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

WOW 4 WEEKS!!!

Dear Family,

  Today I made a list of things to write, so I'm prepared. Maybe this email will be as interesting as one of Max's. But first let me say that Cassie looks A TON like Max! I can't even believe it! Except that Max is fat now. Elder Turner says "fatty." I can't believe already all of our senior photos will be hung on the wall. And I'm really disappointed that I won't get to speak in sacrament meeting those first two sundays home. I wanted to cut my hair like my converts do, the familia Martinez. Remember how Aleksi tried to cut my hair that one time before a youth conference? Like that except much better. But everyone will want to see me as a missionary still... I can't believe I only have four weeks left. This week flew by. Ah!

  1) This week a guy called out to us in English, "You guys are christian missionaries?" He just wanted to show the woman he was talking to that he speaks English. Aye. It happens all the time. But he found it fascinating that my companion was from England. "Let's hear that accent," he said. My companion asked, "What do you want me to say?" "OH MY GOSH You do have an accent!" replied the guy... Well duh. Then I said something. He looked at me all strange and said, "You have an English accent too!" What? For real. Elder Turner says it's for real. That my accent is mexican and english put together. But I CAN'T tell. It's strange. So in a couple weeks I'm going to record myself talking so that later in the year I can listen and see if it's true.

  2) This week I overate again. I don't know if I've told you family how many times I have vomited in my mission. And hardly from being sick. It's almost always from overeating. I get all sweaty and nauseus. I can't handle it. This time I burped SO loud before it all came out. I was in the street. My companion couldn't stop laughing for literally 20 minutes. It was way rumbly. But then it all came out. The good thing is that it didn't come out of my nose like it has before. It's that we went to our lunch appointment, but when we visited Patricia later, it was her birthday. Here, every birthday means a bowl or two of pozole. VOMIT. I love pozole, but vomited because it was too much food.

  3) This week we went to a christian church. Our hair-cut lady invited us. WEIRD. Max, I recommend that at some point you go to catholic mass or other churches. It will help you be able to teach better. It was quite the experience. Dancing. Singing. Crying. Praying. But all while actually looking up at the ceiling as if you see God. Weird. Not to offend any christians. But they mix up the Holy Ghost with feelings of sadness or the desire to spin around dancing. Aye.

    I got to go! I love you family. See you soon!

Love,

  Elder Poirier

  

5 weeks

Dear Family,

  I'm so happy to hear you are all so well. Dad! A guys trip would be nice, but since we're just two and you're retired anyway, let's go on one just you and me when I get home! Okay? And as for the sterling silver girls, I'll look, but that seems like something you have to be here to pick out for yourself. I really hope you don't get mad with the few souvenirs that I do get you. Max, where is your companion from?! How cool that he's in Mexico! Did you tell him that I'm serving in Morelia? I'm sure you must have! Cassie, I can't believe you're a senior!!! WHOA. I can't wait to go to the beach with you all the time! Can you all believe that I only have 5 weeks left! WHOA.

  This week flew by! It was so eventful, but as always, I sit down to write and I can't remember anything. All I want to write about is how Vannesa got baptized! She's so happy. Emma, her mom, spoke in the baptism (we baptized Emma in June). She cried at the end expressing her love for Vane and her joy at the decisions she's making. It was really special. After the baptism, it rained a TON. This week it has been raining a lot and flooding the streets! An hermano told Vannesa that it was because the heavens were so happy with her that they too wept with joy. She said, "ah bueno, esta bien entonces."

  I don't really know what else to write. I'm just happy. I'm happy to be here in Morelia. I'm happy that we have even more baptisms coming up. I'm just doing my best to finish strong. I hope that that package gets here sooner mom because if no one ends up going to the offices after it gets to Guadalajara, I won't get it in time.

 College applications. Aye! I don't want to think about that! I can't wait to see you all, but I don't want to plan my life out yet!

  See you soon!

And PS I'm going to win in the muddy!

   Love,

  Elder Poirier (Mitch)

Counting down

Dear Family,

   And so begins your countdown! Today is the first day of my LAST transfer! Six more weeks! And guess what! I'm STILL in Itzicuaro! I've been here since JANUARY!!! OH EM GEE. Who would've thought that this would've been my last area when I got here 7 months ago?! NOT me. But I'm really really happy! I'm so excited. We have all the love and trust of the ward. Our converts are all active and well! And we have 8 baptisms coming up! By the way, NIVARDO GOT BAPTIZED!!! It was his anniversary, so we splurged and bought him and his wife flowers. The baptismal service was really beautiful. The Bishop helped us clean the font, but when we filled it, the water was GREEN! He said it was because of all the rain. Um. "This will not do!" (Umbridge). So we rushed to a vet shop and bought blue dye (normally for fish tanks to make the water look blue and fresh). I poured a ton of it in the font and stirred with a broom upside-down. The water turned BLUE!! A little too dark, but better than green! And there were no other obstacles with the baptism! Wow! We were so grateful to be the missionaries who finally baptized him! After 22 years of them being married and all her family pressuring him, he finally read the Book of Mormon and could not deny the peace and joy he began to feel in his life. Wow. I love being a missionary.

   All my converts and all the ward were really worried that I'd be leaving. They all bought me gifts and made me cakes. Really. A ton! I spoke in sacrament meeting yesterday. I summarized a poem I wrote in college about Nana. It might be on my laptop if you want to read it. I think I called it "Zlata" or else "starfish". I spoke on 3 starfish that we need to forget about because they do us harm 1) Regret with things in the past 2) Envy of others in the present and 3) Impatience with the arrival of the future. It was a really good talk. In the poem, just in case you don't find it, Nana is sitting on the shore of the sea with her eyes all red and swollen because she'd been admiring a starfish under the salt water with her eyes open. She wished she could be like the starfish (a starfish can regrow arms if they are lost). Not that she doesn't have arms, just that somethings in life we can't change. My point in the talk was that those 3 things are results of wanting to change things we can't. I'm really happy to be here in Morelia for my last 6 weeks. Elder Turner will still be my companion. He will become my longest companion. In three more weeks he beats Elder Willett's record. Apparently there's more I have to do to help him, according to President.

  As for last week, I didn't have enough money in my account yet, so I only bought a few souvenirs. We're going to go today to Centro and I'm going to buy more things. Hey mom, can you look up all the travel rules? What am I not allowed to bring into the US from Mexico? And how much will I have to pay if I bring a lot of souvenirs. Also, I look forward to filling out those college applications.. And I think that's all..

   We had 9 investigators in church! I love that! And they love church!

 Love,

   Elder Poirier (Mitchell)

Flight Plans and Tamales

Dear Family!

   WHY DID YOU SEND ME MY FLIGHT PLANS? OH MY GOSH I STILL HAVE SEVEN WEEKS! NOW THAT'S GOING TO BE IN MY HEAD ALL SEVEN OF THOSE WEEKS!! aye aye aye hahaha. So 4:40 PM September 24th.

   You'll be pleased to know that I have a ton of recipes and look forward to making all this real mexican food for you all. Yesterday I FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO MAKE TAMALES!!! Since they're my favorite I was WAY excited! Patricia and Adad invited us over to make them! They came out so delicious! Do we have any little mexican markets in Stuart or nearby kind of. Or would I have to find the corn husks (hojas de maiz) in corn fields? Also, Patricia explained how to make Morelia's famous corundas, which are very similar to the tamal. I cannot wait to make them for you!

  So this week Elder Turner and I worked out all our problems. He was lacking a TON of iniciative so I was doing everything. He won't cross a street if I don't go first. We'll just stand there as he looks around waiting for me! AAAAHHHH!! But it'll be better. This may be our last week together since there are changes in one week. I really wish President would send me back to Guadalajara to end my mission. I don't think he's going to... he sent me an email that says I'm training Elder Turner until he's ready to be senior companion. So...  SIGH. But we'll see. Heavenly Father knows what's right and what I need, and His will be done.

  I love you family! Max, cheer up! I love you! I wish you were my last companion!!!!

Love,

   Elder Poirier (mitch)