Baptizing Narciso

Narciso and I

Hola!

This was a pretty crazy week! First, the highlight of the week was my first ever baptism! Narciso's baptism got moved up two weeks. We talked to Presidente Velez and had Narciso talk to him also and the zone leaders came down and had an interview with him and said that he was ready to be baptized. My companion and I worked really hard to get ready for the baptism. The font in the church hadn't been cleaned in over a year because the last baptism here in Teacapan was last September! We took out all the water with buckets and cleaned the font and filled it back up which was a lot of work. 

An inch of dirt

Cleaning the font

We also made programs for everyone and invited all the members to the baptism. 

First baptism for Jameson

Program

When Elder Moncayo told me that I was doing the baptism I was shocked and scared because I had never done a baptism before and now I was going to baptize this 74 year old man in a tiny font for the first time. Also I would have to say the words for the ordination in Spanish, memorized. Plus, there was about 30 people at the baptism so I was really hoping I didn't mess up. Everything went fine though. I said all the words correctly and lowered him into the water and quickly back up and everything was good. I didn't have to do it again which was a relief. This was a very special moment for me especially since this was my first baptism. This is an experience I will never forget. Both him and I were kinda scared together but the Lord blessed me and everything worked out. We were so excited for him. He was confirmed with the gift of the Holy Ghost the next day by our Branch Pres. This is why I am out here. To bring people unto Christ and change their lives through the ordinance of baptism. My companion gave a talk on baptism on Sunday and I liked the part when he said that baptism is the key to kingdom of God. Baptizing Narciso motivates me to work hard, study more diligently, and be more obedient so I can share the message of Jesus Christ with everyone I meet.

Yay!

Those who came to the baptism

We ended the week good with the baptism and we found a new investigator, Estevan. He is 72. We hope everything goes well with him. We are still struggling to find people tho. We have been asking the members for referrals of people that we can visit or teach with. This week, our Zone Leaders gave the whole zone some goals for the week which are going to be difficult for us to accomplish. We are trying really hard to be exactly obedient so we can find people so we can meet our goals. We also try to share a message with the members that feed us. Just a short simple scripture and testimony. This week the food was really good! One of the members that we visit a lot is a fisherman in the sea here and he caught a stingray and a turtle. He said that we are going to be eating it next time we go there for lunch. I also tried tamales for the first time which I enjoy. Today we had octopus for lunch which was different but I liked it.

Stingray- next week's lunch?

My Spanish is continually getting better. I learned a lot each day by listening and asking questions. This week we had splits with Elders from Escuinapa for a day which was fun. Elder Villeda came to Teacapan and my comp went to Escuinapa which meant that I was the Senior Companion for a day which was scary but fun. I was responsible for deciding who we were going to visit and go to for the day. It was a successful day. We gave 4 lessons, 3 to members and 1 first lesson. Luckily I know the area well enough.

Another amazing sunset on the way back from Esquinapa

More Sunset

The weather has not gotten any cooler lately. I got a haircut today which was nice because we still sweat a lot. There are 

sooooo many mosquitoes here. It doesn't feel like it is getting closer to Christmas. The time has been going by so fast. I am thankful to be here though. I have gotten closer with the members and people here. I really enjoy Mexico and serving the Lord. Thanks for the prayers and support. Les amo!


Elder Bennett

More Day of the Dead pictures

Day of the Dead Dulces

Day of the Dead- families decorate graves and care for the graveyard

Day of the Dead at a graveyard

More graveyard pictures

More graveyard pictures

Inside the burial tomb

Daylight Savings & Rain

Flooded streets

Hey Everyone!


Things have been good but kinda difficult because Daylight Savings and rain. The time moved and now it gets darker earlier and its harder to meet with people and do everything before it gets dark. Presidente Velez just made a rule that everyone needs to be at their casas by 8 pm to study since it's dangerous to be out at night. We also received 11 inches of rain in 2 days earlier last week and the streets are literally rivers. 

Rivers for streets

Sunset selfies

The water is actually on the road- we could get through with our bikes

Another awesome sunset

Our shoes and clothes get so dirty from having to ride our bikes through the ponds in the streets. One time I fell and my whole shoe got soaked and muddy so that wasn't fun. Our numbers were kinda down this week because Moncayo went to Culiacan and I to Rosario and we went to Escuinapa for a zone meeting also. Our meeting with the Zone was really good. Our zone leaders taught us about our purpose as leaders in the mission. They counseled us to not have fear and to always have the Spirit with us wherever we go. We also took pictures at the end which was fun.

Junta de zona

Zone Conference

This week was Elder Moncayo's 20th birthday! On his birthday I made breakfast and ironed his shirt for him. Then I paid for dinner that night which we had hamburgers and Coca Cola. The members were really nice and made him a cake and we all sang to him. His birthday was on one of the days that it rained a lot so that was kinda a bummer but it was still good for him I think.

Hamburgers for Moncayo's birthday

Celebrating his birthday

Castro Family's home

We had an activity at the church this week. Every last friday in the month is a activity at the chapel lead by the youth in the branch. This month a few of them talked about their favorite General Conferences talks and gave spiritual thoughts from the Scriptures. It was a neat thing to witness. After we had a snack and played a few games, one of which was tug of war and Elder Moncayo and I had to compete against each other. Beforehand, they told us who was Jesus Christ and who was Satan. Elder Moncayo was Jesus and I was Satan and we had to try to persuade the members to help tug the rope. More people helped Elder Moncayo (Jesus) who of course won haha.

Activity at the church

Me drawing the sacred grove

Our good friend Santiago

Last week was Halloween and the start of the Day of the Dead activities. There was a lot more people in the small town of Teacapan. They've been having a dance party on the beach every night this week. On Halloween night it was cool to see the kids running around getting candy. The kids only go to the little stores and businesses for candy since no one really goes house to house. The kids also just paint their face or wear a scary mask and don't go full costume. On Nov 1, the Dia de Muertos started, and that was the day to honor the children. Today is the actual day of celebration and there's lots of food, flowers, dancing and people visiting the graves.

Elder Moncayo in a Halloween mask

Our investigator Narciso is doing well! He is progressing and understanding what we teach him. He came to church for the 3 time last sunday. We visit him almost everyday. He lives by himself so I'm glad we are able to give him some company. We made lunch for him and ourselves and ate with him. He has no job and no money and his family doesn't help him so I don't know how he gets by but I'm glad we can help him. He said he would like to be baptized a week early than planned. He will have to talk to the Presidente Velez on the phone to see if he is ready. The time that we brought him lunch and had a lesson was really cool. We talked about the Plan of Salvation. My companion and I were able to easily say what we needed to say and he listened and learned. It was a great spiritual experience for the week.


The language is doing better but still difficult. I just need to keep having patience and take it a day at a time in learning. I do feel little more comfortable though.


I'm happy that I can share the same happiness that I feel with the people here. It's been difficult but last week in the Zone Conference I really liked that they said the Lord gives us this tests and trials to prepare us for future experiences. I am grateful for my knowledge of the Gospel and the opportunity I have to share it with others everyday! Take Care everyone!


Elder Bennett

A Painting in the Sky

The coolest sunset I've ever seen

Hey Everyone!


It was another good week here in Teacapan. Things were kinda scary around here because of all the talk of the hurricane kinda close by but the Lord blessed us because we hardly saw any effects of Hurricane Patricia here. Some people closed their little stores and left for a little bit because of the Hurricane and the town was pretty dead for a little bit. The wind picked up a little bit and was cloudy but that is all. The waves from the sea were pretty rough earlier last week. 

However, on Wednesday last week there we saw the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. We went to the beach and took a bunch of pictures. It looked like a painting in the sky. 

Everything is good here. It is still very hot with a lot of humidity which is not fun because the mosquitos are pretty bad right now. We are praying for rain so it can be a little more fresco here.


This was a pretty slow week. We have been contacting in the street to find more people to teach but we aren't really having any luck. We talk to a lot of people and offer service to them but nobody accepts it haha. 

Jameson said he ripped his pants in this hamock but a nice member sewed them up for him

There's a lot of people who work as camarones or fish for shrimp in the sea here. At a lot of our appointments we have some sort of meal with beans, tortillas and shrimp. I love the food here tho! I really enjoy the food, the members make amazing meals for the missionaries. We are really grateful for them in feeding us because we dont have a lot of money to get groceries every week. The other day Elder Moncayo and I made tortillas. We went to a members Tortilla shop where she makes and sells tortillas. It is a a cool process and we got to help make and stack the tortillas which was fun.

Tortilla making at Hna Rubi

Elder Moncayo and I are getting along really well. He and I are pretty close already! He is really awesome and is really fun to be around all day everyday. 

On the way back from Cristo Rey

He said I need to talk more because he usually talks to everyone and I just pay attention and listen and bear my testimony but I am getting better and working on that everyday. My Spanish is getting better still. Its getting easier to understand the people here but I still have to ask a lot of questions to understand. Its been a good learning experience and Im excited to be fluent haha. Presidente Velez wrote me and told me to be patient and by 3 months in my Spanish should be muy bueno. I bring my dictionario with me everywhere and use it a lot. Hermano Hernandez in the ward has helped me a little with my Spanish because he teaches English here. The other day he told me to speak English really fast to see if he could understand haha, he could. It's really funny when my companion or others try to speak English. I bet they think the same about me speaking Spanish! Right now im still studying and reading el Libro de Mormon. Im in 1 Nephi 13 right now.


Our investigator Narciso has been making some great progress! He said that he wants to be baptized on the 21 of November, he also said he wants to get baptized in the sea. We taught him the commandments this week which he thought were pretty strong commandments, the word of wisdom and the law of chastity. He told us that his daughter offered him coffee but he said no which was really good to hear! He has been coming to church every week and we have been teaching him everyday which has been great! Im learning a lot about how to teach to our investigators needs. I can always feel the Spirit in our lessons with him. It's cool to see his progression and willingness to come unto Christ. This is what I want for everyone I teach!


They are building a new chapel here in Teacapan which is a little bigger than the one we go to now. We are hoping to find more people to teach and invite to church when the new chapel is finished. The branch is doing well. There was about 40 people at church yesteday which was good! We had combined priesthood and relief society because it was 4th sunday. We talked about the importance of home and visiting teachers. There is no one that does it here and we are hoping that Home and Visiting Teaching will lighten our load as missionaries and trying to meet with everyone. We are going to try to help with that.


Saturday night at 12 was Daylight savings and we moved our clocks back and we got an extra hour of sleep which was nice! On Sunday, Elder Moncayo left Teacapan for a couple days because since Moncayo is the District Leader he has to go to a leadership training in Culiacan for a few days. So he is there and I am with another gringo in a pueblo called Rosario close to Escuinapa and about an hour from Teacapan. 

Magic town

I'm with Elder Helvey from Utah and its kinda nice to speak English and to understand him haha. Elder Helveys comp went with my comp to Culiacan. Today is P day and so Elder Helvey showed me some of the touristy spots in this town. There is a really a lot of history here. (He said they are at a place with computers that costs them 35 pesos for 2 hours of internet time.)

Lagoon in Rosario

Catholic Church in Rosario

Catholic Church in Rosario

Streets of Rosario

I'm starting to enjoy what im doing a lot more now that I am settled in to Teacapan! It's really awesome to talk to a lot of people, answer their questions, and teach them the Doctrine of Christ. Im learning a lot everyday and Im working as hard as I can to serve the Lord with all my mind, heart, might, and strength. Ive been so blessed. Thanks for the prayers!


Love Elder Bennett

Bienvenidos a Teacapan

Hola Everyone!


My first week in the mission field was definitely a learning experience! I am in the southern most part of the Culiacan mission in a small beach town called Teacapan. It is right on the coast and it is very warm!! The people say that its not usually this hot this time of the year. It is very beautiful here tho. There is a lot of palm trees and beautiful sunsets at night.

Sunset on the playa

The people are very nice here. The people don't have a lot. Not many have air conditioning or plumbing but are so willing to help us and hear our message.

Casas in Teacapan

I got the chance to meet all the members of the small branch here. The members are very kind to us missionaries. They feed us everyday at 2 o'clock and always give us a drink of cold water. Every here asks me where I'm from and what my name is. Everyone asks if Nebraska is cold. I tell them no because they are thinking of Alaska haha.

Elder Moncayo at the church building in Teacapan

The Spanish is pretty difficult. Everyone talks so fast and I cant really understand anyone, but I can catch a few words here and there. I always have to ask my companion what someone says which is a little embarrassing but I don't know what they are saying. Its definitely a challenge right now but it's only the first week and I get better everyday. It's a little frustrating because I want to help these people but its hard because I don't understand what is going on and I don't know enough to how to help them. I pray for strength and the Spirit to help me everyday. Elder Moncayo has been in Teacapan for 3 months now so he knows a lot of people and where they live. Most of the time he talks and I try my best to follow along and say things if I can. I know how to say prayers, bear testimony, read the scriptures, say my name and where I am from and that is about all right now but I am learning a lot. Elder Moncayo is very helpful and patient with me. He has helped me a lot so far. Our first investigator, is a 74 year old man who is interested in our message. We gave him a priesthood blessing my first day here. He came to church yesterday which was awesome! He has a lot of questions. I try to teach him when I can. There is a lot of work to be done here and I am excited to help, teach, and serve everyday!

The food here great! Yesterday we had fried fish with the Branch Pres and his wife. He said I could have the biggest one. He didn't cut of the head so the eyes and teeth were just staring at me the whole time haha. (Jameson told Troy he thought it looked like it was growling at him)

We also had a lot of shrimp since many work as camarones who fish for shrimp everyday in the sea. Elder Moncayo and I also make our own breakfast and sometimes dinner which is fun. Yesterday we made pancakes. We also eat a lot of eggs and tortillas.

The kitchen

I was able to get settled in to our tiny casa in Teacapan. I got all my things organized and unpacked everything.

Casa

Bedroom

We go to a members house to do laundry- we carry buckets of water to the washer

The bathroom- no hot water for showers

View from our casa- we are woken up every day by chickens

We have personal study. companionship study, language study, planning, and training everyday. At 12 o clock is when we usually go out and see members, talk to less actives, investigators, or talk to people in the streets. It's fun because its something new everyday and you never know what is going to happen. However yesterday we were in the sketchy part of town and we got stopped 3 times by drunk guys who just tried to be ignorant to us haha.

We have bikes that some members let us use which is pretty handy in getting around everywhere. On Saturday, we rode our bikes to Cristo Rey which a small town close to Teacapan, it took us about 15 minutes to get there. We had lunch and talk to the members there. People are always home so its easy to find people.

Bike ride to Cristo Rey

I knew this wasn't going to be easy, and its not haha. But if it was easy then it wouldn't be worth it. I'm grateful to be here and help bring God's children back to him. Thanks for the prayers! Love you all.


Elder Bennett