretty hard, to know that she must be in the spirit world, preaching to those on the other side, and she was active in the church literally untill the day she died, it is now oficially one of my goals to return to mexico, and watch that family get sealed in the temple.

  Apart from that, Elder Whitney who was a good friend of mine here in the mission, was sent to another mission, he was sick and couldn't sleep and was having a really hard time, so the President let me know that he was to go to the Atlanta Georgia mission, where I believe Preston Johnson is at. He was in my district for just 2 weeks,

  I am now in a Trio!!! Elder Velez had no one to stay with, because Elder Whitney left, so we are now in charge of two whole wards.. I'm glad to have the other side of me ward again, I really missed a lot of investigators on that side of the area, most all of them I found from contacting in the street. So, I'm now in a trio, for just a week, because this saturday we will be receiving a new missionary and he will be going directly into our ward....

  Things are going pretty good, it was a pretty stressfull week at first, but it all changed when I saw all of the less actives and investigators there in church, It made me feel really happy, because we found a less active about a month ago, and she completely denied us, saying that she didn't want anything to do with the church, nor the missionaries but after alot of work, she came to church...!!! we actually had our primariy program yesterday, which was awesome!!! I got to see the same primary program 2 times, in both the wards that I'm going to!! I didn't realize it is the same for every ward, maybe it's like that just here in Mexico.

   This week, we all went out to eat with our mission leader, who bought us the most spicy food that I have eaten here in mexico. my comp couldn't do it so we had to order a diffrent plate, we were all dying and I was crying. My mouth looked like the monsters lips from monsters inc, when he gets all the scream sucked out of him...hahaha

   Elder Johnson is a boss Elder, you guys may not believe me, but it is as if I was serving with my best friend Harrison Jones. He has completely the same personality. He's tall with loose blond hair as well. He plays computer games and Literally makes the same jokes as Harrison Jones would do. I'm seriously blown away becasue he is exactly the same!!!!

   My mission leader is really really weird. He's like  a really evangelico (evangelist), which means like he talks about God and has no idea what he's saying, but he is really rich, lives in like a museum, and likes gears of war. At the same time he likes scaring children, and loves to buy missionaries really spicy food. He's the weirdest guy  I know, He just got baptised and still calls the church, the temple....haha

I love being a missionary. I'm always facing new callenges and problems that help me grow and I know I will come back a changed guy!!! Loves all around

      Elder Michael Ordway

Week 57- Hola from Mexico City

Hey there Family!!! 

   Things here in Mexico City are rockin', I said goodbye to my dear comp Elder Rojas, who had overcome such a change, seriously it really was extreme Makeover Missionary edition, Elder Rojas changed his attitude about everything here in the mission, and only did I find a note from him, hidden in my journal telling me how happy he was to have been my comp and learn how to be more like Christ...Things like that don't get forgotten. He left at 6 in the morning, the same day  that I went to go pick up my new comp, fresh from the airport, haha....His name is Elder Johnson from Maryland!!! the whole other side of the US. Elder Johnson is a tall, skinny, blond hair, humble, obedient guy, who is going to be a way good missionary!!!. Our President told us all that everyone who isn't a zone leader, will be training in the next 2 changes....that means that I'm going to have 3 sons, 3 grandchildren, and 1 great grandson in the mission. I feel so old......and I just completed 1 year...but seriously Elder Johnson is way cool, him and I are going to destroy this area in the next couple weeks. No one stands a chance against the power of the spirit, Elder johnson and I.. just kidding.

   Things got pretty heckit with a splitting our area in half, so there is now 4 missionaries working in the ward, and both sides are going to be baptizing here soon. As I said in my last letter, the Lord has trusted in our abilities in working in cafetales as well. So this week an opened up my second ward and now have to travel great lengths to visit all of the investigadores. There seriously are so much to do, I put some of the ward missionaries to work in making the less active list. While I prepared the baptism for Tifani. We visited Tifani day after day after day, getting her ready for her baptism, a couple problems later, with a cold baptismal faunt, there is a new member of the church!!! Elder Johnson got here right in time. Actually, in our first visit with Tifani, I asked her if it would be alright if Elder Johnson did the baptism with 5 days in mexico, Elder Johnson got wet!!

   There are two Elders in our district who's area is absolutely dead, they aren't teaching anyone and are having troubles finding success. I pray for them a lot, and wish I could help  them more. But I'm going to fast for them this week, because the last time I fasted for  the sisters (who's area was also dead) their work tripled within a week and it just so happens that I'm the one that will be baptizing their investigators....I know that the Lord works in mysterious ways, I literally had no idea, that is how he was going to bless me, (maybe I should fast for everyones area) just kidding. I feel really happy doing the missionary work, and I haven't find time just to relax in a long time, which makes my diary suffer, because I haven't found the time to write in it every day. We asked to go to chapultapec, this week, which is like a sweet zoo here in mexico, I'm hoping the President sees our efforts the last couple weeks and let's us go. I bought a couple more ties and now a huge amount of ties!!! I found out that the temple here in Mexico City is to be closed for the next 2 years!!!!! I was so sad to hear this because I was looking forward to the day when I could enter into the temple with my investigators.....Especially Susana... because she was going to get sealed to her family and husband, who had died prior to us arriving at her house...

   I have found such a happiness in doing missionary work, it feels awesome to see how many missionaries are arriving and the army that will be hammering this city with the gospel. 

    Elder Ordway

Week 56

Wow, once again another hectick week, one of the craziest in the mission. Starting; the Elders of Coapa, Elder Rojas and I all went to The Tiangis to buy and eat tacos. One of the tacos in the picture is Pig intestine Taco, for 70 cents. We spent a good amount of the day together just chillin and grillin'. We've been pretty busy every single p day. even if i wanted to go somewhere to have fun,  wouldnt have time.

 

  I've been undergoing a huge project for our ward, one that has been taking me hours to do. HOURS!!! it involves taking the ward directory, which is roughly 1000 people and dividing them into areas of the ward, then writing down lists and lists and lists of names to go look for, because 80% of members here in Mexico are less active that no one knows. So the ward missionaries and I have been doing division every friday to go look for these people. There are so many names that we are now going to start looking for them tuesdays as well. I gave to the bishop a report of about 30 people that have died or moved away, and he was so happy. He said that what he had in his hands was pure gold, which made me feel really good, but seriously its taking me hours and I'm about 1/3 the way done.....This ward though, is rockin!! we have 22 ward missionarys that are like Helamns army, I sometimes even call them my children. "22 stripling ward missionaries of Elder Ordway" naw just joking, but they all average about 17 in age. There young but really awesome.

   I felt a bit tired this week, I have to say that I didn't give it my all. I was sure that I was going to leave this ward, which made me sad, because I love Culhuacan. I feel really blessed in this ward. Just because there are so many missionaries arriving here in the mission: 25 missionaries arrive today!! which is a ton, there is only 150 missionary in the mission, after losing 100 missionary from the mission in July, (when the opened the Chalco mission) Basically everyone in the mission is training. Everyone.  I was sure that my comp was going to take over the ward and train, or they would dived the ward, and we would both be training, but sadly, Elder Rojas got his Visa to go to Argentina just when we had changes. So Elder Rojas is leaving tomorrow at 6 in the morning to the airport. The president decided to divide Culhuacan ward in two side, so I'm going to have to divide our ward in half. Divide all the records and investigators and everything that I have in half. I'll be keeping the bottom half of the area, which is the really ugly side, where everyone believes in the Holy death and stuff like that. At the same time, they took the girl missionaries out of Cafetales, and gave the ward to me and my new Comp (I will be training a new gringo "american" again). Cafetales is the worst ward in the whole mission, rich people who hate missionaries, there is a gran total of 38 that go to church every week....So I will be given a new ward, while at the same time be splitting my ward in half, which means I have to go to two sacrament meetings, and learn all the members of a hole another ward.....At first I wasn't too happy, but now it gives me a chance to show my patience to the Lord and trust in him. I know absolutely nothing about the streets in cafetales, so I will be opening a new area. Basically I will be working a ward and a half..... I already thought I was busy. I've never had to work with two area books before...which means the hermanas are leaving my district, and it will be a district of pure elders again. My zone leader just got called to be Assistant. Elder Frazier is way awesome and super good missionary. He's going to rock as assistant. The moment we received the changes, my phone starting lighting up with calls, all the missionaries in the whole mission that I know started calling me and telling me what's happening. Elder Valenzuela and I are still 2 of the 4 district leaders in this zone, its a small zone, but rocking. 

    Elder Rojas, when he arrived, perfectly honest, was what we call frito. He was super disobedient. But over this change, I can't tell you guys how much he has changed. He's become one of my best friends and a really good humble guy. Who trusts in the Lord and obeys his rules. He's not perfect, but I would have trusted him to take my place as district leader here. He overcame a huge change and  is a whole new missionary. It actually brings tears to my eyes, because I can fell that the Lord is pleased with me in helping him understand and build his testimony, it's like with Elder Chronister, where he arrived, frito but left as a zone leader.....Elder Rojas got his Visa to go to Argentina...he leaves at 6 in the morning and I'm going to miss him. Basically all my comps have gone to other missions, beside Elder Carrigan. Who by the way is training!!!! which means I'm going to be a granpa in the mission. Well basically everyone is really excited about this mission and how much is changing, ill be busy for the next cvouple days. 

 les amo mucho Elder Unswerth...as lot of people call me here