Officially an Islander

Hello Everyone,

     I got transferred!! I am no longer in Cozumel. I got transferred to Isla Mujeres!! I can officially say that I am now an Islander because I have been on both the Islands here in the Mission Mexico Cancun! Yay! Isla Mujeres is part of the Cancun Stake. Cozumel goes to Playa so I am not longer in the same Stake. 

     Isla Mujeres is very similar to Cozumel. Its a lot smaller and its very narrow. There is just a small branch here, and I think I will have a calling in the branch too. And my companion tells me that I will also be playing the piano! Yay! My new companion is Elder Coffman and hes from Texas! I don´t know what happens when you put two rednecks together, but I am going to find out this transfer! He is awesome and there is a lot of potential here in the island. 

      So, I am going to share with you all an awesome story that happened to me this week about transfers. So, about 4 days ago while I was sleeping, I had a dream. In this dream, I was talking to President Kirkham and he told me that I was getting transferred. So I asked him whereto? And he told me Isla Mujeres. I couldn´t believe it and then I woke up. Then later that morning I told Elder Vargas that I had a dream and that President was sending me to Islan Mujeres. He was just as shocked as I was! 

     So, on Sunday morning, President Kirkham called us so I answered. And he said that I was going to be transferred. Then I asked him If I could guess where I was going and he said ¨sure¨. I replied,¨Isla Mujeres¨. There was a pause, and then stuttering a bit he replied to me, ¨ugh, yes. How did you know that Elder'¨. Then I told him about my dream and that the Lord revealed to me that I was going to be transferred there. He took another pause, and just responded, ¨Wow¨. We talked for a little bit after that and he explained to me how the Island is and everything. I just have to say that in that moment, I felt something very special. It was definitely the spirit, but this time it was different. And I don´t have words to describe it, just amazing! I had never felt the way I did when President confirmed that I was going to Islan Mujeres. It may not sound like anything very interesting but for me it is. I recieved REVELATION!! However, I still don´t know why the Lord revealed it to be beforehand, but I guess I will find out why this transfer! 

      I know that personal revelation is real. I also know that God acts according to the faith of this children and that miracles really do exist. 

      We also had Stake Conference yesterday in Playa. It was wonderful and I got to see lots of members and converts that I know from Playa and Tulum. Its been a year since I was in Playa so it was good to see everyone. Also, President Kirkham talked in the meeting and he mentioned my experience with the dream and everything! Then he told me to stand up, and then told the story. I feel famous now haha. Now everything thinks that I am a prophet haha! (or is it just me...?) Needless to say, yesterday was a wonderful day.

      Thats what happened this week. Thanks everyone for all your support and love. Hope everyone is well and healthy. Until next week!            

     Love,

           Elder Strate

 

     Some pictures from Cozumel. Bishop Cuevas and his family. Me with Brayan, an investigator thats going to get baptized soon! Then me with Yazmin and Victor. Awesome members! They make some delicious empanadas!

 

 

 

 

Transfer!

     We know Dawson is getting transferred today but don't know if we'll hear from him. Going from the big island of Cozumel to this small island of Isla Mujeres. Looks beautiful. After this, next transfer is Canada!

Brother, you have saved my life

Hello Everyone,

      This week has been great. We didn't have a baptism this week, however I did get to baptize someone! His name is Paul and he is in the other Ward. I had the privelege to interview him and also baptize him. What a wonderful experience it was. He has such a powerful tesimony of the gospel and how it has changed his life. I will never forget the what he said to me as we stepped out of the baptismal font, "Hermano, me ha salvado la vida". Which means, "Brother, you have saved my life." 

     Those words penetrated my heart so profoundly that I will never forget it. I know that It wasn't me who saved his life, but Jesus Christ. I am still forever grateful for this opportunity I had to help Paul with his eternal progress. I know that through Jesus Christ, people can change. It doesn't matter who you are, have been, or where you live. The Saviors love and healing power is for EVERYONE! I love this gospel and I get to see it in action every day in the lives of many. 

      Well, transfers are next week. Don't know where they'll send me. Thats what happened this week. Thanks everyone for all the love and support. I knot that this gospel is true and that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. Have a wonderful week!

      Love,

             Elder Strate 

Visit

Sister Christensen, who completed her mission before Christmas, came back for a visit and we were at the office at the time.

Package arrived

Hello Everyone,

       This has been a good week. Mom, you don't have to worry any longer, I got the package! Thank you very much! I am enjoying the treats and the socks! 

 

 

     Some interesting things have happened this week. 

     So, almost every Sunday here, there are tourists/members that come to church. Yesterday I met Stuart Pennington who served in Argentina with Tyler Hansen! Cool! What a small world that we live in...so this morning we went to eat empanadas with him and his wife. It was great!

     Oh, and something weird happened too. So me and my companion were walking, and a guy in a scooter came up and started talking to us. I think he was drunk and he had just finished doing some brickwork, so he had a pickaxe with him. He asked if we were mexicans and my companion said yes, and I did too! He was relieved because if we weren't, he was going to hit us with his pickaxe...then he started ranting about Donald Trump and how much he hates him because supposedly he hates mexicans...and a lot of other things that I can't remember haha. Good thing that I am Mexican the whitest that you've ever seen!   

     We also had our Leadership meeting in Cancun and later our zone meeting here on the island. Its was great. I was able to learn lots about how to be a better missionary and to teach the doctrine of christ. Focusing especially on the first principle, "Through Jesus Christ we can be cleansed of sin". About the importance that Mercy and Justice play in the gospel. Because of the commandments that God has given us, there is justice. "Mercy cannot rob Justice". Alma 42 for more details. Man, I love the book of Alma! Teaches us everything. Its like the book specially written for the missionaries. 

Thanks everyone for your love and support and prayers! Have a great week in the work of Salvation! 

     Love,

         Elder Strate 

                                         The Betos Family - Brother Betos makes the best empanadas!!!!

 

                                            We saw a real life pirate ship!

 

 

 

 

Conference!!!

      Hello Everyone,

       I hope you all enjoyed General Conference, because I did! All of the messages were so awesome that I can't express my gratitude for their awesomeness! We also had an investigator that came to the conference too! His name is Brayan and he's great! He has a baptismal date for April 15th. He's progressing great! 

       We watched all of the sessions in the Chapel. So basically we spent all of Saturday and most of Sunday in the Chapel. It was wonderful. All of the talks were fantastic, its hard to pick just one to talk about. I actually really enjoyed the talk by Bonnie L. Oscarson about the Restoration of the church, the priesthood keys and everything! 

       I also loved the talk by Paul V. Johnson about the Resurrection. It is one of my favorite gospel topics. The fact that we will all one day live again it truly amazing. And not just as spirits or how we are now, but with perfect and glorified bodies! I agree with one of Gordon B Hinckley's quotes stated by Elder Johnson as "The greatest of all events of the history of mankind." I know that to be true. Those of you that know me, also know that I have suffered from a few illnesses and injuries and such. I have healed mostly from them, but I am still limited in some things. I am so excited to have a perfect and glorified body one day. Amulek also testifies to this divine truth in Alma 11:42-45 I know this to be true. Death is not the end, thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know the church is true and I also bear witness that Jesus is the Christ. The one and only person capable of performing the heroic act of the atonement. I love being a missionary, to be able to share this wonderful truth to all the world! Have a wonderful week everyone! 

     Love,

         Elder Strate   

Package given to us by members at conference. My sucker that got destroyed by the humidity before I could get to it. Then a great drawing of the prophet and a quote from conference by him.

Happy Easter

 
Hello Everyone,

     This week has been full of great things. We had a bit of a hectic day on Monday, so thats why I am writing today because we didn't have time. 

     First of all I would like to wish everyone a happy Easter and I hope you all enjoyed your spring break! Because I did too! 

     In this past week we found some new families to teach and they are so amazing! On Saturday, we had a great experience finding a family. So we had planned to stop by to visit an old investigator that we didn't know. We just found her info in the area book so we decided to go look for her at 4 pm. 

     However, our appointments that we had that morning fell through. My companion felt the need to visit this investigator even though we had planned to look for them at 4 pm. So instead, at 12 noon we went to the house. Just as we got there, Ana (the investigator) was standing in the doorway. Then her mom came outside to greet us. We explained who we were and she started crying. She expressed how stressed she is with her life and trying to raise her daughter in this fallen world. She felt like God really answered her prayers as we arrived in the exact moment that she needed. We have an appointment with them tomorrow, so hopefully we will get some great results and baptismal dates! 

     We found another family too. The Mom also expressed to us how she had been looking in other religions and that none of them had really pleased her. Also that she has been looking for a way to strengthen her relationship with her family. I was with Elder Zambrano (hes an AP right now) and we had a great lesson. Abigail (the Mom) started crying when her son Gerardo (19 years old) said the closing prayer. The spirit was so strong and she also committed to come to general conference this week and to be baptized on April 22nd! Miracles!! 

       On Monday morning we had a celebration with President and Sister Kirkham here on the Island with the entire zone. Just so you know, Elder Vargas and I are the only Elders on the Island now...the rest are all sisters. Its a bit weird to be honest. Anyways, we had an Easter Celebration and it was great. We painted Easter eggs! Which is a tradition that doesn't exist here in Mexico, but we had to because its Easter and all. It was great. The best part was making the eggs into egg salad sandwiches which were delicious! I told the other missionaries that thats what we do in our family, throw Easter eggs! and they didn't believe me haha!

 

     We also learned a bit more about Jesus Christ and the importance of this holy week. I love Easter week. It is such a wonderful opportunity that we have to celebrate the last week of the Saviors life. The work that he did here on this earth is the most important thing that has ever occurred in the history of the world. As Alma states in Alma 34 that without the atoning Sacrifice, all mankind would have been lost and would have perished. I am so grateful for the Saviors love towards each and every one of us. And his Resurrection is like the cherry on the cake. Because he overcame death, everyone now has that chance. I hope you all had the chance to see the video, "aleluya" which talks about the Resurrection and how we can all find a new life through Jesus Christ. In my time here as a missionary, I can truly say that I have found a new life in Jesus Christ. I invite all of you to look for Jesus Christ, to find the new life that he promises us through sincere repentance and baptism. Of course it had to be performed by someone who holds the priesthood of God. I know that This power has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that the only way to return to our father in heaven is through SINCERE REPENTANCE along with all the saving ordinances of the gospel. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week. Hopefully you will all be able to watch General Conference this week. If you have questions about the gospel, you should write them down before conference and listen for the answers as you watch. That's what I am going to do! Have a great week!

     Love,

        Elder Strate

                       Basketball with neighbors and pizza from Dominoes