Close to Belize

     Hello Everyone,

     This week was great!! We had a baptism on Saturday woooh!!! Damaris got baptized and it was wonderful. The spirit was felt so strongly during the baptismal service!! 

 

      Also, another special event happened yesterday!! The Presentation of the Primary!! And guess what? I played the piano for the songs that the children sang. 

 

     We have been practicing the past few weeks and it turned out great. There were lots of people crying in sacrament meeting because the spirit was so strongly felt. I am so grateful that I could contribute too!! The members were so happy afterward and they told me that I did a good job. They said the piano sounded like the music track of the church songs haha! That made me feel good!

     And if all goes well, this Saturday we will have another baptism!! Yay!!

     So, as of yesterday a very special video has come on the internet. Its called "Ha Nacido un Salvador". Its a great video about Christmas! It talks about the importance of a Savior in our lives!! I invite everyone to visit it!! Share it on FB, twitter, everything!! The whole world needs to know about it!! navidad.mormon.org or christmas.mormon.org . Check it out!! I love this time of year! The spirit of Christmas has arrived!! Well, thats whats going on this week. Thanks everyone!! Enjoy this wonderful week!!

   Love,

     Elder Strate 

                 Behind us is the Country of Belize!! We are super close to the border!!

Pictures!!!

                 A church member sent these home for Dawson-
    "Your son playing the piano for the primary getting ready for Sunday " is the first one.

        Then he sent some pics of the missionaries preparing for next weeks play in Bacala. I was told Dawson is being Nephi. Thanks Brother Tom Albaugh for the photos.

Vist from GA

      Hello Everyone!!

     This past week has been great!! We've started progressing with our investigators!! And this week we have a baptism!! Woohoo!! Its been a little while... but thats okay! If all goes well, I will be sending pictures of it next Monday. And we have some others lined up for next week too!! Miracles in the Lord's vineyard!!

     Congratulations too all Canadians who were able to participate in the dedication of the Montreal Temple! I'm sure it was a wonderful opportunity! "I love to see the temple!" Canadian Pride!! 

      So yesterday and Saturday we had our Stake Conference here in Chetumal. It was absolutely wonderful!! We were able to attend the 3 sessions. The Saturday night priestood session, and the general session after that. And then the Sunday morning session. Elder Alfredo Mirón, of the Area Seventy came to visit us. It was so awesome!! 

      In the priesthood session he talked about how we need to understand better our priesthood duties. And shared some great scriptures too!! 1 Peter 2:9-11 I love this one!!

      Then in the next session he talked about ward council meetings and how we all need to work together to be able to work effectively. And not just making the Bishop do everything. Which is how it should be! 

      Then in the Sunday morning session he talked about many things. Tithing, fast offerings, temple assistance, marriage! It was a little bit of everything!! I love being in the presence of General Authorities. Especially Elder Mirón, he has a great sense of humor! It was definetely not a boring meeting! 

       Towards the end of the session, I started to get a migraine...ugh. It was a bad one too. So I just took my pills and went to sleep, after throwing up three times!! Needless to say, yesterday was full of spiritual events, and some not so much... 

      Well, thats what I got for this week. Thanks everyone for reading this. I hope that we can all have joy as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Especially remembering him in this upcoming Christmas season!! Have a wonderful week!

     Love,

        Elder Strate

 

New Comp

     Hello Everyone!!

     What a wonderful week this has been!!

      I now have a new companion, his name is Elder Dominguez. He is from the Mexican state of Vera Cruz! A city called Jalapa (halapa). He is so awesome! He has been out in the field a little bit longer than I have. We are working great together!! I am learning lots of great things from him. 

 

     Speaking of working...we now have 6 baptismal dates for this transfer! Wonderful!! I love being a missionary. I love seeing how the gospel changes people's lives. How people can leave behind all the bad things and start over again! 

     This past Saturday, we had a zone conference in Chetumal with President and Sister Kirkham. It was wonderful! I learned so many great things on how to be a better missionary. We focused on how to become better gospel teachers. Like, explaining the doctrine clearer, and being able to relate principles of the gospel. For example, first explaining how God is our loving heavenly father, and then being able to relate it to the law of tithing. Things like that so we can become more interesting teachers!! It was great! 

      I know that Jesus Christ lives!! I know that miracles still exist!! I am a witness of many miracles that have happened in the life of my family!! And with others too! I know God lives and loves all of his children. And that he wants us ALL to return to his presence. Have a wonderful week!

        Love,

             Elder Strate

 

We love food! Pizza and hot dogs!

 

 

Delayed in emailing

      Hello Everyone,

     I didn't get a chance to write on Monday, so I'm writing today!!

     So there was transfers!! But I am staying here in Ucum. My companion Elder Jayer got transferred to Cancun. So Monday morning we left for Cancun. It takes about 6 hours to get there, so that kind of ate up our whole day. My new companion is Now Elder Dominguez. He was waiting for me in Cancun, but we had to stay there because I needed to go to immigration on Wednesday morning. However, I didn't bring any clothes to stay overnight so we had to return back to Chetumal on Monday. Another 6 hour bus ride...ugh. So Monday we traveled 12 hours total. Then on Tuesday we left again for Cancun, stayed the night with some of the Secretaries, then came back yesterday after I had fingerprinted some documents in immigration. So, in three days, I traveled a total of 24 hours by bus...yay..? So thats why today I am barely having my P-Day. But everythings good! 

       We have also found some new investigators lately and they are amazing!! Definitely chosen by the Lord to make covenants with him! One is Ephraim and his brother names Lazarus!! Hopefully I will be able to say that I baptized Lazarus haha! And we are currently working with some other investigators too. The work is moving forward!! 

     Well, thats about all for this week. Thanks everyone for the love and prayers. I hope you all have a wonderful week! The Lord loves every one of his children and wants them ALL to return to him!! So lets do it!! "Keep the commandments, keep the commandments! In this there is safety in this, there is peace." 

                                                            Chetumal Zone pic

                        Love,

                            Elder Strate

TREK Skills used

Hello Everyone,

     This past week has been interesting. 

     We started off the week with a service project. And I might say, not your common service project!! When we visited a less active family, the Mom told us that she wanted to sell some of her chickens. Here, lots of people have live chickens and other animals in their properties that they sell from their homes. So anyways, she wanted to sell some of here chickens, but she didn't want to kill them because she gets kinda grossed out and scared. So we offered to help! Thats right, we killed three chickens on Tuesday morning!! Thanks to brother Boyes for teaching us how to kill chickens on "Trek 2014", I was able to do it! I also taught my companion too. 

 

     Then, we also did another service project on Saturday. We helped a family of recent converts to take down/destroy the roof of their "palapa". Palapas are the houses here that they make out of sticks, metal sheets, or palm tree leaves, whatever they can find! Like the one in the background of the picture below. So we had a week full of service! Which is awesome!! "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ya are only in the service of your God". 

      Also, Halloween here isn't celebrated much. I only saw one trick or treater on halloween night. I guess its not really a tradition here. What they do celebrate here is "dia de los muertos", or "day of the dead". Where they celebrate and pay their respects to the deceased. They also go to the cemetaries with their families and have like a party. With lots of food, cake, and alchohol haha. Its a little weird if you ask me but oh well. I think its more of a catholic thing. And there are lots of people here that are catholic, so it makes sense. 

      Also, today we went to Chetumal to buy some things. I bought some new ties! Yay! I've never been so excited about having ties before until I became a missionary haha! And...we couldn't take a bus to get back because there is a strike going on right now in the middle of the highway that was blocking the traffic from going both ways...so guess what? Thats right, we started walking. And the distance is about the same between Magrath and Lethbridge, 34km. Imagine walking that distance in the hot sun...with heavy grocery bags in both hands! So thats what we did today...fun  

      Well, next week we have transfers too. Wow, this transfer went by super fast!! Who knows where I will be next week. Thanks for all the love and support! Keep moving forward with faith, "to tell the world of Jesus Christ our Lord!". 

     Love,

          Elder Strate