Lost Blanket

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Ryan Mecham	Aug 11 (8 days ago)
to me

Well folks, it´s that time of the week again. Yup, you guessed it: LETTER TIME!

Okay so this week was basically a rollercoaster ride. Some of the ups: Cruz and her kids, Alejandro and Amalia, are preparing to get baptized in September. German (another investigator) has started coming to the Book of Mormon class on Wednesday nights. Santa Fe and Las Colinas will finally be changing houses soon. We have been having some amazing object lessons and family home evenings with the members and investigators. Some of the downs would be that... Catalina didn´t come to church on Sunday, we will have to move her baptism back. And.... IM LEAVING!

Yup, I´m going back to the capital(ish). The Lord has called me to serve in Sabana Perdida, which FYI directly translates to ´lost blanket´. So ya the downs for this week are that I won´t be able to live in the new house, but even worse, I won´t be able to go to any of our baptisms! I´m okay with it though, as long as they get baptized it doesn´t really matter if I am there.

But wait! there is more ups! Quite the roller coaster in deed! It turns out that a change of areas is also a huge up. I love how much a new area makes me really focus on getting to know and helping the people. GREAT NEWS: I get to go look for even newer and better things to learn and people to love and teach. 

The grand opportunity that change brings is just that - change. As our circumstances are alterred, comfort zones left behind and challenges met, it gives us the opportunity to rely even more on the Lord; and let Him change us. That is why I love the mission. I learn more and more every day that the only thing I have to do is be obedient to what the Lord asks, and ´feed his sheep´.

Hope y´all get on lookin for some sheep to feed.

Elder Mecham

Milagros means Miracles

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Ryan Mecham	Aug 4
to Ali, Amanda, Ashley, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

This week was pretty much great. It is always a good week when I eat a lot of mangos. I love mangos, I´m gonna miss them when I am forced to leave. There is so much fruit here. It´s the best. The other day we were just walking down the street and a mango fell from a tree, after almost hitting a motorist it just sat there. Well, not for long because Elder Cardoso ran up and snatched it. Im pretty sure he would run in the street for a mango any day.

I hope you all remember Catalina, the lady who flagged us down a few weeks ago. Ya, well we are now teaching her daughter-in-law and her kids (Catalina´s Grand-kids). They are superb, we started teaching her mom and the first day we passed by Amalia, her daughter, was super sick. We gave her a blessing. We passed by the following day and found her up and running, with a huge smile on her face. I love miracles.

We had been planning a movie night with the branch for the last few weeks. Well, Saturday rolls around and the whole day there are huge black storm clouds. cultural note: people here don´t go anywhere in the rain (not even a sweet movie night) so we passed the whole day praying it wouldn´t rain. It didn´t rain. Well it started raining right as the movie started, it rained a lot. It stopped raining right after the movie stopped. And started raining about 45 minutes later (presumably when everyone got home). Milagro numero 2.

So ya this week was pretty great.

I know that this church is true and I know that more every day, every time I teach these people, every time I testify of God´s love for his children.

GODSPEED!

Elder Mecham

(no subject)

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Ryan Mecham	Jul 28
to Ali, Amanda, Ashley, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

Let me just start by saying that I love being a missionary. These past few weeks have been busy... Like really busy. We don´t have an hour open in our planners until Saturday. I love it. It is so much easier to lose yourself in the work when you are really busy.

This week was so amazing! So many miracles! We are teaching so many people that have just been prepared and waiting to hear us. Catalina (from last week) went with us to a baptism of some of the other missionaries. It was super cool because a family got baptized, along with a few other people (11 in total). Catalina told us that she would have been baptized too if we had only told her earlier. Let me remind you we have known her for less than two weeks. She has even started to share with her family what we teach her. We have been teaching two of her grand-kids as well, they came to the baptism too.

We are trying so hard to help the branch understand their responsabilities in this work as well and they have started to help us a ton. We have been receiving more references than we have time to contact. I love being busy helping people come to christ. 

I am super short on time, but hey I have pictures!

1 - Spanish word of the day: Lagarto, it means lizzard. These things are everywhere.

2 - I made ´´welcome to Santa Fe´´ tacos for my companion. Chipotle!

Elder Mecham

  

sorry, I haven't figured out how to transfer pictures.

Well Well Well

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Ryan Mecham	Jul 21
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

I would like to start off with a big HAHA to my big sis for no longer being able to serve the Lord as a full time missionary. Also I would like to congradulate her and thank her for the awesome example she has been for me.

Well this week has been amazing and I have so many things I want to write all of you. BUT... I don´t have time.

However I will tell you this one story:

It is a Monday. Last Monday actually. We had just finished emailing the family and what not, and were determined to find somebody to teach while we waited for a family home evening to start in half an hour. We started to walk down a long dusty street. A street we had never been down. Feeling determined to teach and contact we walk... nobody talks with us. We continue to walk down the street, with newfound resolve to find somebody. Well, let me just tell you something: the Lord works in mysterious ways. As we jaunted along at a somewhat determined pace, a lady sweeping her porch flags us down. Odd. I think to myself ´hope she doesn´t want to kill me and eat me´. Not really, I didn´t think that. But that really does never happen so I was a little bit intruiged. We get to know Catalina. Well, after assuring that we are ´The Mormons´ she tells us she wants to know how to congregate herself with us. Upon her insistence we place an appointment to pass by her house the following morning.

This is where it gets good.

We pass by her house and teach the restauration of the Gospel. She accepts what we teach with open arms. We focus a lot on the invitation to pray. She accepts.

We pass by the next day because we were in the area and wanted to see how she was. We find out she can´t see well enough to read the pamphlets but, nevertheless, has gotten her grandaughter to read her the part that talks about how we should pray. She writes it down in bigger letters so she can review it later. We teach her how to pray.

We pass by a few days later. We leave her a book of mormon and a booklet for lesson 3, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She tells us she prayed. She knows our church is true. She accepts to get baptized in August.

We pass by the following Saturday and teach about faith and repentance. She tells us she will do everything humanly possible to go to church but has to care for her dad (96 years old). She gets mad at her sisters for not doing their share in caring for her father, because it is keeping her from going to church.

She does not go to church. We pass by her house. She just about makes us cry as she tells us how she knows the church is true because she has felt answers to her prayers and has been able to sleep better at night since we started passing by. She tells us she wants to endure to the end with all her heart, we make a plan for her to look for reading glasses.

Well, I know that if we keep ourselves worthy and working hard, the Lord prepares people for us to teach and help. (and they look for us!)

Love ya!

Keep on saying your prayers!

Elder Mecham

Hey

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham <ryan.mecham@myldsmail.net>	Jul 14
to me

Real  short email this week.

I finally got my new companion. His name is Elder Cardoso, he is from Provo, Ut. I knew him before when I was in my old zone, so that is pretty cool. We get along really good and he has a ton of excitement to work hard and teach everyone. I LOVE IT. We are lightin up the missionary work out here and I am out of time...

I know that the church is true more and more every single day. I am so grateful for all the blessings the Lord has given me and I hope to be able to bring the gospel to every single Dominican I meet. Oh ya, and the Germans that we are teaching too. (they speak spanish)

Love you all,

Elder Mecham

Los Tres Mosqueteros

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Ryan Mecham	Jul 7 (4 days ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

I don´t know if I have ever told you that I love working in trios (I do... a lot). I have learned so much this week it is just about almost believable. One of the greatest blessings I have enjoyed on my mission is the constant opportunity to serve others. And now I have twice the ability to serve my companion... because there´s two of them! I made tacos for them on Sunday with a not so secret ingredient... you guessed it.... CHIPOTLE!!! Well too be honest I think I used a little bit much of the secret ingredient (or maybe they were just really tastey) because Elder Amador started to cry while eating them (I really love chipotle).

Well this week was the best week I have ever had on my mission. Which is not really a suprise because they seem to just keep getting better and better. This week we worked almost exclusively in Las Colinas. That originally made me really nervous, because I know what it´s like to leave an area untended for a week (Cue flashbacks of sick companions and Dengue). Nevertheless, I had faith in the Lord and that all would turn out allright. In fact, one of the things I learned this week is that it really doesn´t matter where I work, because where ever it is I am doing the Lord´s work. One cool way I learned that was that we were teaching a new investigator named German. He is really smart and super interested in the church and prays and reads and keeps almost all his commitments and works on Sundays :( and.... we found out... lives in SANTA FE!!! Yup thats right, new investigator for when I return to work in my area.

Thats all the time I got folks, Love Ya.

Elder Mecham

Hey Y´all!

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	Jun 30 (11 days ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

Well this weeks email comes with a surprise!

My companion, Elder Teves got a call from the AP´s and will be flying to Curaçao tomorrow. Ya... well I will have the opportunity to work in a trio again! I will be working with the Elders in Las Colinas (the area next to our area). It is only temporary, 5 days or something until I receive my new companion. Well goodbye Elder Teves. 

Well this week went quite well. We went on companion exchanges with the Zone Leaders because one of them is sick. I ate a coconut bigger than my head... delicious. We all had them and we only broke one of the kitchen knives we tried to use to open them. :)

We tried to contact in one part of our area that we don´t normally visit because it is really far and not a lot of people live there. We had to explain to every person we talked to that we DON¨T worship Joseph Smith, and that we use the Bible just like everyone else. It is not that odd to have to explain these types of things to people, being it is one of the most common misconceptions of our religion here. The part that was odd is that we taught an entire neighborhood of people that had the exact same doubt and expressed it with the exact same words. I think there is a local pastor or something that clearly hasn´t had the opportunity to speak with the missionaries before, we shall find and speak with him.

Did I mention that my companion is leaving tomorrow by surprise and that it feels really weird.

Well I know that I am here on the Lord´s errand, serving with someone the Lord wants me to serve, and serve with. I am reminded every day that ´my thoughts are not his thoughts´ and that I do not know all things that are to come. But I do know how to prepare for the unknown. That is after all, my dear friends, one of the purposes fundamental in this life: to establish a foundation of Faith in Jesus Christ and to follow His gospel.

Well I don´t have much time this week, and I was going to send some pictures... but I forgot my card reader in the house :)

Until Next Time!

Elder Mecham

Next Week On: ´The Emails from Elder Mecham´

How do you make tacos and trios work in the Dominican Republic...

(spoiler alert -- it involves a lot of chipotle)

(no subject)

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	Jun 23
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

This week was amazing. It seemed to have gone by so fast! Time flies when you are serving the Lord. It is a bit weird to me to think that I have been here for 8 months already, and how that is really no time at all. I worry sometimes that I won´t have enough time out here. I mean, I´m already 1/3 of the way done with my time as a missionary, and feel like I still have so much to do! I´m just glad I get to serve for 2 years instead of only 18 months ( Ashley :P ).

Lately we have really been focusing on a part-member family. The mother is a member who hasn´t gone to church in something like 6 years. Here is the catch: her daughter, Leiby (9 years old), has come to church by herself every week for the past who-knows-when. Leiby wants to be baptised. We are trying to use this opportunity to show her mother (remind her really) that she has a testimony of the restored gospel, and that she can help her daughter progress toward exhaltation. Teaching them together gives an excellent opportunity for her mother to be testified to, and testify of, divine truths.

I love finding and teaching people how they can follow Christ. How they can follow Him as He wanted. How they can be baptized in His name, by His authority, and enter His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know this is His church, and through His name only we can be redeemed from our fallen state and become like Him.

That´s all folks!

Elder Mecham

TRANSFERS!

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	Jun 16
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

Don´t worry. Everything stays the same.... Except for the fact that President Hernandez is going home. We will all have interviews with President Corbit in the next few weeks. Welcome to the DR!!! (hope you brought some sunscreen)

As with always the hardest weeks are the best weeks. This week we had a lot of trouble finding people in their houses that weren´t sick with the cold or something going around. As a result we had a lot of appointments fall through. We were determined all the more to achieve our goals. As a result we did a lot of contacting.... a lot.

One evening, I believe it was Thursday. We had not had found a single investigator in their house. We began walking as we frantically reviewed our planners. We had already tried our back-up back-up plans; but with an overwhelming desire to teach SOMEONE the gospel, we turned and shouted at the first house we passed (you don´t knock on people´s doors here, assuming they have a door). A man walked out, clearly busy with a house full of teenage boys rough-housing, playing what appeared to be a makeshift game of baseball. Refusing to be rebuffed, we began talking with him. We came to discover that his name is Pedro, and he was very interrested in what we had to say (and had a lot of questions) but he really did not have time to share with us. We placed an appointment for a few days later. I walked away from that house with an unusual feeling of joy in my being. I turned and looked at Elder Teves, he felt it too. I have as of yet felt so good to be basically regected trying to contact somebody.

Returning at the appointed day and time, we found a house that was empty... not a single person.

We decided to pass by a few days later, remembering the feeling experienced when we talked to Pedro the first time. A young man came to the door and informed us that Pedro had just barely left, he turned and entered the house. Discouraged, we began to turn and walk away. Just then the young man shouts after us, ´wait! He is right here!´ 

What followed was one of the most spiritual times I have ever taught the restoration of the Gospel to somebody. Returning a few days later, we gave Pedro and his grandson (who was there when we taught the first lesson) a Book of Mormon. They promised to read it, ponder, and pray. They also promised that they would come to church on Sunday. I don´t doubt they will do all those things.

It is for experiences like this that I KNOW that I am doing what the Lord would have me do, in spite of - borrowing the words of Nephi- ´mine abilities´

love you all,

Elder Mecham

Here Comes The Sun...

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	Jun 9
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

doo doo do dooo...

It is SUMMER TIME! here in the DR. You guessed it time to work on that half-neck missionary tanline. Summer is my favorite season here in the DR because it is MANGO SEASON!! I love mangos. I happen to be sitting here at this computer with a mango that I just bought, and fully intend to devour when we finish here (I don´t wan´t to get mango on the keyboard). Anyways, on to the good stuff. I cleaned the house this morning. Finally. Kidding here is the good stuff:

VVV Here VVV

Remember the Rijo family (from last weeks email)? Well they are the best. The members of the family that weren´t sick, came to church on Sunday! The daughters always ask the best questions. Angie (the youngest) has started reading the Book of Mormon. She read the introduction and all of that part before 1st Nefi. And she did it before our next visit. That never happens. I am so excited to continue helping this family understand the Gospel of Christ.

This transfer is only 4 weeks long... It is really short because we are changing Mission Presidents next transfer. When the new president (Pres. Corbit) arrives, we will have a transfer of 8 weeks. Según lo que me han dicho, it is so that he can have time to adjust to things and settle in a little, and so there aren´t so many hiccups. 

We played soccer as a zone this morning and I got to show of my newly (under)developed soccer skills. I only kicked the ball over the fence a few times! Yes!

Well. I´m off to go eat that mango now.

Elder Mecham

no subject)

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham <ryan.mecham@myldsmail.net>	Jun 2
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

This week was pretty....normal. It was pretty much a normal week. All except for we contacted a FAMILY and they are PROGRESSING!!!

One morning there were two young elders walking down a long dirt road in the heat of a Summer morning. They pass a house where they see some children doing chores. Mopping, putting the laundry out to dry... They pass the house thinking nothing of it. Looking at each other they decide to turn around and ask if the children need help with their morning chores. 

This is how we found the Rijo family. A relatively small family: a single mother with her 4 children -- 3 daughters: Angela, Angela, and Rosangela; and a 5 year old son.

We began teaching them, not really thinking that they were very interrested. We returned a few days later to a list of questions longer than a christmas wishlist of a kindergartener. We taught this group of jovenes, praying silently that this would finally be the family we had been waiting and praying to teach.

The day came of the real test of the commitment of an investigator, Sunday. They had commited to go to church with us and we hoped and prayed that they would come through. Unsure if they knew how to get to the church building we passes by their house early Sunday morning. To our suprise we find 2 of the daughters, bathed and dressed for church. They had even invited one of their friends to come with them (I think he is the boyfriend).

They walked to the humble house-turned-chaple with us, and even managed to stay the whole three hours. We have to wait for more Books of Mormon to arrive from the Capital, but we are prepairing ourselves to answer the millions of questions I´m sure they will have as we help them progress in their conversion.

It is not every day you find someone the Lord has prepared for you; not every time that they come to church the first Sunday; not every Sunday they stand up and bare testimony to the congregation (yeah, Angela bore her testimony - simple, but sure).

It is because of miracles like this that I know that the Lord loves us. I know that God loves all his children, and that I have the blessing to find the ones that don´t know where to go. I know that this church is true and I am truely grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to share that knowledge with the people here in the Dominican Republic.

Sincerely,

Elder Mecham

El Campo...

Ryan Mecham	4:29 PM (3 hours ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

... Is the best!

I am so excited to be here! It is so much more calm out of the big city. There are trees!!! And Cows!! AND our house has hot water... but there isn´t power in the morning... so we don´t really use it. This sunday was branch conference (yeah, I´m serving in my first branch) the District president spoke, which was really cool. The best part however is that we had about 70 people show up to church on Sunday... There wasn´t enough room in the church for everyone so people were standing up and sitting outside. We are working really closely with the leaders of the ward and it helps a lot. We asked President Rosario (branch president) to give us a list of less active members so we could help strengthen the branch, and  members who´s addresses weren´t confirmed so we could help verify the number of members. (there is fair amount of less active members that nobody knows where they live). One of the best parts of my new area is that the ward mission leader goes out with us all the time. His name is Brayan, he is only 19 years old, but he helps us teach lessons, find investigators, shows us where less active members live. Basically he rocks. We even played a little bit of baseball with him today. (what was I thinking coming to the DR without my mit!?)

We had an activity with President Hernandez today. Really kind of a fairwell. Anyways, it was in La Romana (the next zone over) and we had to get up really early to travel there... I don´t have a mountain of time and I´m really tired so I have been typing really slow... that´s why this weeks email is so short. sorry!

Con some palabras in Ingles and algunos in Español,

Elder Mecham

Pon tu hombro a la lid!

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Ryan Mecham	3:55 PM (23 minutes ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

This week was really entirely normal... until Sunday.

This week we had an excellent time. One of our investigators, Francis, accepted a baptismal date for the 24th of May. I am super excited! We also were doing some contacting saturday morning after an appointment fell through, guess who we found? Well we found Maribel, she had been investigating the church for almost a year in a different area. She moved into our area and didn´t know if there was any churches anywhere by her house. Well, about 2 weeks later a couple Elders come knock on her door. ANSWER: Yes, there is a church near your new house! She came to church with us the next day. She wants to learn so bad. YA! We also had a few downs this week. Clarisa, and investigator (8 years old) that wanted to learn so bad -- and asked the greatest questions -- will not be visiting with us anymore. She prayed like we asked her to and got an answer that this is not the church for her. We are pretty sure her dad and grandma had a lot to do with that. :/

MORE UPs: Remember, I live in a house of 4. Me, Elder Maya, the zone leaders: Elder Bell, Elder Martinez. Elder Bell was called on Sunday by President Hernandez, who informed him that Elder Bell would be the new office Elder and would be transferred there on Tuesday. SURPISE! Two weeks before transfers.

Interresting consequences inculde: We will now be in a Trio with Elder Martinez. We will work in both of our areas for 2 weeks. Tears were shed.

Well I am now part of a power trio. We consist of the zone leader, the district leader, and Elder Mecham.

Should be fun.

Love Y`all and I`ll be talking with a select few of you soon!

Elder Mecham

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	Apr 21 (7 days ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

Bueno,

This week was interesting. Holy Week here in the DR is... well... nuts. Basically everyone has vacations from work and school so the streets are a little interesante. Most of our investigators and many of the members went to the campo (which means the parts of the country that aren´t the Capital/City) to visit family and spend the week there. So we spent a lot of time trying to find new investigators. But hey, it gave us time to check up on some less-active members that we normally can´t ever find.

So they have a tradition of everyone putting swimming pools up and just hanging out in them all day, every day. Not a problem. They also have occasional water fights with plastic bags full of water. Not a problem. There is also not a ton of people. Actually a good thing. Some people have cars with really nice/loud speakers. Alright. Alcohol sales from Wednesday to Sunday are probably the highest of any time in the year. Also everything is closed on Friday. What does this all add up to you may ask: PARTY TIME! It suficeth me to say that I did not get much sleep on Friday.

On the up side. We were able to visit a few times with Clarisa. She is one of our investigators. She is 8 years old and reads better than her dad and her uncle, who are also kind of investigating the church (really just allowing us to teach Clarisa). Anyway, Clarisa asks the most inspired questions I think I have ever witnessed. We were teaching about the restoration and she stopped us and asked ¨what if I don´t know which church I want to join?¨ (her grandma is trying to force her to be Evangelical) She asked it right as we were about to explain how Joseph Smith received an answer to that very question. Luckily I managed to choke down the tears as I shared the Joseph Smiths account of The First Vision. She committed to pray.

I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and the Resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ. I know that he restored the true church on the Earth once more. I know that we are here as missionaries, as members, and as mortals to testify that the Lord is risen; He overcame death; and that we will do the same.

Elder Mecham

Umm... 6 months already...

Personal/Ryan's mission

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Ryan Mecham	4:25 PM (4 hours ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

This week was pretty great. We had zone conference this last week. Learned a lot. Well actually a learned a ton, but that´s not the point. We also celebrated me having 6 months in the mission. I´m going to be honest... It feels like I just got here still (except that I can actually understand people now). 

Well I spent a fair amount of my email time explaining who me and my companion are to the lady next to me. so let me be brief.

This week Elder Maya and I were called to speak during sacrament meeting. No problem, we speak all the time it is really all that we do. So, we were sitting on the stand and watching... waiting... hoping... praying really, that any of our investigators would show up. Well none of them did. Discouraged I began looking over my notes for my talk. Elder Maya nudges me and tells me to look at the door. Just then walks in Alex. YES! Alex is a less-active member that we have been working with for the past 2 months... He finally showed up to church! He sat next to the Bentances family, another less-active family that we had been working with for almos 3 months. We also were able to see many other members that we had been strengthening show up to church on Sunday.

10 Weeks ago when Elder Maya and I asked the Bishop who he wanted us to help in the ward... These were the names he gave us. Finally after working for almost 2 transfers, we are starting to see the blessings that come with following the leadership of the Ward. It just goes to show that we are really only here as missionaries to be tools in the hands of the Lord, and of the Wards and members that we serve. It is the Bishops ward, he has the keys, I am glad I was able to help accomplish what he wanted. Because we are not here to make the members help us, but to help them.

I am so glad that I have been called to strengthen and develop Zion here. I am still learning how, but I am glad that I can work with all my might, mind, and strength. I find it a pleasure to serve him indeed.

Elder Mecham

Dengue Dengue Dengue

Ryan Mecham	Apr 14 (2 days ago)
to Ali, Amanda, ashley.mecham, Austin, Dallan, Isaac, Jake, Kess, me

HA, I´m totally kidding! My companion got better from dengue and we could leave the house as of Tuesday. I felt so excited to go out and teach that may have almost dragged Elder Maya out the door.

This week we have seen so many miracles. Especially with finding new investigators. For example: this week we were walking to the house of a less active member. We had been trying to get in contact with her for the past week or so, to no avail. We didn´t know why but the other day we felt that we really needed to pass by her house. So we did. She wasn´t home. We left. After teaching another lesson we decided to take a detour and pass by her house one more time. Still not home. Confused and discouraged we begin to walk away from the house. At that moment we hear ´´¡MORMÓNES!´´. We don`t look back (we generally ignore that, being that it happens all the time). But this time was different. We turned to discover a man and his neighbor waving us over to them. They weren´t holding beer bottles so we figured: Why not?  One of them, Wascar, tells us that he has seen us passing by that house a lot and wonders if we only visit certain people... because he would like to talk with us. We answer some basic questions about the church and try to set a return appointment. His schedule for work, he tells us, is ´´whenever the phone rings´´ bueno... that usually means that they don´t want us to return. We get a time and day. We pass by his house at said time and day. He is not home. We decide to pass by while we are in the neighborhood for the next couple days. 4 days pass by. We haven`t found him. Saturday night we decide to give it one last try. His mom (who knows us by name at this point), knows why we are there and searches for Wascar. We teach a very interested investigador The Plan of Salvation. He tells us that he knows our church is the true church. We will see where this goes.

That is only one of the examples of the awesome new investigators that we received from the Lord this week. While Elder Maya was sick, and I was sitting there all day worried about our area... The Lord was preparing his sheep to be found, and teaching me to have the patience to find them.

I know that everything that happens, happens for a purpose. Sometimes those purposes are to help us; or to help us help others. Sometimes we can see the fruits of our labors, sometimes we are simply planting seeds for a later harvest. I know that as we continue to work in the Lord`s vineyard He will always be there guiding our efforts; for this is not [our] work, but that of him who sent [us].

Love you all,

Elder Mecham