Bob and Becky Cox

Going, going and gone........

2010-06-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

Everything was packed up and loaded onto the moving van on Wednesday, June 16th.

3 years of memories with lots of extras are being shipped to California.

We just hope everything arrives in one piece.

139 Strong....MML

2010-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, here we are all together for the last time. We combined all the zone conferences into 1 for the month of June. We shared a video of pictures of the missionaries, took more pictures...shared inspirational training, enjoyed special talents of Elder Tenney, Elder Leach, Elder Bojorquez, Hermana Jimenez, Elders Toutai, Su´a and Solt and much, much more. It definitely is hard to put into words, the feelings of our heart as we looked into the audience of all those who will continue to bring forth miracles in the MML. Let's just say it was a day to remember in our journals of special mission memories.

Our Hermanas have worked miracles in the MML. We are 7 strong right now with Hermanas Suarez, Cruz, Alarcon, Vela, Sarao, Garza and Jimenez.

We had 5 RMs visit us for this mtg..Elders Casado, Herbst(served under Pres. Martinez but was here visiting Elder Casado his kid), Piña, Lara and Hermana Ortega. They came by the house after the conference to catch up on old times and share a pizza before they headed back to Mexico. We appreciated their efforts to be with us for this special conference.

It is so fun visiting with our missionaries after the mission. They are bright-eyed and full of ambition and plans for their future. We hope to return 2011 or 2012 for a reunion with as many as we can get together.......What a fun time that will be.

Friday night we put together a little dinner for all the counselors who have served in the Mission Presidency with Bob. It was a relaxed evening for all of us....just to be together and enjoy one another's company. Socializing with friends is not done much in our area of the mission. Unless we do the inviting....it just doesn't happen. So everyone really enjoys my food and company when we can put together a little social time. President always tries to mix business with pleasure....so they held their last Mission Presidency Mtg as well earlier in the evening. In company for the evening was Bishop Romo y Juanita, Hno Aguilar y Juanita, President Rubio y Annie, President Martinez, Yoshira y Sofia. We will miss these dear friends in the gospel.

Farewell #26, Our Last!

2010-06-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Pressure to the very last minute. We've had difficulty these past few changes to receive Visas for not only the missionaries arriving...but the missionaries going home. We did not have in our possession the Visas til the day before (Friday). What a relief that was. The thought of calling parents and telling them their missionary was without visa was not what we wanted to deal with. So we have grateful hearts that all came to pass. We had our time with interviews with President, fruit kobobs and cookies in the kitchen and then a little later dinner and testimony meeting together in the living room. It was a fun night. We had forseen this day, 2 years earlier....it is hard to believe that the time has come and gone........and now they are home. They were a great group of missionaries and leaders for the MML. We sent home 12....Elders Brown, Delgado,Frame,Gonzalez A.,Killen,Leininger,Richards,Sherman,Whittle,Peña C.,Solis, and Trejo. We loved each of them individually and appreciated their great testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We were visited by Elder Robledo our Executive Secretary/Zone Leader who returned home in November 2009. It was so fun visiting with him. He was here on Friday in time to visit with those returning home........and then returned with his parents and grandmother on Sunday evening. We are receiving lots and lots of calls these days from our RMs here in Mexico. It is so much fun to hear from these special missionaries....and catch up on their lives.

Monday we received only our 3 Elders from the CCM, Elders Tepale, Flores and Estrada. It was a small group because none of our Americans were able to get Visas.....so we are still waiting. Our big question now is when? and who will receive them????? President Cox or President Del Valle. Life is always good.

Our last Concilio

2010-06-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

New Zone Leaders have been called and we have counseled together for the last time. Testimonies have been shared and capacitations taught to help motivate and inspire MML to greater heights. We are confident that this is possible with the help of the Lord and our diligence and rededication to our vision....to invited others to come unto Christ. Elders Roberts, Gomez, Paul, Gray and Solt have been added to our Council and will join forces with Elders Perez Miller, Aguilar, Cano, Su'a, Valdez,Verdeja, DeLos Reyes, Ramirez, Jirano, Calvillo, Luis, Ruiz and Rodriquez. They will be the 18 ZL´s who will welcome and help President Del Valle as he steps into the arena and begins his service as the Mission President. We are confident that he will find these leaders, competent and prepared to meet their challenges with the Lord's help. We wish them our very best. We will work together during the month of June to work out any kinks....and then...... On a more humorous note, I asked our office Elders to buy me 2 heads of lettuce, a bunch of cilantro, paper towel and a few more things for the concilio....on Monday. Elder Su´a was in charge of the lettuce.......needless to say, he did not pass the test! They brought me 2 heads of cabbage and Elder Toutai brought me parsley.........Oh how I love these Elders. (Elder Delgado and Elder Su'a had come in early for the concilio to help out. )

Pleasantly Surprised

2010-05-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Elder Martinez, Hna Martinez and Sarai stopped by the mission home to bring us a wedding invitation tonight for their niece who is marrying our RM, Elder Buzis. Such a small world. They were in Morelia today on a speaking assignment and drove to Leon to hand deliver this invitation. They were invited to have dinner with us and we had such an enjoyable evening reminising about our first days in the mission field and their changing of guard. Elder Martinez is serving as an Area Seventy now but was the mission president here in Leon before us. They were so kind to welcome us to Leon.....we have fond memories of our new beginning and want to provide the same sort of atmosphere for Pres and Hna Del Valle as they arrive and begin their 3 year service. As we approach our last month we can look back and see the many miracles that have taken place in MML, this month alone we ended with 379 new members of the church......truly this month as been as month of 1000agros (miracles).

Eleven for Sunday Dinner

2010-05-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Our internet is not functioning at the offices so our secretaries are really struggling trying to keep up with their work load. We also have both the office and house in a remodeling mode so things are disorganizing. So on Sunday afternoons Elder Cruz uses my computer to prepare the weekly baptismal report for the Sunday evening mtg with President and Assts. While he is busy on my computer, Elder Hansen has been kind enough to lend me a hand in the kitchen. He is becoming quite the cook. He prepared the foccacia bread for this Sunday...yummy and parmasean chicken. I am definitely spoiled these last days. We invited our zone leaders for dinner, Elder Sherman and Elder Valdez and of course, our Hermanas, Hermana Alarcon and Hna Sarao...so our table was full....... actually we had the whole District of Arbide with us. What a blessing for President and I to be surrounded by these faithful missionaries who are working so diligently to bring about this great work of the Lord.

President and I traveled on Sunday to speak at a Stake Conference in Aguascalientes Jardines. We no longer are asked to attend the Saturday session of conference so our time with each stake is limited but enjoyable. We have come to love all of these great men and their wives. This particular Sunday we had in attendance Elder Anaya from Guadalajara and his sweet wife. President Lopez and his wife are so very kind and it is always fun to see our missionaries at the Sunday session of conference with their investigators.

BEDBUGS!

2010-05-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

Our hermanas in Leon Moderno have a bad case of bedbugs going on in their apartment. At first we thought Hermana Sarao had a skin reaction to mangos...but as time went on.......she had more and more welts so we treated her for hives......This last week we discovered BEDBUGS. Yikes!

They sprayed everything with the Premethrin as directed but in the night when they returned the bugs were all over the walls ...coming out of their mattresses, gross. So we have adopted the Hermanas for the last 4 nights. They will be moving into a new apartment today with new mattresses and hopefully they will not carry with them any of these little critters. Actually, we are really hoping they didn't bring bedbugs with them to the mission home. Wouldn't that be icing on the cake for a new mission president. This is our month of miracles and Hermana Alarcon and Hermana Sarao are perfect examples........ on Saturday they had 8 investigators ready for baptism. We have been blessed with wonderful hermanas of great faith....

Notice their clothing for the day. They are color coordinated special for their day of baptisms and they are filled with the Spirit. It was so fun to have them with us.

Our Bonus!

2010-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of flying to Mexico City on the 17th and mtg with all the MPs and their wives, Elder Bednar and his wife, Bishop McMullin and his wife and President Johnson and President Tenorio and their wives. It was definitely a special experience for all of us. MP Seminars will no longer be held with an Apostle, as the church grows so rapidly, they are revamping their mtg schedules to more effectively reach, teach and bless the growing membership of the church. Our Bonus....this week was to be in the presence of an Apostle of the Lord and Bishop McMullin and receive instruction that will bless our lives and our future assignments in the church. No pictures were taken with them. But their testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will forever remain in our hearts.

At our first MP Seminar, Hna Johnstun and Hna Mendoza and I connected on the beaches of Veracruz and called ourselves the "Tres Amigas". From that moment on....... whenever we are together there is a special spark, a special bond that unites us as sisters in this great work of the Lord. It is interesting how Heavenly Father places special people in your lives to bless us and help us through difficulties and struggles.....We have felt this bond as we have served in our assigned areas of Mexico.....be in Monterrey, Culiacan or Leon. It was difficult saying goodbye to these great leaders. For many....our paths may never cross again. But then there are some, like Hna Johnstun...who will forever remain a special friend. We hope to stay connected.

Our Last Birthday

2010-05-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

Elder Cruz is serving as our Executive Secretary now and he was the last birthday we'll celebrate in the mission home. His birthday is May 15th, a special day, the same birthday as my mother's. We celebrated with our favorite Chocolate Cake and "Feliz Cumpleaños" candles ...Sunday evening after mtgs and reports were finalized. Elder Cruz is a great leader in the mission, he has served as a Zone leader for several months prior to his assignment as our secretary. He is a new convert himself and since serving a mission... his father has joined and received the priesthood and his mother is now reading the Book of Mormon. We love our time together on Sunday evenings when we can visit with our Elders in the office on a more personal level. They are great men who are performing 1000agros for the Lord..... I have loved this message. Our goal as a mission for May has been 1000 baptisms. We have a desire to do everything we possibly can to invite and bring unto Christ those who are prepared to receive this gospel message. We know there are those prepared. We just need to find, teach and baptize them. It is our great desire to be worthy to participate in these great miracles.....As President has interviewed each missionary this month I have had the privilege to give them their "last brownie" and express my appreciation to them for their righteous service but to also reiterate that each and every baptism that takes place during the month of May is a MIRACLE for the individual who accepts and changes their life, through the principles and ordinances of the Gospel Restored. How grateful I am for the sweet spirit I have felt as I have expressed my love for each and every missionary in the MML.

Remodel in Progress

2010-05-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

They are here in numbers this week...cutting thru 2 ft of cement ...roof to ceiling. Their objective is to install new air conditioning units....definitely it has been a noisy, dirty project. We've been hiding out some in the General Authorities room as they work in our bedroom and office upstairs. We've taken our room apart, pictures and inspirational thoughts are removed from all the walls.......I suppose they'll paint next, so they probably won't go back up. (That's a crazy thought.) We hope to stay in the house throughout the remodel process....mostly to keep Celayita calm. But they have offered to put us up in a hotel if things get really bad. So time will tell.

In Time for .........

2010-05-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we received 1/2 of the package. Three of our six Elders were able to travel to Leon in time for Zone Conferences. The other 1/2....well, we are still waiting anxiously with no news. This is a first for us. Difficulties with Visas is normal...usually they all wait and come together...so we'll see what happens. We are delighted to have Elders Price, Pinther and Tew in our fields laboring with the missionaries of the Leon Mission. We picked them up Tuesday afternoon on our way home from the Conferences in Irapuato, we fed them....took pictures, they received instruction and then off with the Assistants to attend baptisms planned for that evening. The next morning we were together again for breakfast, assignments and then off to the zone conferences here in Leon. They are ready....prepared and willing and we are grateful to have them as part of our force to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the good people of this part of the world.

A Whirlwind Weekend in Leon

2010-05-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Talk about "Hotel Leon", we have been anxiously awaiting the visit of our dear RM, Elder Emery and Cherese his wife. They were scheduled to arrive Saturday morning after we had taken the Elders to the airport...so things were good. They would stay with us and then drive from the mission home to visit their converts in the other areas. Sounds great. Well, our Area President and his wife, President Johnson have been planning to visit the Leon Mission for this past year and guess when they want to come....you guessed it! Saturday and Sunday they want to spend some time with President and I ...........so plans change. We had a most wonderful experience with every facet of the weekend, it is just funny how everything came all at once. We also received a call from our AMA, Dr. Spencer who was looking for one last visit as he and his wife, Cindy returned home to Monterrey coming from Morelia....luckily they stopped on Tuesday night. We were truly blessed to be able to spend time with each of these special guests.

Tuesday afternoon we were able to get away for a quick visit to Guanajuato. We took in all the regular attractions and enjoyed our time with this cute couple. Elder Emery and Cherese were anxiously engaged in this great work while in Leon . They visited with converts and investigators from 2 years ago, encouraging and teaching of the blessings of enduring to the end. They secured several new contacts and renewed many friendships in the church. It was a wonderful blessing for all of us to have them return and assist us in this great work once again. We loved our time together

Picture taken of the wives of Stake Presidents at the Fireside Saturday evening in Irapuato for YSAs. President and Hermana Johnson were the guest speakers. It will be hard to say goodbye to these sweet sisters who serve faithfully beside their husbands. Hna Navarro, Morales & Garcia

Thinking Outside of the Box

2010-05-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Every chance we get we encourage our mission leaders to "Think Outside of the Box". We share the same objective with missionaries serving throughout the world. We will do everything within our power to find and invite others to Come unto Christ and receive the message of the restored gospel, be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then endure to the end. We are so grateful for the direction and inspiration of the Preach My Gospel manual. In the mission home we have a great office in our room. Upon invitation our mission leaders visit with President and I in this office. This is where we dream dreams and plan for the future. We are so blessed to have Elders Trejo, Martinez and Toutai to assist in this great work of the Lord.

Our Most Unusual Farewell

2010-05-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Elder Pasos, Elder Holt, Hermana Vasquez and Hermana Gonzalez were coming into the mission home for their Farewell interview, dinner and testimony meeting. Everything was ready. BUT, we had one little snag....the electrical transformer blew a fuse...or whatever it does and we were without electricity from 4-9pm. It made for a memorable farewell with candlelight testimony meeting and dinner at Tacos de Guerros. Lights returned early enough to enjoy apple pie con helado. What a fun time we had with those going home and the office Elders.

¿GUESS WHAT?

2010-04-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am going to be a grandma again.

I am so excited!

Can't wait!

Guess who?

23 HUNGRY mouths to FEED!

2010-04-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

IT WAS A GREAT CONCILIO. Elder Trejo, Elder Toutai and Elder Martinez did an excellent job in their capacitations. The buzz word is "1000agros" which literally = milagros or 1000 miracles for May. We have great zone leaders in place to lead the mission through this month of miracles and great faith in the promise from the scriptures that All things will work together for our Good....if we search diligently, pray always and are believing......then walk uprightly and remember our covenants wherewith we have made.....D&C 90:24 It was an emotional concilio as we thought of all the miracles we've been witness to in the MML. We are so grateful for this time we have to FEED not only the mouths but the souls of these great zone leaders each month in our concilios. After the Concilio there was a special request for a group picture with our dear Elders who will not return for the June Concilio.........

Before Breakfast with our 23 Elders in the Kitchen....they are always hungry!

"The Process"

2010-04-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

President Thomas S. Monson has taught us that "when performance is measured, performance improves and when performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." This is the principle behind the process. Every concilio includes a time for our Zone Leaders to Return and Report to each other and President Cox of their missionary labors. It is a time to give an accounting and receive counsel on additional methods to motivate and encourage. Numbers or goals for the month are written on the board in the training room and reviewed the following month. It is incredible watching these young men accept responsibility for their zones and seek ways to improve and serve more diligently and effectively. (picture of Elder Delgado, ZL, Aguascalientes at Concilio, Elder Perez Miller, SanLuisPotosi ZL)

The next week in individual Zone Conferences we take this process to the next level and each companionship is asked to report their goal for the week and then for the month. District Leaders record this information on the board as a record or goal for the month. Goal setting is an integral part of the MML and the missionaries are taught the sacred nature of goal setting and the importance of working with all of our heart, might, mind and strength to do our part and then praying for the Lord's assistance in all that we do. (Picture of Elder Brown, DL,Leon Este at Zone Conference, Elder Holt, ZL, President Cox,standing close by)

In Preach My Gospel we are taught that goals reflect the desires of our heart and truly our desire is to Invite others to Come unto Christ. We are so grateful for the processes that are in place to help us in our missionary labors. From ZConf in Leon I captured a picture of Elders Zelaya and Pehrson, companions participating in an activity and my blog would not be complete without different groupings of districts. Cameras flash, smiles appear and memories are made of special times shared. We are eternally grateful for these faithful young men and young women who serve the Lord here in the MML.

*Elders Mozo, Farias, Conrad, Richards, Javier and Lopez J....Celaya Oeste

*Elders DeHart, Segura,Velarde,GonzalezC, Hnas Sarao and Cruz....Celaya Este

*Elders Bautista, Rueckert,Leininger,Hollingsworth, Ibañez and Cano....Aguascalientes

Easter Celebrations!

2010-04-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was particularly special this year. We had spent the past week with our zone leaders studying the last week of our Savior's life while he lived upon the earth and this was followed with our concilio and then our first zone conference in San Luis Potosi. We always love this week of Easter, to reflect upon the great gift of immortality and eternal life made available to all mankind through the selfless gift of the Atonement made by our Savior, Jesus Christ. But to top it with General Conference Sunday is really icing on the cake. There is nothing better than to be able to sit at the feet of our dear Prophet, President Monson and Apostles and receive the instruction we need in our lives in these latter days. I know my heart was brim full at the end of these conference sessions and I look forward to a more indepth study of the instructions given. Easter pictures are a norm in our home for this special holiday so it was appropriate and my secretaries and assistants were willing........ Aren't they a wonderful addition to my family.
Elders Martinez V, Toutai and Trejo...as our assistants and Elders Verdeja, Hansen and Cruz R. as our secretaries.

We watched the first session of General Conference at the Leon Stake Center on Sunday morning. In between sessions we set apart President Javier Martinez as the Second Counselor in the Leon Mission Presidency and changed President Rubio to the First Counselor. We are excited about these great priesthood leaders and the assistance they will lend to building the kingdom of God in the boundaries of our mission.

This is our last Easter in the mission fields of Leon. The streets are lined with beautiful jacarandas trees in full bloom...... this picture was taken while driving down Algercias, the street connecting with Torre Vieja. We walk this street every morning and the smell is of a sweet bloom similar to the orange blossoms at home. We are happy and grateful for this great work of the Lord and the special privilege we have to assist these special missionaries with their labors.

We were also visited this past week with a newly married couple of RM who had served here in our mission. La familia Grecco were married on March 27th in the temple at Mexico City. They are so happy and have spent their week visiting their special friends of the mission. (aka Elder Grecco and Hna Licona)

500 was the magic # for the month. The goal was to invite and bring 500 investigators to General Conference to hear our prophet's voice, to receive instruction and enjoy the sweet spirit that teaches us how to perfect our lives....This was a stretch for our mission since the most we had ever taken was 308. But the missionaries worked con todo su corazon, alma, mente y fuerza.........The result = 500+ investigators who we will now teach and challenge to accept the saving ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are excited to say the least!

Another month has Come and now GONE!

2010-03-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today is our 36th Wedding Anniversary. We shared our special day with our zone leaders as we participated in the concilio in preparation for the month of April. We have 5 new zone leaders in this concilio, Elders DelosReyes,Rodriguez,Delgado,Calvillo and Valdez. They join the ranks of many great young men who have worked diligently to lead the mission forward in righteous service. We are grateful for their desire to take their place to motivate and inspire our missionaries to Invite others to Come unto Christ. With each capacitation their is a coinciding activity....using faith to move the President's car?????.....if we're obsessed anything is possible?????...(President HIT the target)...Elder Killen is sporting a new tie, he baptized 20 for the month of March so he inherited a tie of his choice from President's closet...and Elder Holt is 23 months in the making as a missionary from the Leon Mission, he'll be our only leader departing in the month of April and we will miss his faithful, cheerful service. It is incredible the changes we see in the lives of these valiant young men as they sacrifice to serve the Lord. We love them all!

Sunday, March 28th we celebrated Elder Toutai's 21st birthday...he actually had his birthday in the middle of the week but we were busy with interviews...so he patiently waited for his special day. We also invited President Javier Martinez, his wife, Yoshira and baby daughter...Sofia for dinner. President Martinez is our new counselor in the mission presidency. He is a bit younger than our previous counselors but he's on fire with a love for missionary work. We appreciate his support and desire to grow the mission. They attended our Monday night concilio as well and he spoke with the zone leaders of the mission.

That same day Hermanas Gonzalez, Alarcon and Suarez stopped by the office with a toe problem. They are serving in Leon Moderno and wanted to show me the problem area. We did our little examination....gave them a recommendation, and a popsicle and before I knew what was happening I had a picture of them together on my camera. Not sure about the eye situation. It looks like they are all three pointing to Hermana Suarez' name on the bulletin board because she arrived the week early...but why the poise with an eye closed??? You've got me. But aren't they so darn cute and powerful missionaries they are!
Friday, March 26th we greeted our visa-delayed missionaries at the airport in Bajio,GTO. They seemed relieved to be on the ground again and with people who spoke their native tongue. We fed them tacos de guerros that evening about 10:30pm (how settling can that be on ones stomach), President had his interviews with them and then we bedded them down in the offices across the street. Saturday morning we fed them our classic breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage, gave them their assignments, took pictures and then the Assistants took care of the training. We were grateful to have them here safe and sound and ready to take their place in the mission fields of Leon.

March 21st Juanito and family visited with birthday cake for President and I. He was so thoughtful to want to share with us on his special day. It is amazing how much he has grown in these past 3 years. Juanito turned 9 years old.......

With or Without

2010-03-17T20:39:00.001-07:00

I can enjoy Guanajuato with or without Bob.(Actually, without is a lot more fun!) Our AMA, Dr. Spencer and his wife were visiting for a couple of days so we hooked up with the District President, President Guarduño and saw some of the sites of my favorite city.....most of the places I've been to at least 3 times before but....I love it all the same. We did visit the museo in the Alhondiga this time, and I climbed to the bottom of the mine of San Ramon..... it was a really fun day. Cindy and I shopped and shopped and the men just did a few more missionary contacts while they waited..... Before we were ready...it was time to say goodbye. I hate to think that this might be my last trip there........surely not. I can always find a reason to make one more visit.

New Faces

2010-03-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

We have lots of new faces in the office this week. Elder Trejo, Elder Toutai and Elder Martinez are the New Men in charge. I was so impressed with their first capacitation to our new missionaries on Monday. They will work together well to lead and guide the mission as we move forward to Invite the good people of our mission to Come unto our Savior, Jesus Christ and receive this glad message that offers Salvation to all. Elder Cruz is the man for the job as Elder Verdeja prepares to leave the office as our Executive Secretary. We have been so blessed with the talents and service of Elder Verdeja. He has quietly and patiently served with all his heart as our secretary. We love him. It is always fun to watch them leave the office and assume responsibilities in the field as great leaders for the mission. Elder Cruz is a bit more limited in his English language so I will be challenged a bit more ...... but this is good. Also, we received a call from President Del Valle today and he sent us some pictures of his family........so you can see, we have lots of new faces surfacing in the Leon Mission.

March NEWBIES AND OLDIES

2010-03-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Things are beginning to run like clock work around here. We can process the OLDIES Sunday evening and off to the airport we go Monday morning early....then turn around and Welcome whoever they send our way....This particular change our NEWBIES were short due to the fact that our Elders from the MTC were without visas. So the only difficult factor involved in this whole process is the human heart. This change we sent home all 3 of our Assistants, Elders Callen, Maxfield and Salazar, Elder Ramirez, Elder Peña G., Elder Carrillo, Elder Flores C and Hermana Ramirez....We welcomed from the CCM Hermana Suarez, Elder Martinez, Elder Sandoval and Elder Torres so it was a rather small group without our 3 Americans. We hope to see them this next week. We're crossing our fingers.

Exhausted vs. Anxious Anticipation

2010-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Our Assts have been trading places....traveling, training and motivating areas in the mission that need assistance. They arrived home Thursday evening exhausted. While doing divisions they often find themselves sleeping on an old couch, an extra mattress or sometimes on a tile floor with an extra blanket. Obviously they are anxious to return home to their beds. We appreciate the unselfish service of these great leaders and know that they are leaving behind their mark.....which is their testimony of the this great work of the Lord. Each of them have grown in courage and strength as they have come in defense and presented in their own manner the invitation to Come Unto Christ and receive the glad message of the restoration of his Gospel. On the other hand, we welcome fresh blood. Elder Toutai and Elder Trejo are learning the territory that they will assume and being instructed as to the responsibilities that come as Elders Callen, Maxfield and Salazar leave for home. Today was our last Zone Conference for March and we always end in Leon so I was able to capture them together. What a great picture for the history books of the Leon Mission. We love all our missionaries and feel it such a pleasure to serve the Lord with them. It is a constant struggle to keep all of them on the right page at the same time.......but it is sooooooooo worth the effort. The Lord needs these young men and women to proclaim His glad tidings of great joy, even the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to all the people of the Leon Mission.....We will continue to move forward with grateful hearts. Posted are pictures of the Assts, Leon Oeste & Leon Este zones and Elder Delgado's District in Irapuato. Elder Delgado and his companion Elder Jeronimo, Elder Paul and his companion Elder Narez, Elder Policarpo-Elder Aguirre and Elder RamirezS-Elder Loveland had the most baptisms for the month of February with 7.75 baptisms per companionship. The interesting factor was that Elder Delgado-Jeronimo and Elder Paul-Narez both baptized 12 new converts and they are serving in the same ward.....WOW! Felicidades a todos por su obra misional en Febrero.

A Magic Moment

2010-02-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Five of this group of missionaries will be returning home on March 15th. I am having a little difficulty these days thinking about the changes that are coming to pass sooooooo quickly these days. We only have 3 more Concilios after this one and then, yikes, it'll be our turn to return home as well. These experiences in the mission field are unforgetable. Today we listened as these 5 leaders of MML bore their testimonies of truths they now embrace personally; of their love for our Savior, Jesus Christ and appreciation of his Atonement, of the Book of Mormon as another Testimony of Jesus Christ, of the Restoration of truths of the Gospel once forgotten, of the Prophet Joseph Smith and President Thomas S. Monson. There is such a special camaraderie between these great young leaders who in the course of their unselfish service have become Mighty Men in the Faith of our Lord.(Jarom 1:7)
I get teary eyes just thinking about their farewell. Those in attendance...SLP, Elders Ditto and Trejo; Benito Juarez, Elders Martinez and Perez Miller; from Aguas, Elders Cano and Luis; from Aguas Jardines, Elders Peña C and Jirano; Leon Este, Elders CruzR and Ramirez; Leon Oeste, Elders Killen and Aguilar; Irapuato, Elders Toutai and Ramirez; Celaya Oeste, Elders Holt and Su'a; CelayaEste, Elders Leininger and Ruiz. Two new ZLs were in attendance without assignment, Elders Sherman and Whittle.

A New Assignment

2010-02-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

Since July, 2009 we have had Elder Sherman as our financial secretary. He has served us well, but it is time so he is being reassigned this week and will be attending our concilio tomorrow with "A New Assignment" as zone leader. We hate to see our Elders leave the office, they are so much a part of our lives while they attend to the needs of President and I and we appreciate their great service. Change is good and we know Elder Sherman will do a great job for the mission with this new responsibility. Elder Hansen has been trained and will take over the office this next week. Wow...... as we met together tonight we thought about all the changes this dinner table will experience over the next few months...Our Assistants will all leave us in March and Elder Verdeja will begin training his replacement as well. I am not sure my heart strings are going to be strong enough to endure to the end. Wish me luck.

We love our Celayita. She has found a new friend...the Lion of Leon! Also, you might have noticed, she has a special attachment with Elder Salazar. Life is good in the Leon Mexico Mission.

Brownies vs. Valentine cookies?

2010-02-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

This has been a week of interviews. Normally I prepare Costco brownies for all the missionaries and they love them. But with Valentines Day approaching, the missionaries in Leon received heart-shaped sugar cookies. It was a fun for me, so I hope they liked them. We post pictures in our monthly newsletter (La Cosecha) of the top baptizing zone and district for the month...but because Elder De Hoyos was with us for the conferences we did not take our normal pictures. I am including a sampling of our great missionaries here in the Leon Mexico Mission:
#1 is Elder Mozo's District in Leon Este Zone #2 Elder Salazar, one of our newest Elder's in for his first round of interviews #3 Elder Gray's district in Leon Oeste. Silao had 11 investigators in their House of Prayer on Sunday and Guanajuato had 3. This District is really experiencing some great progress. #4 Elder Solt's District in Irapuato. Elder Toutai is poising in a rather unpredicatable fashion...you'd never believe that he is one of the Zone Leader's in Irapuato. #5 is a picture of Elder Calvillo's zone in San Luis Potosi. They are furtherest from the mission home so we combined their interviews with our Stake Conference in Benito Juarez Stake. It was a long day as we rushed home to attend the wkly mtg with Assts and break the fast with our Office Elders....We are eternally grateful for these special experiences we continue to have as we Serve the Lord with these great missionaries...and so many more (We have a total of 153 missionaries now.)

We pulled it off!

2010-02-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was the first day of Zone Conferences with Elder Benjamin DeHoyos and his wife as our tour authorities. Elder De Hoyos is the lst Counselor to Elder Johnson the Area President of Mexico. They are joined by Elder Tenorio as 2nd Counselor. Things went really well in all the conferneces, Elders Trejo, Martinez and Salazar conducted their respective conference in a very dignified manner....Elder De Hoyos was impressed with all the missionaries.After our first conference with enjoyed a comida with Stake President Navarro and his wife from Irapuato. Hermana was quite gutsy and asked for pictures....a no-no, we were told earlier for the missionaries...but for a wife of a Stake President, why not? Thursday was a full day with zone conferences in Aguascalientes, comida with President Cruz and President Lopez and their wives in this really beautiful restored hacienda from the late 1880s. Later we attended a fireside for the Young Single Adults and returned home to meet up with Esteban (their son who needed to stay behind a day to work on visa issues for his mission to Portugal) for tacos at Guerros. Friday was zone conference in Leon and later comida at the mission home....We spent the evening hanging out together visiting (I could understand maybe 70%) At one point, I was fixing an evening treat and sandwiches and Elder De Hoyos comes walking into the kitchen speaking perfect English. I was delighted! My brain cells were about dead at that point and I was so relieved. Saturday morning they left after 10 to join their family in a shoe shopping expedition....I then had 6 hours to shop and prepare appetizers for all the Stake Presidents and their wives. I had to call upon the services of our secretaries to come to my aid. I never would have made it, but it turned out great. Wish I had taken pictures of the table.

Sunday Departure

2010-02-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

We tried to cover all our bases.
We got up early to attend our Ward mtgs in Arbide. They have no one to play the piano and if I am not there they sing without. So whenever I am in town, I really try to attend...besides we really like to be there to support our missionaries and meet their new converts and investigators. We also attended Echeveste Ward with Elder De Hoyos, Hna De Hoyos and Esteban. His sister attends this ward and a family reunion was planned for later that day for them. We rushed home from that mtg to find Elder Holmes and Elder Herrera waiting patiently by the locked mission office door....Quickly....we both went to work. President interviewing all the Elders returning home and I preparing food for our LAST SUPPER together. Each Elder receives a little bag with 14 parasite pills at this last supper. They are shocked that they have to take pills for the next 4 days....but it is either pills or parasites...they can choose. We always enjoy this night together...listening to testimonies and plans for their future....remembering specials days shared in the mission field. Pictures were taken which include Elders Herrera, Pitalua, Laredo and Torres, Holmes, Moffitt and Perry. Elders Call and Pickett were part of this generation as well but had gone home earlier for school.

It is official. Elder Sherman is finally leaving the office. We love our secretaries in such a special way. It is hard to imagine them leaving us....but it happens. Elder Sherman will be training Elder Hansen to serve as the new financial secretary and he will serve thru the new President as well...so that will be a great experience for him. The picture is of 3 generations of financial secretaries, Elders Maxfield(now Asst), Elder Sherman and Elder Hansen.

Elder De Hoyos and family returned home later that evening and we enjoyed our last evening together. Esteban will be leaving for Portugal in 2 months for his mission. He will be a great asset to his mission as he speaks English, Spanish and Portugese.
We all have enjoyed such special times together these past few days....We will always remember special lessons learned from these great leaders...."Hermana or Hermano".....¿Lo harán?.....Que lastima!.... personal examples of service and sacrifice to build the kindgom of God in Mexico

The last lap

2010-02-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Monday was the last lap of our race. It started at 4am when the alarm went off. I had 30 minutes, because at 5am sharp Pres. Cox likes to be standing in line at the airport to turn in Visas with immigration...so we were off and running with the Elders close behind us in the mission van at 4:30. It was a wet morning here. The night before we had enjoyed thunder and lightening...an unusual sight for us in January and February. I need to record here how much fun it is at the airport. Our missionaries going home are so unsettled, unsure and uncomfortable about the whole departure experience....and our Assistants are taking mental notes of all they need to remember for their departure day...in this case our Assistants will be leaving on the next change so they were priming their engines and thinking ahead....

We returned home...I prepared our lasagna dinner for the 18 we would be feeding later that day, said our goodbyes to the DeHoyos' family, met up at the Central for changes, picked up our 6 new Elders from the CCM, interviews, training, put the lasagna in the oven and then off again to the airport for our 4 Americans. Bonus point....our Elders Moffitt, Holmes and Perry, returning home.....met up in the Dallas Airport with our Elders Braithwaite, Scott, Salazar and Loveland who were arriving and shared their best wishes for a great mission. That must have been a fun time for all of them. It is so great to finally meet our Elders. We have their pictures after their assignment is made and for Americans we think of them for 2 months....The Mexicans we have about 1 month...but it is great to finally be able to put our real missionaries with these names on the board. Probably the best part of this day is when assignments are given out. President interviews all the missionaries and while they are eating....he prepares their first assignment. Each Elder is ushered into the President's office and he is given his slip of paper with all the details. President Cox shows him on his board ...a picture of his trainer, the name of his area and then locates his city on our mission map. The Elder is then given an opportunity to share with everyone else where he will be serving and who is trainer is. Such fun we have. Last but not least pictures are taken so the missionaries can send a quick note home to Mom and Dad with proof....caz here he is with Presidente y Hermana Cox.

Preparations for.....

2010-01-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

I have no pictures yet but I want to record my thoughts before everything takes place. This is the week we've been preparing for, so wish us luck. Yesterday and today was our concilio for the month of February. Our Assts did such a great job, training and carrying out their responsibilities. Two new Zone Leaders were invited to participate and will receive their assignments this coming Sunday. They were Elders Su'a and Luis. As they all participate in a capacitation on Tuesday....we reflected on the progress we are witness to as these young men step up to the plate and prepare themselves each month to effectively lead their zones. We love these great young men. Tomorrow will be our first day of our Mission Tour. We will travel to Irapuato and meet up with Elder De Hoyos and his family there. Elder De Hoyos is the lst Counselor to Elder Johnson the Area President of Mexico. Thursday we'll be in Aguascalientes with their 2 zones and San Luis Potosi and their 2 zones traveling to meet with us. We will also be having a Fireside that evening and several mtgs with the Stake Presidents of these 4 zones. Friday will be time for Leon and then Saturday we'll have a mtg with the Stake Presidents and District President that were not able to meet earlier with Elder De Hoyos and also a Fireside in Leon for the YSAs. At this point we are not sure what the plans are for Sunday other than attendance at Echeveste Ward in Leon. We have scheduled our Farewells on Sunday evening and New Arrivals on Monday with changes squeezed in between. So I am just going to hold my breath and hope everything and everybody enjoys the flow of this week. It should be interesting.

¡Estamos tan Frio!

2010-01-18T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is our first year to really experience the cold of Leon. We have been miserable this past two weeks, but today we awoke to sunshine so we are hoping we've weathered the worst. All the homes here are made of brick and have zero insulation...We have bought a small room heater and try to stay inside this one room....but life has to go on, so we are bundled in layers of clothing. Special prayers are being shared for our missionaries who are out and about and for the people who live in homes without floors, tin roofs and holes in their brick walls. Snow was reported in the mountains of Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi and San Miguel de Allende...So this has definitely been our coldest year in Mexico.

We spent our Sabbath Day with the good members in Celaya. They had their Stake Conference and there Stake Center was filled to the brim for both sessions. We are hoping that we will be witness to the creation of another Stake in Celaya before we are released but they are still missing 9 SMAPIES....so time will tell. Leon Stake is also hoping for a split this Spring...so this would be a welcome addition for the good Saints in our mission.

We were visited by Elder Mancillas Sunday evening. He is working in Leon this week and stopped in to say hello. He was our special Elder who had his appendix removed the week before we arrived and was supposed to be recovering nicely....he had his stitches removed and was moved into the office to recover. He never complained...but we were concerned. I will always remember our very first zone conference in Leon, he was sitting in the front row and Elder Montoya had to help the Elder stand because he was suffering so and his color was so darn yellow......it scared me. Immediately we called Dr. Hollingsworth who recommended he be taken to the ER for blood tests and sure enough he was losing blood through an ulcer and Dr. Hollingsworth told us afterwards that from the results of the blood tests, if we had waited through the weekend, he might not have made it. What a scare that was and how grateful I was for the whisperings of the Spirit that caused us to ACT so quickly. Elder Mancillas is happy. He has been home for a year and 3 months now. It is incredible the feelings of love and gratitude we feel for our dear missionaries with each reunion.

New Year's Eve

2010-01-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

We stayed up late New Year's Eve and just visited. It was such a fun night to welcome in 2010 with our family. Tina surprised us with party favors for this special night. At one point I stood on the balcony with the kids and blew my horn as loud as I possibly could so all could hear. We even climbed up on the roof and watched the fireworks........ We have a lot of mixed emotions about this year. At one point in the mission...I thought it would never arrive...and yet here we are. We will really hate to have this mission experience come to an end...but you know what they say, all good things must...so we look forward in faith that we will be able to finish our assignment here with gusto...and move forward trusting that we will find our place in the world when we return home.

Our Return Missionaries

2010-01-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

During the Christmas holidays this year we received many a phone call from missionaries that have returned home. It was so very nice to hear their voices again and learn of their faithfulness in the gospel. We love them all and they will always have a special place in our hearts. Reunions will be great as we will have opportunity to see each other once again. Elder Buzis and his family stopped by the mission home for a visit. This was such a pleasant surprise. We received several calls about engagements...Elder Checketts...unknown date; Elder Crea in March and Elder Neibaur in June. Felicidades to one and all as they continue forth and participate in this great plan of happiness...established by our Heavenly Father for all his children.

The Zoo in Leon

2010-01-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Actually the zoo in Leon is quite nice. We have enjoyed taking our children to the zoo each visit. This particular trip we found our favorite baboon eating a sucker....the rhino awake and up close to the fence so the children could grab on to his horn...feed him sugar cane ....this was incredible. I had never seen a rhino eat anything.....the drool coming from his mouth was gross. The hipos were awake and standing ...their massive weight supported by their short little legs (most visits they are in the water) We listened to the Lion of Leon roar ...on our last visit in July he was mating with a Lioness...how cool was that. We fed the giraffe and visited the aviary where birds, ducks, peacocks run wild. Wesley was attacked by the brightly colored pheasant. It really caught him off guard. What fun we have had at the zoo in Leon. Wesley has learned to run...it was so fun watching him throw back his shoulders and run like a big boy...The picture captures him running to catch up with his Grandpa. He loved Grandpa Bob

Family Time

2010-01-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Our children arrived after Christmas and stayed through New Years. It was a great time to have everyone together. We missed Steve and Bradley but with the last minute changes to our gathering....it was not possible to change work schedules. We stayed close to home....went to Parque Explora, bowling with President Morales and family; shopping in Guanajuato with only Melanie; Centro to feed the pigeons, walk through the Mercado and visit with the Tres Magos; (3 Wise Men...on January 5th children write their wishes and attach them to Helium balloons and let them go...on Jan 6th the 3 Wise Men delivery gifts to children...tradition) Tacos and quesadillas from Guero's were ordered and brought to the mission home whenever possible. I think they all knew it was their last chance.....personally, President and I have had enough of them. Our last visit to the zoo was Monday afternoon, Jan 4th. I´ll write more about the zoo in another post. The weather was a little cooler than we like...but much warmer than it was at home so for the most part the kids were quite comfortable in short sleeves and sometimes even shorts. Not me! Our house this winter is so darn cold. I find myself many days wrapped in a blanket just to try and stay warm. Cental air and heating sounds so good. Some of these niceties we just take for granted.

Dos por Dios...2010

2010-01-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Revelation is so very evident in the mission field. Elders Callen, Maxfield and Salazar met with President Cox in preparation for the January Concilio held December 23-24th. Expectations and ideas were shared openly as they discussed ways the mission could improve in the new year. As a result, "Dos por Dios" was created as the Vision for 2010...two baptisms each week for each companionship. It was felt that they, the Assistants had the responsibility to create this vision within the hearts and minds of the Zone Leaders so capacitations were developed on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Sacrament Meeting Attendance and Love as the motivating force behind all our labors. We were so impressed with their training. This past week they have accompanied President and I in each of our Zone Conferences and presented their training as well. Tears come to my eyes as I reflect upon the personal growth we have seen in these 3 young men. They truly are spiritual giants....and could stand in front of any group of church leaders and teach with power and authority. I am so very grateful for this special experience we have to Serve the Lord in the Mexico Leon Mission and witness the changes that can take place in our lives as a result of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christmas eve 2009

2009-12-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

My tamale maker was put to use Christmas eve. I bought all these strange ingredients like acelga,masa,caldo de pollo,chile cuaresmeño,manteca de cerdo and went to work. Teri was nice enough to come and help me with the salsa...since I had never learned this step. It was delicious. There are some important things to learn here....gloves are important when working with chiles; the aroma is more powerful than an onion...and can make you cough up a storm....but the end result was incredible. The missionaries from the office and the Morales family joined us for a late Christmas Eve dinner of tamales....supper nacho....frijoles y ponche (hot fruit punch). I had baked sugar cookies...so after the dinner we had a cookie decorating party. It was great fun to see everyone's creations. Elder Callen and Elder Salazar were quite secretive...with their cookies...(2 por Dios was Elder Callens' and Elder Salazar had the Star of Leon..... I loved this picture of Elder Salazar with Celaya around his neck....she even got into the Christmas spirit and enjoyed the festivities of the night. Christmas Day was filled with phone calls home....breakfast of hot oatmeal and a smoked turkey dinner at the home of our Stake President........It was a great day. We enjoyed our phone calls with family and friends. Truly Christmas was a merry day.

Going, going and gone!

2009-12-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

So many farewells this week. It is crazy to think but my 57th year in mortalidad has come and gone....President and the office Elders surprised me with some beautiful flowers for my birthday and in exchange we shared breakfast together. I love the fresh squeezed juices here. On our street Algercias we have a juice man and he makes the best. I particularly like the "green juice" made with napal, (cactus) celery, cilantro and other green things....plus some orange juice to give it alitle sweetner. The next picture is of Elder Grecco from Argentina. He had to leave a bit earlier than the rest of his generation because of his Visa expiration. Elder Grecco converted to the gospel a year before the mission and has served faithfully in leadership positions of the mission. We will miss him and wish for him the best. Our next farewell was of Elder Steimle. We were so sad to see him leave us early but due to medical complications he needed to return home to Alabama to receive proper medical care. His last area of service was in Valle de Santiago and many of the good members called to express their love and concern for Elder Steimle as he returned home. Last are pictures of the Farewell on Friday, December 18th. We were saying goodbye to 10 more. Hermana Cornelio was part of this group. She has been the force behind our Hermanas encouraging and leading in her own special way. I am not sure...but she was probably the recipient of cookie plates (10baptisms a week) for 5-6 weeks during her 18 month service call. Both of the Assistants are gone.....that is different. How do you replace two giants in their own rank.......Elder Schow and Elder Hatton had their own styles and work ethics,but for the most part were together helping the vision to take place in our mission. We have appreciated their determination and desire to make their service here count. Many wonderful new converts will remember their service and teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have enjoyed having them part of the office Elders. I took a cute picture of Elder Hatton. He became soooooooo lost as his responsibilities came to a close. At the farewell dinner we like to serve those who are leaving....but Elder Hatton had to get in there with Elders Salazar and Callen and be apart of the evenings' service. The group picture was taken after everything was finished and we were ready to say goodnight. We try to get to bed early because we have to get up between 3:30 and 4am.....to get everyone to the airport by 5........ But, you know how hard it is to sleep when something big is going to happen in your life...well, imagine....the mission office with 9 missionaries(top row in group picture: Elders Schow, Velasquez, CruzM., Quintana, middle row: Elders Camargo,Hatton,Medina,Gutierrez,Erekson and Hna Cornelio in Front) trying to go to sleep........you're right, it just doesn't happen.

One more Entry...

2009-12-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is definitely the best. At 7 pm, Saturday evening we were invited to attend the baptism of Carlos. He is a brother of Fernando who was baptized by Elders Emery and Checketts in 2008. Fernando's wife Carolina was also baptized with her husband and the two of them have been such a wonderful influence for good to their family. Since their baptism the father, Daniel has joined and then it was Margarita his wife. They were taught by Elder Diaz and Elder Wille. Somewhere in this period of time Juliesa and Berenisa joined as well, sisters of Fernando. Later this week, Christian, the wife of Carlos and sister to Carolina will be baptized and this is how families are joined together forever in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Schow and Elder Hatton join in the long line of Elders called to invite, teach and baptize. We are so grateful for righteous young men who choose to Serve the Lord and offer Eternal Life to the good people living in the Leon Mexico Mission. There are two older brothers that are part of this family. At some future date, we hope to read of their conversion as well.

The Christmas Comida

2009-12-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

If you eat between 2-4pm it is considered "comida"; if it is later it is called "cena". I am catching on...slowly but surely. My hope and prayer is that Heavenly Father will help me remember this new language ....or that I have opportunity to use it at home as well. Time will tell. Bob and I decided earlier this month that we wanted to gather all the Stake Presidents and their wives, our Counselors and their wives and Elder and Sister Guzman ....together for a COMIDA and share some thoughts for the direction of the new year and express appreciation for their support in the year past. I spent most of Friday baking all the goodies for the dessert table and then Saturday was spent cooking the real stuff.... They all know by now that when they come for a gathering at the mission home....it is American food and I think they enjoy my cooking. We did serve Horchata, the Mexican rice water drink with cinnamon. Hermana Marlene was in charge of this special drink and it was delicious. I'll have to try and make this at home. Our Assistants, Elders Schow and Hatton came and Secretaries Elders Verdeja and Sherman to help serve and do whatever. I was so grateful for their help. It made it possible when the guests started arriving to leave the kitchen..... We are so blessed in our Mission Home to have a big room, called the Capacitation Room. It is so very functional for such occasions as this. If you could believe it, before President Martinez, it was part of an indoor-outdoor swimming pool. I am so grateful this conversion was made in preparation for my service...because, as much as I love to swim, it has been a great blessing for President and I to host these special dinners in our home and has created a special bond between all of us who are called upon to serve with all our Hearts, might, mind and strength. Pictures included are of Elder and Hermana Guzman, our Seventy; our Mission Presidency, President Aguilar and President Rubio and their wives and our group.

All with the Spirit of Christmas

2009-12-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

We completed zone conferences on Thursday this week. It was with mixed emotions as well. They are alot of work for me...remembering birthdays, baptisms that need to be recognized with candy letters, cookie plates; picture board for zone and district
pictures and then all the little extras for this special month...gifts, food, nativity, music, etc. But, I know the missionaries really appreciate this special time and that is what makes it all worthwhile. The highlight, all three years, of our Christmas zone conferences has been the Christmas Story tradition. I love this time with our missionaries. We have done it different ways each year and it is always special. This year....I suppose, it was so special because it was our last....but, as we read the Christmas story from Luke and sang as a choir or angels or, solo or duets, the Spirit was so sweet and the message so strong of the divinity of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. How grateful I am for this special time in my life to feel of our Savior's Love and share that with our missionaries. We love them so very much. I am posting a picture of the Silao District with Elders Tenney, Ray, Lopez J, Guajardo, Guthrie and Conde. This is just a sampling of our special missionaries that serve the Lord in the Leon Mexico Mission. The zone picture is of Aguascalientes under the direction of their fearless zone leaders Elder Ditto and Elder Ruiz I am not sure what is the message behind their creative poise.....

Christmas Zone Conferences 2009

2009-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Friday we traveled to SanLuisPotosi for our first of 4 zone conferences. Elder Verdeja and Elder Sherman, our secretaries prepared with the help of some talented young investigators, our Christmas cards for this year. They turned out great and have the pictures of all our Elders and Hermanas...this will be a special keepsake for our missionaries. Bob and I personally purchased the new Spanish Bible for all the missionaries, I wrote a little message for them and Brenna and I wrapped them during Thanksgiving holiday. We also gave out a water filter bottle...which will purify water from whatever source.....this should help with our diarrhea problems....we hope! All and all, Christmas zone conferences are so much fun. Capacitations are taught by the zone leaders and opportunities are given to practice teaching techniques that will improve our efforts to Find,Teach and Baptize those who are prepared to receive this glad message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for this special responsibility we have to participate in this great cause.... The pictures are of the Benito Juarez Zone; Elders Brown, Perry, Whittle and Delgado checking out their Christmas Card; and Elders Velarde, Martinez, Fife Brubaker and Hansen enjoying their pizza.

Why not?

2009-12-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

We love the saying of George Bernard Shaw..."Some men see things as they are and say WHY. I dream things that never were and say WHYNOT? This has been a week of training with our regular concilio with Zone Leaders and another mtg with District leaders. We love to meet with our missionaries and try and instill within them a vision of the potential they have as future leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They are great young men with so much to offer. The mission is a time for them to learn how to communicate with their peers, to love and inspire their missionaries to do everything possible to be worthy teachers of this great message of the restored gospel. We are so very blessed to work with these wonderful young men and women as well. We have 10 Hermanas serving in the mission at this time. They do an incredible job for the mission and we love and appreciate their service. Okay at the concilio our new Asistants were introduced (picture with President of Elders Callen,Maxfield & Salazar). They will take over officially, December 19th when Elders Hatton and Schow return to their homes with honor....It is really strange losing both at the same time...Unusual activities were part of the capacitations this week...Elder Leininger(our spiderman) demonstrated giving his "all" for the cause 13=1,000 baptisms...he actually climbed up the drain pipe to reach the top. It scared me to death. Also Elders Hatton & Schow use their techniques to spin Elder Peña C crazy....I also captured all the District Leaders for a quick picture with President Cox before they were shipped back to their area. Such special memories our pictures make!

Gobble-Gobble

2009-11-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

I hated for Thanksgiving to come...because that meant our visit with Matt and Brenna was coming to a close. It was so much fun to have them both here and spend time with them as our newly married family members. We love Brenna and she and Matt make such a great little family of their own. We know it was difficult to work us into their busy schedules but,oh....how we enjoyed being with them. Our Turkey dinner was great with all the trimmings, potatoes, gravy, yams(camotes in Spanish)green bean casserole (ejote in Spanish), rolls, fruit salad and pumpkin and apple pies. We fed 6 hungry missionaries who were craving a home-cooked Thanksgiving Dinner. We shared our thoughts of gratitude and enjoyed one another's company. Dinner guests included Elders Schow and Hatton, Elders Verdeja and Sherman, Elders Salazar and Maxfield. We were expecting Elder Granillo as well but he was not able to join us. Elder Granillo is part of the December Generation but was interviewed early on Thanksgiving Day and his parents were here to pick him up. He needed to be released a bit early to attend school. We will miss Elder Granillo, his calming influence and steady, faithful service.

Day excursion to San Miguel

2009-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Treasures galore...every door we entered. It is a little mind boggling. San Miguel de Allende is in our mission and approximately 2 hours from Leon...but with Bob driving we can get there in 1 1/2 hours. It was a fast trip with a short period of time to wander the streets. Bob always has ants in his pants when in comes to seeing the sights and enjoying the moment....something we've got to improve upon. So for the short time we shared in this tourist city, founded in the late 1500s...we enjoyed our selves. Hermana Mickelson had told me about the pewter and yes, I found my Nacimiento de Mexico in San Miguel.....it was a great price and I am really excited for this addition to my collection. All the Centros seem to have the same layout. A Cathedral with a Jardin and then shops all around them. The picture was taken from a bench in the Jardin where Bob patiently waited while we checked all all the goods. Behind each door was a unique shop featuring the talents of local artisans. It was amazing....I could have spent hours exploring. Maybe next time, I will.

Gingerbread Houses of Leon

2009-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

It was an all day labor of love. I was so grateful for the willing and cheerful attitudes of my dear family. Matt became the master architect and Brenna took charge of the detail work. At the end of the day we felt our creations were spectacular. At one point Elders Verdeja and Sherman were here and assisted in the project. Our woodsman, Elder Sherman created the trees and Elder Verdeja cut out and hung stars. Bob even had a few suggestions....Our biggest obstacle was the molasses. We hunted all over town and then converted to honey. It all works the same...just smells a bit different. What a fun time I had reliving special times we've shared through the years at Granny's house building gingerbread houses...and enjoying time spent with Matt and Brenna this Thanksgiving holiday.

Mexico's Most Wanted Men

2009-11-23T06:56:00.001-08:00

This past week President Cox felt impressed to gather around him the Zone Leaders of the mission for a short concilio. Normally we meet together every month, at the end, to plan for zone conferences, discuss issues of concern for each zone leader and to empower them with the skills and vision of the mission. But...this was different, somewhat more urgent and President needed and wanted his "Mighty Men" to gather. We love the teachings of Jarom 1:7 .."mighty men in the faith of the Lord, and they taught the people the ways of the Lord".... Truly an example of the Zone Leaders of a mission. For the meeting I put together this special poster..... It is amazing how we are inspired in our own special way...I really have a testimony of the Holy Ghost and the role he plays in our lives and truly "out of small things proceedeth that which is great"..... Our leaders were sooo impressed with their position in the mission as "mighty men". We will continue to have reference to this Wanted Poster and use this to inspire and motivate our leaders to prepare their zones for this great work of the Lord.

Excitement in the Mission Home

2009-11-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

We met up with our 10 Elders and 2 Hermanas at the Bus Central at Noon. Hermana Garza was as excited to see us as we were to see them. She and Hermana Vela have beautiful smiles that will win their way into many homes to teach the restored gospel. Before we met them..........we had changes in the Central and I was able to get three to poise before catching the bus to San Luis Potosi. Elders Gladwill, Fife and Herrera(ZL) will be traveling together, about a 3 hour bus trip. Elders Schow and Elder Hatton were able to train all the Mexican missionaries while Bob and I drove back to the airport to meet our one and only American...Elder Hollingsworth. We feel so connected to him. He is the grandson of Elder and Sister Hollingsworth, our first Area Medical Doctor. As we arrived back to the Mission Home we found the group together singing Christmas Hymns........They had been up since 3 am and were bouncing off the walls at this point. We enjoyed our normal lasagna dinner....assignments were made.....pictures taken and off they went back to the Central to travel to their areas. What a day. I captured a few extra pictures....one of Berta. She stopped by and was good enough to help with the brownies and icecream....and Elder Sherman is always THE MAN to serve ice cream. This weekend of changes requires everyone to pitch in and help ....... we all have our assignments but Hermana Cox really appreciates the extra little kindnesses shown.
I have to add one more thought. I wish I had taken a picture of our dinner tables. I had gone the extra mile with flowers, netting, beads...etc and the tables looked so festive. None of the Elders commented. So......I had a little teaching moment with my office Elders and I explained to them the importance of noticing and expressing appreciation for niceties...(for the benefit of their mothers, sweethearts and future wives) Elder Hatton was so cute. The next day he was quick to comment on the beautiful (fake) roses on the table. I love this opportunity to help our missionaries open their eyes to the needs of another. They are all such wonderful young men who want to learn.

The Last.....

2009-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

The last of everything in the mission field took place this past weekend for 10 Elders and Hermana Licona; the last dinner in the mission home, the last interview with President Cox, the last sleepover in the office, the last testimony shared as missionaries, the last pictures......This generation consisted of from bottom to top, Hermana Licona, Elders PerezK., FloresM.,GonzalezA.,Robles, Bolio, Robledo, Garza, Leo, Buzis and Saucedo. The parents and families of Elders Gonzalez and Buzis were here to attend church with them, meet some of their families and just hang out. I was able to take a picture of Elder Gonzalez with his family while they were waiting for interviews with President Cox. Elder Gonzalez was always one of these Elders President could depend upon to carry the load...no matter what he was called upon to do. It is always so fun to meet the families. I also was able to capture a picture of Elders Hatton and Robles sharing a few LAST thoughts as they walked together through the airport. They had served together for 9 months, first as Zone Leaders and then as Assistants. We will miss the focus and motivation of Elder Robles in our mission........It is always hard to say goodbye to great missionaries.

What happened to Thanksgiving?

2009-11-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

We put up our Christmas wreath just to poise for this picture.(We took it down...but I can hardly wait to put it back...for real). We are in the process of preparing our Christmas Card for 2009 and took a couple of pictures for this purpose. The Elders are so good...I think they really like pictures as well...It is just President Cox. Everyone knows how much he loves taking pictures.(NOT!!!)But really, I think he looks so handsome...with a special celestial glow about him. The group picture is with Elder Verdeja and Elder Sherman our Secretaries and Elder Schow and Elder Hatton our Assistants. We are all anxious to get this Christmas holiday rolling. Navidad Blanca is just around the corner.

Halloween vs Dia de Muertos

2009-11-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday evening we were visited by our favorite trick-o-treators with one extra...Sylvia (witch with orange hat). The Morales Family came tricking and treating. It made my night. Candy bags had been prepared special for them and the office Elders as well. But other than that...all was quiet around the mission home till Sunday evening. Then......you guessed it. We had children ringing the bell for several hours. The crazy part of the whole evening was that they didn't even dress up. They just walked our streets asking for candy. Today, is actually my favorite day. School is cancelled and it is a family day. Fresh flowers and fruits and vegetables are sold in tianges and families are together visiting their dead. Elder Verdeja says that some families have miariaci bands come and play for their dead and everything. But for the most part, they leave fruit,veg.food for their dead and flowers. Some might think that is strange but I remember the first year Michael had died...we did some pretty strange things at the cemetary that year...like a christmas tree with battery operated christmas lights, valentines tied to the tree branches, special flowers for special occasions....I just didn't think about music.....oh how I love living in Mexico!

New Technology in Mexico Leon?????

2009-10-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

The first ever videoconference call with our Area Presidency was scheduled for this week. Our FM group were given directions and responsibility to assure the conference ran smoothly. They arrived the day of and hooked everything up.....but as usual....nothing really runs THAT smoothly in Mexico. The idea was for President to be in communication with the Area Presidency and 10 of the Mission Presidents from the northern portion of Mexico all at the same time. We could see and hear everyone.......but when President Cox was asked to share his input........things fell apart on us. The end result....President Cox listened. So if this is going to be the normal format of communication...there is room for improvement on our end and the picture of President Cox captures some of his frustration. Also, I am including pictures of our Sunday get-together with office Elders. They decorated their own halloween pumpkin cookie...Elder Robles' cookie captured our VISION....1000 BAPTISMS FOR DECEMBER

Rewarded .........

2009-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

We received such a wonderful email from Hermana Velazquez this past weekend. She Returned with Honor from the MLM during the month of May 2009. She was so very kind to attach a picture of a group of our missionaries attending the Mexico City temple together.Included in the photo are Hnas Ordoñez,Velasquez, Ortega and Elders Piña and Lara. My heart was so full as I thought of each of them and their faithful service to the Lord. We also received a phone calls from Elder Diaz, who was starting a new job; Elder Black, who was getting married and an email from Elder Emery and letter from Elder Markham this week. Our hearts have expanded to include so many dear, faithful young men and women who are choosing to be actively engaged in this great work of the Lord....wherever they are called upon to serve. We pray for each of you with fond memories of the times we have shared together.

WALKING IN THE RAIN

2009-10-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

President invited me Saturday evening to enjoy a nice, leisurely walk through our neighborhood with him. It was after 8pm, the night sky was threatening but we were excited to get out of the house and get some fresh air. It started about 4 blocks from home. We were walking on Coahuala and the rain clouds from all directions came together, lightening, thunder first and then.......yes, we were drenched by the time we got to the mission home (from head to toe). It was dark, and no one was on the road but us.....it just made for a funny evening shared. Now, imagine my missionaries doing the same but being miles away from their apartments. How grateful we are for their dedicated service to the Lord and His gospel message. We love them and pray for their safety and good health.

We're making plans to make Celayita an international cat. This week Bob and I bought her a travel box. She's climbed into the box with a little coaching once or twice....but to have the door closed on her was a little more than she was prepared for. I am wondering if they will let us drug her to travel from Leon to Tipton (a 6-7 hr. trip)???.....Any great ideas?

We completed our week of zone conferences and all the missionaries seem happy and adjusted in their new areas and with their new companions. In the picture Elder Maxfield, a Zone Leader here in Leon is settling reimbursements with his missionaries. Elder DeLaRosa, Elder Tenney and Elder Policarpo seem so very excited to get some money in their pocket once again. We enjoyed a surprise sleepover with Elder and Hermana Spencer. They were traveling from Mexico City and came through our fair city. While here they attended to the medical needs of our mission and Cindy and I slipped away from the mission home to visit an outdoor tienda that sales some incredible frogs....Melanie, there was one as tall as me and others smaller....I just knew you'd love them. Thinking of all you dear friends and RMS.

100 PLUS

2009-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

It took us a good 3 hours this time to put together our tamales. They are cooked early Sunday morning for about 2-3 hours. It is quite the process but they are enjoyed by everyone, especially the hungry missionaries. Juanito and Victor are always quiet observers of the tamale-makers. They are stuck with us because they are tooooo young to attend Priesthood Mtg with all the men.

Tamales and General Conference

2009-10-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

I love the tradition of the Leon Stake for General Conference. Members who are staying for the second session bring lunches to share, tables and chairs are set up under the few trees that are in the yard of the Stake Center and the next two hours become a social event for the Stake of Leon. The members usually gather in ward and branch groupings but members, missionaries and new converts (sometimes investigators) mingle as goodies are shared. I usually bring a big chocolate candy basket which Pres and I enjoy sharing with the large group....this is a big hit especially with all the youth. Saturday evenings while the men are in Priesthood is tamale making time with Teri, her daughters Marianna and Deanna. I have had so much fun making tamales with Teri and her girls. We've made them with banana leaves, spinach leaves and another green (Ican't remember the name) filled with chicken and salsa, onions,chili and queso. They are delicious. In April....my last Conf.....I am in charge...so wish me luck. This year our group included Sylvia and her daughter Sylvia from Delores Hidalgo. They brought their own special recipes for tamales from D.H. (made with flour,butter,sugar,cinnamon,raisins,pecans and another with queso.) They joined the church this past summer and are enjoying the many facets of fellowship in the church. Hermana Sylvia reminds me so very much of my mother when she joined the church. She is so eager, and willing to do and learn. Her older son, Ramon joined the church in Brussels as a student and has now received a mission call and will be serving in Portugal...leaving in November. His membership and mission call prompted his sister Sylvia to learn more and become a member and probably a month later Hermana Sylvia joined. Their family is incomplete with another brother and father....that still need to be touched by the Spirit. So, our work continues forth.

I am posting a scattering of pictures of the weekend.

The last leg of change day

2009-09-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Assistants are responsible for the training of all the new Elders and because they come at different times...this capacitation is done twice. First in Spanish for those from the CCM ....then they are sent off to a District Meeting and do some contacting with Elders from the Area. Tacos from Guerro's are purchased and they are bedded down for the night at we head back to the Airport to pick up our American Elders arriving around 10pm. By the time we get them back to the mission home it is 11pm and we are all exhausted but our new missionaries are buzzed. Their excitement, curiousity and animo.....is felt by all of us and gives us reason to continue on. President tries to complete all the interviews Monday night...while they join together in the mission home for their first tacos. We have such a great time visiting with these valiant young missionaries who are prepared to do whatever to participate with us in this great work of the LORD. (This group includes Elders Leaming, Oborn and Hatch on the Back Row with Elders Tenney, and McNeill in front.) I took a great picture of Elder Robles, our Assistant. He couldn't make it a minute more and crashed in my kitchen Monday night. Today I was up again at 5:30 preparing breakfast because our missionaries from the MTC had appointments at 8am for pictures for immigration. We served breakfast burritos, sweet rolls and fruit cups, juice and milk. They ate in shifts this morning....We experienced the typical frustration with no show at the photo shop and missionaries waiting and our well-laid plan..... frustrated. But oh well, we do our best. The bus central is our last stop. I have pictures of Elders Gomez and Guajardo, two new Papas (trainers)waiting from their American sons and Elders Pallares and Flores C...a new companionship mtg for the first time and traveling to Celaya Oeste, their new area. We are glad when this day is over....and everyone is in their new area ready to go to work.....

Thank goodness for Marlene/Office Elders and Assistants

2009-09-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday night the office secretaries are good to help me with clean up. But Monday, Marlene is there to do whatever she can to lighten my load. We have a lot to do in a short period of time so I am always appreciative of whatever........especially in regards to washing dishes and cleaning up after my messes. We get up at 4am Monday morning after a late Sunday night and take the missionaries to the airport. The Assistants are responsible for getting everybody up on time, dressed and ready to leave promptly at 4:30am. We get them all checked in and say our final farewells and head back to the house for a couple hours of shut eye. We have to be at the Bus Central at ll:30am to pick up our new Elders from the CCM and so at some time that morning I prepare the Lasagna, green salad, corn and brownies, set the table so that we can eat our comida soon after interviews with President are completed. This change we received Hermana Sarao and Elders Martinez, Aguirre, Hernandez, Soto and Guzman. They are excited to join our forces. This part of the change day runs surprisingly smoothly...because we have no outside contributors. I love this picture of Elder Verdeja and President Cox. Our biggest challenge is dealing with immigration for our American missionaries....We've tried so many different approaches but still struggle. Elder Verdeja is patient and works through each difficulty with exactness. We appreciate his service.

Cookies and Grapes

2009-09-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

After 2years or 18 months (Hermanas) of missionary service, the missionaries have opportunity to have a final interview with President Cox, farewell dinner, testimony meeting and pictures galore. All this takes place on Sunday afternoon. I really enjoy this time because they all come into the mission home at different times and while they wait for their interview I have time to visit with them in my kitchen as they nibble on grapes and cookies. It is a great time to hear about their favorite area of service, their favorite companions, what they have learned on the mission, things they will miss about their time in the mission field and people that have become special to them. We visit about their future plans for education, work and girlfriends. For the most part they are soooo unsure of what tomorrow will bring. I love to assure them of future happiness as they apply the same counsel to their lives that they have taught to their investigators for the past 2 years. We love all of our Elders and hate to have them leave but in the same breath we are excited about their futures. This generation includes Elders Yañez, Wells and Hansen on the top row. Elders O'dell, Raya, Lopez V.,Candia and Elders Kay, Lara and Motolinia on the bottom. They were a strong force of our missionaries and we'll miss each of them individually......

Qualifications for a great Mission Home!

2009-09-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

There are weeks that it seems like all I do is cook. You can only imagine. This past week I have fed 5 hungry Elders who live across the street, 23 hungry Elders for Concilios on Monday and Tuesday, Elders who have received cookies/brownies during interviews with President, Elders who've received cookies with 10 baptisms, Elders who just do not have food/money and are starving. What is a Mission President's wife to do when she has been blessed with a kitchen like this one. Literally, this home is perfect for this job. I hope to duplicate some of these niceties in my kitchen in California.... I know it was my choice to open up my kitchen....not every MP & wife have this luxury. So I count my blessings. Especially since I try and utilize my hired help to clean up after I make the mess. Do you suppose Bob will be willing to clean up after me when I return home? Actually, after another 9 months of cookie baking....I am not sure I am going to want to see another cookie for a long while....

The picture of Elder Sherman kneeling in my kitchen surrounded by peach cobbler and a chicken casserole was taken on Sunday evening. We love our office elders and they work so very hard behind the scenes to take care of President and I. Elder Sherman serves as our financial secretary and was eternally grateful for the smells that were coming from the kitchen......Also, Elder Grecco celebrated his birthday with us Tuesday morning at the Concilio...A typical breakfast includes 6dz eggs, 50 sausage, +75 silverdollar pancakes.... I've got a great routine and can produce this breakfast in 90 minutes, rain or shine. The hardest part is we start feeding at 8am and by 8:30 we are supposed to be sitting in our seats ready to begin the concilio and I have the first presentation. Often in the middle of the scrambled eggs, pancake-flipping, I find myself in the pantry saying a little prayer that all my words will come out okay in Spanish and that I can share the message of my heart with these special missionaries. We are so blessed to be able to serve with some of the Best missionaries in the World....We love them all.

Rainy days in September

2009-09-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

The rains are a bit late this year. We love our rainy days unless we have to be outside(we have the most incredible thunder and lightening and buckets of water falling from the heavens). This past weekend we had a District Conference on Saturday and Sunday in Guanajuato. Bob had his Priesthood mtgs starting at 4 so I was going to sneak away to Santa Rosa to buy a couple more pieces of pottery....but our plans were spoiled as we approached our fair city. The heavens had opened and the rain was falling like we had never seen before. The city is built on a hill so in every stairway or driveway there were rivers of water flowing down the cobblestone streets. The picture is of our church building (my camera is not the greatest but you can almost see the river flowing)....The downstairs chapel portion was standing in about 4-5inches of water, so the leadership mtg was spent for the most part...in service. We love our little District of Guanajuato. Today was PDay/Interviews/District Mtg all put together at the Mission Home. I started early in the morning cooking Chocolate Chip cookies for the missionaries. Today we had 42 missionaries from the 2 zones of Leon in and out of our kitchen, office and planning areas. It really is a fun way to be with our missionaries. Elder Robledo is 8 weeks from his departure day and received his carta de salida today....(It is the form they fill out so the arrangements can be made for their return flight home) The missionaries always have such mixed emotions about this letter. I am also posting a picture of a District mtg in our patio area. Elder Cruz is the District Leader and is leading a capacitation. In his district are Elders Pitalua,Perez,Pehrson,Raya,Trejo,Schow(Asst)Trevino. Notice the Carpetas on top of the table....they have been reviewed with each companionship and recommendations made to improve upon their record-keeping skills (definitely not a strong point with alot of these missionaries...but we keep trying) It has been a wonderful day as we've participated in this great work of the Lord.

A hodge-podge of thoughts

2009-09-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've spent the week on the road for zone conferences. Elder Robles, one of our Assts was our traveling companion and taught about obsession at each conference. He has the ability to motivate all of us.......AguasJardines zone had prepared a special musical number to demonstrate their zone spirit. They were so excited to share their talents. They converted a hymn with lyrics that expressed their faith, hope and animo for the coming 1,000 baptisms. They are working under the leadership of Elders Kay and Holt as Zone Leaders. It was great. Wednesday evening we celebrated with Elder Schow his 22nd birthday. He is seriously contemplating his wishing power before the candles are blown out. I am sure that the wish had something to do with baptisms, but who knows for sure. Also, our heart strings were pulled as we bade our farewells to "THE BEAST". After 103km the beast was washed, waxed and returned to Mexico City. She served our mission well and performed over and beyond the call of duty. There were trips that she was soooooo loaded that we thought perhaps the front tires might come off the ground. You can only imagine....each missionary going home is allowed 2 suitcases/50lbs each, a backpack or carry on and on at least one instance when we had a flat tire...I think the Beast was carrying 14 Elders. You figure that one. So after a week, our hearts are full of gratitude for the blessing we enjoy. It has been a great week.

Grinning from ear to ear..........

2009-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to add this picture to the week's blog. Our Assistants were so excited to report the number of baptisms for the month of August. Our goal for this 5 week month was 400 and we were pushing to set this new record. It was a sacrifice month and all the missionaries were working extra to make it happen. They know they have to pass by me before they report to President Cox and this was their report.......
Oh how we love our missionaries. Our Assistants, Elders Robles, Hatton and Schow are responsible for the success of the mission and they eat, sleep, study, plan teach, think some more...then with constant communication with their zone leaders.......they empower others with enthusiasm for this great work of the Lord.....We are grateful for the 417 (one more was added later tonight)new members of the church who have access to the saving ordinances that can bless their lives.

Mexico City-Mission President Seminar

2009-08-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

8/19-22,2009 Our last...and a wonderful experience for all. We stayed in a Marriot Hotel de Polanco downtown MexCty. The weather was comfortable and inaddition to training from our dear Apostle, Elder Christofferson; we were also taught by Elder Walter Gonzalez. We attended the temple together on Friday morning and then spent the afternoon exploring the City of the Gods, Teotihuacan. The Pyramid of the Sun is the 3rd largest pyramid in the world and we really had no intention of climbing it...but once we were there...it just called our name and up we went. Pres. & Hna Johnstun from Culiacan are our dear friends...we were glad to spend the day together in high adventure. Bob did a little Sun worshipping after he arrived at the top. The group picture was taken of our generation after the seminar was over and we were quite sober thinking of the special blessings we have shared as we've been spiritually fed by an Apostle of the Lord, one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy and our own Area Presidency. Our hearts are full of gratitude for this special occasion that allows us to come together.

How can I describe my experience?

2009-08-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

Pictures say a thousand words...so I am so very grateful for cameras. It is just that they have a hard time capturing the feelings of my heart. So, I'll just start rambling. Monday, August 17th Elder Christofferson, Elder Daniel Johnson and their wives arrived at the Leon Stake Center about 3pm for a 2hour meeting with all the missionaries of the Mexico Leon Mission. It was our second Apostle in 3 months. Our hearts are full with gratitude for this special privilege. Each missionary was individually greeted by an Apostle of the Lord after this meeting was over. (Picture with Elder Motolinia) The group of leaders then traveled to our mission home for a visit with Bob and I and dinner which I had prepared earlier that morning. We enjoyed getting to know our new Area President, President Johnson and his wife as well.

Only Seven More

2009-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

I think these farewells are getting harder every six weeks because we are getting closer to our very own farewell. It is hard to believe we only have 7 more. This particular farewell was a bit different. We hosted our farewell dinner on Friday evening, August 14th but on Saturday, 5am only 4 of the 8 (Elders Jensen,Vore,Pina and LopezG) boarded their planes to head home. Elders Escobar, Velez, Lopez A and Hernandez will stay with us a couple more days so they can enjoy Elder Christofferson's visit to Leon on Monday. We had such a wonderful evening with these great Elders....For the most part, we probably will not see them again... I am also posting a picture of Elder Schow,Verdeja,Sherman and Robles...the cameramen for the evening. Hermano Bonilla is the man in charge of the repairs of our house....he has been busy most of the week trying to take care of water pressure issues, garage doors, pruning, etc. I even talked them into repairing the crack on my fountain. My Elders must think I am a quack some times. Friday evening while we were BBQing dinner, I had them all come out and enjoy my fountain with me. I put some sea shells in the different tiers to remind me of the beach. (Am I quacking up, or what?) The funniest part of this story is that the Area President's secretary called us last week to inform us of their plans to have dinner with us and spend the night ..... but President Johnson, the new Area President called yesterday and informed us that they would be having dinner but staying in a hotel???? The church changed beds in our guest room to accomodate the President and so I have a K bed in our guest room now and no one to sleep on it. So who is up for a stay at our INN?

August Zone Conferences

2009-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

We completed our zone conferences for the month of August. We were privileged to have Dr. Spencer and his wife, Cindy, or Hermana Spencer with us. They stayed through the weekend and we enjoyed our time together...They really like the idea of moving their base to Leon because the weather is so much more agreeable than in Monterey and my thoughts race around my head...thinking how much fun it would be to have another adult couple here in Leon as well to do things with...so time will tell.
Elder Spencer and I shared our pie making recipes taught to us by our mothers....he made the crust and I made the filling. We invited the office Elders that evening to try our creation...Guanajuato was on the agenda for Friday evening. Bob says it was his last trip...I am not sure why? I can never get enough.

Our goal for the month of August is 400 baptisms. It is a 5week month and
WE ARE JUICED! Every month during Zone Conferences we take pictures of the zone and districts and then in our Cosecha(monthly newsletter) we publish the picture of the zone/district with the most baptisms. For the past 5 months Aguascalientes has been in the #1position. For the month of July they share the lime light with Irapuato. It is so fun to witness the excitement for this great work. This picture is of the Elders serving in Aguas..during July and August....time will only tell if they can do it again. TopRow; Elders Toutai,Tolentino,Grecco,Ditto,Roberts
Bottom Row;EldersIbanez,Mendoza,HermanaLicona,ElderAguilar,ElderCano,ElderJeronimo,
HermanaCruz,ElderLeo and Elder Pasos.

A Return Visit

2009-08-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning, August 2nd we were greeted at the Chapel door by two of our "old" Assistants. It was such a treat to visit with Elder Barajas who left in January and Elder Diaz who finished in April. They visited some of their converts and then came by the mission home for our Sunday dinner. Paybacks are wonderful...the missionaries who have served with us will always have a special place in our hearts...and we are eternally grateful for their desires to remain faithful to their covenants and move forward in their personal lives. Elder Barajas attended BYU Idaho for 2 quarters and was able to give us a report on many of the missionaries who have not corresponded but are busy in Idaho and Provo and Elder Diaz reported on missionaries he has been in contact with in Mexico. Are they handsome young men....or what? And then there is that "really" handsome older man who will be turning even older this month????

Sandor & Karina.....Marlene/A temple excursion

2009-07-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

July 25th was a special day here in Arbide and Loma Bonita wards. A temple excursion was planned to Guadalajara; Marlene,my housekeeper received her endowments and Sandor Pollido and Karina Ramos were Sealed in the Temple (Sandor was a nephew of our first Bishop in Arbide and Karina the daughter of Bishop Ramos from Loma Bonita. WOW, what a day. We left the chapel at 4am...loaded on a pretty sad looking bus (not a Premier Plus) It is my first bus experience. Bob didn't go......I'm beginning to think, what am I doing? We tried to sleep...but things were really tight. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. We arrived about 7:45 and promptly went to the temple. I was glad to see President and Sister Sorenson (TemplePresident and wife) and decided to do the session without headphones. It was a beautiful experience in the temple for both Marlene and Sandor and Karina. The temple in Guadalajara is built just like our Fresno Temple. After pictures were taken we traveled to the grooms mother's home in Guadalajara for a reception with music and dancing, chicharon (cooked pig skin), carnitas,pizole,wedding cake,etc. It was a great day....long, but great. We loaded back onto the bus after 8pm and headed to Leon...mission accomplished. The last two pictures need a little explanation. The groom is demonstrating how they cook the pig skin to make the "tasty" chicharon....and the last is the money dance. A traditional dance at the Mexican Weddings....friends and family dance with the bride and groom and pin money on their clothing or in their hair for the expense of their honeymoon.

The Obsession

2009-07-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

On Sunday evening after all the meetings are over with President Cox, we share a dinner with our office missionaries. This particular Sunday I had prepared supper nacho, at the special request of Elder Robles and Elder Escobar, our Assistants. I was busy getting things ready and Elder Robles volunteered to help....This is his creation. They are so focused on the work of the Lord....baptizing those that are prepared to receive this beautiful message of the restored gospel...that even the food he eats represents THE VISION. We love these great leaders. This picture is of Elder Maxfield, who is moving out of the office as a new Zone Leader (we will miss him), Elder Verdeja our Executive Secretary, Elder Sherman our new financial secretary....Elder Robles (the creator of this masterpiece) and Elder Escobar, his equal in every way. These Elders share the Obsession to do all that is required to be Instruments in the Hands of God to bring souls unto Christ. The number 400 represents the number of baptisms we are planning for the month of August. Remember us in your prayers.

Missionary Interviews while hanging in Leon

2009-07-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Friday we completed our interviews with all the Elders from Leon. They came to the house and visited with our little family. I think we probably made 8 batches of CC Cookies and went through 5 Gallons of Milk. What a JOY they are. It was Elder Wells birthday so we treated him to a special cookie serande....Wesley loves water...so every chance we got....we had him in the pool with the hose. He is such a happy little boy. Saturday we took a trek to the Parque Metro and rented bikes with surrays and rode around the lake. Afterwards, Bob was agreeable...so we headed to Plaza Mayor to pick up a few essentials for his new weight lifting program...Wesley found a few fun activities, as well. Wish I could put into words the joy this little boy brings to this family....He is the Sunshine that lit up Leon this past week.

Hanging out in Leon

2009-07-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Mark brought his family for a visit and we just hung out in Leon. It a week of beautiful weather. We started our adventures with a trip to Guerro's...our famous taco stand on Algeciras. (I think Tina had quesadillas there every night but Sunday)
We also picked up some Elote from another little stand..It is made on a stick or in a cup with butter, mayonnaise, chile, grated cheese and limon. Yummy. Monday we visited the Zoo....Dad was able to join us but the phone was busy ringing...most of the afternoon. I love the picture of Mark sitting on the rock. He really is one that can find joy in the journey, as President Monson has counseled. He is a kind, patient father, always willing to help his sweet wife in responsibilities with our little Wesley.

"Out of small things proceedeth that which is Great!"

2009-07-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

We began the week with zone conferences by traveling to Aguascalientes. Our next stop was to Celaya where we met with the two zones there and Irapuato. Friday we traveled to San Luis Potosi and finished on Saturday with our zones in Leon. It always is a special week to meet with our missionaries. We are 156 strong. We have a lot of young missionaries and young zone and district leaders trying to learn the ropes of leadership. We are grateful for their desire to lead the mission. We received an interesting call during our first conference and we confirmed the information. It is quite likely that Mission Mexico Leon will be visited by Elder Christofferson and Elder Gonzalez with our new Area President, Elder Johnson on August 17th. We are excited about the possibility. It will coinside with our annual Mission President Seminar that is scheduled for August 19-22 in Mexico City. We have no other details...only that a mtg has been scheduled for all of our missionaries from 2-4pm. We feel so very honored to have been selected...or maybe they will visit all 21 missions while they are here. But for now our hearts are thrilled with the possibility of being in the presence of 2 Apostles of the Lord in a 3 month period of time. I am attaching a picture that was forwarded to us this week of our mtg with Elder Bednar in the Poliforum with all the membership. Please ignore my expression. I am not sure what I was thinking.....but President Cox and Elder Bednar were having a great time....

We are excited about a new convert that was baptized this week. Silvia Nunes is 18 years old and attending a universtiy here in Leon. Her older brother Ramon was studying in Belgium and joined the church there. He is 25 and has returned home to Delores Hidalgo where his family lives and introduced his sister to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has been waiting for a mission call and told us today he received it yesterday and will serve in Portugal. He speaks French, Spanish, English and now will learn Portugese. He was able to baptize and confirm his sister. We know he will be a great leader of the church here in Mexico when he returns home. The special part of this whole experience is that Silvia's parents, her other brother Manuel, her boyfriend and another friend were all in attendance at the baptism. Silvia's mother is reading the Book of Mormon and she was in attendance today at her confirmation. My heart is full of the great potential for good this family can be in Delores Hidalgo. We have attended a sacrament mtg there. It is a very small, humble congregation that meet in a very small House of Prayer. We have two new missionaries serving there so we are hoping and praying that this will be the beginning of miracles coming forth in this area. We know our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers and it is usually out of the "small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bring about the salvation of many souls". It seems I never have my camera when I need it..but Silvia is a beautiful young woman full of desire to live the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been another rewarding week in Leon Mexico.

I need to record another personal thought. Saturday was Michael's Deathdate. As usual it was a day of celebration. We were in Zone Conferences with our Elders here in Leon and Bob and I were both able to share the gratitude we feel in our hearts for the knowledge we have of the Plan of Salvation and the special privilege that is ours at this time to help missionaries teach this message that can change lives forever. Bob shared some of the details of that day and the feelings we had then and have had through the years because of our personal testimony of this Plan of Happiness that has been made possible because of our Savior's sacrifice on our behalf. We hope that as we share bits and pieces of our lives with our dear Elders that they too will be fortified for the challenges that will face them...and take comfort in the gospel...but most importantly that they will teach with the power and authority that they have been called forth to do. We love them all.

4th of July

2009-07-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

I suppose part of the blessing of serving as Mission President and wife is the joy we feel in separation from loved ones. (Does that make sense?Can there be joy in separation?We are beginning to believe there is.) So,this weekend President Cox and I are doubly blessed. On July 4th we bade our farewells to 14 wonderful Elders who have served in the Mexico Leon Mission with us for the past 2 years. Top to bottom; EldersKlein,Wille,Thomas,Moss,Williams,Neibaur,Cobarruvias,Gonzalez,Gale,Hines,Crea,
PerezT,Leon,Urbina. We love them and have appreciated their desire to find, teach and baptize those who have been prepared to receive this glad message of the restored gospel. We will continue to pray for their welfare and happiness...they leave as a part of our mission family. Our hearts are joyful...as we say our goodbyes....but the heartstrings have been pulled tight so tears do not fall.

Our next 4th of July will be with our family,friends and traditions at the beach in Cayucos. Our family and friends were together today enjoying celebrations of our nation's independence. LaRayne & Dahl were hosting the festivities and they will never know how much we appreciate their love...Hollmans gathered as well and the BBQ was enjoyed by all. Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy!

Six New Zone Leaders

2009-06-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Monday afternoon, evening and Tuesday morning til noon were spent together with Assts and Zone Leaders in the concilio to plan for the month of July. July begins our third and last year of missionary labors in the Leon Mexico Mission...so for President and I, it was with great energy we gathered and surrounded ourselves with this great force of missionaries. Elders Callen, Ditto, Maxfield, Trejo, Martinez and Salazar are the new leaders that met with us for the first time,and Elders Hatton,Robledo,Kay,Schow,Lara,Herrera,Camargo,LopezV,Grecco,Jensen,Velasquez and Holt are veterans for at least one change. It is an incredible feeling to meet together in our training room for these concilios. These missionaries come searching for answers, direction and inspiration that will help them lead their zones....as they return we find ourselves fortified by one another,united to lay everything we have on the altar and Find, Invite and Baptize those who are prepared to change their lives and receive this beautiful message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. My pictures reflect some of their creative moments teaching each other their assigned capacitation. Comment about #1 The room became "quite smelly" with all the shoes in the middle of the floor. The purpose for their madness was a finding activity....you can only imagine what happened next. #2 is Elder Jensen teaching a social dance move to all the ZLs. Elder Jensen leaves the mission in August and will be leaving behind his trademark. He will be returning to a performing dance team at BYU...There was a connection between this dance move and missionary work...but I was in such awe with this move that I lost my mind..(momentarily)Elder Holt is the missionary hanging on tight and praying that his dancing partner doesn't brake his grip. We pray for these great leaders. We know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.

Always time for Birthdays

2009-06-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated with Elder Verdeja, our Executive Secretary, his 22nd birthday. His real birthday was on Tuesday, June 30th...but while we were all together for our Sunday meal....why not bring out the cake and icecream. I had some trick birthday candles and he had the hardest time trying to get them all blown out. Elder Verdeja is a relatively new convert to the church. He comes from a great family that are growing in the gospel and we are so very indebted to him. He is an Elder that serves the Lord con su corazón, alma, mente y fuerza. (Heart,might,mind and strength doesn't even sound right anymore, maybe there IS hope for my Spanish.)

Sunday Evenings in the mission home

2009-06-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

The magic hour is usually 6pm. The Assistants gather in the office with results of the labors of each zone, each district, companionship and missionary. I have never been invited to this meeting....but the Assts usually stop in the kitchen before they enter the office and show me the numbers first.(They know I need to cook...in preparation for our dinner together at 7.) I love this time. When the number of baptisms for the week is good....we rejoice together/when it doesn't quite meet expectations, I am the buffer before they meet with President. They are great. They try so hard to do everything they can to encourage and motivate our mission. This past change we've been blessed with a group of leaders. This picture was taken after their last mtg of such. Elder Robles and Elder Escobar will remain with us for another change but Elders Wille, Hines and Moss are all three leaving on July 4, bright and early. Elder Hines and Elder Moss have been working quietly behind the scenes this change assisting personally in this labor of love we call missionary work.Each Sunday they report and receive new assignments.The report for the month of June was 256 baptisms, so the fruits of their labors and that of each missionary are truly being harvested.

The second picture of these great Elders really tells the story.

Can't wait to Get Started.

2009-06-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Elder Robles has needed to have hernia surgery for weeks now....but has waited because of his desire to Serve with his Heart, Might Mind and Strength....Only after several discussions with Drs.and President Cox did he agree....Elder Robles is serving as an Asst and is a powerful force in our mission. Saturday morning after Elder Bednar's visit was the day. The picture was taken on Sunday afternoon. Elder Wille and Elder Moss are carrying him into the office upstairs in our mission home so he can participate in the plans. The question is what will I do differently based on what I have learned and felt...what will my companionship do differently and what will the mission do differently as a result of Elder Bednar's visit. We are anxious to put into practice the principles we have learned. A little hernia surgery never will stand in our way.

Questions?

2009-06-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

In PMG we are taught that our Savior, Jesus Christ often asked questions to help people ponder and apply gospel principles. His questions prompted thought, soul-searching and commitment. In every situation, whether we were together as missionaries, as Stake Presidents and wives, as the general membership of the church in the Leon Mission or alone with our dear Apostle, Elder Bednar taught by asking questions. It was an amazing experience and we continue to search our souls and change our lives so that we can live more in accordance with the sweet, peaceful spirit we felt as a result of our meetings. Elder Bednar arrived Friday afternoon, June 19th. He squeezed us into his schedule, for which we will forever be eternally grateful. He needed to be in San Clemente California for a Stake Conference early Saturday so he only had this little window of time for us and we jammed packed it with everything we could to get the most of his visit. It had been 12 years since an Apostle had been in this mission area. So the people were excited.

Elder Mickelsen, our Area President and Elder Carlos an Area Seventy met President Cox at the airport to await the arrival of Elder Bednar. P. Cox took Elders Wille and Elder Maxwell to drive the backup car. Security became quite the issue in this visit....due to some recent problems with church leaders. So we took every precaution to assure Elder Bednar a safe visit. Meanwhile at the Stake Center in Leon all 164 missionaries had gathered....transported by buses from their areas of service. It was a joyful reunion for all the missionaries to be in one place at one time....Lunch was served (we prepared with the help of the office missionaries and Sister Morales and Marlene early that morning). Elders Robles and Escobar, Hines and Moss were responsible for the activities at the Stake Center and the code we awaited to hear from Elder Wille was the "eagle is in the nest".

Elder Bednar arrived on time and was escorted into the High Council Room and served lunch along with Elder Mickelsen, Elder Carlos and President Cox. That was quite the dilemma, what do you cook for an Apostle of the Lord? But all went well and they were all very appreciative of the home-cooked meal. The next 3 hours went by so very quickly. Elder Escobar conducted the meeting and Elder Schow translated for Elder Bednar. They both did an amazing job. Elder Williams played the piano and Hermana Jimenez conducted the music. When it became Elder Bednar's turn, he taught us about the important role the Holy Ghost plays in missionary work. We are only the instruments....and if we are worthy and serve with all our H,M,M and S....miracles can take place. Truly we have experienced mighty miracles in our mission and hope to move forward and continue to improve and learn how to be better able to Serve the Lord. The missionaries asked pertinent questions of their hearts after careful study of two talks they were asked to study as directed by Elder Bednar. The only disappointment of this whole experience was that Elder Bednar, like President Cox, sees little need for pictures...so even though every missionary was privileged to shake Elder Bednar and Elder Mickelsen's hand...we have no group pictures with him.

We left the Stake Center at this point and we were escorted by security to the Poliforum of Leon; a facility that would accomodate the 2500 members that were expected to attend the general meeting. The wives of our Mission Presidency and Stake Presidency worked together to prepare an area with food for the mtg with all the Stake Presidents/wives and Area Seventies/wives in attendance for a mtg prior to the general mtg. Again, Elder Bednar was primed as he questioned these leaders of the needs of their members and then later addressed the the general membership using this same method. It was powerful as he took each individual question, many from the youth of the church and taught principles that were applicable to all of us. The time went by quickly...before we knew it, we were escorted off the podium and loaded into cars once again and escorted to the mission home. We made arrangements for security to patrol the area all night...but before our home was locked down.... we were able to squeeze a picture with Elder Bednar and all the office elders and one with President Cox and I. We have so very much to be grateful for. I have hesitated writing this post because it is hard to do justice to the special feelings I have in my heart at this moment. I feel like the prophets of old, I am not mighty in writing....my words can't adequately convey the strengthening affect this visit has had on my life....my desire to more worthily dedicated my time, talents nd energies to building the kingdom. I am amazed at the possibilites that await us as we open the scriptures and seek direction for our lives personally as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. I know that we have Apostles and Prophets on the earth today that lead and guide the church and testify of our Savior's love for each of us individually and I have felt that special love as Elder Bednar has sat in our car, at our dinner table, in our mtgs and allowed us to experience for ourselves what it means to be a Special Witness for our Savior Jesus Christ. At times....I wonder if this is all a dream. Why am I so blessed to have these special experiences and then I know to those who are given much...they too must give. I am so very grateful for this privlege to serve the Lord in Leon Mexico and I pray my service will somehow make a difference in the life of another.

A Late Arrival...but in Time for all the Excitement

2009-06-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

Our 12 Missionaries from the MTC arrived on Monday afternoon, June 15th. They had been detained for 3 extra weeks because of the swine flu...so you know how excited we all are to finally "be in our places with bright shiny faces". This meant that our Asst Elder Wille got one more trip to the airport and capacitation of new Elders before he departs. The picture is of our trusty assistants Elders Escobar,Wille and Robles waiting for our missionaries to arrive; Elders Hansen, Conrad and Aitken walking through the security and into our arms....and a group picture with everyone here,Elders Fife,Conrad,Mouritsen,Roberts,Hendricks,Richards,Stewart,Buxton,Aitken,Hansen,Guthrie,and Brubaker.

Stake Conference in Celaya

2009-06-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

We have been so very blessed with wonderful Hermanas that are called to Preach the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ in the mission of Leon Mexico. Because of safety issues only native Mexican sisters have served within our mission with the exception of Hermana Matarrita who was from Costa Rica. They are wonderful missionaries and are an effective force for bringing about the miracles we have experienced in the past few months. We appreciate their worthiness and desire to Serve the Lord with all their Hearts, Might, Mind and Strength. This picture was taken after the Stake Conference Meeting held in Celaya on June 14th. It is of Hermana Vasquez and Hermana Cornelio. President Garcia is ready to split the stake and this will probably happen during the month of August with our new Area Presidency....We appreciate his energy and support for the missionary program. It is always so nice to attend Stake Conferences and feel the strength and love of the members of the church.

Instrumentos en las manos de Dios

2009-06-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

We have spent the week with our missionaries participating in Zone Conferences for the month of June. Each missionary in the mission was good enough to let me paint and imprint their hand on a tablecloth that will become a cherished keepsake for President and I. It is a reflection of the "blessing that has been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.....behold 349 have been brought into the fold of God". (Alma26:3-4) Definitely a marvelous work and wonder for all of us. The telephone call was made shortly after the numbers were calculated and true to his word, we have a date for Elder Bednar to visit our mission on June 19th. For those of you who haven't heard the story, at our very first MP Seminar Elder Bednar was our visiting Apostle. At this time we were baptizing between 70 -80 each month. This seminar was held in Veracruz and a special meeting was held with the missionaries and area members before our seminar began. Elder Bednar was the guest speaker. At this time we could envision what a great blessing this could be to our area as well....and later during the seminar President approached Elder Bednar about the possibility. The #300 became the magic number and we have been working towards that goal ever since. We know what a great blessing it will be for our missionaries, new members, converts and Priesthood leaders to be in the presence of an Apostle of the Lord and receive personal direction for building the kingdom of God in our mission area. We are so grateful for this great man and his willingness to come and teach us as only an Apostle of the Lord can.

WOW! That is all we can say. We are running now trying to get all our ducks? in order. The missionaries will meet with him from 2-5pm, we will then have a mtg with all the Stake Presidents and their wives and a general meeting for everyone 6:30-8:30pm. We have never entertained an Apostle of the Lord before so you can imagine what a special privilege this will be for President Cox and I. Our only regret is that all those who have come and gone cannot be here to enjoy this moment as well. We are grateful for all the wonderful prayers that are extended to the missionaries serving throughout the world but especially for those serving in the Leon Mexico Mission. We know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.

A Happy Day!

2009-05-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 24, 2009 our first group of Elders bade their farewell to the Leon Mexico Mission. We had met this group of 5Elders,ElderPickett,Pugmire,Schmidt,Smith and Bigelow at the MTC when we received our training in June 2007. It is incredible to think that their 2 years have come and gone. They combined with Elders Morales,Carhuapoma,Paz,Romero and PerezP who had been in the mission field for 6weeks and Hermanas Velazquez, Mandujano and Martinez to make this generation complete. We will miss them all...but they return home knowing they were apart of the generation that baptized 302 new members into the Church. We are grateful for their faithful service. Behind them....followed the new group from the CCM. Elders Velarde,Tepale, Jacobo, Leija,Tolentino,Marin,Ortiz,Ibañez,Policarpo and Mendoza,from top to bottom. They are very nice-looking, well-behaved, missionaries, trained and prepared to serve the Lord. We are grateful for their desire to Preach the Gospel. The 13 from the MTC have not come yet. They were detained with visa problems due to the swine flu...so this is what we do best..WAIT!

"My heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God"

2009-05-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

302 of our brethern .............................in Leon have been encircled about with the matchless bounty of the Love of our Savior...as quoted from Ammon in Alma 26:15..."yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work." President Cox called together his zone leaders and assistants today for our first ever business meeting in the mission. It was a time to reflect on the many blessings that have been ours as a mission, what we need to do to be worthy of and continue forward in this great work of the Lord and discuss ideas for the retention of these new members
of the church. He shared with the leaders his conversation with Elder Bednar and the plans for his upcoming visit to our mission. Needless to say, everyone was a buzz with excitement for the work that lays ahead...Elder Bednar wanted to know what made this change possible in our mission. The picture of this group of leaders represents dedication,sacrifice,love,forgiveness,service,humility....all attributes of Christ they have learned from personal experience as they have led their zones forward, helping one another reach their goals. These leaders have learned from the best. Elder Mickelsen came in March and helped them learn to be empowered within their realm of responsibility as leaders of a zone. The Assistants have assisted in "closing the difficult ones", holding the missionaries accountable for their goals because they knew they had to Return and Report to President Cox...., keeping a full tank, and improving the teaching techniques of our missionaries. But the fact of the matter is that it has been a long process. A process that has evolved from 2 years of wonderful Elders and Hermanas that have come and gone and helped to build our confidence and hope for the future. We have great energy as we move forward this next month because we have proven that it is possible to DO MORE. It is possible...if we do our part, as Ammon taught, and exercise faith, repent, produce good works and pray continually (Alma 26:22) With grateful hearts we record this blog today. The group picture represents all the zone leaders minus Elder PerezP. who returned home with honor on May 25th. I am not sure any of this would be possible without our Secretaries. They work a full time job in the office and are still going to end up baptizing 8 new members for the Arbide Ward. They were in and out of the Mission Home all day taking care of the special needs of President and Sister Cox. Elder Maxfield and Elder Verdeja are so very capable of whatever assignment they are given....even if it is only BBQ hamburgers....Elder Robledo is joining in the fun...once a secretary, always a secretary?

An UNEXPECTED get away.....

2009-05-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had scheduled the quarterly Consejo de Coordinación in Guanajuato, my favorite city. President asked that I attend to take pictures and do whatever...The Assts were invited and expected to attend...but Saturday baptisms were critical to the success of our mission and even though they had baptized on Friday they still had lots of loose ends to finalize before the week's work was over. President Cox assured them that Heavenly Father would bless them as they were obedient and served as they were needed. After the opening session of the consejo it became obvious that the Assts were not needed for the rest of the meeting. We had 2 1/2 hours to wait til President would be ready. So what should we do? Guanajuato, here we come. We visited the Hacienda de Cochero first, next the Templo de San Cayetano and on to the minas de San Ramon and finishing with a quick tour of the Centro. It was a beautiful day and an UNEXPECTED get away for all of us. They are a good-looking group of Assts, don't you think? Elders Wille, Escobar and Robles.

Families can be Together Forever

2009-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Fernando, Carolina and baby Abner were first to be taught and blessed with a knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Emery and Elder Checketts were involved with this conversion process in April of 2008. A year later and probably a half dozen missionaries later....Bernaisa, the oldest sister joined, then Daniel the father. Not long after Julisa and on Friday, May 15th, Margarita the mother was baptized by Elder Wille. It has been such a rewarding experience to share with each of them our testimonies of the Plan of Salvation and the joy that can come to families as they embrace the principles and ordinances of the gospel. Fernando is now serving as a counselor in the Bishopric and Carolina, a counselor in the Relief Society. The Loma Bonita ward will be blessed as the Torres family continues to grow and share their testimony with other family members and friends.

"Now is the Time for Labor"...Brigham Young

2009-05-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

I received a letter this week from my trainer from the MTC, Jeff Jardine. He and his family have been so very good to keep in touch and encourage and inspire us in our service here in the Leon Mexico Mission. He shared a quote Elder Bednar had used from the Prophet, Brigham Young that I really have enjoyed and captures the essence of our needs in the mission field. Quoting Brigham Young, "Now is the Time for Labor; let the FIRE of the COVENANT which we have made burn within us like a flame unquenchable." We are so very grateful for the 153 missionaries that are serving with all their heart, might, mind and strength 4 x 4 =300. They are not perfect but so very many of them are feeling this FIRE of the COVENANT burn within them as they sacrifice (1/2 Pdays) and work to find, invite, teach and baptize new members into the Church. We were able to add another 79 baptisms to our goal bringing us to a total of 235 with 2 more weeks to go. The missionaries are beginning to believe. It has been so rewarding to watch this process as they have caught the vision and are beginning to push themselves....because they know it is possible. Next week we should be able to accomplish our goal.

Wednesday, May 13th was Elder Wille's 21st birthday. We had celebrated his 20th birthday in the office when he was our financial secretary and now here we are again...Is it possible? He has been with us a whole year, except now as our Asst. At the end of a long day, there is always time and room for cake and ice cream.

A Happy Mother's Day In Mexico Leon Mission

2009-05-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day in Mexico is always May 10th. This year Mother's Day in US and Mexico is on the same day so we are celebrating together...Today. It has been a beautiful day. I attended both the Loma Bonita and Arbide wards and visited with all of our investigators and new members. The missionaries are working so very hard to find the very elect and have some great people coming to church with them. Inspite of the swine flu epidemic....our baptisms continue to climb. We have 156 baptisms now after 2 weeks so our goal of 300 is getting closer and closer. Mother's Day in the Mission is a special time of the year because all the missionaries have opportunity to call home and visit with their mothers and family members. I took pictures tonight of Elder Maxfield and Elder Verdeja visiting with their families in our home while the Assts were meeting with President Cox. They are only allowed a 30 minute call so they have to talk fast and try to answer everyones questions. Bob was in Mexico City this weekend for his quarterly concilio with the Area Presidency and the Area Seventies of Mexico...so the Office Elders took care of my Mother's Day from Melanie, Mark and Matthew. The kids had made arrangements for Dad to buy me flowers ....so what do you think? I think they were a little nervous when they found out he would be in Mexico...but the Elders did a great job. Thanks. They were beautiful and I put them in a vase I had bought at Santa Rosa Pottery store. I hope they last all week. They will remind me that I am loved. I took a picture of our office Elders....Elders Wille, Escobar and Robles are our Assistants and Elders Maxfield and Verdeja are our Secretaries. We love our Sunday evenings with these great young men. It'll remain status quo until July 4th.....then we loose Elder Wille. We are enjoying our time together...and miracles are happening as they motivate and encourage our missionaries to serve with all their heart, might, mind and strength (4 x 4)

A HISTORICAL MOMENT

2009-05-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

We received word early this week that missionary work/church meetings could resume their regular functions this weekend. Yah! We were elated. Then 2 days later we received another bulletin from our Area President that we should carry out our missionary responsibilites WITHOUT TIES. The Mexican Government feels like the Swine Flu Virus could be carried in our TIES so they have asked that our missionaries wear only their white shirts???.(Could that be possible?) We obey the laws of the land so I am attaching some pictures that look so abnormal. I told Elders Perez P., Ray and Ramirez in Celaya that they look......naked?? without their ties. They felt that way as well. But after the first day, I think the missionaries are really enjoying the unbuttoned shirt and a little cooler atire.(Elder Schmidt and Elder Tucker, 3rd picture) The missionaries from Leon are in the Mission Home enjoying Hermana Cox's cookies and milk, planning and waiting for their interview with President Cox.(Elders Neibaur,Brown,Delgado & Lopez V) They have to resume regular missionary dress on Monday so I guess they should enjoy it while they can. But it is a moment in our history that we will remember. (President is excluded from this requirement...he is still in TIE)

4 x 4 or "Cuatro por Cuatro" = 300

2009-04-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

We are so charged and prepared for the month of May. It is another 5 week month so our theme 4 x 4 reflects our goals of 4 in the Chapel, 4 New Investigators, 4 Baptisms with the developement of serving in 4 dimensions, 1) With all our Heart, 2)With all of our Might, 3)With all of our Mind and 4) With all of our Strength. We have the obsession and we are off and running. (But so is Satan) Our first hurdle presented itself April 25th; the obstacle, Swine Flu. Our Church mtgs in San Luis Potosi were cancelled and this weekend they are cancelled all over the country of Mexico. We are experiencing some hesitancy for the missionaries to enter homes to teach their investigators...but we are trying in every way to have a positive attitude...We know the Lord will bless us. I am posting some pictures of our recent Zone Conferences. They were all centered around the
4 x 4 Theme with great capacitations by zone leaders and class room participation. President Cox even got into the action....competing against Elder Sherman. He was defeated by Elder Sherman 60 to 50...But he still can compete and is in fine form. I think the Elders were impressed. What fun we have with these special servants of the Lord. Pictures of Elder Camargo, ZL in Leon Oeste; Elder Saucedo blindfolded and trying to convince his District to help him....using his 4 strengths...heart, might, mind and strength; and Elder Callen and Elder Martinez working together as a team to pass the egg.....demonstrating that everyone has to do their part....WE ARE OPERATING AS A TEAM....Can you tell how much we love this Work we have been called to Do. What great joy we have Serving the Lord.

A Big Welcome

2009-04-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Monday we took the Elders to the airport at 5am. We came home made preparations and were back at the Central to pick up the 6 Elders and 1 Hermana from the CCM at Noon. President took care of all the interviews and we sat down and enjoyed a nice meal together....had capacitations and pictures. District Meetings were attended then the contacting took place. They all met for Tacos at Guerros and then it was time to head out for the airport again to meet our 3 Elders from the MTC. President interviewed them, they enjoyed tacos. The Big Welcome took place Tuesday morning, 4/13 when they were all together. Our new group includes Elders Pehrson, Pallares, Jirano(top), Elders Gartner, Mozo, Blain, Gonzalez, Ramirez, Rodelo and Hermana Jimenez. Assignments were given to all the new Elders and Hermana and off we went to the Central again to begin the missionary labors. BUT BEFORE THAT.....it was time for a picture with the Hermanas. Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Velazquez were the companions for Hermana Jiminez...her first day. Thanks.

New assignments

2009-04-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

With every farewell comes new assignments for the missionaries in our mission. Those who Return home with honor, start careers, education and dating (Elder Diaz, our Assistant for the past 4 months)Elders Escobar and Robles are joining the ranks of Assistants with Elder Wille. Some assume ZL responsilibities. (Elder Robledo has served as our Exec. Secretary for 8 months) Elder Verdeja is our new Executive Secretary. We are excited about these new faces in the Office but we always hate to say Goodbye.....The pictures are of our new Assts Monday afternoon helping me prepare for our meal with the new Elders coming from the CCM. Elder Robles was enough or a "man" to wear my BYU Mom apron. Also posted is a picture of Elder Robledo at the Central with Pres & I before leaving for Benito Juarez; Also one with him and all the new office staff.

Easter Sunday Farewells

2009-04-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Easter in Mexico is so strange. President Cox and I were both assigned talks for Sacrament Mtg with Elder Robledo. Our topics were fast & offerings, prayer and the Book of Mormon. We don't sing the Easter Hymns or have flowers, Easter dresses or egg hunts. It is crazy. So needlesstosay....Hermana Cox introduced some of her family Easter traditions, like Granny's foil egg, and tied it all together with the traditions we can establish with family and personal prayer....it was a stretch but necessary. The Egg Hunt has been such a fun tradition in our family and how very appropriate. The egg represents "new life", the very essence of the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are truly all in search daily for this wonderful gift. We had 12 Elders in our home for Farewells, Elders Caamal,Cabrera,Castillo,Davis,Diaz,Eckman,GarciaV.Pacheco,Panoaya,Montes,Terminel and Zertuche. I decorated the dinner tables in the training room with plastic eggs and chocolate rabbits for everyone. (I really had to search for the rabbits) I think they all appreciated their special evening. After dinner we have a special testimony meeting. Elder Terminel played a special musical number on the piano for all of us...I will really miss his musical talents....We sang our song, #88 "Placentero nos es trabajar"....the picture captures Elders Escobar,Eckman and Davis feeling the spirit of this special hymn that is only found in the Mexican hymnbooks. It is our very favorite.

LIMPIEZA DE PRIMAVERA -2009

2009-04-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

You guessed it. It's time for Presidente y Hermana Cox to check all the houses once again. The best part about this whole experience is being with the Zone Leaders and letting them show us around their zones. For the most part the houses were clean and orderly and I appreciated the efforts made to prepare for our visit. In one particular apartment, Elder Brown had baked brownies for us. I am not sure if he was bribing us or if his mother had just taught him great manners. No, I know it was the latter. His apartment was one of the nicest. There were several apartments that we recommended a "MOVE" because the conditions were really bad....but they were all about the same. The picture is of ZLs Elder Schow and Elder Gonzalez with Elders Garza and Flores C in their home. They were given "thumbs up" for a job well done.

Aguascalientes...Top Baptizers for March

2009-04-06T17:26:00.001-07:00

Elders Robles and Hatton are the Zone Leaders for Aguascalientes. Their zone includes Elders Castillo,Toutai,Buzis,PerezM.,Callen,Martinez,Carrillo,PerezF,Urbina,Leininger,Cobarruvias,Whetten. The zone baptized 35 out of the 220 New Converts added to the Leon Mexico Mission during the month of March. We are grateful for their faithful service.

Interviews in Leon

2009-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

We´ve been serving here for 19 months now and this is the first time we considered bringing the missionaries to the Mission Home for interviews. Talk about "thinking outside the Box". It took us a while but, we tried it and we liked it. It was so fun having them gather around the kitchen and eating hot cookies out of the oven while they waited to visit with President Cox and so many of them never have opportunity to come to the Mission Home except when they arrive and leave...so I hope we can continue this throughout the rest of the mission....time will tell. I have pictures of Elder Su'a, Elder Delgado and Elder Leon with President and I, and Elders Lara and Lopez V (I have a little confession. I am not sure we would have ever thought of this idea...but Elder Emery was playing a morning NCAA game and Pres and I wanted to watch him...so we rearranged our interview schedule to accomodate our personal pleasures...but don't tell)

Thinking outside the BOX

2009-04-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

life is good in the Leon Mexico Mission. We are busy about the Lords work trying to improve and find new ways to reach the goals our zone leaders have set for the mission this year. The goal for March was 300 baptisms and we had 220 Convert Baptisms. That was a new record...our Buzz word was "¿Tiene Hambre? and the missionaries really worked hard to find, invite and teach others about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ...hence, satisfying their hunger to baptize. We added an additional Assistant to our Office Staff. Elder Pacheco has been our traveling Assistant. He has served in Irapuato and Celaya and finishes with San Luis Potosi this week. We like the results we are seeing and are considering 3 Assts in the future as well. He and Elder Diaz will leave for home this coming Sunday and Elder Wille will be "the man". Our Office Staff has increased from 4 to 7. We have in the back row, Elders Pacheco, Verdeja(new Exec Secr), Wille, and Maxfield(financialSecty); front row, Elders Robledo (leaving the office to be a new ZL), President, Elder Hernandez(his companion, Elder GarciaH, left early) and Elder Diaz.
Also I am posting a picture from one of our Zone Conference capacitations. Our Elders are so very creative in their teaching. Elder Hines is the Zone Leader in Leon Oeste and is capacitating on #Tangue Lleño(which means Full Tank). Elder Gray and Elder Yañez are trying to fill the garafone with water and keep all the water in the garafone but there are holes and they need to be creative in keeping the water in the tank. They did the best they could. The water represents new investigators and there were many ideas shared of effective ways to keep the missionary tank full so we can baptize every week. It is so fun watching and learning from our missionaries. We appreciate their example and hard work. Elder Hines is one of the best and we appreciate his creativity.

Birthday Celebrations

2009-03-09T14:12:00.001-07:00

In the midst of all the missionary activities going on since I returned home, we had the special opportunity to celebrate with Elder Robledo his 20th birthday on February 21st. Elder Robledo has served so patiently and faithfully as our Executive Secretary since Elder Mendoza left....I think that will be about 8 months in the office. He has always "cheerfully and willingly" performed his assignments. I love this picture because it captures the special ability he has to always make others happy. He will start training a new elder beginning with the March transfer...so we will enjoy this special time for only 6 more weeks.....Elder Robledo we love you!

Wide-eyed and bushy tailed

2009-03-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

This expression of my mother's came to my mind when I think of our new arrivals for March. We spent an unusual morning Monday. We checked in our farewells,said our goodbyes and then needed to pick up our new arrivals from CCM at 7:30am so we decided to just wait in the parking lot. The Assts tried to sleep in the "beast" and Pres and I slept in our trailblazer. I was the only one with a blanket ....so the rest of them froze....as I enjoyed sweet dreams. Hopefully we won't have to do this again. For some unknown reason the CCM is sending us their missionaries by plane rather than by bus....but Elder Mickelsen is checking into the additional expense involved..so probably by next transfer we'll be back to the norm. Our MTC missionaries arrived at 2:30pm so we pretty well spent the day coming and going to the airport. Pictures are of Elder Terminel a trainer with his "kid", Elder Tucker. They will be working out of San Pancho and Elders Leach, Whetton and Reuckert waiting for their bus. I also have a picture of Pres & Elders Richards...glad to see each other at the Central. I love this day of confusion & excitement because I have no responsiblity for the outcome...I can just go and enjoy my visits with all those with changes. What a good life is mine!

turnovers in march

2009-03-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 1st was our Farewell for Elders Bishop, Dalton,HernandezC., RodriquezK and Soto(he went home earlier); Hermanas Galicia, Hernandez and Matarrita. The hermanas were especially hard to say goodbye to..they were our lst group of hermanas to report to President Cox and I. They were powerful missionaries. We have loved all of this group and appreciated their service. Elder Dalton was a ZL in BJ and left the mission with his zone"on fire". They baptized 17 that week. We enjoyed our farewell evening together and the early 5am trip to the airport.