Weekly Update -- January 25th, 2016

Hello everyone,

Baptism week!!! January 24th 2016, Juana Sifuentes Mata, was baptized by Elder Lopez! Super excited for her decision and that we were able to be the messengers that brought the big smile on her face that we saw yesterday. Apart from that, her two daughters and her daughter's boyfriend, German, all came to see her be baptized. AND, three members of a family who we've been teaching for a few weeks finally came to church yesterday! Seven investigators! Whoo, what a week. I'm really grateful for the opportunities we have to help in the progress of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness for us, exemplary in this baptism service. President McCarthur and his wife also took the opportunity to come and be apart of the program by bearing testimony before the ordinance on the truthfulness of the gospel.

This past Wednesday, we had the chance to see a worldwide broadcast for the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ with General Authorities like Bonnie Oscarson, David A. Bednar, Dalin H. Oaks and Ronald A. Rasband, to name a few, give advice on how we can fulfill our callings as missionaries a little better. All over the world, missionaries were watching live, except those between Finland and Japan due to the mission schedule. The theme was teach repentance and baptize converts, which was very meaningful because it taught me that we should teach in a manner that helps people to improve their lives through repentance to eventually become stronger members in the Church as opposed to just teaching them to believe in our message. An interesting thing that called my attention was that we shouldn't invite people to be baptized without teaching repentance first. A concept that can be overlooked in a lot of Latin American missions I think because of the general number of baptisms. It is really important that we are willing to submit ourselves to the will of Heavenly Father before taking the next step towards baptism; that's why the gospel of Christ is ordered as faith, then repentance, THEN baptism.

I hope your study with the Holy Spirit went well last week, this week I want to invite you all to re-read your favorite baptism story in the scritpures. My favorite is the story of Abinidi leading into the baptismal service with Alma performing the ordinances. Abinidi was awesome. Love you all, thanks for all of your prayers!

-Elder Allgaier

Juana's baptism!

Weekly Update -- January 20th, 2016

Hello everyone,

This coming Sunday, we have a baptismal date set for our investigator Juany and we are all very excited about it! She comes back from a trip from Mexico city tonight and we'll talk more to her tomorrow about her baptism. It's been very rewarding to see her progress from when we first saw her at a family party and she didn't even show interest, we ended up talking to just her daughter who is also progressing. A little later, she asked for a priesthood blessing and felt a great relief over herself as well as a relief of her pain and accepted a visit from us. Then her testimony she gave about her friend who recently passed away visiting her in her dreams was a very powerful experience in her conversion. Now Juany is going to walk a little further in the path to perfection with her decision to be baptized.

(I asked him a couple of questions including how the food is and these were a couple of his responses:) Food is good, almost always beans, meate, rice and tortillas, but every once in a while someone might switch it up with some tortas or chinese food!  It's fun to hear about returning missionaries and leaving missionaries. 

Yesterday, on the way to a zone activity waiting on the bus, my mind was wondering a bit and rested on a very specific moment when I was in the car in Brunswick after a 'movie in the parks' activity. I remembered very specifically a feeling of peace and clear thinking, clean from any anger or frustration I might've had at the time. Then, I remembered a similar feeling I had when I was arguing with my sister Kristyn. In an instant, my frustration of her not understanding me vanished and my perspective of what she might be feeling widened. I realized exactly what the Holy Spirit feels like based on these two memories given to me through the Holy Spirit. Now, it is much easier to be able to recognize inspirations and make clearer decisions. I'll invite you to study the work of the Holy Ghost this week in the scriptures and await any stories or epiphones you might want to share. Love you all!

-Elder Allgaier

Weekly Update -- January 11th, 2016

Hello everyone,

Running a little short on time this week because of all of the wonderful people who continue to write me this week and I love reading their stories and keeping up with them. Anyways, our two investigators, Anahi and Juany continue to progress and coming to church. This past week, they even asked us about the commandments since 'they're going to be baptized, they should know about the commandments.' They accepted and understood the doctrine with tithing, word of wisdom and law of chastity. Juany is leaving this week to Mexico city and won't be able to come to church again until her scheduled baptism date, the 24th!!

I can see various differences in my life in recognizing how much I have learned and grown since coming on the mission. Now passing 10 months, going on divisions with Elders who are in their first 2 or 3 months, I feel confident leading in an area and being able to talk to people very fluidly. This past week, Elder Lopez and I had rides set up for 10 investigators to come to church. Even though only two came, we felt very well in our capacity to get that much accomplished in one week with the great help of our members as well as two days worth of divisions. I invite you to watch the face to face with Elder Nelson that came out this past Sunday. The face to face videos look pretty cool from what I've seen. Sorry for the short email this week, but I love you all!

My bike

Pan Rosca a tradition here on the 6th of January

Elder Lopez on a very pretty day

Weekly Update -- January, 4th, 2016

Hello everyone!

Oh happy New year's, what a week. First off, we did divisions this week with the Zone leaders and I went to the more urban area with my old companion from Escobedo B, Elder Casiano! The team was back and we did some good work now that we are both more wiser and more experienced. During the divisions, he took me to do a little service project moving a member's boxes into her house. I found out after a little bit of conversation that the wife knew perfect english (which isn't too rare in the city, but its fun everytime I can talk with them in two languages) but spoke in a lot of spanglish, saying things like 'por favor, puede mover los boxes over there?' After a little more talking, she told me about her uncle, Eduardo Balderaz!! Some of you may not know that name, but he was the translator of the Pearl of Great Price, Jesus the Christ and (if I remember correctly) the current version of the Book of Mormon, to the Spanish language! I always find very interesting people in the city.

Yesterday, we had our two investigators at church again, Anahi and her Mom. Anahi can get baptized this week if she decides she wants to, now with the church assistance (attendance) requirement filled. Her Mom gave a super powerful testimony yesterday in fast and testimony meeting when she talked about her experience with the Jehova's Witnesses and her Mormon neighbor who recently passed away. She also talked about when Elder Lopez and I gave her a Priesthood blessing for her pain after she lost her job because of the intensity. Last week she mentioned having an interesting dream, but wouldn't give the details to us. Juany revealed in her testimony that the dream was her Mormon neighbor friend telling her that she sent the young messengers to her. SUPER powerful and I'm SUPER excited to continue teaching her in these following weeks.

Today... We had a Mission-wide activity at the offices in the middle area of the mission, which I have yet to hear happen before. A lot of fun to see all 200 (more or less) missionaries who cover the west half of Monterrey. We had a fútbol tournament between all of the zones (about 8 in total) and our zone, Anahuac, took home the bragging rights. In some (summary), a pretty good week.

I want to invite you all to do the same that our mission President just challenged us to do: read the entire Book of Mormon from cover to cover. You don't have to read the index, but do read the introductions and testimonies. Elder Lopez and I are already doing it with a few others in our branch and the district of missionaries and I'm in 2 Nephi right now. A little extra would be to share new things that you learn with a friend or family member. I like to hear newly learned things as well if you would like to send me an email. Thanks everyone, love you all! Here's to 2016!

-Elder Allgaier

divisions with Elder Casiano ending in compechanas (Elder Allgaier's favorite food!)

How we spent New Years (with Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, not alcohol!)

Mission activity

Weekly Update -- December 28th, 2015

Hello everyone,

Kind of a crazy week with the Christmas festivities from the Regios (people from Monterrey) and from the mission. However, despite the difficulties, we had TWO investigators at church!!! WHOOO!! That is the biggest payoff to a week of mission work for me. One of them was an investigator, named Anahi, who had come two times before, but this times she brought her Mom named Juany. I was given the opportunity to teach the class on how we should pray to our Heavenly Father and Juany felt the Spirit in the class strong enough to share her personal testimony and experiences of prayers being ansered as well.

As far as Christmas stuff goes, we had a mission party where half of the mission came to our stake center to do some skits, have some dinner, chat and get a neat giftbag that President McCarthur and his wife were so nice to give us. Fun time to see so many missionaries together apart from changes, especially the new missionaries. We had a district Christmas party at our zone leaders' house where one of the Elders had been sent some Christmas money to use strictly on food. Weather (spell check that please Mom :)) or not his parents knew, it was enough to feed the entire district a ham, mashed potato, soda, tuna caseroll and meatball dinner. We accomplished what their wish was: eat well. At the same party we did a gift exchange which was super fun with the reactions us Elders give at the 100 peso (6 USD) maximum gifts we receive. Elder Lopez and I also got bikes!! Super happy about that because it gives us exercise and saves the mission money. Thanks Mom for the Christmas money to make it possible!

Of course the part of the week I was most excited for was the skype call home. Even though there were some techincal difficulties, it was the highlight of the week to hear and see them again. They say I speak English like a Mexican now... Anyways, before New Year's hits, I'll make the invitation to make yourselves a list of goals or personal traits you would like to improve on this year. I want to read the Book of Mormon and Jesus the Christ and become fluent in Spanish this year. What do you think? Love you all, happy New Year!

-Elder Allgaier

Weekly Update -- December 22nd, 2015

Due to computer problems, Elder Allgaier wasn't able to send out his update until today. Happy reading! 


Hello everyone,

Fun week seeing a lot of people getting preparations up for Christmas. Oh, I'm staying in Salinas Victoria another seven weeks (long change due to the timing for those going home by airplane) which will permit me to work more with a few investigators with a lot of promise we found these past couple of weeks. One of the families we found of six people was after Elder Lopez and I were waiting for the bus to go back to our house when he turned to me and asked if we had contacted the house right on the other side of the road. I said we hadn't and we decided to knock on the door. They ended up having a lot of good questions about prophets, the life of Christ, some of our beliefs and where the church was. Over the next couple of visits they have been keeping commitments as well like reading the Book of Mormon, praying, reading the pamphlets, even marking them! Those are the kind of things that we, as missionaries LOVE! That is just one family of a few other scattered investigators we have to work with this change so far. I'm excited.

Of course, Christmas is this week and I am SUPER excited to skype with my family this Friday! One of my friends recently emailed me and said Christmas was a little less magical as we get older. It is so gratifying when I'm able to serve others in this season because it really is about celebrating the life of Christ. He who served others more than any other person who ever lived or will live. I want to invite you to find a little service opportunity to really feel the Christmas Spirit. I would love to hear what you have done to do so. I know that you will feel a greater sense of joy apart from giving and receiving gifts. Love you all! (Pictures coming next week)

-- 

-Elder Allgaier

Weekly Update -- December 14th, 2015

Hello everyone,

Elder Lopez and I had a fantastic week where we saw a lot of miracles. I think difference was when we had divisions this past Tuesday with our district leader Elder Long and a returned missionary who served in Las Vegas. A few small things we changed was praying with the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood stated in the prayer. Also, using representatives of Jesus Christ in place of Missionaries.

The biggest thing, however, that made this week so successful was starting the 40 day fast of anything we could think of in our current actions that wouldn't invite the Spirit to testify of our words. We each wrote down our own lists and ended together the 24 hour fast with a prayer and asked Heavenly Father how many of His children He had prepared for us to be baptized this week. This is how I really believe prayer is meant to be a communication between Him and His children. We received an answer of one for this past week when we prayed on Wednesday which meant someone already had to have been to church a few times. I realized that our neighbor, Juan, had already been to church with past missionaires and was also going through some trials with learning English, trials with his family as well as with his job. After realizing he could be baptized this week if we were inspired to do so, we did EVERYTHING within our power to make it possible, which is when Elder Lopez and I really understood faith on a much more profound level. Peter said even the demons believe in Jesus and the Son of God, but the difference between belief and faith is similar to the difference between knowledge and wisdom (there's a T.S. Eliot quote that I really like similar to this concept). We talked to Juan right then and answered a question he had about a chapter in the Book of Mormon and felt the Spirit very strong. We were inspired to put the baptismal date for the 11th, just two days later and he accepted! After his fair share of trials and a guiding hand from us, we were able to have a baptism just as planned two days later. One of the most special lessons I've learned on my mission so far.

Tonight we find out if one of us is leaving Salinas Victoria and I'm thinking I'll have a 50 50 chance of taking on a new area. I've really learned a lot here and a lot with Elder Lopez and my companion. As an invitation, I would like to recommend studying on the topic of faith and answering the question that I will also try to answer better this week. How can we exercise faith in Jesus Christ? A few chapters can be James chapter 3 and Alma 32. Feel free to use the footnotes. Also, why did Jesus Christ say that Peter had little faith. Thanks for everything, love you all!

-Elder Allgaier 

BAPTISM!!

A future missionary and recent convert in our branch -- Lupita.

Zone Conference