Week 88-

   Well, we baptized again this week!!! The water in this part of the city is just pure green, so to make the baptismal water look awesome, we put like  bottle of food coloring, it seriously looked like blue ocean water, but at the same time, Elder Hernandez baptismal clothes were stained BLUE!!!! we are now officially the blue man group!! 

  We made a plan as missionaries in this ward to help out our ward mission leader, it's seroiusly the most dificult problem that we are facing, is that there is no coordination between the ward and us. So each one of us are going to visit him in his hosue and train him in his duties as a mission leader. Actually all the missionaries in our ward from a district, and this week I was able to go to their district meeting, and seriously Elder Poyner, the DL chewed out each one of the elders for lazyness in the work, it was becoming a seriously problem, lack of obedience and too much lazyness. 

   This week was awesome, we gave a fabulous Zone training, completely leaded by Elder Hernadez and I. We talked about how to show a copy of our Plan of accion (action) with the investigators so that they knew exactly what we have planned for them to be able to be baptized. and then we explained how to show that same copy to a member in the ward to help us make it happen. The whole Zone was super stoked with the idea, literally it was pure revelation, I was sitting in bed right before falling asleep and it hit me that this was what we had to share with the zone, the next day I showed Elder Hernadez what the spirit had told me and everything came out beautifully all the district leaders were calling us every night to tell us all the miracles they had seen!!! 

  This week we have interviews with the president, and Im way excited to have personal time with President Valadez, he's such a hero for me, all of his stories and miracles that  had happened to him for his strict obedience to the commandments.  

Week 87- Two Families sealed in the temple, Evaluations, ward activity, baptisms, and so on

   Well, to keep it short, I heard from a missionary that just came into the zone, that two families from my previous wards that were less actives and investigators that I  "helped" reactive/ baptize, went to the Veracruz temple and were sealed for time and all eternity!! I can't express the feelings that were felt when he told me. I was literally crying for joy.

  We are going to baptize this week, and it should be really sweet. Our area has progressed sooo much, I can't describe it. We are so busy, literally our district leaders have to plan the baptismal interviews 2 weeks in advance in order to find time in our agendas haha!!! I truly love being soo busy. We have to put a leccion (lecture) every half hour, because there is no time anymore.

   The president surprisingly told us 2 days ago that we are going to have a zone training tomorrow, and that Elder Hernandez and I would have to plan everything. and that today on our p-day we would be spending half of it  evaluating the new missionaries, actually Elder Johnson ( my comp a few months ago) was there being evaluated as well.

 We had my first ward activity in 5 months, it was totally led, organized, and made by us 6 missionaries in the ward. It was a sweet activity to help the ward get excited about doing missionary work, sadley only 20 people showed up, but there is a little bit of progress.

   The zone is doing really well, there are some problems with missionaries arrivng late at their house, but we talked strongly with all te district leaders to get them serious about this rule. Things are absolutely amazing in my mission, I couldn't ask for anything more.

week 86- baptism, I didnt get transfered, last phone call home, pizza and volley ball,

  This week was awesome; First off we had a marvelous baptism, the family of 7 that we had reactivated, their two daughters are now getting baptized, one was 9 and counted as a convert baptism, and one is 8 and counts as a ward baptism ( or I don't what it's called).  The spirit was really strong, we were really worried because it was poorly annouced by the bishopric, so Elder Hernandez and I prayed begging for a good turn out and at 5:00 there wasn't a soul there besides ourselves , not even the family showed up, but within 15 mintues 17 people showed up ( which is a lot for a baptismal service here) the primary sang, and Fernanda asked me to baptize her and Elder Hernandez to confirm her. The water here in Iztacalco is green, so we bought food coloring and threw in the whole bottle to change the color of the baptismal water,(to red!! naw just joking, to blue)

  We had changes!! and we didn't get changed, Elder Hernandez will oficially be the comp that I have had the longest and I will be here for 6 month which is the longest area that I will have, actually 5 of the 6 elderes in the ward stay, only Elder Taylor that just got her is leaving and is going to me first area contreras 2!! so that's pretty sweet

  The mother's day phone call home was awesome, it had a different feel to the call home, as it is my last call home I felt a bit more confortable, like everything is going to be ok feeling. We had internet problems for like 3 hours but, eventually I just talked to my beloved famliy by phone. Happy mothers day MOM!!!}

  Today we ended the change by playing volleyball in the church, (the only sport we are allowed to play) and we ordered pizza right to the church. It was really fun and good bonding time with my fellow Elders. This week we should be baptizing again, and the week after that too!! I love my mission, I love mexico, I love america!! 

Elder Ordway

Week 85- I will skype home this sunday at 5:00 mexico city time o 3:00 eugene time

  So this week I ate bugs with yogurt, there is some theory here in mexico that if you eat 1 of a certain type of bug each day for 60 days, raising the number of bugs by one each day, or 1 bug ,2 bugs , and so on for 60 days and then going down 60, 50, 58, you can get rid of cancer,  I didn't want to get rid of any cancer, but I wanted to try the bugs, and they taste horrible. 

  We're going to baptize this week, a less active huge family that we found, were reactivated and one of the children needs to be baptized, we seriously have like 19 less active families being taught. Things are great here, I bought a new sim card for my camera, I filled up my last one, we bought a ton of fruit for the week, I'm hoping that I can eat it all  before changes this week, an investigador gave us a ton of water, that had fallen from the roof, and that they were going to use to wash the dog, I drank a lot, and the next day was really sick. but it truly was an accident. the herman a (sister) asked if we had gotten sick, she was really embarrassed  we told her no to make her feel better....

  I'm getting my hair cut this week, and I've gotten kind of lazy with gel recently, the presidente wants every missionary with gel and the "line of authoity" or basically the line that goes down the side of your head, seperating your hair...The President came out with new rules and restrictions, for the lack of obedience in the mission, I have seriously a ton of respect for my president, as he has formed each missionary into a man of order and of obedience, there is no room for childness in this mission .hahhaha... We also had a meeting as missionary of the Iztacalco ward, and made a lot of planes and goals. Elder Lopez in the ward is really suffering, and it makes me so sad, he has sickness problems and family problems, so he's barely staying in the mission. I really can't see him going as he only has 6 months.

  It was awesome, the zone has been baptizing a lot this week, Iztacalco 1, 2, and 3 are going to baptize. It will be a sweet baptism if everything comes out good. This week as well we have changes, I'm really calm now when it comes to changes, if they change me or not, I'll be fine, I love this ward so much, but I learned that it isn't where you serve, but how.  In this ward I have leanred so much, like I told Dad a couple weeks ago... In this ward, I really haven't discovered new tecniques in how to do missionary work, but I've learned how to live the atonement, I feel like I really understand the importance of repentence and the sacrament, it has been really hard at times, but I  feel so much stronger as a person now. It's really interesting how the Lord prepares people. 

  We have been going around to each family in the ward, and kneeling down to pray and beg the Lord for missionary oportunities, it's really been effective, as it is how the Lord wishes that we work, 

I ate yogurt with bugs.....it supposedly gets rid our cancer

Week 84-

  OK... so there is  a rumor in the mission that there is another sister missionary from Eugene Oregon, her name is sister Chuetz or something like that, If you guys know anything, tell me, he presidente has come out with a new rule that we are not allowed to call anyone besides our corresponing leaders, and everyone below our stewardship. haha.

   This week was awesome, we had our zone conferene with the Iztapalapa Zone and it was way good, we were all waiting on Elder Johnson, the  Mexico Area Presidente to come, but in the end, He couldn't make it. I think all the zone was a little disapointed, but he said he would be coming in June or July!! We also had our Stake conference of the Ermita stake, and I'm really starting to apreciate things like stake conference, hahaha. 

  There are some problems with the Elder in our ward, with disobedience, and lazyness, it's really causing us problems, even though we all are good friends. The zone is all working really hard, we doubled the number of new investigators this week and now we just need to focus in on bringing them to church. I realized in order to baptize every week., We've got to find at least 10 every week, place 13 baptismal dates, 15 in church, and 18 lessons with member present, it's really costing us, but Elder Hernandez and I looked at the key Key indicators and realized that we are working as hard as each district in the zone. That's like 3 companionships, even though the numbers don't mean anything, and I shouldn't be bragging, I feel really good about my mission, I feel like I'm completing with what the Lord is asking of me, apart from the whole baptize every week thing, really is hard....

  I bought 2 kilos of tortillas and a ton a cheese and Chorizo, and I'm going to be eating quesadillas every day untill changes , 2 weeks left untill changes.   

                                        -Elder Ordway