August 26, 2013

This past week was fun haha, Me and Elder pardo we had a lot of funny things happen this past week even though it wasnt that productive... : ) but it was productive. ha, my companion got sick again, these past three weeks have been just full of enfermedades, but he had an infction in his stomach.. We went to a hospital because the missionaries have it free their. its a little far away though. But we started the week out pretty good, and then mid week he got sick, and then we got the antibiotic, and yeah he is better now, Atleast i think he is better : ) We asked three people to be baptized at the end of this change and they all said yes!!!!!!!! so that was one of the easiest things we did is just asking people to be baptized, and being productive at the same time, and sooo I learned that you can be productive by doing really easy things. Our lessons are to the point where we know exactly what and how we are going to teach it. When you stay with someone for a couple changes that kind of just comes naturally. But i really like the way we teach, Aaron is an investigator that has had the missionaries with him before us, and he has been tought, but has forgotten a lot of the things and we are just teaching it all again to him, his date for baptism is this next week. we are hoping that it will go through!!!!!!!!!! we have to do a lot by then but i think we can do it! He has a problem with drugs, and worshipping the virgin, but he hasnt taken drugs for a week, and we asked him to stop having the virgin in his house, and he said he would switch out the pictures with the new pictures that we are going to give him : ) He is a cool guy, for the whole time that i have been here his grandpa has always told us in the church AARON wants to get baptized.... and he always yells it too..... haha sooo we are working on him. He always goes to church sooo we will see what happens. We havent seen alot of other investigators because of the change of our food. Our food changes every month with the members, and where we eat nw it is a little hard to go where we went before....... So thats been a challenge, we are still trying to figure out . Me and my companion are going to start going on a lot of divisions with priesthood holders. melchezidec priesthood. We are going to try to start teaching a lot more. We just have to play it smart, and we can get a lot more done, and alot more teaching done. Other investigator is Salvador. He is 12, and his mom said we can baptize him!!!!!! All we have to do is teach him all the lessons and his baptismal date is for the 14. He has a lot of aunts and uncles in our church, and he want to be a member. He is really funny, and he likes to run in races, and he likes to play futbol! he is progressing well. We just have to help him read sometimes. but other than that he is set!!!! His family members are willing to take him to church every sunday even if his parents arent members!!!!! they are really close to eachother so thats good. Other investigator is Rosita!!!!!!!!!!! Rosita is the (wife) of Enrique. They were married through the church. A random church that we dont know. but all of a sudden they are seeing each other more often and we have given her the first lesson already and she wants to be baptized like enrique was. So that was really a suprise. She seems to have really good reasons why she wants to be baptized, and we are working with her to be baptized the 14th also. So I am excited about that also!!!! These are the people that we are working with the most. !!!!!!!!!!! I am excited and happy for them all. We are really working with all the members also. We are trying to strenthen them and the ward and i think that has been the hardest thing since i have been here. They definitly need more animo and strength!!!!! but with every little thing we do its more and more. . . adding to the ward, and helping them see the importance. Dad im happy you get to go back home after all this long time. I am sure you feel like me when i irst came into mexico.... ya..... you just dont understand a thing. but im sure of you stayed in brazil long enough you would pick up portugese. Mom i miss you, can you send me a list of everyones birthdays. ? i would like that. I love you, and i hope your big win theing goes well : ) i hope you get the 1000 your hoping for and that you meet even more people that can help you with your projects, and everything that you are doing and growing. Joy joy, It makes me happy that you had such a cool experience with feeling the spirit : ) I really liked the part about the ancestors of others protecting your family, that is really cool! awesome. and when i read that title i kind of just kept reading it over and over again,, stake emergency preparedness specialist over finance With big sentences come great responsability. : ) no but i hope you like it. ha. I know that th callings that we recieve bring great blessings into our homes and into our lives. and yes joy i would like a copy of that book, it sounds like it would help the people a lot here. Thanks. Love you and your family. I love everyone friends and family. I hope everyone has a great week!!!!!! Yesterday we had a family home evening and it wa about prayer. How is everyone doing with there prayers????????? Personal and family prayers! If your not doing them i would encourage you to do them!!!! : ) also try mixing them up a little bit, try to use words and phrases that you have never used before. Lets not get into a habit of asking the same things : ) I love you all, Elder Fellingham!

August 19, 2013

We are almost mid change!!!!!!!! again, Yesterday in sacrament meeting we had 2 less actives that we have been trying for about 3 weeks to get them to come to church and they finally came!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhh what a blessing. I was sooo happy when they walked in late to sacrament meeting , haha Better late then never. It was Cristian who is an x missionary that has married with someone who doesnt want anything to do with the church, and his brother jose who is married also but all his family is inactive!,,, I was soo happy to see there faces. The Friday before we went to jose s house to give him a white shirt, He told us that he wasnt going to go to the church if he didnt look good, and so we dropped him off a white Shirt that i found in the bin of our baptismal clothes, that we have for investigators when they are baptized. I was happy i found one that fit him. The first 5 i pulled out were all for little kids..... But i think the White shirt gave him a lot of motivation to come to church. Also he told us that he didnt know if he would be able to come because he had a futbol game in the morning also. But he came for the first hour( the most important hour) of church. and we were very proud of him.! He had his championship game sunday.... so he told us the next week (sunday ) he will be at church for sure, and with his family. : ) Also all of lixis s family came to church, well the ones that we are teaching, and they made friends their!! I was so proud of our members also that when they came in they were very welcoming, and helped us by sitting next to them, explaining the things that were going on!! It was the mom, Lixis and Cristian. We are teaching them really slow, and clearly, but they have been following up with all the reading that we have given them. So thats good, the only concern that we have is that lixis is starting school, and she even has class sunday morning........................ Its another class she is taking to get extra credit!!! I have never heard having school on sundday!!!!!!!!! No me gusta. but that is a challenge : / and she is starting next sunday.... She needs to assist 2 sundays to be able to get baptized. So thats a little bit of what we are working with. It is going very smoothly though. So we are hoping for the best. Mom, I am well, I just got over being sick, last week!!! I was just drained, but yes mom i am drinking lots, ha you ask me every time : ) but i am staying sure that i dont get dehydrated,. You can basically feel emmidiatly when you are dehydrated here. So then you drink water. Here lots of the people use suero. Its called suero. But its eloctrolites, and they help have more energy, and well not soo much energy, but they help with the sun alot. It helps the body stay hydrated, its like gatorade. but its a little bit more powerfull, and it tastes gross. But hey it works. they help me alot during the day. Enrique is happy, It makes me really happy to see him when he comes to church. I just moved his house though..........and its something that i am worried about... because he just got baptized and now he lives far away from us, and he could be in another ward.... but his work is still in the same spot, and it is really close to us. But we will see what happens with that. I think he will still continue to go to our ward, because his work is right their close, and he goes to work right after church also. Sooo yeah. He is awesome though, and is helping us find more investigators. Everything is going well here!!! This past week wasnt too busy, There are alot of people that can be given a date to be baptized though. So thats what we are going to be doing this next week, is giving dates for baptisms. Our goal for this month is to baptize two people, three if we can! We are hoping for 2 though. I am excited to try and get this goal. Dad, its cool that you are in Brazil,!! I hope everything goes well their. And that is a lot of people, I heard sao paolo is one of the biggest cities in the world. be safe! Thanks for the scripture. Angela I am happy your got your job congratulations!!! Tell your boys im proud of them for putting in there efforts in soccer, i miss seeing all my nephews and nieces. Tell Alex i am happy for him that he is getting prepared!!!! thats awesome. I would like to see his picture! Love everyone fAmily and friends!!!!! Take care this week, I know this gospel is true, I see miracles everyday, This week try to help someone else know about the gospel. I was reading in one of uchdorfs talks and he said that everyone is a missionary. Love everyone Elder Fellingham

August 12, 2013

Okay to tell the truth, this past week was a little bit slow. . . . Finishing a change and finding out you are going to be in the area again with the same companion is not tough.... : ) haha but you just have to prepare in your head a little bit before that you can do it! Nike! yeah! Anyways Also after working hard to get a baptism, We work up to that final moment and then the person is baptized, and then after its like now what, ha,, but we just know that we need to push forward doing the same thing. The lords work is never over, I have been a little exhousted though this past week, and dad i havent been 100% either, but we are still teaching the same people and we also have a lot of new people that we need to teahc which is good. We have potential with some of them also. We just need to go and visit them. Wednesday was really special for me and my companion. It was really awesome to see Enrique get baptized!!! I will always remember it, and i hope he will also. I had to get permission from the president to do it, and it was something that Enrique really wanted. The place where we went is a place that he would always go with his children, and now he takes his grankids their. But It was somewhere he always went with his first wife.His first wife died on wednesday the 7th of august, And she has passed away... So he wanted to be baptized their. Where he has the most memories with her. Also he told us that he saw his dad their even though he has passed away also. So he has had special moments where this river is. So that is why we had the baptism their. The water wasnt as ugly as it looks in the picture. The white pants did not come out all green and goopy. . . haha. They were still very white. Thanks to my companion, he let me borrow his pants, and white tie. But it was a very special wednesday. We drove like 20 minutes out of Mazatlan to do it. It was almost in another area where missionaries are. but i was also scared to do it.. ha they have been finding cayman crocodiles in places further down the coast..... : 0 so i was a little bit nervous... but it was a good little place. Lots of people were swimming their and enjoying themselves. and they got to see a baptism. We have received other investigators. The mom of lixis, she is the 17 year old gilr we have been teaching. and her mom is now interested also, and we are teaching all three of them, Mom, brother, and lixis. So that is good. We are also helping and x misionary return to the church.... He served his his mission in puebla, and now he is inactive.... He married someone that is catholic... and she doesnt like church at all.... she doesnt even go to her own , ) catholics. but we are figuring out plans what to do with him and his family. They are very good. and we are working a lot with the less actives. The New president has changed a lot of rules. We are not llowed to contact people in the streets anymore... that is crazy.... also we are not allowed to ride bikes anymore.... I feel like they are getting really close to send more missionaries here. Announcements is that by the end of december we should have 250 missionaries in this mission again, and we only have 150 right now. We will receive 100 more!!!! its crazy. They have opened up 6 or 7 new areas here in the culiacan mission!!!! and They said by the end of december almost every ward will have 4 missionaries in them in the Culiacan mission. That is crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means every area will have atlest two sets of missionaries in the ward. I think that will make it alot easier in the area of jjuarez mazatlan, because it is huge! we kind of do need back up, I wouldnt be suprised if this area im in is one of the first ones that they do put in 2 companionships. The work is so exxciting right now, and it just means the second coming is that much closer! I have grown so close to the members in this ward,,, and we keep getting closer and closer. . . ha they are all soo awesome. I will miss them when i leave. I hope everyone en(joy)ed the pictures, i know joy did, ha. Mom im really gratefull for your company, that is growing and you have such great friends to help you with it. Tell hector i miss him. He has such a white smile! Thank you for the updates on the whole family mom. I am happy that you send me whats up with everyone and how they are doing. I am very grateful for it. I love you. Dad i am really jelouse that you are going to sao paolo brazil. If you didnt know before, but since i was 12 i wanted to go their for my mission : ) but now i have realized that that is not where i am ment to be, I was called for Culiacan Mexico. and i am happy to be here!!! thanks for that scripture. keep giving me scriptures. There are lots. Love you I love you both, and i wish the both of you luck in your trips, and with your work. I love you mom and dad very much, And you two make me soo proud to be able to say that you are both such a good example to me. I love you be safe. Hermanos y hermanas, i also love you guys, i miss you all. Just one scripture for everyone 2 nefi 28:28-31, and one question, How well is everyone doing with reading there scriptures, and trying to learn (spiritually) We learn physically almost all the day long, but how much time do we take out of our busy day to put in a little scripture reading, or more time with the family, or an activity, like going to the park with the whole family, or taking a walk. I encourage you, even though i am the youngest to do something that will strengthen your spiritual side, and strengthen your unity with your families. I love you guys.!!! so much. Hope everyone has a good week. Fellingham family in a whole, or individual families, doesnt matter. Just as long as it is with family!!!! Love Elder Fellingham

August 12, 2013 Photos

August 5, 2013

Hey everyone. I hope everyone is well.! I am doing well. Healthy, and strong. first of all want to wish caitlin and Kenneth happy Birthday, and also whoever else is going to have a birthday soon.... Sorry i need to be better at birthdays. I give everyone my love. This past week was a little bit longer but short at the same time. I was a little bit sick this past week.... i got a little bug... and it was not that good. but i am better now and still on medicine, but i feel much better. We finished this change really strong. The end results of this change were bigger then them all in the past... sooo it was a super good feeling to see them and to see the people that did the effort to come to the church. Especially the investigators. I have very good News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our investigetor is getting baptized this wednesday! The 7th of august. (Enrique Perez) He is very sure that this gospel is for him. There are little things here and there but once he gets in and he starts knowing more, everything will just fall into place. He is very awesome. and we are finishing all the lessons with him today. we only have two other small lessons that we need to give him. And then his date to be baptized is in two days. We have been teaching other people also but they havent been progressing as fast as Enrique. But we are still trying to teach them at the same pace. It is kind of hard when one gets ahead of others because all our attention sometimes gets dragged to that one person, and then he is baptized and then we move on. But i am excited for his baptism. Today we had changes. But me or my companion didnt get changed. We are still the same here in the same area! The new president didnt move hardly anyone from mazatlan, or other areas. I dont know why i hope he moves us more often!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am a moving type of person... i dont like being cooped up... but its the lords work. And he knows where we need to be. I feel like we are just going to strengthen mazatlan even more and its going to be awesome!!!!!!!! I am excited. I am excited to see the results after this change to see what we can really do as a companionship. I seem to work really well with elder becker, and it makes me happy. I have been getting head aches lately.. I get head aches when it is super hott.... and it is super hott outside... I sweat a lot during the day, and i remember the heat from last year, but i dont feel like it was this hott.... It is the hottest place i have ever been... and it is pretty humid to add upon that. Love everyone. Hope everyone is safe and healthy. I sent the packages that i wanted to send. I hope they get to the family. I love you all and the time is ticking. . . It goes by soo fast now, There is a scripture in jacob that talks as if it was just all a dream. and i like to relate it to my mission..... Ahhh it is just sooo fast. i feel like i cant keep up sometimes. but I love it and i know that i shouldnt be anywhere else right now. Love you mom and dad. Thanks for that quote dad liked it! Mom i missed you this week, but thats okay. Love you guys and the fam. Have a good week!!!