Week 2 at el CCM

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a good week, its crazy how fast this week went by. Every day feels like a week but the weeks feel like a day. It´s weird. Nothing too crazy happened this week. I´ve just been working really hard with the language and teaching and everything. My Spanish has improved a ton which is awesome. The work is definitely hard and I am exhausted every day but it is so worth it. 

I fall asleep every night to dog fights and sirens outside my apartment.  It's nice because if I close my eyes I feel like I'm in the Palisades.  Haha!  Really though, it's nice inside the 10 foot walls and electric fence.  The food is good, I'm starting to love tacos for breakfast... and lunch... and dinner.  The water is safe too so life is good. 

Ok, I had my first language mess up this week. It was pretty bad. I was teaching a lesson to this girl who was about 22 or 23 and she was telling us how she was doing really well with praying and reading the Book of Mormon. I wanted to tell her I am excited for her (Estoy emocional) but I had already used that word a couple times already so I tried to think of another word that means excited, so I said "estoy exitado." So I basically told my investigator that her progress with reading the Book of Mormon and praying made me sexually aroused. Man let me tell you the gift of tongues is real. Long story short I fixed it and I´m not getting sent home so we are good! 

Mexico City Temple

Other highlights this week were going to the Mexico City Temple and getting to hear from Elder David Bednar. Both were super cool and really spiritual experiences. I have never felt the spirit so strongly before and my faith and testimony and so solid. I am definitely anxious to get out of the CCM and into the field and start this work (especially now that Elder Joseph Carroll left.)

I was talking to my friend/roommate from Mexico and he told me a story about how he got baptized.  He was riding his motorcycle to the store and was hit by a car that ran a red light.  He wound up in a coma for 20 days and when he woke up he didn't know his name.  He couldn't remember anything, but he kept asking his mom for a Book of Mormon.  Neither of them knew what it was or had ever heard of it before.  They asked the doctor to help.  They finally found a book and he read it in his hospital bed.  He and his mom were baptized and now he's on his mission. 

My dorm room

I want you all to know how much I love you. I am so thankful for the love and support I receive from you guys. I know it is an answer to prayer. You are all my family and I cannot imagine where I would be in my life without all of your examples to me.

I also want to let you all know of the love I have for Heavenly Father and his gospel. There is nothing that has blessed my life more. It has changed my life and I can't wait for it to change the lives of those I teach.  I know that Jesus Christ lived and he loves us all. I cannot imagine my life without this gospel.

Since I´m a missionary now I have to say this: read the Book of Mormon! Pray to know its truth. I promise you that if you give it a chance you will feel it and it will bring you happiness that you cannot get from anything else. If it wasn't true, I would not be in Mexico City right now preparing to share it with the world.  I know with my entire heart that it is true and that this is what I'm supposed to be doing with the next two years of my life. 

I hope life is good back at home. I´m looking forward to hearing from you all and I´m praying for you all every day (and praying Lebron doesn't go to the Lakers). 

"What you do each day shapes who you will become in the future"

      -Craig Christensen

All my love,

Elder Vincent

Me and my companion Elder Roundy

My first week

Hey everyone!

I hope you have had a good week, mine has felt like forever. In all honesty, I was so scared right after saying goodbye to my family at the airport. I have been used to being away from my family since being up at BYU, but never without the ability to call or text them whenever I want.

I was so nervous about being by myself for about two seconds. In the security line, a middle-aged couple tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was leaving for my mission. I told them I was and they said their son got back a couple years ago and they remember it like it was yesterday. That helped me feel a little more comfortable. The guy in front of me overheard us talking and he turned around and said that he wasn't a member but that his best friend went on a mission and he thought it was the coolest and most impressive thing. I got to the front of the security line and the guy who took my boarding pass and passport gave me a nudge and said "looking sharp elder" and once I got through security this massive dude came up to me and asked why I was all dressed up. I told him I was going to serve a mission for my church for 2 years and he gave me a fist bump and said "that's what's up!"

Checking in at el CCM

I ran into a missionary coming home from his mission at my gate and he gave me a ton of good advice.  I was the only missionary on the plane down here to Mexico and once I got in my seat another guy was walking down the aisle to his seat and as he passed me he said "that was an emotional goodbye with your family, where are you going?" I told him what I was doing and he said he had massive respect and the people in the surrounding seats all kind of said something like wow or congratulations to me. I have never talked to random people in the airport before. I know that all of these things were not coincidences.  It was heavenly father answering my prayers.  So I guess my message from this week is that even when we feel lonely, we are never alone.  Heavenly Father is always watching out for us and protecting us. He answers ALL of our prayers.

Half asleep on the first day

So here is what a normal day looks like here in el CCM:

I wake up at 6:30, shower, work out and eat breakfast.  Class starts around 8:00am.  We study the scriptures, the Spanish language, learn how to teach, etc.  We get one lunch break and a dinner break.  Both for 30 minutes.  Class ends at 9:00pm.  We have an hour and a half of personal time to do whatever, like write in journals,work out, do laundry, etc.  Lights out at 10:30 and do the same thing 8 hours later.  

It's definitely a grind but I love it.  The first few days were tough but I'm used to it and its awesome.  My Spanish has improved so much already. I got called as district leader which is an extra responsibility but I'm happy to do my part. 

This mission has already been the greatest blessing in my life.  It is a privilege to be out here serving.  It's honestly so tough but there's nothing I'd rather be doing with my life.  I love this gospel so much.  I am so grateful that it is in my life and that I get the opportunity to share it with the world.  I can't wait to see what the next two years have in store. 

I love you all so much!  Thank you for the endless love and support, it has gone a long way. 

Mark 9:23

All my love,

Elder Vincent

View of Mexico City from my apartment

Saying goodbye

Los Angeles Temple