My Last Email

Dear Family,

  I'm crying reading all your emails. I can't believe how quickly time has passed. Aleksi tells me it will all feel like a dream when I get back. It really will. I already feel like this was all just a dream. I can't believe it! What an incredible journey this has been. It has been so demanding. I don't have any more words except that I'll forever be grateful to Heavenly Father for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve Him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength and time. And I'm SO grateful to you, mom and dad, for supporting me financially while I've been here. I can't believe it's all about to end. I love you all! I miss Max! It breaks my heart that he won't be there when I get home! I'm a mess crying right now.. for real. And I'm in a public computer lab.

  This week I gave all the women's clothing to the RS first counselor. She's my favorite hermana. She told me she'd take care to get something to every hermana. Mom, all the sisters are extremely grateful. They wrote down your email address. I hope you'll receive their emails this week. I'm grateful as well. You impress me with your charity. Thank you!

  We hope to baptize this week! My LAST baptism! It makes me so sad and so happy at the same time. Benjamin's wife Patricia and his daughter Maria Fernanda want to get baptized. What a priviledge that would be. Unfortunately I won't be here to see their confirmation. This Saturday I have to go to Guadalajara again because there MIGHT be problems with the visa.. I knew it. So yesterday was my last Sunday in the ward. I spoke in sacrament meeting. I read the story of Peter walking on water. Peter DID have faith! He took courage and went out to do what no other in the boat did. And when he began to fail, the Lord showed mercy on him. I cannot express my profound gratitude to the Lord for doing the same to me, for reaching out and grabbing me to keep me from drowning in this mission. My faith has grown so much. My heart is full of love and charity. I am so happy that I've finished the mission. I feel so content and impressed that the Lord helped me to finish exactly how I wanted to, exactly how I dreamed to finish.

  I look forward to seeing you all family! I look forward to hugging you and crying and taking photos. And eating.

 I love you SO much. I don't know if you all realize. I love you SO much.

Love,

   Elder Mitchell Poirier

See you soon

Dear Family,

  I have NO time to write. The zone leaders are next to us and they're not going to let us write past 6 PM. You see, I had to travel by myself to Guadalajara last night to go sign my visa or something today in the morning. Well, it turns out that I can't sign because of who knows what. The elder that is working it out is taking it lightly, but again let's hope everything works out so that I see you the afternoon of the 24th. Today President and the assistants drove me back to Morelia. That was interesting. President wanted to know how Elder Turner was doing.  We just got back. I do miss Guadalajara a lot though! And I miss Tere and Sigifredo and Elder Silos!

  My converts are all getting sad that I'm going home. I have 18 active converts here! They're all planning little dinners and parties. Jorge and Lucia made me a special "mole." It made Elder Turner sick. I got the packages mom! But the zone leaders won't give it to me until tomorrow. Ugh zone leaders! 

  WE BAPTIZED THREE THIS WEEKEND! Jenny and her son Carlos, and Benjamin. I love to end the mission baptizing!

 Aleksi--did you ever send my emails to Landon and Felipe?

 Cassie--remember me?

 Max--it is WAY hard to get people to church unless they understand exactly what will happen and you be really direct in what blessings they'll receive and what commandment they're keeping. 

 Dad--I want to eat taco salad at home before I get released. I think it'd be beautiful considering that's what we always would give the elders

 Mom--  I love you! I can't wait to hug you!

  Eva--Are we going to go to Disney?

Lilli and family--I can't wait to see you all again.

Love,

  Elder Mitch Poirier

Montezuma and his revenge...

Dear Family,

   Again? Yes. I woke up this AM at 3:30, 4:30, 5:45, 6:11, 6:18, 6:25 (and then I stopped counting and looking at my watch) with diarrhea. It was bad. I don't know what I ate. Elder Turner is fine. I feel really week. I've taken medicine, but probably still need to drink more Gatorade. I'm hungry. This week Elder Turner and I are watching how Satan really wants me to just give up early here in the mission. BUT we have faith, and so far we've beaten every obstacle fine. Jenny and Roberto were going to get baptized this weekend with their son, but for complications, we had to move it to this coming weekend. They were kind of upset, but what can you do? I was on divisions in a different area and was really stressed out considering I couldn't be there to explain it to them or to console them. Ugh! But when I got back, we went straight to their house. They were sad. We read Alma 47 and then Alma 48 because Jenny just wanted to keep reading. The Book of Mormon really gave us all comfort and peace. They'll wait until this weekend then. Hopefully. I'll explain it all more clearly in a few weeks. They went to church yesterday and paid their tithing! They're not even members yet! Whoa. We had all but one of my 15 converts in church yesterday. Nivardo bore his testimony! So did little Jair! I was thrilled!!!! Another family who will soon get baptized, Benjamin and Patricia, came again to church. He wants to get baptized this weekend. She's a little hesitant. We'll see how it goes. But possibly there are 6 baptisms this week! Pray for me!

  So supposedly there are problems with my visa now that Mexico passed a new law. They say it'll take 30 days to fix. I sent papers on Friday to the  capitol. They'll arrive today. So 30 days from now is likely when I'll be able to leave Mexico... So October...  So pray for that too! I would only not mind staying longer if I got to go see people in Guadalajara! But I doubt that...

  Don't worry. We're seeing great miracles! We're loving being companions. Elder Turner said he really missed me while we were on divisions with our  District Leader. He's got a lot of potential to be an INCREDIBLE elder, but for now depends too much on me!

   Also, I gave 200 pesos and so did Elder Turnip to a girl secretly in our ward because they're my favorite family and they commented to us that they didn't have enough money to buy new school shoes for her. They totally believe that it didn't come from us. I couldn't sleep two nights thinking about how I'm buying souvenirs and meanwhile this girl's heels are practically on the ground.

   I hope that package gets here this week mom full of gifts for the hermanas. We'll see. I love you all!

Love,

  Elder Poirier