January 27, 2014 - Carmen

Hey Guys! Howre we doing back in the states? I hope all is well for you guys!
This week has been pretty dull because Elder Gray was only here about two or three days total. He and Elder Larsen had to travel back to Villa to sign for their visas otra ves and so I went with Elder Sepulveda to his area for two or three days. We went on divisions with the Zone Leaders so Elder Urbina came with me to our area and Elder Gray went back with Elder Brewer on Thursday. We had a good time. I had the chance to be the senior comp for the day and it was more difficult than I thought having to teach about 90% of each lesson. I definitely learned a lot that day about how the senior comps work. I had a good time though! After that, on saturday, we had the baptismal interviews for Hermana Joanna Elizabeth and Hermana Alejandra Delgado. The Zone Leaders had to come down to visit us again for the second time that week just to give the interviews but the good news is that both of them passed and we hare having two baptisms this coming saturday! Oorah! I am super stoked to see it happen. Super excited to see them be baptized!
I had a really cool experience with a new investigator that we got on friday night though. We recieved a reference a while ago from some other elders about a guy who lived in Wyoming for a long time and was a bull rider while he was there. His name is Henry. He is still mexican, but he lived in the states his whole life. So, we went to go and contact him on friday night at about 8. We met him outside the hotel he lives at. He speaks great english and was very open to talking with us. He told us that he works only three hours each day and then comes home and drinks the rest of the night. How sad is that. No family because they left him because of the drinking problem. He started to tear up in certain parts but he was super sincere with us. We told him about our job as missionaries, in english, and why we are here in mexico. He gladly accepted our invitation to come to church and so we went to go pick him up on sunday and he was there ready to go to church. I was his tour guide through the entire thing, telling him about the enitre sacrament meeting and the classes that we have afterwards. He has such a strong desire to change his life and wants to be a better person. He is super cool and I cant wait to teach him again. We meet with him tomorrow night and that will be our first official lesson with him. Wish me luck teaching him in English!
Apart from that, those are the major events of this week! Nothing overly special, but it wasnt a bad week.  I am really excited for these two baptisms that we hare having on saturday. We plan to have a bunch of people there and lots of stuff to do. Its gunna be good.
Alright, well imma wrap up this letter for the week. Wishin you all an amazing week! Stay strong and push forward in everything! You guys are the greatest and i am super happy to know that you all are behind my back helping and supporting me through this! You guys mean the world to me! Dont ever forget it! Good luck in your adventures this week! I will be thinking and praying for you all!
Kia Kaha,
Elder Proctor

January 20, 2014 - Carmen

Whats up everyone!

This week was pretty insane. We set a total of SIX baptism dates for the month of february in about three days time. How crazy is that? I have to tell you about what happened on wednesday afternoon though first. 

So Elder Gray and I were companionship studying and Elder Gray noticed a small mouse run through the crack in our front door. We both were freaking out so we called over Elder Sepulveda and Larsen to come help us get the mouse out from behind our refrigerator because thats where it went. We opened the front door to try to coast it back out side if it made a break for it. We had it cornered. Low and behold, our monster of a dog, Chester, decided that he wanted in on the action. He knew that the mouse was there so we moved the refrigerator and the mouse booked it out and ran under the couch that we have in the front room. Elder Gray and I lifted the couch up and Chester saw the mouse. Chester grabbed it in about 3 seconds and had its tail hanging from his mouth as he walked out the door like nothing happened... We have a monster of a dog! Haha. Oh it was so funny though. He just ate it like it was his morning breakfast... I wish I could have gotten a picture of it. But that was the huge event for the week.

Apart from that event, we set a baptismal date for Fernando (He is the 18 year old that works at hotel victoria) The only problem is that he lives in a different wards boundaries so that baptism wont count for us even though we taught him. Oh well, we still got five. So after him, we have Johanna Elizabeth. Shes about fifteen and came up to us with her mom on sunday and told us that she wants me to baptize her on the first of february! Her mom is a recent convert, but Johanna used to be an active Jehovas Witness.... She said she liked our church more and the doctrine of it is a lot more well rounded. So, we have her for the first! After her, we have Alejandra (Ally) and her mom Maribel. We had a family home evening with the Guttierrez family on saturday night and it was probably one of the best lessons that I have had while being out here. We decided to watch the resoration video with them and the family because Alejandra (17 years old) goes to school with Hermana Pilar in the Guttierrez family. Theyre really good friends. So we watched the video and we looked over after the video was over and Ally was in tears, along with her mom. The spirit was super strong there... I couldnt believe it. I asked her how she felt and if she could feel the spirit in the room. They both said they could. Elder Gray and I bore our testimonies and so did Hermana Pilar. They were crying almost the entire time. So, we asked them if they would seguir el ejemplo de Jesucristo al ser bautizado por alguien que poseo la autoridad de Dios. They both agreed right away... It was insane. It was a complete miracle because her mom hated the sister missionaries that were there before us... but we had something unique about us is what she told us. So we put their date for the 8th of february. That makes five. The other two are waiting to be married but as soon as they get their birth certificates, they want to be baptized as soon as possible. Julia and Jose. They are pretty cool and super receptive of the things that we have to teach them. They have a nephew that is looking for work down here but he lived in Houston for about 14 years and speaks english! So we have been communicating with him in english when we teach the lessons. Its super weird because I only know how to teach in spanish. Loco! Pero, todas formas, everthing is going well with the baptism dates and we hope that everything goes to plan with each of them. Hermana Dulce is a fantastic convert. She has come to all of the activities and has been adopted by the ward just fine. No problems at all. I am so happy to see it because she doesnt have much... very humble lady. But she gets up to go to church every sunday and is there during every lesson we have to teach. Shes amazing. I love her and her family to death. Im now just hoping that the rest of the baptisms that we have ready will work out. Im scared that theyll fall through last second, but Im hoping for the best.

Those are the amazing events this week.

I hope you all will have an amazing week this coming week! I hope to do the same! You all mean the world to me. I know I say it every single week, but its the truth. les quiero mucho. I have been blessed to be out here on the mission learning the things that I will need for the rest of my life. I am happy to know that I have such a strong family back home that will support me with anything that I do. Grandmas, grandpas and extended family. You all mean the world to me also. I wouldnt be here in the position that I am without the support and strength that you all offer me each and every day. I cannot thank you enough for the generous donations towards my mission. I truly appreciate it. I cant see it happening but my prayers are with you. Heavenly Father will bless you for the things you have done to help me. I wish you all the greatest week. Stay strong with all you do. Always keep your head up and smile. You never know who may be watching you that day. Say hello to someone you have never met before. That person could have been having a rough day and smile and a handshake is all that they needed. Just do it =) I miss you and love you at the same time. Im praying for you all in the things that you do. I just hope that you all have an amazing week and that things work out to your pleasure. 

Kia Kaha!

-Elder Proctor

January 13, 2014 - Carmen

A 'golden' baptism

Whats Up Everyone!
This week was full of some exciting news! Hermana Dulce got baptized on Saturday night and was confirmed a member of the church on Sunday morning! Oorah! The first baptism that I have had since October! She was super prepared already and had such a strong desire to be baptized. It almost felt like we weren't even the ones teaching her anything. She already knew everything we taught her and went he question came up to ask her to be baptized, she happily accepted! Ah! It was such a cool experience to finally see her step into that covenant with God. So many people were there! The room was super small, but we managed to fit a bunch of people in it to watch her be baptized. I honestly think the entire ward was there for it. It was pretty cool to watch. Elder Gray was the one who baptized her. Believe it or not, he has only done the ordinance twice in the mission... I happily gave him the chance to do this one haha. So he did it, and did a great job with it too. No problems. Hermano Colby (from Utah) confirmed her on Sunday and you could just see the excitement on her face after the confirmation. She was super excited to finally be a member. She is such a blessing to the both of us, her and her entire family are. 
On top of that, we had a part member family that showed up to the baptism. The mother was baptized about a month ago by the sister missionaries, but she had a daughter who was an active Jehovah witness that's 15 years old. She came up to us after the baptism and told us that she wanted to be baptized! What in the....! It was insane! She told us that she wants us to meet with her every night at about 7 to start teaching her so that she can be baptized in two weeks! Crazy right?  So we plan to teach her every night when we have time and get her ready to be baptized in two weeks. Her name is Joanna Elizabeth. Shes super cool!

Elder Proctor welding?

Apart from that,. we literally have a baptism set up for every weekend until valentines day.... that's never happened before. We are going to be baptizing every single week until then if everything goes to plan. How awesome is that!

I am doing good though here. I really love the area if you cant tell. We always have something to do. I wish the time would pick up a little faster though. Days still seem to take forever, but weeks fly by like its no big deal. That's my only complaint, that and the heat. If those would work to my favor, then life would be perfect.  I don't really need a whole lot because we are in a pretty decent area where I can get the things I need. 

I am doing good here. No complaints. This area is really a goldmine of baptisms just waiting to happen. We are having so much success here and we are loving every minute of it. The people are a lot nicer than Tobasco and I have had a lot more fun being a missionary in this area. I have mentioned to president that I would like to stay here as long as I possibly can. I just don't want to be transferred right as everything gets going for me. Not many missionaries have the ability to say that they've been in three areas in six months. I surely can. I cannot wait for the day that I get to see you all again. I miss you all so much. But I know, that for the next 18 months, I need to do this. Whether I complain or not, I need to do this. For myself and for the people that are here for me to find. I know it. I've seen miracles happen, a lot of which happened this week alone.

I want you all to know that I love you so much. More than anything in this world. I pray for each and every one of you each and everyday. Know that. I am so happy to be able to be a part of such a strong family. Thank you! 

Kia Kaha- Elder Proctor

PS- HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY KEATON! You are such a stud! I wish I could be there to wish you a happy birthday in person, but I will definitely be thinking about you this coming Sunday! DONT START DATING YET! I HAVE TO APPROVE FIRST! Nah, im kiddin. Do what you want. Be smart though! Good luck with all your games this week. Knock em dead, cross em up, and show em what ya got. Thats all I gotta say. "Show em how bad ¨us proctors¨ can be on the court!" -Glory Road Happy Birthday bud. I love ya.

January 6, 2014 - Carmen

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A typical street in Carmen

Hey guys! Well I have a lot to say this week even though we didnt do a whole lot, we still had some crazy stuff happen. To start off the week we had our new years eve dinner at a members house... she gave us SO much food. I felt like the fat plump girl off of willey wonka and the chocolate factory after she chewed that gum stick thing... I was stuffed like I've never been before. After that we had to be in the house by 8 because of all the drunk people that were out and about. So we headed home and went right to bed after we finished a little bit of the cake that the sister had given us. I couldn't sleep because it sounded like the world was exploding outside with all of the rocket launchers and bombs going off. The fireworks here aren't like the ones in the states. They just explode. They don't shoot up in the air or anything. So, imagine a bomb blowing up right next to your house for 10 hours... It was awesome. 

Looking over the Gulf

The next big event is that we have finally set the date for this coming Saturday for Hermana Dulce's baptism! She is super excited and cant wait to get baptized. The ward knows all about it and its going to be huge! They made an announcement yesterday in church for it, even though she wasn't there in church, and everyone was asking us about it afterwards. We both are super stoked to finally help her make that sacred covenant with God. Shes super ready and deserves the peace and tranquility in her life and for her daughter and son. We love her a lot. So, right now, she is our only focus. We have others that are progressing, but they haven't progressed enough yet. They have to come to church 5 times before they can be baptized so we still have a while with each of them. 

I got super duper duper duper sick on Thursday night. Probably something I ate. Not entirely sure because it only lasted a day. It started raining super hard on Friday and it lasted all day long. President called us and told us that we didn't have to go out and work because all of the streets were flooded and we couldn't get anywhere. (it was terrible) But it worked out to my favor because I was sick =) It turned out to be just a lazy day in bed, but I still had a nice time catching up on some sleep and reading. 

Rainy days flood the streets

Apart from that, its rained a lot here this last week and it is still raining today. I am loving the rain because it cools things off and Id rather be wet from the rain than wet from my own sweat and sticky from it as well. Things  are going well. NO complaints. Still learning the language and trying to adjust because its an ongoing process... It doesn't just happen quickly, even after 6 months. 

Anyways, I hope you all had a great week and a happy new year with all the things you did. I know you all set some great goals for this coming year and I hope you stick to them. Don't just lettem fly off after two or three weeks. DON'T BE LAZY! My new years resolution is to be more confident in the things I do and say. That's the only one I've got because I really need to work at it with the stuff that I am doing here. I am working at it everyday with Elder Gray and Sepulveda. They're both great guys and great role models so I am glad that I have the chance to learn from them. But that's what I am working on this year. I will let you know what happens at the end of the year if I am still alive trying to make it. 

Cinderella from Villahermosa

I love you all and wish you a happy new year! Keep up the good work and stay strong with all that you do! I am praying for each and every one of you each and every day. Never forget it. Les Quiero mucho!

-Elder Proctor

Kia Kaha

Elder G. in the colorful Carmen streets