New Companion!



Family!

  First of all I got a package this week that was sent January 25th. It was the one with a tie. The reason it took so long was that it got inspected. Apparently they steal things also, so with every next package you may send me, please include a detailed list of what is inside so that I can check if that's true. Second of all, Elder Parry got transferred!! What?! President told us we could stay together for another transfer! But my new companion is Elder Padgett. Let me just tell you that when I first came to Mexico, in my first interview with President, he pointed out Elder Padgett's photo and told me, "That is the highest baptizing missionary in the mission." and he went on talking about how great he is. The Hermana Jesperson even came up to him once and told him, "Thank you for being such an outstanding missionary. I think when a missionary is extraordinary, he should know it." WHOA. So I feel intimidated, but also excited for this transfer! I hope it's that President thought we would work really well together. I really like him--HE'S FROM CALIFORNIA!!! (not Utah or Idaho). We got the transfer calls at almost one in the morning last night, and Elder Parry had to pack. Then I couldn't sleep because my mind was reeling. And we woke up at 6 to take Elder Parry to the train station, so I'm EXHAUSTED. So tired. But it's finally P-day!!!

  It's great to hear that you're all enjoying yourselfs, whether it's Vegas, Spring Break, an I-phone, UF, or boating. I'm jealous, but I love being here. I'm in Mexico! And we have Perla AND Carlos coming to church now. Dad, I'm sending a recipe for "Chocoflan" home. It's also called the "Pastel Impossible" or Impossible Cake because it's a flan on TOP of a chocolate cake. SO DELICIOUS. Two investigators made it for us last night. We really wish we could get the help of the members! They are only slowly gaining confidence in us. Everyone here in Mexico is SO busy working ALL day that they don't have the time to come out with us. But I wish that they'd do more than greet our investigators at church. Help them feel like family!

I love you, family!!!

Love,

Elder Mitchell Poirier

 

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! Sorry it's late

6 months!

 

"...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you."

1 Peter 3:15



I Love My Family,

This week is going to have to be summed up because I spent so much time emailing President today. First of all, THANK YOU for the package of candy! The funny thing is that when I read that the package contained socks and ties, I was SO happy ahah. Then I opened it to a TON of candy! I love you mom and dad! And all the postcards! I love that you sent me one each day of your anniversary trip! This week I want to tell you that Perla is our progressing investigator. She's the only one that has come to church. And she LOVED it. She wishes her family would come so that they could know that it's not at all like what they expect, not at all like the Catholic Mass. We love her! She just needs to recognize that the Lord IS answering her prayers!

This week we enjoyed a lot of little treats. I got kiwi icecream in a cone (we love that little icecream shop!). I got an oreo milkshake at a Carl's Jr. Later in the week Elder Parry made pancakes for all of us (with eggs so that we don't have a hypoglaecemisiccijj w/e attack. Yes "we". He has it too). I got to go do a session in the temple!!!! In Spanish!! And I saw three real couples get married for this time and for all eternity! I love the temple! It felt so rejuvenating all over again!

So have you ever wondered what English sounds like to those who don't speak it? We can all imitate Chinese or German or French. But it is SO funny to hear people imititate English! It's a bunch of "shhhs" and "schwas." We'll be talking to each other in English and people at church will pretend to talk too! ahah

Anyway, I love you all!!!!! I miss you and hope that you are all doing well!

Love,

 Elder Poirier

CAN YOU BELIEVE I'VE ALREADY BEEN OUT SIX MONTHS!!!

Hi Family!



My Family!!!

  I love that it's already P-day! Today we played soccer! I'm honestly getting really good! It's a lot of fun. I even scored a goal!! A good one. I'm becoming accostumed to living in Mexico and being a missionary. This is my life. I'm so grateful that you are all doing well and that you're all happy! This week I got to go to the Guadalajara Temple!!! Elder Parry has two converts (a couple) who wanted to go to the temple for the first time! We asked permission and spent a day there! So great! It looked JUST like the photo they have online (duh I know, but really!) I just have a few funny stories for this week. I don't know what else to say!

1- We were walking on the sidewalk when Elder Parry yelled, "Watch out!" I didn't know what he was talking about until a HUGE black chow-chow dog started to bark and snap at me from a window at my height!! I flinched really bad and so Elder Parry got a good laugh!

2- We were talking to an investigator outside of a gated privada when suddenly the gate started closing and just about hit me in the face. Again, I flinched.

3- We were taking a bus to the temple. It was very bumpy. We were standing. Elder Parry lost his balance and swung his arm around. Guess where the back of his hand hit... Yes, I got #&%$@ slapped by my companion.

4- We were contacting a guy whose door we knocked when he pretended to start falling asleep leaning on his door. Really? So I just stopped midsentance and left.

5- "Yeah I have a faith in Christ! Look, I have the Virgen on my wall!"

6- "We're representatives of Jesus Christ" "Sorry, we don't know how to read or write?" "Well, do you know how to listen?" That was Elder Parry.

 

That's all! I love you all!! I hope you have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Mitchell Poirier

Elder Rodriguez and I

Mexican English Bulldog

Guadalajara Temple

And I love it!

Family!
Can you believe it's already been another week! Time just goes so fast here! Especially when you're used to the area and your companion. Let's see. This week a little kid kept yelling "VIVA LA VIRGEN" every time we walked by because his mom was telling him to. Really? Raising your kid to be intolerant? We got fed taquitos! I love that we finally got mexican food from the members! Everyone here adds flavor to their water by the way. Like koolaid, but it actually tastes like juice from a certain fruit. For example, my favorite is the grapefruit. Anyway, we taught a woman this week who CANNOT hear my companion, Elder Parry. She makes all these weird faces as he talks. And then asks, "what?" So I have to repeat everything he says. Isn't that strange? For once in my life MY voice is not the one that's too deep to hear. (My voice isn't heard because my skin is too dark--Max). Also this week, we saw several little kids riding bikes and playing together on this small street. It was a game called "Toll." They were basically riding in circles, passing by one girl who would make them stop and pretend-pay a toll. HOW FUN!
Seriously, we had WAY more imagination than that.
Elder Parry treated the four of us elders that live in our house to pan dulce (bread from a bakery). We were all home eating it quietly because it was so good. I felt like one of the lost boys, finally being fed. Not that we were hungry. I just felt like a little kid. One of our investigators, Alicia, tried to fool us this week, claiming that she did read the pamphlet. We asked what she liked. She made up something about seeing loved ones after we die. Um. Not in that pamphlet. Then she turned to a random page with a photo and told us it made her think of how the Catholics do infant baptism. What was our point of view on that?   Um.. Nice try. Why lie to us? Do you want us to keep coming back? I don't get it..
Anyway family, I'm in MEXICO! I finally am being hit by that! And I love it! I know I'm going to even miss the smell of the dead dogs on the street, so I'm trying to appreciate it all now! I'm in a foreign country! I'm traveling! I'm a missionary!! So strange. I wonder if my high school teachers know where I am now.
I love you all! Miss you!
Love, Elder Mitchell Poirier



Yes for Mexico!

                                                                         

           First, I miss Bentley. I want to squeeze him! Now, let me describe this LONG week. First let me say that we kicked butt! Except with people coming to church. We found 14 new investigators! Two of them dropped us on Thursday though because apparently their parents were "enojados" Darn. We met a kid named Moises who really had questions with the Catholic church, so we were teaching him about what we believe. Then it became super hard to find him! And his dad kept wanting to talk to us, but he's CRAZY. We gave him a pamphlet, and the next day he'd returned it to us with a bunch of antimormon questions and facts stapled inside. Geez! Turns out, Moises got kicked out of his house. So now he'll be even harder to find. We taught a lot of cool people this week, but their issue is that we can hardly see them. I hope it all works out though. OH, let me explain pouch mail real fast! If you're going to send me pouch mail, then don't send it to Mexico! Send it to the POB Salt Lake address. But if you're going to send me a normal, enveloped letter, then send it to Mexico. Dearelder is fastest and most effective though. Now, as for Max! DONT SEND ME A MEMORY CARD! It'll get stolen for SURE. Just send me the CDS bc then it doesn't matter. Anyway, this week was Elder Parry's birthday, so I treated him to churros, icecream, and cookies! Delicious. We're twenty! So strange. And that day we had a lot of success! We were talking about how it was your (mom and dad) anniversary, and I almost said "They've been married longer than I've been alive!" Well, duh. Twice this week I accidentally opened someone's door. The first was when I leaned on it. The second was when I was knocking. Luckily in each case, no one was home. This week I had another hypoglaecemic (how do you spell it?) attack. I had to buy peanuts. I ate them while we waited outside a girl's house. Her name was Saira and she was singing to the radio REALLY loudly, so we were waiting for the song to end. It was really sweet of us. We didn't want to embarrass her. But it turns out that it was Saira's mother. Who ..kindly.. let us know that their family is Catholic and she'll be returning Saira's Book of Mormon, which she did. We're not teaching 10 year olds here! They're at least 19 every time! But still the parents get so upset! And it's the persons' choice! We're not forcing them! Whatever. So we felt depressed and went to get icecream for the second time in the week. We had a delicious lunch a couple days ago! An hermana set up a table in the shade for us and gave us cream of mushroom soup and bread roles, then a plate of stuffed chicken breast (ham, corn, cheese, green peppers) spaghetti, and a shredded carrot (with apple, walnut, raisin, and orange juice) mix. DELICIOUS. We had flan for dessert! MMmm. It was so good! We were so giddy! She told us it was because if her daughter were to serve a mission, she'd want her to be fed very well. Yesterday Elder Parry made us french toast before church. So I'm being fed well. And last night we got free tacos and horchata from a guy who owns a taco place!
  Anyway, there are more letters going out today! Words of Elder Parry (put into my words), nobody is perfect and yet a commandment is "Be ye perfect." How? Because when we do our best, Heavenly Father does the rest. He lifts us. He finishes what we started. He really helps us to keep that commandment!
I love you all! Time's going by quickly! I love that I'm in Mexico. Isn't it weird that soon Max will be on a mission, and that will be part of our "normal" life.

Love, Elder Mitch Poirier

"Pop Rocks!"                                    



5 months later...



Helado!



Dear Family,

  Another week in Mexico! Tomorrow marks my 5 month mark! Can you believe it's already been five months! Every month is so fast! This week we had a big, two-day conference with all the missionaries in the city of Guadalajara. We basically had a big training. I learned a lot and really felt motivated to go out and work really hard. Here in this mission we have what's called a Standard of Excellence, or certain goals to keep missionaries working hard and balanced. For example, we have to teach at least 20 lessons every week, bring 5 investigators to church, find 7 new investigators, contact 200 people, etc. But because this week we had this two day conference, it was extremely hard to complete the standard. We didn't end up doing it. Most people couldn't. It really stressed us out. We were walking really quickly every day, teaching everyone who was interested, and really focusing on the work. I finally realized how much more potential I have to work harder. And also, the words of Gordon B. Hinckley's dad came to my mind a lot. "Forget yourself and go to work". It actually works, which is great because this week I got TONS of letters. All the ones that arrived in Arizona after I got my visa, plus a bunch that had been sent to me or deareldered. Get this, Arizona told me "Please inform your correspondants that your address has changed. We cannot continue forwarding your mail." Really? Did they expect my mail to just automatically stop the random day I got my visa? Or that I wasn't telling people I'm in Mexico?! So dumb. Anyway, I loved the conference because in the morning we had to take a taxi, a subway, and a bus to get there. I felt like I was in Harry Potter for some reason. It was so cool! I really think I want to do a semester at the University of Guadalajara later. The city is such a neat place, but I really do look forward to being back in little Stuart Florida.

 "Alohamora!"

Anyway, my companion and I decided that we don't care about that standard of excellence. We're going to use it as our goal to keep us balanced and working with all our efforts, but I'm not going to let it stress me out anymore. I care more for the people and that we're actually finding and helping people who really are willing to do what we say will give them an answer that this really is God's one church. We lay it out so clearly. 1) Listen to the messages we share 2) Read from the Book of Mormon 3) Pray and ask God, "Is the Book of Mormon true?" or "Was Joseph Smith really called to be a prophet?" or "Are the things the missionaries are teaching me true?" We want to help people understand why it's SO important to know the answers to these questions. To you all, why IS it so important to know the answers to these questions. Anyway, we want to really focus on the people. And we are going to do all we can to make sure we are perfect teachers, perfect missionaries, so that it really only depends on the people.

This week I read John 21 again and really thought to myself, "Do I really love Christ?" It's hard to answer that question. I want to love Him. I know I love Heavenly Father- I see all the blessings He's given me. I feel Him when I pray. I know He loves me. But Christ? I understand all that Christ did for me and how it really affects me personally, but do I love Him? Do I know Him? It's hard to say. Anyway, I love being a missionary. This really is the hardest thing ever, but I think I must be naive to think that it will be easier after the mission. Because my work never ends.

I love you all! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

Love,

Elder Mitchell Poirier

PS Last Monday I sent letters out to some friends and family. Tomorrow I'll get to do the same, but I'm sending them all home in a yellow envelope. Please mail them to the people. I've addressed envelopes already. I didn't have time to write letters to you all though! I'm sorry! But next week for sure they'll be sent out. At least I get to email you, right?




 



 Elder Parry, Elder Miller, Elder Wallace, and me.



Pictures!

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

                                                                     

Tres Leches



random red truck from prior email

                                             

                                                                                                   

Soccer