Naco Week 2

Hey family! 

It's really weird to think that I graduated 2 years ago....insane it feels like yesterday! 

Well now it's summer... vacations on vacations! Exciting stuff!   The days are going by crazy fast! This week was interesting. EVERY single person in this area is already part of a religion  and really don't accept anything new. Normally I'm pretty calm and try to teach with love but wow this week hurt my head. People would say things that were so wrong and when taught they refuse to listen. We had about 5 straight days of this. My comp is great so we kept pushing along and we were finally able to have some good lessons! The struggle is real in the area but I just KNOW there are great people here. They wouldn't have started an extention here if they didn't think it could be a ward some day! (Elder Duff opened this area a year ago.)

Huge Catholic church next to our meeting place.

We met an awesome investigator the other day. Her name is Tita and she has 3 young kids and is married! She's really talkative and open and never says anything that makes my head hurt haha. She doesn't have a church and she loved everything we taught. She told us that she has been feeling empty and lost. After we taught the restoration she said she felt the truth of the message and that everything was so easy to understand and it all makes sense. She asked questions really wanting to know the truth and we could really feel the spirit in the lesson.

Gloria and her 2 kids

The extension is planning a trip to the temple so they are selling bread and stuff like that. But they cook it all in handmade ovens using wood. Wood is crazy expensive so they have to bring their own. We had a church activity and went the bishops house to find and cut wood. The bishop of the ward that's far away actually lives in our area! 2 hours walking but he's part of Naco and we just never see him. Well, we took a truck and filled all of us in and started working at like 7 in the morning and finished at like 1. My arms are dead! Where the bishop lives-- that whole area doesn't have electricity-- just farm land. It was great to help the ward and to see more of my area!

Food is so bland here but as long as I get fed I'm okay! We have to take a bus to Cofradia to shop for food. 

Well everything else is going good. Love my comp...he is superrrr nice and fun! I love being a missionary! Have a great week!

-Elder Sessions

Naco Week 1

Hey family!

So a lot has changed....I got sent to an area called Naco! It is very different. It's in the one zone I have been dreading but I have the faith all will go well! Here we don't have ward or a branch. It's called the extension haha. We have about 25 who come to church and we don't have a bishop or president or anything. Sometimes a counselor from the Cofradia ward comes to preside. They rent a little house thats righttt next to this HUGE catholic church haha.Yesterday in church I gave a talk, blessed the sacrament and taught the elders quorum class haha (we have one 2 priests and one elder). So it's been kind of a shock out here. The area is MASSIVE. we have to walk 1 or 2 hours to some the towns in our area. It's alot of farm land and big lots with not much people. We are excited to start working and finding those prepared people.

My new comp is Elder Chancay! From Ecuador! He's got about 2 months and is really excited to work. He's really humble and nice we just got along so quick! He's a tall curly hair goofball haha. The house is pretty legit. Its big for 2 and we have running water! I was really praying for a washer machine but my luck didn't turn out. Man I'm so tired of washing clothes by hand! haha Elder Porter who came into the mission with me has had a washer machine in ALL of his areas....i just don't understand....One day Sessions... one day.

This whole week was ´family week´ so every night this week we had an activity in the church. Since this extension is so small it's like a big family. They are all good friends and it's been great to get to know them so fast. 2 days of this week we had to go to the stake center. Weird part is that we are part of the same stake as my first area in Dos Caminos! I got to see all my friends that I haven't seen for a year! You guys probably dont remember Alicia but she got baptized with Elder Duff and I, well she was there with her family who recently got baptized as well! So great to see them all active. It was wierd it felt like 2 days ago I was with them. 

I'm so glad to be a missionary. This Church is true and I love this gospel! Well this is all for now. Hopfully we can get some sweet stories this week! love you guys!

-Elder Sessions

Trincheras Week 18

Our investigators sent pics of us to channel 6 news and we were on the tv #famous

Family!! 

Best week everrrrr!!! Mothers day! It's like Mother's day slash missionary day because we get to see the fam! Skype is sent from the heavens. It was the coolest to see my awesome Mom and the new baby Reggie. Only 7 months more and we can skype again.... 

Well it looks like this was my last full week in Trincheras. We will see where they send me next! 

I'll start off with the best news! All went as planned with the baptisms of Prudencio and Helder! It was a crazy day because they both had to work and left late so we had to rush and stuff but by the time it started it all went smoothly. Prudencio has expressed alot of desire in serving a mission and loves coming to church. The Young men program has activities and he likes how they are close and play games that are different all the time. I hope the ward takes care of him! 

Helder....so great to see him in white with his family right next to him. We have grown really close and I hope he continues to grow in this gospel. 

It was so funny one day this week it was late and we had to get to the house fast so we were like jogging walking. We were at a part that was really dark and all I hear is my comp say "AHH" He had slipped and fallen in a huge puddle of mud. I started to laugh really hard but when i saw his face I knew he wasn't in a funny mood. So i knew pictures were out of the question...But he was covered head to toe in mud poor guy.

Yo AMO la misión! Este es la Iglesia verdadera. Gracias por su apoyo y las oraciones! Les quiero mucho!!!

-Elder Sessions  

Hermana Teresa

Making corn tortillas

Making flour tortillas

Trincheras Week 17

Hey family!

Such an awesome week!! Started out with a rain day which means crazy humidity...but at least I wasn't get burnt for a change. Today was beach day for the zone! It's the day I wait for every change. We got to play soccer and eat awesome food. At one point no one was doing anything and just sitting around talking and I totally fell asleep. Super chill. This zone is really fun and we have a strong gringo force to keep it lively. 

With Elder Coe from New Zealand

Our District

With Elder Olivas

This week has just been PACKED. I feel like we have been running around like crazy to get things done. But the Lord really blessed us with our appts. and our investigators. Our investigator and Prudencio is progressing amazingly! He and Helder have the date for baptism this Saturday! Hope all goes as planned. Prudencio has been an investigatos of gold. From the very beginning he has accepted everything. He's an 18 year old kid that really has his mind set on the things of the Lord. He lives rightttt in front of the church and he  goes to the activities and seminary everyday! He has a huge desire to serve the Lord and actually reads the Book of Mormon! So exciting!

This change just flew by in two seconds! My time with Matamoros is almost at an end and it's sad! He's been a great companion. And out of all my areas this one is just really special. There are a couple of members here that are like my family! It's going to be so weird not to see them all the time! I think I'm going to ask president for an extra change here. :) 

We had amazing baptisms this week! Evelin and Jenefer! 2 Sisters of a part member family. Wow this family is awesome! We found them when we were buying baleadas....shocker haha. The 2 daughters instantly found friends in the church and go to seminary everyday! We passed by them the other day and the older one, Jenefer, was talking to a woman and she didn't know we were walking by. She says "hey you need to come to church with us" and the lady laughs and says why? and Jenefer says because its the true church! And the lady asks "how do you know?" Jenefer says "Hey listen, I'm just going to send the Elders to your house okay?" Then she turns around to see us and says "Wow! Perfect! Here they are hahahaha!! Future missionary! Their parents are going to get married this next month so its sad I'm not going to be here to see it!

Well that's it for this week! Love you guys! Have a good one!

-Elder Sessions

Doing service????

Elder Olivas with a pig!