Drew Comes Home

This will be Drew’s last letter for a time as he has returned home due to the growing concerns with the coronavirus.  The intent is to eventually be reassigned and hopefully eventually make it back to Mexico as a missionary.  Thanks for all your prayers and support the past 7 months.

Well as of March 26 at about 8pm, I have been back in the good old city of Pflugerville, Texas. It has been the craziest ride I have ever experienced. So we got told the day of on Wednesday that we were going home, so we finished packing all our bags and then we cleaned our entire house. And so we made it to the bus station to head from Parral to Chihuahua. There, we slept one last night at the APs house. And the next morning, we all got up and ready to leave Mexico. We went to the airport and said goodbye one last time to our mission president and his wife and then went through security and then we were off to our flight to Dallas, Texas. The plane was tiny. Inside, there was only one row of seats on of the sides and 2 rows on the side. I studied Mormon and Moroni on the hour and half flight to Dallas. When we arrived, each one of us missionaries, left to our individual terminals for our different connecting flights. So, we all said bye to one another and then went our ways. So that was the first time I had been alone in 7 months, and that felt very strange for sure. I made it to my terminal and waited about an hour for my flight from Dallas to Austin to take off. The flight was short and only about 45 minutes, but it felt unreal, because I was actually on my way home to see my family again, and then to await where I might be assigned next. 

That plane ride, I just spent my time thinking about my mission experience that I had had, as well as honestly just trying to comprehend what was going on. As missionaries we have a vision about how our mission experience is going to work. Leave everything, our family, friends, work, school etc… then come back 2 years later. And so this was a very different experience than what I and all of us had envisioned. But as I was saying before, this is all just part of the plan that God has created, we just have to accept that, and then be obedient regardless of whether we like it or not. Overall, my mission that I served in Mexico  was so so so different than how I thought it would happen for many reasons. However, I am very grateful for everything that I was able to go through and experience and I know that one day I am going to look back and just start realizing why things happened and played out the way they did. I am so excited for the near future, for General Conference and also to figure out where all of us missionaries are going. Thank you everyone for supporting me!

Elder Talbot

Elder Talbot was released over the phone the evening of April 5, after the last session of conference.  All missionaries who have returned home from foreign missions are given the option to go back out as soon as conditions stabilize and keep their same end date.  Or they can defer and go back out in 12-18 months.  Drew has chosen to defer, rather than have multiple months of his mission eaten up with an unknown amount of time during the pandemic of the Corona virus. He got a job working nights at Walmart.  His cousin McKay has moved in with us to work there as well.  Drew will start school in the fall after working this summer. 

Go hard or go home

Most people should already know by now,  but all the foreign missionaries in Mexico are being sent home due to the virus. So I will be coming home in the next week or so. So, that means I'm gonna leave my mission with 7 months, 2 companions, and 1 area haha.  Pretty strange. This week has been pretty insane.  Day after day more restrictions were placed on us. The virus isn't very bad here in Mexico, but as it started to get worse, we were then required to go buy a 15 day storage of food as we are being quarantined before we go home.  We were given a list of items to buy. So all the missionaries went to Walmart and bought from the list.  I don't agree with many of the items that were on the required list, so I'm really not looking forward to eating for these next few days while we are in quarantine before we come home. One of the items was 1.5 liters of mayonnaise.  I am not touching that. haha

Then, all the Americans were told to go fill out a Smart travel application, so that we don't get trapped in Mexico, and are able to go back to the US, in case they close the border or whatever else that could happen. Then our mission president informed us of restrictions about contacting people in the street or in their houses, and we should avoid public transportation with a lot of people, etc. So then we were just working with the members and less actives and also with our people interested in the church. I know how every other missionary feels, it's heartbreaking to know that we probably won't be coming back here, and maybe not even be able to serve somewhere else. This is definitely not what I had planned for and definitely not what I or anybody wanted. But in these times, we have to turn to the prophet and the apostles who have commanded it, because of revelation from our God and Jesus Christ. So, as hard as it is for me to accept the fact that all these missionaries are going home early, I know that this is just all a part of God's plan. And when we realize that, it makes it so much easier to accept what is going on and just put our faith what it needs to be. Which is also why we must be obedient to the prophet and prepare ourselves for this general conference that is in less than 2 weeks. I am so grateful for my time that I was able to serve here in Mexico and am so glad that I gave it my all, and I am now ready for whatever comes next. I am also so excited to see some of you very soon! Take Care everyone!

Here is a bunch of pictures, since some people have been telling me I have been lacking on that haha. 

• Food Storage - This is the required list of food and water we were asked to purchase so we can stay in our home for up to two weeks.
• Haircut – This is the place the missionaries go for haircuts.  The barber speaks English and is fun to talk to.
• Mango – I see this boy all the time in the streets so I took his picture
• 24 Taco Lunch – I ate 24 tacos today for lunch.  Here is one of them.  
• Family – Here is one of the families that feeds us weekly
• Friends – Here are some of the people that we have been teaching

Elder Talbot

When we talked to Drew this week he was wearing a shirt that said “go hard or go home”. We asked him about it. It is his zone shirt. How fitting that it says go home since that’s what all the missionaries will be doing. The first flights out are on Wednesday. He’s not sure when he will be sent home, but it could be as early as then. 

Seeing Progress

This week we finally got to do our first service opportunity. One of the less active members had recently moved into a new house, and it was a mess. So we and the other 2 missionaries in the other area spent a few hours and helped her cleanup and organize her house. This week because of everything going on with the coronavirus, the Mission President has adjusted some of the rules about baptism. Normally, the people that we are teaching have to have at least 2 attendances at church, before they are baptized. But now that there is no church, that rule doesn't apply anymore, and any person that has prepared themselves for baptism, can be baptized right away, as long as they have met all the other requirements obviously. 

Anyways, Dayton got married on Saturday and I got to see a little glimpse of the wedding activities, it looked amazing and I really wish I could've been there. 

During my lessons, I always learn so much  about the beliefs of other religions. For example, we had a lesson which we were teaching and explaining the restoration and the people we were teaching said that the Jehovah’s Witnesses also have the same power of God. And so I showed them how we have authority tracing back to Joseph Smith, the Apostles, and then Jesus Christ. And after I explained it like that they weren't quite sure how they got it so they are going to ask. Anyways, after everything that we would teach, they would say, oh it's the same for Jehovah’s Witnesses also. For example, we talked about how we have General Conference where all the 70 and 12 apostles and prophets meet and it’s broadcasted throughout all the world, Andele.  And they apparently have the same thing. I would explain something like that, and then she would just say Andele, which is like, right. And we just started laughing because this Lady kept saying that like it was the same in their church. We taught about how we baptize and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, Andeles he says. We have the priesthood authority, Andele. So on until the end of the lesson.  I had just never heard “Andele” used like that before.  It was funny.

Anyways, the area and branch has truly made a significant amount of progress since the first day I got here more than 5 months ago. The branch has increased, and the amount of new people that we are continually teaching is so much more than it was when I got here. Sometimes it's difficult for other people to see the fruit of the labors as missionary when sometimes all that people look for is who got baptized and who’s coming to church. No doubt, that is definitely what we hope that the people can progress towards, but all we can do is teach and invite  Every person has their own agency to act for themselves. What people always say down here in Mexico is Cada Quien, which means every who, which does not translate very well directly in English but yea. Cada quien has their agency and their own way of life. I will most likely be transferred and gone next Pday, but it’s been a great time here in Parral!

Dogs Galore

We were able to chat with Drew a bit yesterday.  Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to write a letter this week.  He did say his companion was sick a few days and so they were limited in what they were able to do this week.

He did send along a few pictures.  He said there are dogs everywhere.  They especially like to chase people on bikes or motorcycles.  He said he made a few friends with two dogs after he gave them his leftover chicken bones.  Drew cooks up a bunch of chicken every week to use in meals. 

Finally Teaching!!

Monday, I got the fastest haircut of my life, it was about 3 minutes.  I don't know why she even asked me what I wanted because she just does the same thing to all the missionaries. Anyways, on Monday, after I had made all my chicken, I gathered all the leftover bones and skin and put it in a bag to give it to the dogs in the Street. However, my companion brought the bag to a lesson and then he forgets to take it after the lesson, so I don't know what those people think about that. This week we have seen the fruit of our labors.

Tuesday, we were walking up this long Street that we had already contacted before, trying to return with some people, when this guy on a bike passes by and calls us over and talks to us. He said he had never talked to missionaries before, but he always had wanted to. So, he invites us into his house and we get to know this guy and he is a very interesting man. His name is Armando, turns out he speaks English because he lived 15 years in the US, but he got deported and thrown in prison for 5 years and now he's studying 5 languages, plus the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Heck yea and he's going to school since he didn't have the chance to do so. Anyways, then I taught him in English (since he wants to improve it) the Restoration of the Church that Jesus established in the Bible, with priesthood authority, apostles and prophets. We also visited him again this week and taught the Plan of Salvation. And he understood everything. It was amazing! I then invited him to baptized and  he's going

 to think about it. The people here have a tough time accepting that their baptism was valid, because it wasn't done by someone holding the priesthood power. But Armando is a really smart man and he has a lot of potential. He has a lot of goals for who he wants to be in the future, physically and spiritually. And so with that kind of mindset, I told him he will never be able to reach his spiritual potential unless he reads and studies the Book of Mormon and he liked that. Then we went to this other lady, who had previously told us that she's not going to read the Book of Mormon. But the night before we showed up at her house, she apparently had a dream about us and the church, where she was trapped inside the church and couldn't get out. I am not sure how she interpreted that dream haha. Then we went to some really old investigators that had lost a bit of interest. We talked with them and answered all the questions about what her cousin (who is a Jehovah’s Witness) had told her. And then I showed them the 12 living apostles and the modern day prophet of the world, and she was like why didn't you show me this earlier. So then I explain what General Conference is and we watched the last talk by the prophet and she loved it. Then we invited her the next day to a dinner and to have a lesson.

Wednesday, we got to teach a friend of one of the members named Estefania, 23 years old and is Catholic, at the moment. She had joined us at church the past week, and she accepted to start taking the lessons. So we teach her the Restoration and then the next visit the Plan of Salvation and she accepted to read the Book of Mormon. But she's also learning English and so she made a deal with me, that I am going to help her with her English homework and she's going to read the Book of Mormon. Then she gave me an extra copy of her English book so that I could  [go study[ up. That night when I get home, I went to go use the bathroom and this time instead of finding a mouse, I found a black cat in my house so that was very strange.

Thursday, I  hit my 6 month mark and I burned this really hammered tie that this lady gave me a long time ago. This week, we were invited by Estefania to her house with some other members and friends to make and eat Carne Asada which is now of  the best things I have eaten on my mission. Afterwards, we visited this 18 year old woman named Cindy, who lives by herself and we reviewed everything  with her from the last time and invited her to church.

So, this week we have found 13 new solid people to teach who have a lot of potential, I only mentioned a few of those people. So I am excited to be here. However, I might be leaving  the area in 3 weeks when I finish my companions training, so we will see what happens. But yea, I have learned that what you have to do is just contact a bunch of people. When you do that, you will find some people who are willing to listen and learn, which are the people the Lord has prepared at this time to receive the fullness of the gospel. There will be pictures of the meat don't  worry, and the tie and cat. We brought Estefania to Church again!