To Oaxaca and Back, Ten Reasons Why You Want to Serve a Couple Mission

So last week we had to go back to Oaxaca to get our fingerprinting done for our visa's. On our drive over and back we reflected on how wonderful this opportunity is and wondered why many others aren't taking advantage of an opportunity to serve as a couple. An Elder from our mission had returned a couple of weeks ago with his parents and they said we needed to let others know how wonderful this is. They mentioned that people seem to think that they will be serving the same kind of mission they did when they were 19 years old. This is a very DIFFERENT mission experience. So in light of our conversation with them and considering our time to pander the issue we came up with Ten Reason Why You WANT to Serve a Couple Mission. In no particular order here they are.

Bring Others Unto Christ

Our main purpose as missionaries is to Bring Others unto Christ. In all we do everyday this is our focus. For us, this is done more through example and fellowshipping. Whether it be existing members who are not as active as they once were or getting to know our neighbors, this is our purpose. We strive to follow the example of our former Bishop Larry Eggett, who once challenged us with this question, "If you were on trial today for being a Christian, could they convict you on circumstantial evidence?"

Live in a Different Part of The World

Whether it is a different city in your own country or a different country altogether, this is a great experience. You get to learn how others drive, negotiate, communicate and every other thing you need in everyday life. Things we think of as commonplace are anything but, here in Oaxaca, and things that we would never expect are commonplace here.

And one of the things we don't see much of is Hermana DeWolf being taller than 75% of the women.

Develop a Greater Appreciation for Your "Hometown"

Little things that you would never expect like a bathroom. When we were in Oaxaca we where downtown in a store. Hermana DeWolf felt a sudden and strong urge to use the bathroom, this happens sometimes in Mexico ; ) She asked the lady helping us if they had a restroom she could use. The lady said she was sorry but no they didn't. However if we walked 1 1/2 block down the street and then turn left 1/2 block there is one available. Hermana DeWolf's mind shut down at hearing 1 1/2 blocks and she grabbed my hand and we hurried out of the store. Luckily my Spanish comprehension has improved enough to follow directions and soon we were at the stairway up to the "Public WC".

At the top of the stairs this is what it looked like.

Insert pesos to pass, then,

Push the button then out comes about 10 squares of paper. The sign hilariously translated is "Paper is dispensed one time per person, let's avoid having to charge you again" What a life !!!!!

Grow Closer as a Couple

When your focus is others and you spend 24/7 with your companion you learn to really appreciate their strengths. Hermana DeWolf is an amazing person and I am so fortunate to have her as my Eternal Companion. Getting to experience new things almost daily together develops memories and bonds you like nothing ever has. One of the couples in the MTC who had serve several missions stated that a mission is like a "Second Honeymoon" and I would agree. You learn to love and appreciate your companion at a much deeper level than ever before. This reason alone should have people submitting paperwork to serve as a couple within hours of reading this ; )

Serve Others

The opportunity to serve others in a myriad of ways is present daily when on a mission. Whether it is helping clean the church, teach an English class, help a single mother, providing a ride for the missionaries, help someone who was locked out of their home, etc, etc. When you look for opportunities there is never a shortage.

Meet Incredible People, Especially Missionaries

We have met people that we have felt we already knew..........
Had the opportunity to make friends that we would have otherwise never met.
This was our first experience with changes and missionaries going home after completing an honorable mission. We were amazed at how close we bonded to these young adults in just six weeks. There were several tears shed as we said goodbye and watched them board buses to next assignments. We truly Love the missionaries and are amazed at their spiritual strength. It is an honor to learn from them on a daily basis.

Greater Appreciation for Your Children

As a couple you can communicate with your family as much as is necessary. We use Skype and Facebook to keep in contact with our children and watch them grow. Last week our grandson Solomon was admitted to Primary Children's Hospital and ended up in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). Watching this unfold from far away was difficult, however watching our children step up and support each other was a blessing. Had we been there we would have swooped in and attempted to "save the day", instead we relied on the Lord and our other children to take care of JD, Kendra, Zeke and Solomon. They did a wonderful job and he ended up recovering much quicker than we anticipated.

Experience New Food and Cultures

What can I say about the food, it is AWESOME !!!!! From the fresh seafood available to the tacos al pastor and everything in between we really love the food on our mission.

As far a the culture, Mexico is rich with culture both current and ancient. We had the opportunity to go to Monte Alban and see some fantastic ruins which were inhabited for over 1500 years.

 

 

 

Spiritual Growth

 

I believe that it is impossible to NOT grow spiritually when your focus 24/7 is to Bring Others Unto Christ. This is the next step on our spiritual journey. Being around these young missionaries and watching them grow spiritually is uplifting and increases our ability to feel the spirit daily. We have seen the Lord work in their lives and the lives of those they teach as well as in our life.

 

 



Blessings for You and Your Family

 

We are reaping blessings daily as we and our children grow. One of the blessings that I believe is a direct result of our service to the Lord is the quick recovery of our grandson. Our prayers were truly answered and we expect that our children will continue to be watched over while we are away.

 

 

 

Did I mention the food ....................

 

 



Come on down and I will save you a piece of that corn.............

Conferencias, Bloqueos y Misioneros

CONFERENCIAS

We were able to assist with the Hualtulco District Conference. Hermana DeWolf and I both spoke in the Sunday Session. Hermana DeWolf spoke for about four minutes and I spoke for about 11 minutes of which about half was in Spanish. It was the first time since arriving in Mexico that I spoke more Spanish in one setting then her. She spoke on Testimony and I spoke on the Atonement.

General Conference was Amazing as usual and we had several things which stood out to us. The talk by Larry R Lawrence really hit me. I indeed wonder "What lack I yet" on a daily basis and ask the Lord to direct me and guide my path so I may be able to develop into the person he sees me as. I was also touched by Russell M Nelson talk about Covenant Women and their impact on the church and the world. How they indeed stand out form other women. I wrote in my notes "Hermana DeWolf is one of these women and people are drawn to her like a moth to a flame" In the short time we have been here it has been amazing how many people have come into our life due to her influence.


BLOQUEOS

We needed some items that are not available in our little city of Hualtulco so we headed off to Salina Cruz to go to WalMart there. We found most of what we were looking for and had all afternoon left. We realized that Juchitan was just about 30 minutes away so we headed in that direction to pick up a few items from the market there. As we were leaving Salina Cruz we encountered our first of four bloqueos. Luckily the car in front of use knew an alternate route so we left the highway and drove about a half mile on a dirt road then back up to the highway, going aginst traffic, and were able to bypass it. That was a fun adventure we thought, another cute bloqueo story. Then as we approached Juchitan we hit another bloqueo.

Eventually the man in the green shirt walked back and told us to go back a couple of kilometers and then we could take the road that leads to the dump and it would wind around and take us to downtown Juchitan. Well it took us to Juchitan, just not directly to downtown, no, it took us to a neighborhood and we had to ask several times to get directions. Finally we found the missionaries who directed us to where we needed to go.
Time to leave but the bloqueo was still there. So a "nice" moto taxi driver offered to help us find our way around it and led us through the neighborhoods back to the dump road and to the highway. We were grateful and wanted to tip him double the going rate for a moto taxi, about 10 pesos. He said that was not enough and that we owed him 50 pesos, ah... Juchitan....we should have known ; )
The Moto Taxi.

So off we went back toward Salina Cruz. We had gotten a call from a couple of the young Hermanas who were stuck there and couldn't get home because the buses were not running due to the bolqueos. So we offered to pick them up and take them to Huatulco. I missed a turn and we ended up going around Salina Cruz, which meant we would miss the bloqueo we had passed earlier, WhoooHooo!!
However we found another one and we had to go down an on-ramp to a highway and make a U turn on the highway to avoid it. Alas we arrived, picked up the Hermana's and headed home to Huatulco. The planned 7 hour trip ended up being about 11 1/2 hours in duration.

We are learning how to be patient, creative and just go with the flow here.

MISIONEROS

What can I say about the young missionaries. They are truly AMAZING and we learn from them each time we are with them. We were able to attend a Zone Activity a week and a half ago. We accompanied the 22 missionaries of our Zone to a beach in Puerto Angel where we played beach volleyball, after moving a few large boulders to clear a volleyball court. We also had coconuts to drink and eat. These young people are incredible in their devotion to the Lord and the rules of the mission. At one point the ball went into the ocean, what to do? They are not allowed to even wade in the water. They quickly called Hermana DeWolf, because we have different rules, and she waded out and retrieved the ball.

There are four missionaries who are finishing their missions this week and so we gathered and they bore testimony to everyone and gave advice to the younger missionaries. Hermana DeWolf then commented and told them as Awesome as the experience was serving a mission that they should imagine serving another one with their Eternal Companion. Once again my companion rises to the occasion!!!! Many of them vowed to do just that.
At one point in the last volleyball I started to seriously overheat and had to sit down. The missionaries were concerned and sent me to see the Mission Nurse ; ) She took one look at me and told me to get in the water and cool off. Dang that was tough ; ) Here are pictures from the activity.

We also had the opportunity to feed a few of the missionaries between the evening Saturday Session and the Priesthood Session, breakfast for the Elders Sunday morning and then between the Sunday Sessions.
Again, sitting and discussing conference talks, life and the world in general I am just blown away by the spiritual maturity of these Kids !!!! Here are a few pictures.

 

Monday, on P day, we took the Hermanas from Hautulco to a local Archeological park called Copalita. There we saw ruins, the point were the Copalita River enters the sea and lots of cool flora and fauna.

 



What a week and a half. We are so blessed. Missionaries ROCK !!! When you hike in 80 degree 60% humidity, you get really sweaty. Did I mention that Missionaries ROCK !!!!

This is the first time we have known missionaries that are finishing up their missions and we are amazed at how much we are going to miss them.