Baptisms!



Dear Family!!

  I love you all. I love how quickly each monday comes. I'm sorry that I have not been able to send one letter this whole month. I want to write quickly. I'm trying to send photos as well, and it takes forever. Plus, my joints in my fingers are sore from handwashing my laundry again. It's so nice to just have a washing machine. And a dryer.  When it rains, the clothes don't get to dry. So I promised I'd tell you the story of Olivia and Alberto. It was really special. Last Thursday came and they STILL didn't know if they should get baptized, if it's the true church, etc. They'd been going to church. They'd really been reading the Book of Mormon. And they'd been praying and asking if it was all true, but they felt that they weren't getting an answer. As we walked to their house Thursday evening, an idea popped into my head. A lesson plan. First we'd sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and then watch the twenty minute movie "The Restoration." After that we'd each bear testimony of what we know to be true. Then we'd say we wanted to do something different, kneel down and each of us take turns offering a prayer to know if Olivia and Alberto should get baptized. Then we'd planned to do a moment of silence and let the Spirit answer the prayer. We'd go from there. Well, everything went PERFECTLY according to plan. While we waited in silence, I kept trying to end it, but the words would not come out of my mouth, so I knew to wait. (I felt like we were on Felix Felices). After about seven minutes, I asked, "¿Que están pensando o sintiendo?" (what are you thinking or feeling?). That's all I had to say. The family got in a calm discussion of what they've been feeling the whole three weeks we'd known them, what changes they've felt or seen in each other, etc. And when it was right I asked, "Will you be baptized this Saturday?". Both said yes! What a beautiful weekend it was! And how I love them! Olivia let me baptize her. Alberto picked Elder Willett.

  This week Elizabeth as well still felt like she hadn't got an answer. We knew that her problem was that she was always SO busy that she never left time for Heavenly Father to answer her prayers. So we did almost the same thing, except out on her sidewalk (the houses are right at the sidewalk) (we can't go inside when there's not a man older that 18 inside--mission rule). She as well thought that life after baptism would be much better for her family than it would if she didn't get baptized. Yesterday I had the priviledge of baptizing her. She couldn't decide who she wanted to do it, so she actually made us do rock, paper, scissors.

  People think that Elder Willett and I are brothers, that we look SO much alike. I'm thinking it's just that we're white. You know how people say that all japanese or other asians look the same? (just what they say, not what I think). I think people here feel the same way about us. Oh. And the aunt of Chicharito came to church with us!!!! WHOOP WHOOP.

  This Tuesday in our weekly planning (which lasts two hours and it's just us in a room in the chapel planning the week, what our investigators need, etc), President Jesperson knocked on the door and entered. He said he had a question for us. Can he trust us? Can he have confidence in us? He wanted to know that we'd 1) be 100% obedient and 2) be SUPER successful wherever we are working, that we'd be little power plants. I told him that as for obedience he can of course trust me. But as for success (remember that the mission expects missionaries to baptize EVERY single week as well as complete those weekly goals WEEKLY) I felt I was getting better and better, changing to become the man God needs, but that somewhere there was a problem and I didn't know what it was. He told me right away, "time management." That we weren't managing our time right. Well, this week was AMAZING in the miracles we saw and in our time management. We completed the Standard and baptized for the second week in a row. We might baptize this week too! I really hope and pray that we do!

     That's all I have time for!

 I love you all!

ARIZONA OR DC!!!!
    Love,

  Elder Mitchell Poirier

Elizabeth's Day



ELEVEN months!

Dear Family,

  I'm not sick anymore! Immodium. And what a great week! The Lord really made up for that last week. I guess it just took being patient in our afflictions. I've been reading in Alma lately, all about the missionaries of the Book of Mormon. My favorite scripture is Alma 26:22 where Ammon explains that to those who 1) repent 2) have faith 3) do good works and 4) pray always, unto them it will be given to baptize thousands. So I've been trying to better do those four things. And this week we baptized TWO! Olivia and Alberto! I don't have time right now to tell you their story, so next week! But I love you all and I'm SO happy that Max is officially waiting for his mission call. I say he's going to Tucson Arizona or Washington DC! I love you brother! Until next week, my wonderful family!

Love,

   Elder Mitchell Poirier

Miserable week...



My Dear Family!

  This week was MISERABLE. Oh it was AWFUL. I got sick! And so did my companion! Tuesday we went to district meeting, and I was feeling "cuerpo cortado" or basically achy in all my body. But I got ALL my mail!! AND a package! WHICH included 2 llama ties from Reagan! (Reagan, you are my favorite person! Thank you SO much!) So I was able to shrug it off. But during the bus ride back to our area, I got a killer headache, which lasted until yesterday. I got a fever that evening. Still, we kept working. Then went home. As I was getting ready for bed, Elder Willett's body began to ache. Aye aye aye. All night he was moaning and moaning ahah. He says it made him feel better. Wednesday we stayed in the house all day. I just had diarrhea and the headache, but my compy suffered from it all. We thankfully didn't vomit all week. We felt fine enough to work Thursday, but we were weak. Saturday night I woke up 6 times during the night to go diarrhea. Aye. Finally we think we're okay. But maybe it's just the Pepto Bismol covering it all up. Anyway, we didn't have a good week in numbers either. I was just feeling burnt out. But I'm so glad I got to read all your emails. It lifts me up!

  I don't have much more time! But know that besides my infirmities, I'm doing great. We have a select group of cool investigators. This week we hope to do some fun and creative things with them! I hope Cassie has a great first week of school. Did she choose Bio or Chem? Cassie, your junior year is only SUPER hard if you're lazy about it. Put a little effort to stay organized and ahead. You'll do great!

  I love you!

 Love,

   Elder Mitchell Poirier (como pollería, pero no vendo pollo)

News from Polanca

                                                Empanadas de queso y jamon

Dear Family!
  First let me tell you that none of our leaders have gone to the offices in a month (even though they're super close), so I haven't read a letter in a month. For that reason I have stopped writing people. Plus there's no post office in my area. And I don't have money right now. I will continue writing letters soon. Anyway, this week Elder Willett and I had a great time and a lot of success! When we planned for the week, we talked about how we were going to work this week so that it'd be like we'd already been working in this area for six weeks. Accelerate it basically. He had only been here two weeks. So we were new to the area and everything. We planned certain goals:

1) Gain the trust of the members ASAP. We started by complementing their houses, their food, their testimonies, etc. We left sticky notes on their bathroom mirrors after we'd eaten with them. Thank yous. And I continue asking for recipes!
2) We were going to gain the trust and love of our investigators ASAP. On Friday we celebrated an unbirthday party (Aleksi's idea) with a family. It was really a lot of fun. We'd made a cake. (We're going to do it again with other people. It will be even better. Plus we'll remember our cameras). We sang "Feliz Cumplenada a nadie" Also, Friday night we made empanadas for another family. We baked them! But obviously we had to be cheap, so we filled them with cheese and ham (so Mexico). Everyone loved them. I got some photos. Elder Willett told me it was probably his favorite day on the mission so far. I continue to have plans! Creativity is what makes this fun and successful!

3) We wanted to complete the Standard of Excellence (our weekly mission goal). We did! Whoop whoop! President Jesperson even came to church on Sunday, so it was great to be there with 6 investigators in church. This ward is FULL of hermanas, but hardly any hermanos. Sad. We only have a Bishop's counselor. And of course NO Gospel Principles teacher. Dumb. We had to teach it. I don't like that because we already teach the investigators ALL week. So Sunday should be different.

   Personally, I'm trying to be more Christ-like. Have charity. I want to be the best missionary, sincerely. I want to love the mission!

Oh, and we've been running in the mornings!
I love you all!

Read other books please!

Love,

  Elder Mitchell Poirier

TRANSFERRED to Polanca

 

Dear Family!

  First of all, I got transferred today!! I'm still in the city, in a ward called Polanca, a stake called Victoria. My new companion is Elder Willet from Gilbert, Arizona. Yes, the same ward as the Shreeves!! He's a really humble and happy missionary. We look forward to a lot of success. I love being in a new house and a new area! I'm so excited! I know that Elder Silos will be great in Libertad still! I hope he takes good care of all of our converts. We'd started a project. We made 7 bios of the 7 people we've baptized (Blanca, Salvador, Abel, Israel, Soraya, Karina, and Carolina) and are visiting the members to explain how we're doing OUR part, then help them to do THEIR part. So they have to read the bios and pick who they want to fellowship. Take them out to breakfast. Invite them to get icecream. Visit their house with cookies. Sit with them at church. Etc. Simple and effective. It should continue well.

  Our Christmas in July party was a blast! It was so much fun! We started with two Christmas hymns, then watched The Nativity. Soraya wanted me to translate it. What she didn't know is that it's NOT english either. Funny. We took turns having to stand up holding a pot of poinsetta (I don't remember how to spell it correctly. the red christmas flower) and share a christmas memory. I talked about Cassie wanting a star one year. And the other year wanting a robot friend. Laughs! Then we played a made-up (by me) form of pictionary.  A mix of charades and pictionary really. It was a lot of fun. The man in the photos who is wearing a white shirt and blue pants is named Noe. He is SO funny because he is socially awkward. He was fun. We all had a good time eating my cookies and then took photos. It was a good night. I want to keep doing fun things! If you can think of anything, tell me. Thank you mom for the empanada dough recipe. I want to meet a few people here and decide with whom we'll make empanadas.

  I loved the photos I got to see from the trip to the Keys! So fun! I'm glad you all had so much success catching wahoo and lobsters! I thought the other day about how happy dad will be--retired--to take me out on the boat the day after I get home and go fishing! Of course passing time with dad is what I look forward to, but also that I can get RID of this AWFUL tan without a bunch of people seeing. And as for the Hunger Games. Those are SO old. And Book 3 was STUPID. But anyway. I met a woman this week as we were talking to people passing by. She said, "oh, but I don't live here. I live by the beach." And I replied, "I live by the beach too!!" We had a mini conversation. It changed her attitude. She walked away happy afterwards.

   It's already August! How? And how have I lived a month without mail?! Yes, a month, because NO ONE has gone to the offices to pick up our mail! I hope that tomorrow..

   I love you family SO much! I love you! Keep busy and time will keep flying by!

Love,

   Elder Mitch Poirier

  Max, it's time to get your papers and interviews finished.