so believe it or not, because i personally cant believe it, but this past week i completed 6 months in the mission. its so crazy thinking about how a quarter of my mission has already flown by. it still feels like a few days ago that i was getting dropped off at the curb in the mtc and then just yesterday i was stepping off the plane in the airport beginning my labor in the field. its just straight crazy haha at the beginning of my mission i had a hard time wrapping my mind around the whole fact that im a missionary, and now im having to wrap my head around the fact that im a 6 monther haha. i cant imagine what the one year and 18 monthers are gonna be like. yikes is all i can think haha.
however the nice thing is that i pretty much got the language down. i felt like i had it down a few weeks ago, but im a little more firm in my confidence now than before haha and i dont feel like im gonna jinx myself or anything haha. missionary work is alot more fun too i gotta admit being to speak and understand the language, and more than anything being able to be the elder maccarthy that i would be if i was still speaking english, my mexican personality i guess you could say haha. and im sure youre thinking how is it that i determine how well i think i got the language on lock, and well ill tell you, its because im at the point where i prefer speaking spanish to english haha. its a bit of a strange concept but its true, i prefer spanish and find it weird to speak in english. its weird too because i actually have to think to write emails and in my journal because i wanna write stuff in spanish and mess up alot writing in english. its crazy thinking how ive turned mexican in just 4 months haha.
funny story from the other week about this whole language business, so elder briz and i were going to a baptismal interview in ocotlan, and on the way to meet the elders we were walking towards this table with a bunch of books on it and guys standing around it...tj´s...and so as we walk by one of them comes up to me and says "excuse me do you speak english?" in a thick english accent...i say yes i do and he begins to introduce himself...his name was al and he was from england and he was a jehovahs witness...the point of this story is not what we conversed about, even though i will say that all those promises in the scriptures about the Spirit in your mouth what to say when the moment comes is true, the point is that it was extremely hard to talk about the gospel in english! like i was legitimately struggling as i was trying to think of the doctrine in english. it was weird haha.
anyways though some cool news from this week....i got a new companion! his name is elder tucker and hes from salt lake city utah. hes got 10 months in the mission and hes a way cool elder. weve only been together about a week and we already get along really well and teach like a bunch of bosses. the secret to service in this work ive noticed is that you gotta love who you serve with before you can love who you serve. ill explain more about this concept later on haha. anyways tho so a cool story from this week, so yesterday at church after sacrament meeting elder tucker and i were sitting in the sacrament room talking with one of the counselors in the bishopric about how the work is going and all that good stuff, when one of the hermanas poked her head in and said sorry for the interruption but i elders i need your help with something, we said surely wed love to help you what can we do for you and then she told us...i want you to baptize my son. and then she began to tell us about how hes 10 yrs old (hes been coming to church this whole time and i didnt even know he wasnt baptized) and how he wants to be baptized, and she wants him to be baptized this weekend. we of course said no worries would love to help you and so we went and taught the kid his first lesson yesterday and hes a way neat kid.
we had been working hard all week and the baptism we had for this weekend fell through, and then well the Lord blessed us and put another one in our path. it was just cool too because i love when members will come up to us and say hey wanna baptize my kid or something like that or when theyll bring one of their friends to church and say hey my friend wants to start listening to the discussions when can you start teaching them and stuff like that. its a feeling that im sure all you ex missionaries remember feeling haha. we also did a butt load of contacting this week, we decided to go to this one colonia in the outskirts of our area where missionaries have never been and start contacting. so everyday this past week wed hop on our bikes and head out to our area and just knock door after door after from 11 till about 3 in the afternoon.
its been good for me personally because its hard work to say the least walking around in the burning sun and the pooring rain getting rejected by tons of people, watching as we begin to start contacting a street all the windows closing and people going inside, and well despite all the bad its all worth it when you stop say a prayer, and then 4 houses later you come across a family of 7 people that accept to listen to you and hear your message. my dear beloved friends back home, dont give up. were all gonna see some pretty rough times...its part of life, the important thing though is that the Lord always blesses us for our efforts, ALWAYS. if were doing all were supposed to do, eventhough it seems like all our efforts are in vain, the Lord always has a reward for us in the end. ill admit i did get a little down at one point this week and i went and read the talk of elder holland from this last conference, the vineyard one, and well i advise you all to go back and reread it too. its a great talk and well it helped me alot and i know it can help you all too.
im so happy that we all are able to live in a time with prophets and apostles to give us guidance and counsel in these times were living in. we truly are in the last days, if you dont believe it come hang out with me for a few days here in mexico and im sure your viewpoint will change a bit. anyways though have a great week everybody, i love you and stay strong!
much love from mexico,
Elder Maccarthy
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