Apatzingan 4/29/2013

so i dont have much time to write cuz i had changes today so im gonna be quick cuz i have some great stories to tell you. so first off the big news is that my service in apatzingan has come to an end sadly. after varios months of working i have been called to another part of the Lords vineyard. i am currently in the city of morelia, michoacan in the area acueducto. in addition i have been assigned to be a zone leader here in the zone of morelia. it was sad to leave apatzingan because i really loved the place, but the Lord needs of my efforts in another region now and so i just go where they call me to go and keep doing what i do best. 

a quick little miracle that we had this past weekend. so we had been teaching this one lady for about 2 months and she was progresing and all that good stuff but every time she got close to getting baptized she would get super disanimated because some of her kids are super against the church and would make her start to doubt and second guess everything. and so for 2 months weve just been pulling our hair out trying to figure out what we can do to help her progress and get baptized. and so in the leadership training conference that elder garcia and i went to last week there were a few things that we learned taht we decided to put into practice to see if we could finally crack the hna. and so sure enough thursday we go to a teaching appt with her and begin to put into practice a few of the things we learned and sure enough she just opened up to us and in the end of it all she accepted to be interviewed in order to be baptized on saturday. leaving the lesson elder garcia felt like running down the street jumping and shouting from the pure joy and excitement we felt. we decided to hold a fast in part of the hermana so that she would stay animated for her baptism, and the next the zone leaders came and did her interview and everything was set and ready to go. saturday evening at about 3 oclock, 2 hrs before the baptismal service, we get a call from the hermana that she doesnt want to get baptized anymore and she doesnt want anything to do with the church anymore. aaaaand im out of time now haha and so youre all going to have to wait till next week to find out how the story ends hahah sorry folks, until next week!

much love from mexico,

      Elder Maccarthy

Apatzingan 4/22/2013

so we had a pretty crazy week here in apatzingan haha some good stories to tell when i get home haha. and well fortunately all the hecticness that was going on didnt have too big of an impact on the work that were doing here in apatzingan.

 this past saturday we had the baptism of one of our investigadores and well id like to share a little about her conversion story with you guys and how it is that she got baptized this weekend, because going into last week things werent looking too well. 

so recently here in apatzingan certain people *cough cough* have been opening up alot of job offers and offering lots of money haha and well this investigador of ours had been offered a job and well you could say she was having a hard time making a decision on what to do. going into the week she wasnt really too sure about getting baptized and we werent either haha and so we just kept praying and praying that she would make the correct decision. and so tuesday we had a lesson with her, super potente and powerful, and upon finishing the lesson we challenged her kneel that night and pray to know what to do, and that she would receive her answer. 

the next day we stopped by againg to see how it went with her homework and heres where the story gets good. so after having read a little bit from the book of mormon, she knelt down and began to pray asking what she should do, and upon finishing her prayer she went to sleep haha or at least tried too. she said that she couldnt sleep at all that night because her mind was just buzzing with thoughts about her baptism and what she should do...and she said that as she thought more and more about it she felt more and more feeling of love peace and tranquility. as she explained all of this with us, we knew immediately that what she had felt was her confirmation and answer in respect to what she needed to do. we didnt hesitate in testifying to her about the answer that she had received and had yet another way rad lesson with her and leaving the lesson she was more determined than ever to get baptized. and well sure enough saturday rolled around and she got baptized :)

 the other day we were talking with her and she says that in one year from now she wants to go on a mission! so that was pretty cool too hearing that and so were going to do everything in our power to able to help her prepare to be able to complete this goal that she has. i love the mission and all the great experiences that come with it. sorry this weeks email is a little bit short, but its because i have to travel right now to morelia for a leadership conference. i hope you all have a great week and that youre enjoying yourselves in your boring school and work life while im here having the time of my life in the mission! ha!

with much love from mexico,
             Elder Maccarthy

Apatzingan : 4/15/2013

I used to go through and do a little editing on Dennis' letters...but from here on out it is just copy and paste.  His English is slipping and you will just have to make your own corrections in your mind as you read through his letters.  Thanks for everyones prayers and support :)

had a super rad week just recenly, had another baptism and we found a total miracle family. so first we had the baptism of one of our investigadores named alejandra, she was a heart attack baptism 

haha

 because at the last minute we almost lost her. her family is extremely catholic and you could say that they werent necesarily 100% on board with her decision to get baptized, and well she faced a few obstacles and definitely had to pass her personal test of her faith and testimony. however thanks to the great power of prayer, she was able to receive the strength and forces that she needed to stand strong in her decision and in the end of it all was able to be baptized this past saturday. it was a super rad baptism too, full of people, and elder garcia and i sang a way cool customized version of "nearer my God to thee" that had everyone there teary eyed. ive really gained a new apreciation for the music culture of the church and the great spirit that is invited by music. 

included in this email are some pictures of the baptisms that weve had these past two weeks of the hna martha and of alejandra. 

along with the baptism we saw a complete miracle this past week. a few weeks ago we found a family where the husband got baptized in the states but then came back here to mexico and well the point is is that he contacted us in the street one day and so weve helping him come back to activity in the church, and likewise helping his family join the church. and well my whole entire mission ive always asked in my prayers that the Lord blesses me with the priviledge to help a family accept this gospel, be baptized, and one day be able to see them get sealed in the temple. and amongst all the baptisms that ive had ive yet to have this family, and so i was sure that this family was the answer to my prayers. and as we prayed to know when is the day that the Lord would have this family get baptized, we received the response of may 4...and well it wasnt really what i was expecting nor wanted because changes are the weekend before, and so itd mean that the weekend after i leave apatzingan the family that was the answer to my prayers would be getting baptized. and well as you can imagine the Lords plans didnt really go according to what i wanted, and so i tried to convince my companion that we need to bump the date up one more weekend so i could be there, but in the end we both knew that it wasnt the right thing to do, so we continued with may 4 and sure they accepted it without second thought. and all i could do was think "great, all these 15 months of waiting and asking for this family to cross my path, and when i finally find it, im gonna have to leave it to some other elder" haha and well it wasnt necesarily the best way to think but i accepted it for what it it and kept working and praying for another chance to find a family. 

and thats when the lightning struck haha this past thursday we received a phone call from our bishop that he had met a lady in the street that wanted us to go and talk to her and that he had made an appointment to go visit her with us on saturday. and so saturday rolls around and we go to visit them and dude, total miracle. as we talked to the lady, little by little i began to see the Lords greatness and mercy fold out before my eyes. the lady and her family had previously listened to and met the missionaries in oaxaca, where they attended church for 6 months and were going to get baptized (they had filled out the baptismal cedulas and everything) when all of the sudden her husband, who works for the military, and the family was moved to apatzingan and so they were never able to be baptized. and well as we sat there listening to her tell us all of this i couldnt help but think "man! what a coincidence" because i had gotten over the fact that id be leaving the other familly to another elder, when the Lord this time had greater plans and was just waiting for the right time to come around. i couldnt help but feel too that he saw my willingness to carry out his will and not what i wanted, and as a result of that obedience i was able to see even greater blessing and receive this miracle. 

we still have yet to invite them to get baptized, but i cant help but feel and think that they could be baptized the weekend of changes. or at least thats what im hoping and praying for but still waiting for what the Lord has in store for this family. but all in all it was a cool experience because well found another family to teach, in total were teaching 3 families and a few other people too. its a literal gold mine here right now haha i dont think theres ever going to be a lack of work to do here. this truly is the greatest thing ive ever done in my life, every day is full of great experiences and testimonies. i love being a missionary! i hope that all is going well on the home front and that youre all happy and receiving tons of blessings thanks to this great restored gospel. i love you all and pray for you daily...have a great week and be anticipating more great news in next weeks email!

with much love from mexico,
             Elder Maccarthy

Apatzingan : 4/8/2013

apatzingan is one of the most desired areas to serve in in all of the mission, and even though they say its not a castigo, they almost treat it like it is haha. 

 me and elder garcia with president camarillo...our first day together

unfortunately i wasnt able to see all of general conference this last weekend, i did get to see the sunday sessions however and it was pretty good. i heard the big announcement about missionaries too, pretty crazy if you ask me. the work really is speeding up. my conference experience was different this time than from any of the other conferences, mainly because instead of thinking of things i needed in the talks that were given, i thought in the things that my investigadores needed. upon listening to the first talk given by president uchtdorf, i got a little bit emotional (dont tease, the mission softens you up alot) because one of our investigators was able to come to the sessions in uruapan and many of the things that president uchtdorf touched on in his talk were things i knew would help her with what she was facing currently in her life, and it was a really neat experience for me because it was a conference filled with receiving instruction in how i could better help the people im teaching in apatzingan. it was cool. 

also this past friday we had the baptism of our dear hna martha, cool experience from her baptism....so we scheduled the baptism for 7 oclock, but as usual noone ever shows up on time, and so it was just elder garcia and i and the hna marth waiting for people to show up and she was a feeling a little down in the dumps and so i tried to joy her up a bit when an idea came to my mind of what we should do, so i told her to sit tight because elder garcia and i were going to do a private concert for her haha and she smiled and laughed and told us she loved music and we began to sing her hymns and it was just what she needed. as we sat there outside the chapel singing to her a lovely spirit came over us and it was almost as if the world took a pause to allow us to sing and console this daughter of God, i can still picture her smiling face as we sang to her and her telling us how we sound like 2 little angels haha i love this gal. she even jumped in and sang along with us in some of the choruses, and it was just a really beautiful experience for me, because even though we might not sing good enough to join up with mo tab we got the job done haha. im so excited for all the youth in the stake and really in the church worldwide who are making the decision to go on the mission, it truly is the greatest experience ever. thinking that i only have 9 months left makes me nervous because im not ready for the real world haha i wanna stay here in the mission. but im super stoked for everyone thats showing up in the field...

my mexican roots are becoming deeper day by day hahahahaha

this weekend one of my converts is going to hit his year mark as a member and will be eligible to turn his papers in and all that good stuff and it definitely one of the many blessings that i count each and evey day, blessings that ive only been able to receive as ive served the Lord here in his work. i hope that you all are well and enjoying the great blessings that this gospel offer us. oh and a little invitation that i want to extend to all of you...this week go to the temple and do a session or baptisms or whatever you can for me haha its been over a year since ive been in the temple and you cant even imagine how badly i desire to be in the temple haha and so i invite you all to take advantage of the great blessing that you have to be able go whenever you want and when you go think of me and how much id love to be there with you haha. i love you all so much and have an amazing week!

district field trip to the zoo here in apatzingan

with much love from mexico,

                   Elder Maccarthy