Guadalajara: 4/1/13 + A New Address


As you read this letter, remember that Dennis has not spoken English for many months now, so some of the grammar and spelling is hard to understand. 

so apatzingan was a literal ghost town practically this whole entire last week haha there wasn't anybody hardly.  and to top that off it was ridiculously hot, were getting closer day by day to the hot season here, i don't know how hot its been, but you can check what the temperature has been here lately and it will give some validity to my word haha. apart from that though we did have some success. this past week while we were walking around in the cursed heat trying to find people to teach, we remembered of a less active member that we had found a  few months back and never returned to visit him and so we decided to stop and talk to him and it turned out to be a great idea. we showed up to his  and it just so happened that hewasn't the only there, but also his whole entire family...and so we invited them to listen to us and it turned out to be a total miracle because they all accepted the message super well and at the very end in the prayer that we invited him to do, a super strong spirit just rushed into the lesson and it was a pretty cool experience for us and them too i'm sure. 

also the baptism of the hna martha had to be canceled because we ran into some unsuspected obstacles but we rescheduled it and everything is good to go for this weekend so ill be informing you on all how her baptism went in the following letter. the progress on the branch out in herendira has been slowed down for the moment because its been getting a little heated over there recently and so we've had to cancel the visits out there these past few weeks for security regards, but we're praying that soon here well be able to head back out there again to help them keep progressing. it surprises me at times how much the adversary really works to impede the progress of this work....this is the second time that some kind of conflict has come up to keep us from visiting people...first with tepalcatepec and we still haven't been able to get back out there because of the situation and now were seeing the same case with herendira and so i'm just hoping and praying that it'll get better soon here.

 but the good thing is that the main ward here in apatzingan is growing quickly, this past month of march we were in the 90s each week and this past sunday we hit 100 and so slowly but surely were getting up there. this month we have plans to reach 120 and start working on splitting up the wards and making two here...the adversary still hasn't been able to thwart our efforts here in the main city of apatzingan ahah. we keep just working our butts off and were seeing tons of great results here, its amazing how much this place has really progressed since when i first showed up here. its going to be really sad to leave this place, i'm not looking forward to it haha. i feel like this is home practically haha everybody here just loves me. but i know that wherever i go from is going to be where the Lord needs me. also change of subject but this weekend is general conference...how cool! it seems like just the other weekend that we had the october conferences, its amazing how fast time flies by. i'm excited to hear the new announcements that will be made, and to be able receive instruction from the leaders of the church.

i invite you all to watch it, ALL of it. its a grand blessing the disponability of the conference there in the states...we have to make the trek once again to uruapan to go to the conference, so count your blessings! i love you and hope that you have a great week and that you enjoy the conference this weekend.

with much love from mexico,
  Elder Maccarthy


*ANOUNCMENT*   the  mission address has changed and so DO NOT send any more mail to the old address, the stuff that has already been sent will be forwarded to this address but please do not send any more mail to the old address because the day will come when they stop forwarding the mail...following is the new address, spread the word :)

Av. 18 de Marzo #3088
Colonia: Las Águilas
Zapopan, Jalisco, México
C.P. 45080

Guadalajara: 3/25/13


had a pretty hectic week just recently, full of just running around all over the place, just so you get an idea i spent somewhere close to 800 pesos in travels haha. but all in all it turned out to be a pretty cool weekend with some neat experiences as always. this past week we had the baptismal service of an investigator thats been in teaching since septemberish, i gotta say it really is something else being able to see the fruits of your labors.

i've been here in apatzingan for about 8 months now and am just now reaping the harvest from some of the seeds i planted when i first showed up here, and there is still lots of work to be done. but the baptismal service we had was really great. we asked to of our recent converts to share their testimonies and they each just killed it and brought such a powerful spirit into the baptismal service. likewise one of our other baptisms for this weekend is progressing a ton. it is the old lady that we met in the baptismal service of her daughter who said that hearing that families can be together forever gave her a new hope in life, well anyways she truly has turned out to be absolutely chosen haha she kept telling us this past week that she wants to hurry up and get baptized already haha and doesn't want to wait till the 30th for her baptism but wants to do it right now this instant. she is a really cute ol gal, she calls me her "guerito" haha. 

also had a pretty cool experience giving a blessing to a lady this past week. its this lady were teaching out in herendira, and apparently she was super sick this past week to the point that she was bed ridden. and anyways so told that she was just feeling really bad and so she decided to say a prayer and in her prayer she felt that she absolutely needed to come to the chapel on sunday, and so, even though she was super sick she managed to come to church yesterday and there in the chapel we offered to give her a blessing and before doing blessings we explain the function and purpose of the blessings and explain that they work according to the faith of the person and that she can really be healed by this priesthood blessing, and so after explaining all this she tells us that she has faith that she can be healed and so i put my hands upon her head and gave her a priesthood blessing...upon finishing the blessing, she sat there a moment and just let out a sigh and then stood up and said to us, "its gone, i dont feel pain anymore"...

it was a neat experience for me to really see and strengthen my testimony of the power of the priesthood that every worthy male of this church has. it truly is the same priesthood by which Christ healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the cripple walk and all the other miracles that He performed. the priesthood truly is the authority that God has given to men to act in His name here upon the earth. its definitely one of the things on my list when i count my blessings. i hope all is well with everyone back home and that likewise you are all able to fully enjoy and receive the great blessings of this restored gospel. i love it. i love you all. have a wonderful week and know that im praying for you all...take care till next week!

with much love from mexico,

Elder Maccarthy

Guadalajara: 3/18/13


this month of march is really turning out to be quite the month of miracles for us haha, yet again we had some great experiences this past week. we contacted that one lady who we met in the baptismal service last week and it was a way spiritual lesson. the lady is super choosen haha we showed up and taught her about the plan of salvation and it turned out super rad, she accepted it all super well and this 30th of march she is going to be getting baptized. it was a true miracle to have found her and just how truly prepared she has been by the Lord is amazing. 


also for this upcoming weekend we have a couple more baptisms lined up...one of them being a miracle haha. we have this lady who we've been teaching together with her grand son and last weeek her grand son got baptized and the baptismal date that we had placed with her was for the 6 of abril but shes been progressing super fast, gaining a testimony and all that great stuff, and well just yesterday we got word that shes considering getting baptized this weekend because she feels ready and doesn't want to wait. so were actually going to be going with her tomorrow to see what she says for this saturday...were confident though that were going to see good results from the appointment. 

and then also our investigadores out in herendira are progressing really well also. unfortunately they didn't get baptized this past weekend but shortly here they will be, we've been working and praying for them a bunch and its showing great results. the majority of them have expressed to us already the testimonies that they have gained, they're just a little hesitant about it all and say the usual "i want to learn a little more" excuse but were going to work a ton with them using the Book of Mormon and i feel that in one of these next upcoming weeks they're going to getting baptized. all in all apatzingan is on fire right now! haha and not in the sense of temperature but in term of all the success and progress that is being seen here. 


this past sunday in the ward we had an assistance of 102, a big increase from when about 3 months ago we were in the 70s just about every week, and we keep increasing and doing better week after week. we got news from president too that he is going to send another companionship here to apatzingan to help us out with the work here and i'm stoked to see how much its going to just absolutely explode with having another companionship here. 

overall things are just going great right now. i cant imagine what kind of progress and experiences still lie ahead of us, but its truly amazing how great my mission is turning out to be, seriously the best experience of my whole life. i'm so excited to hear that james is preparing to head out on the mission and connor too,i know they're just going to love it, i definitely encourage every young man to serve a mission. i promise you that you wont regret it. you'll have experiences crazier and more special than anything you can imagine. in the personal i still have tons of great stories waiting to share with you all for when i get home haha adventures from my service here in the wild wild west haha. 


i hope that you all have a great week and that you were able to enjoy st pattys day yesterday haha. keep strong in the faith and thanks for all the support...i love you all!! until next weeek!

with much love from mexico, 
Elder Maccarthy


Guadalajara: 3/11/13


so we had a pretty amazing week just recently, we saw some more miracles and blessings. first off we had the baptismal service of 3 of our investigadores, we had planned for only 2 but we saw a miracle with the third. her original baptismal date was for the 23 of this month but we decided to ask her how she felt about getting baptized sooner than that because she is been progressing super fast and so we brought it up to her and she seemed a little hesitant because she wanted to get baptized with her sister that day and after talking with her and the sister, we told her we'll we invite you to pray about it tonight and we'll stop by tomorrow to see how it went, and left it at that 

and the following day we stopped by and asked her how it went...and she told us well so i was thinking about it all last night and i had alot of thoughts about my baptism, but i did like you told me and i prayed and i got my answer, God wants me to get baptized this saturday. it was a pretty cool experience to see how the Lord really does answer our prayers and knows when were ready to receive and do certain things. she also explained to us how her family members had been trying to make her think twice about it and stuff like that but she just laid it down on them and told them what was up and how the Lord told her to do this and hearing her tell us about it was like listening to a modern day Nephi haha i will go and do! so that was a pretty cool experience. 

another little miracle that we saw in the baptismal service that we had...so during the service while they were all changing clothes after the ordinances we put on a movie about the plan of salvation and eternal families. as i observed the faces of the people as they watched the video there were many teary eyes and the Spirit was definitely present in the occasion. after the service we were talking with the mom of one of the ladies that got baptized and she told us about how much she liked the baptism and especially the movie and then began to cry as she explained to us how she had lost 3 children and that when she heard that she could see them and live with them again she felt like a new hope came into her life and we testified to her of the truthfullness of this plan and she told us she would love to know more about how she could achieve this and so we are going be stopping by to start teaching her this week, and it was just a way spiritual and cool experience. 

its amazing how the Lord just places right in our path who he has prepared and trusts in us to take of them, i'm extremely grateful for the trust that the Lord has in me to take care of his children her in apatzingan. i'm thankful for the knowledge of the great plan of happiness in our lives and that the Lord has once again restored to keys of the priesthood to carry out such ordinances such as eternal families. i'm so greatful for all the great experiences and blessings that he has given me in these short 14 months i have in his service...it is the best thing ever. i hope you all likewise seeing the great blessings of this restored gospel...sorry that this email was a little short but i love you all and am thankful likewise for all of your support. i love you all and have a great week!


with much love from mexico,
Elder Maccarthy