(Copied this from John's blog)
January 26-Zumpango

January 26 - Zumpango

I learned my lesson this week...when you don't send your son an email-he doesn't send one back. No real excuse, the week flew by. 

I did get the following with a picture AND these precious three words.

 (A picture's worth a thousand words, right?)

Love you Mom!!

January 19-Zumpango
Sweet letter to Kaylie...

Hi Kaylie,

How are you?

I'm glad that you do read your scriptures because the Book of Mormon is the fullness of the gospel restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. It testifies of Jesus Christ and his ministry to the people of the Americas. Every page testifies of his divinity and the reality of his sacrifice for all the children of our Heavenly Father. When you hold the Book of Mormon, remember that you are holding the fullness of the gospel and remember that your older brother is in the middle of Mexico testifying that this book is true. The Lord loves you and he wants you to read it and live it's teachings. Love you Kaylie.

ps. I didn't take very many pictures this week, just one of my homemade flyswatter that says kill the flies and one of the sunrises in Zumpango.

ps I'm going to play soccer today.

 

 

January 19- Zumpango

I read your Email and thank you so much!! I honestly have like no time today mom!! I logged on the computer and found that i had 24 new emails!! I promise I will write you next week, but read my weekly rundown!! I know that my mission is going to change from now on!! I'm so excited!! I'm sad to hear about that family and their child, I'm so glad that there are so many good people in this world with such great testimonies!! including you!! Keep reading and studying hard!! Love you so much mom!! 

Elder Paynter

Weekly Rundown

This week went pretty well! We only had one investigator attend church this week because for some reason three of our investigators got sick. I´m not quite sure how that happened, but I am sure that we are going to work harder this week. We had to change a few dates with our baptisms and now we have three scheduled for this week and three for the following week! And our lessons have been going A lot better as well. we have been trying to challenge for baptism in every one of our first lessons. And we have had quite a few say yes! we just need to help them get to the chapel! I´m excited that we will have six baptisms by the end of the month! I'm super Excited!! I have been trying super hard lately to become a "Challenging and Testifying Missionary". The other week Elder Pass gave me a talk that is titled like that and it really sparked my attitude and initiative! I want more than anything for my mission to be spiritually successful. I want to be able to use the spirit to determine the needs of others and be able to help them and testify to them of the truth! I know that the Lord is preparing people to hear our message and I want to find them! in the talk it says that "The Lord knows who He wants in His church," and all that he wants us to to is "Harvest". I have been trying to strengthen my testimony and strengthen my communication with the Holy Spirit. I hope that the Lord will bless me with the strength and ability to do these things as I am more willing to sacrifice all that I have for him. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I know that his Gospel has been restored on the Earth in these last days. i know that through his sacrifice every one can be saved from sin. I hope that all people can have the opportunity to hear this message! Thank you all so much for your love and support! Keep me in your prayers and I promise that I will do the same!!

con amor

Elder Paynter

January 12-Zumpango

Hola mama

How are you? The talk by Elder Bednar I watched in the MTC, but I can't find a printed version of the full talk, and the other one Sky sent in one of his emails. And if you have any more time, there is a talk by Hugh B Brown called Profile of a Prophet and it is all about his testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. Its really great! I have almost finished reading the BOM .... its a shame I haven't finished it yet, I know... but I love to read it. I learn so much every time I read. I am in Ether right now!! How is the families reading doing?

I can't even start to explain the withdrawals that I have been having with basketball!! You all better enjoy you rec passes!! haha

How is Kyle doing with his dating? haha!! That's fun that he was able to have a great time!! It's so great to hear from all of you!! I'm glad you are all doing great!! We weren't able to have the baptisms this week, and I explain it a lot better in my rundown! And I wasn't able to take very many pictures this week haha! Right now we have 6 baptisms set up for the 24th haha! Our ward is so so.... its really interesting haha, not very many people like the bishop. I don't know why haha I love him! I've even heard my companion and another member gossip about how they don't like him... It's really hard because the ward boundaries are so big, there are so many less active members. I don't know if we will have the same struggles as Sky with the baptismal font, because ours takes more than a half an hour to fill up haha! Well it has been good hearing from you and everyone else!! Love you so much mom!! I'll talk to you when I can!! In a week haha!! Love you!!

Elder Paynter

ps. the first picture that I took is from those Crystal Light packages you sent me!! And the second is the bad weather we have been having!! Rain and fog.....:) And I saw your blog, the pictures I sent last week are in Pachuca and the food we ate, we went to Pachuca because I had to sign visa papers:)

Weekly Rundown!

Well, me and Elder Gomez had a pretty successful week this week, although our baptism fell because the couple we were going to baptize couldn't schedule a date for their marriage until the 21st. But, they are going to be baptized on the 24th instead. As of now we have 6 people scheduled to be baptized on the 24th, haha! I hope they don't mind all getting baptized together haha. Its gonna be a great day, i cant wait!! We also had quite a bit of success on Sunday (Yesterday) because we were able to get all six of our investigators with secure dates to come to church and we had quite a few more less actives attend as well! we have been working a lot with the less actives because the ward boundaries are so big, so there are so many people that cant attend every Sunday. But, we have so many less active members that if they were all active we would have enough members for three different wards! So, because of this we have been trying to find more less active members and help them to do all that they can to get to the chapel every week!! Also I feel like the teaching of Elder Gomez and I has gotten a lot better! We have been testifying a lot more and I can feel that we are inviting the spirit a lot more into our lessons! This week we had 5 of our progressing investigators commit to baptism!! We just need to work really hard to get them to church! Im so excited for them and so excited for Elder Gomez and I!! We are going to work as hard as we can this week and I cant wait to see the results!! Honestly I believe that the success that we have been having has come mostly from our improving obedience these past few weeks, We have been trying our hardest to be Missionaries that are "Obediente con Exactitud". Its a really high bar that we have set for ourselves but i believe that If we work hard enough we will be able to achieve a lot more as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you all so much for everything that you do and Keep praying for us!! Love you!

Elder Paynter

 

Zumpango-Cold and foggy...

 Jordan can only drink bottled water in Zumpango 

(all of Mexico, I think).

So, we sent him some Crystal Light to "change it up"!

January 5, 2014 - Zumpango

Look who I found on the mission blog...

This is what I saw as I left work tonight....

I used my cell phone. It did a pretty good job but it didn't quite do it justice.

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

January 5, 2015 - Zumpango

Hola,

Today is probably the coldest day we have had here!! Me and Elder Gomez went to Pachuca because i had to sign some more visa papers and get fingerprints... and it was super windy and super cold!! It reminded me a wee bit of Utah haha!! It's not snow cold but its alright and last week there was a little bit of snow on the mountains!! haha,

I printed the letter and will read it as soon as possible!! (Cody's letter)

Today we are writing pretty late because tomorrow are Cambios. I don't know what the English missionaries call them but it's the end of my first 6 week cycle here!! So, we have a bit of a different schedule today but me and Elder Gomez aren't going to have cambios tomorrow.

This week has gone great!! I have my first Investigator baptism this Saturday! The reason I told you Sonia is my fave investigator right now is because a few weeks ago we went to a less active members house to teach him but he wasn't there.  There was a lady watching over his store for  him!! It was really weird because all the electricity was out..... we asked her if we could teach her, and she let us! We taught her in the light of one candle:) It went really well and we have been teaching her the past few weeks!! This last week she told us about how before she met us, she was meeting with some christian friends of hers and was practically having missionary lessons with them! She decided that she was going to pray to find out what church was true, because she really wanted help with her family. Well, a few days after she prayed, two missionaries showed up when there were no lights and asked her if they could teach her haha!! Do you understand why she is my favorite right now!! Because she was obviously prepared by Heavenly Father!!! 

That's crazy that you are going to speak in stake conference!! Try and find the talk by Hugh B Brown about when he gave talks as a returned missionary and teaching by the spirit! I think it was him that gave that talk!!

Sorry I'm running out of time but I will make sure to think about how to help you with your talk!! Love you so much and thanks for everything mom!! Today I bought clippers for my hair so don't worry about that. Love you!!!

Elder Paynter

WeeklyRundown

Well how is everyone! Its crazy to think i have been here for 6 weeks already!! Time is already flying by! I really am having a blast right now!! This week I have my first Investigator baptism!! I cant wait! Its a baptism of a couple named Luis and Yesenia. There are going to be married the morning of the tenth and in the afternoon, they are going to have their baptisms!! Super cool right!! I honestly cant wait! We have been having great success finding new investigators lately. In the past week or so we have found four different families to teach and they are all progressing pretty great! One of the new families mentioned how they felt super peaceful when we taught about families. And right before one of our lessons, one of the investigators said to his children, "Listen, these muchachos are closer to God than we are!" Haha it;s things like this that make me love the mission more and more every day!!! We were also able to find a returned missionary who has only attended church like three times since she returned from her mission, mainly because her husband doesn't want to attend... But we are planning on working hard with all of these people so that they can partake of the blessings that they can receive as they attend!! I'm so excited and always ready to work!! We have the potential of having six baptisms before the month ends! We are going to work as hard as we can!! I have faith in Elder Gomez and I know that with the help of the spirit and the Lord we can do "All Things!" I´m glad to be here as always and can't wait to hear from you all soon!!

Elder Paynter

 Not sure what these are photos of ...(possibly Pachuca?) But this last one looks really good!