June Mission Circle of Life

June 5th was our Transfer day and our send the grand missionaries home day and receive the wonderful excited new missionaries Day!  The circle of life turns very fast in the Mission.  It seems we just did this!

Los Grandes Misioneros! Leaving the Mission; Elders Amaro,
Davis, Najera, Solis, Sanchez, Urbano and Olvera

The final send off at the airport!

President Haws with some final words for them

Up the escalator they go!
Adios Villahermosa

The new missionaries:  Elders Fullmer, Navarro and Hernández
and Hermanas Velez and Kennedy

Loading the van to go to the office

Orientation with their companion/trainers with
Presidente Haws and the Assistants

Elder Fullmer with Elder Hamblin
going to Parrilla, Gaviotas Zone

Hermana Kennedy and Hermana Rodriguez
going to Buenavista in Minatitlan Zone

Hermana Mero and Hermana Velez
going to Puerto Real in Carmen Zone

Elder Navarro and Elder Canche
going to Macuspana in Gaviotas Zone

Elder Hernandez and Elder Porres
going to Comalcalco, Cardenas Zone

The News with their Trainers

Our Beautiful New Granddaughter!

Rosamund Ann Frost

On June 4th, we received a phone call in the middle of the night that our granddaughter was on her way to be born.  We waited for the moment to Face Time with them and see her.  Then, that morning as we were walking into the Carmen Stake Conference - our daughter texted us a picture of our beautiful new granddaughter! Our daughter knew that we were about to go into a Stake Conference and wouldn't be able to talk, but she wanted us to know as soon as she was born.  We are so thrilled and happy to announce the addition of Rosamund Ann Frost to our family.  All are well and happy back in California!

   (I just had to pause from the Mission news to share our wonderful family news)

Ian, Sara, Milton and Eleanor with baby Rose

Se Esfuerza al Máximo all over the Mission

In Preach My Gospel  or Predicad Mi Evangelio there is a section about what it is to be a successful missionary.  We started teaching the missionaries from this section from the first day that we started.  One of the attributes of a successful missionary is -"Work effectively every day, do your best to bring souls to Christ, and seek earnestly to learn and improve."  Well, President Haws pointed out from the beginning that it sounds better in Spanish and that he loved the important phrase "se esfuerza al máximo".  Here it is in Spanish- "Trabaja eficazmente todos los días, se esfuerza al máximo por llevar almas a Cristo y trata sinceramente de aprender y de mejorar".  It has become a theme throughout the Mission to express the desire to work with our maximum effort! Our missionaries think of it often and act it out frequently, with their Zone, companions, members, converts, and everywhere really.  I thought it would be fun to share some of the many different poses that have been struck:

Acayucan Zone Missionaries with members and Presidente
and Hermana Mata, First Counselor in the Mission Presidency

Elder Porres and Elder Rodriguez even
found Patrick getting into esfuerza! 

Elder Vizcaino, in the Office, as he is leaving to go
home to the Dominican Republic, has to get in
one last "Esfuerza"!

Hermana Perez and Hermana Perez in Palenque
with their recent converts!

Elder Aguilar and Elder Clifford with their
convert at her baptism!

Elder Rivas showing the esfuerza!

Hermana Garcia and Hermana
Palomares in Coatzacoalcos helping
with their clima delivery - esfuerza!

Elder Fairbanks and Elder DeLeon in Carmen!

Elder Maldanado, demonstrating his
artist work, of esfuerza al máximo!

Hermana Jarquin and Hermana Garcia even
got their doctor to show his esfuerza al máximo!

June Mission Leadership Council - Consejo, siempre demostrando
su esfuerza al máximo!

Elder DeLeon- esfuerza and
ready for the sun!

Balancan area Elders with Presidente Valencia, Second
Counselor in the Mission Presidency!

Stake Conference in Carmen

Us with Presidente Hernandez, the
Carmen Stake President

  A few months ago President and I went to the Carmen Stake to see some missionaries.  While President was interviewing the missionaries, I was sitting in the hallway visiting with other missionaries and members and they came and went through the building that evening.  I was able to meet and make friends with a couple of special people, Jordan and his mom Esperanza, they were also waiting for their dad/husband to finish his interviews, he is the bishop of Puerto Real Ward in Carmen.  Last week, June 3 & 4, we were in the Carmen Stake for Stake Conference. We were in attendance with Elder Ortiz, an Area Seventy and President and Sister Turley, the Villahermosa Temple President and Matron.  We also had 14 of our missionaries in that Stake in attendance at the Conference.  The Carmen Zone missionaries sang a special musical number, "We'll Bring the World His Truth".  It was beautiful- it was the first time I had heard it sung in Spanish.  The Carmen Stake held two Sessions to accommodate the large number of members in their Stake- and each Session was full.  It is a joy to go all around the Mission (we have 9 Stakes and 1 District) and see so many strong, valiant members and to see and feel their Spiritual strength as they share their songs and talks.  The gospel of Jesus Christ brings peace and joy to those who live its teaching.  The Book of Mormon promises, if you keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land.  You can see this promise fulfilled in the faces of the Saints here in Mexico.

Me with Esperanza and Jordan in February

Jordan surrounded by the Carmen Zone Missionaries and
President and Sister Haws

Everyone showing their - se esfuerza al máximo!

Youth from the Carmen Stake

Missionaries Work Hard - Esfuerza al Máximo

So it is hot here and it rains here.  But our missionaries work on!  Here are some of the missionaries around the Mission -

Elder Taylor-Jones with Elder Prieto and Elder Cascante working
with esfuerza al máximo in Villahermosa- let it rain!

Elder De Leon- we received a huge rain storm
during the night - the next morning we get on
with the work, with a smile

Elder Barajas and Elder Cardon with the family
and friends of their converts in Comalcoalco,
Morelos Ward.

More Baptisms in the Morelos Ward with
Elder Barajas and Elder Cardon

Morelos Ward in Comalcoalco

Elder Anieves helps with the baptism of the
convert in Primero de Mayo Ward, in the Villahermosa
Stake, Hermanas Jarquin, Martinez and Gonzalez

Elder Cordoba and Elder Serrato celebrate a
baptism in the SanPedro Ward in the Acayucan Stake

Elder Cardenas and Elder Davis with their
converts in Triunfo

In  El Triunfo Elder Cardenas and Elder Davis with
their converts

May Zone Conferences

Villahermosa Zone -  May 24

Villa Zone ready for the Conference

Hermana Wilson, Me and Hermana Huber

The Hermanas in Villa Zone

Hermanas Morales, Gonzales, Martinez, Huber,
Wilson, Jarquin and Sanchez

Zapata and Tenosique Zones -  May 26

The Elders in Candelaria with us in front of the
Casa de oración. Elders San Pablo, Carasco,
Monterrosas and De la Cruz 

Casa de oración in El Triunfo

Elders Cardenas, Davis and Sanchez
going out to work in El Triunfo

I had a little help at the Chedraui (the big grocery store here), before the Conference picking out the sweet rolls and bread for the breakfast at Zone Conference in Palenque.  These Elders had left at 4:30 in the morning to get their Convees to Palenque from Balancan and Triunfo.  They deserved breakfast and hungry Elders are motivated to help get food for everyone!

Elders Diaz and Smith

Elders Diaz, Smith, Canche and Dominguez
from Balancan area

In the Panaderia, they hand bag all
your selections

Elders Sanchez, Davis and Cardenas joined the
group to help get the food.

Minatitlan Zone:  Pizza!  They love it!

Carmen Zone:  Pizza! Is always a big hit!

Coatzacoalcos Zone Hermanas!

Coatza Zone Selfie

Coatza Zone Missionaries