Week 9

 Hola everyone!

This has been a rly long and short week haha. We had zone conference this week and we do those in Merida about a 3 hour bus ride from where we live. I slept in a single room with 10 hammocks strung up every which was we could fit, had conference and met a bunch more missionaries and had so many spiritual experiences this week.

I have realized, and I'm ashamed to admit, but I am quite the fruit addict. Originally, I would have thought eating more fruit would curb my bloody candy addiction but now I just have two problems. There's so much fruit here, and I am now a big mango guy. Had never had fresh mango off the tree in my life and I've had more than I'm willing to admit since I've got here. There are these little fruits that the mayaans here call whyums, that's the only was I can think to spell it in English. They're like cherry sized and they're like a cherry but with a skin you peel off and theyre orange and theyre the sweetest things ever. Me and my companion Mark all the whyum trees we find in area book. 

At zone conference is when everyone gers their packages from everyone and one of my buddies Elder vest got a huge box from his girlfriend with all the American candy you can think of that we don't have here and more and I might have bought it all off him.

What I didn't know is how every single fruit stains white shirts. I started getting a few of my shirts back from the laundry with these brown burned stains in them almost to the point where they're unusable and I was about to have something to say to the laundry lady until someone in the ward made an off comment about how she doesn't eat whyums because they stain so bad 😐 so now I'm down 4 shirts.

Spiritually, I had an amazing week. Sweet Martha was baptized, she is what we call a golden investigator. Never had anything wrong not a question followed all the rules right away and had a testimony. I couldn't help but tear up when I saw her rise from the water. I gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost and a blessing in Spanish which was no doubt helped by God that I was able to do so. Without sharing some sacred experiences, I can tell you that the lord is in every detail. I know that every decision I make is from the lord and backed by him, and it's a confidence I've never had before. So many times where questions were answered and things happened at perfect times that have proved to me we are under his watchful care even if we don't realize it.

Me and my comps area is currently been blowing up, more so than anywhere else in the mission that I know of just since uve been here. Not that I've had a thing to do with it that's just the time frame. What I have helped with is helping my companion get so good at teaching lessons by himself because I don't say much. That's probably the reason for success. My faith is ever growing and increasing, and I have a realization almost everyday that grows it more. It's as though I'm like leveling up. And every time I advance I realize why I was where I was before and why I thought what I thought and everything is so clear, but there's a next puzzle to decipher. I always thought faith was how sure you were on a scale of 1-10 that God was real. I've always been a ten within those parameters. Selfishly I used to think how could I possibly grow when I have the most faith I can have. Silly huh. I love learning and growing, which I good because thats now what I do for a living.

I had one cool experience this week, I gave a guy a book of Mormon last week and we followed up this week asking if he read it. Usually the answer is no, didn't have time. I actually haven't received a different answer thus far. But this guy read all the way to second Nephi in a week. He is a big history guy and knows his stuff about the Bible. He told me the mayaans have a book of a white man coming out of the sky and giving them power, until they weren't righteous and he took it away. We showed him 3rd Nephi 11 and it blew his mind. He had questions, we had answers. This is what I thought being a missionary would be like. Teaching people who want to learn and build upon knowledge, the book of Mormon and the gospel builds upon everything and makes everything make MORE sense. And for any one with a desire to know more will quickly be met with every answer they've ever wondered. But I've been teaching people who just don't care. You could give them the sermon of a life time and their response is, que bueno. Like what?! The gospel is the glue of life! All the information in the world and why we're here and it's at our fingertips and these people don't GET IT. I WANT TO SHAKE THEM. so needless to say. This guy was refreshing.

Spanish is weird, because I have gotten to the point, where I recognize every single word that is said to me. No matter how face I can break it up word to word and I know the word but I still don't know what they're saying and can't keep up. It's the most crazy feeling to know but not know at the same time. And it's put a hault on my speaking because I feel like if I could just have a reference for how others talk and speak I could incorporate how they speak into everything I say and I could grow exponentially but that's my problem for now. 

I want to leave you all with my testimony the lord is always there for us, if you don't feel as though he is, you need to increase your faith. There's a lesson to learn in everything you go through and every trial you go through. I love serving the lord and being here and I miss you all. Something crazy, my school class of 2023 graduated this last week, I'm almost 3 months down as a missionary and I live in Mexico. Life is crazy. 

Have a great week! 

-Elder Bastian

Week 8

 YALL 

Okay I've been told I need to make my emails more readable and not just one big block haha! So that is the goal this week.

I had such a good week it was so fast actually. The members here are amazing, they are so diligent and committed to helping us out and loving us. Many drive us around and help us teach whenever they can. They are all SO HAPPY all the time. Kind and humble and loving, the best traits of Christ that im trying to emmulate. I feel so blessed.

Not sick anymore luckily and was able to work hard this week! We saw so many people everyday and taught so many successful lessons and we saw the fruits of our labors at the end of the week. Yesterday was so beautiful because we had 4 investigators throughout that week show up to church and make an effort even when some of them love up to an hour away. Their faith is incredible! And I can't describe the joy I felt when they walked through the doors. Me and my companion were just dancing and jumping with joy when these people came through the doors. It talks in the scriptures of the joy of bringing others to Christ, I can't imagine the immensity of the joy of seeing these people in the celestial kingdom and hugging them. Especially since I had almost never felt so much joy as I did just seeing them in church.

There's this one guy in particular, his name is Gabriel. He reminds me of Jabba the hut. You'd have to see him. It's more the tone of his voice and how slow he talks and I can't understand a word haha but I love him. He's had a smoking problem his whole life and he's trying to drop it. We gave him a Priesthood blessing and he threw away the cigarettes and came over an hour to church this week with a member when he can barely walk. 

Another highlight of the week was picking mangos with some little girls in the branch who aren't much over probably 5 or 6 years old. When they first saw me their jaw dropped, don't know if they've ever seen a 6'1 white guy before. They were so shy but then I fixed one of their toys and they wouldn't leave me alone! One wore my sombrero all lesson and we played hide and seek and they helped us pick mangos in their back yard and would catch them for us. I would grab the littlest one by the wrists and throw her in the air and catch her and she would laugh the best laugh I've ever heard. So much joy.

My Spanish took leaps this week. I can say almost everything I want to say (slowly) but the problem is the listening haha. I have to translate every word so even if I know all the ones being said once I figure out what a sentence meant they're 5 ahead. All in time tho. My comp translates and I can communicate haha.

Random things:

- I swear this place is where they filmed nacho libre somebody needs to look it up and let me know. His little blue bike he rides in the movie is everywhere here haha. I actually sit in the front of one multiple times a week people use them for taxis here around the Pueblo.

- I hate birds. They are so loud here. And they stopped doing daylight savings here so it gets light at like 5 am and theyre up cawing for NO REASON. A lot will just sit un the window sill and bang their heads on the window for hours. I really need to work on patience but I get so impatient waiting for it to come  

- I think I have found the most annoying bug ever. They're called June bugs. If they have them in the states it's NOT like here these things are big and they are DUMB. They are so fat I don't know how they fly it looks like it takes all of their strength and they can only stay up for a few seconds so they'll just run into the wall or land on your face.

There's a lot more that happened this week. So many people progressing and so many blessings. We have baptisms the next two Sundays so I'll let you guys know about them! One is Gabriel:)) (jabba) I love you all and I love being a missionary. The lord us watching out for me everyday and draws close to me as I try to draw close to him, and I can promise all of you the same blessing if you put in the effort too. Have a great week!

- Elder B

Week 7

Hola todos!! I have a lot a lot to say. Sorry for not emailing for a bit the ccm was just kind of the same thing every Day.

One week ago today I got up at 2 am to get on my bus to the airport. There was one other person from my district on there with me but once we got to the airport I was on my own. Went through security and checked bags and was in Merida by 9 am or so. The mission president and his wife and the APs we're there waiting for us to come through. We got in a van and drove to the mission home. After a little of being there we met with all the trainers and people who work in the mission home and we had pizza and Hung out for a bit. Then we all sat around in a circle and we we're assigned companions. Luckily, I got a guy who Speaks english. There was a big possibility that wouldnt be the case so PHEW.

After that I got my hammock (its all Hot pink) and called my fam and then me and my comp left to get to my first area.

Took an uber to the bus station and bussed 2.5 hours to my area. When we got there we had a dinner appointment that we went right to.

This was such an immediate culture shock. Everyone here lives in concrete and mud huts. I go to this house and sit Down in a dirty stained plastic chair and this 3 foot by 3 foot little table and I look up and there hundreds of bugs crawling out of the ceiling and geckos and spiders all over the wall. There we're bugs falling in my food from the ceiling. Everything is old and ratty and dirty and I was actually thinking how was I going to live like this for 2 years. For these of you who know me you know I'm too big of a germaphobe. Especially when it comes to other peoples germs. Now I'm eating off slighty washed off utensils eating foot made in these conditions. 

Then after to make me even more uncomfortable we get to my house at like 930 at night and the place is a STY. Socks, clothes, dust, dirty bugs, spiders everything you can think of was just lurking. And the house was so Hot and humid I was so disappointed HAHA. That was my first day.

Next morning we went to another town for district council and I got my sombrero. We got some food then did some mission work at the end of the Day. 

Lot of walking haha we walk everywhere except to get to other pueblos.

We algo ate Lunch at a members house that Day. I had prayed to just feel confortable and to be humble and I havent had a problem with anything since. Whats beautiful is that these people have so little and theyre so happy. Everyone lives with next to nothing, doesnt affect them just because thats how it is here, I love it. 

I also killed a scorpion that night in the house. I promptly took to cleaning and sweeping out the whole house. I broke down so many ecosystems and animal families haha. Now I can be somewhat comfortable here.

Next day was our first day in a new Pueblo, like a 30 minute bus ride from our house. The highlight of that day was a specific lesson. This family let us in and my comp gave such a good introduction to our beliefs and the book of Mormon. What is hard for me right now is not knowing enough of the language to contribute much. I just sit there trying to figure out what my comp is teaching and talking about waiting for a question he will ask me. That lesson, he asked me what the book of Mormon means to me. And my mouth was FILLED and without an extra breath I bore my testimony of the book of Mormon and why it's so important in almost perfect spanish. My comp recited to her the first vision and I couldn't help but tear up. They asked so many questions and were genuinely so interested and said they had been waiting for something like this because they said they've found so many other religions are corrupt. And these principles of the gospel to them were just ground breaking knowledge you could see their excitement. 

We had a few other good lessons that day, ate a lot of food with some members there, I realized I hate HATE flan. 

Next Day was another Pueblo all the way on the edge of the gulf. Had a few good lessons that day too and I felt more confident in being asked more questions by my comp. It just gets frustrating sometimes because there's so much I want to say and bear testimony of and my lips are tied and I just have to sit there. It's okay for now I'm just supposed to be learning. 

We gave a lesson that day to the cousin of this member who drove us around that day. She had only heard of us through her cousin. We gave a message on the book of Mormon and she also seemed really receptive too. I actually kind of led that discussion.

Next day was stuff around here in my home town. Cansahcab. The natives here call it Kansas city. I don't even know why.

Highlight of that day was probably teaching this one boy, he's about like 14, his family is inactive but he still takes lessons from us. I challenged him to read the book of Mormon everyday for the next week until we see him again and to pray about it everyday with true intent. I told him if he doesn't feel a thing, we never have to see him again, but I promised him if he wanted to know it's true then to take me up on what I told him, and I said he had nothing to lose. I know he's reading, I'm excited to see him again, my comp is going to invite him to get baptized next visit if all goes well.

Nowwww Saturday was a regular day, we taught an english class to some members and did normal work. That night we were having trouble talking to anyone none of our contacts had time or were home or wanted to hear. We prayed to find somebody and the next house we knocked opened the door long enough to hear a lesson and we gave her a book of Mormon. We're following up this week.

Sunday is a DOOZY. I woke up with a stomach infection. Probably the sickest I had ever been in my life. I couldn't stop throwing up. They asked me to give my testimony in church and I had thrown up 2 minutes before I got on the pulpit haha. So after I got the day off and I didn't leave my hammock from Maybe 2-3 yesterday until now. I think I'm all better. The testimony went good! For one week down the members and I were impressed at my ability to talk and say what I wanted to, I think they like me.

Miscellaneous stuff:

My favorite thing in the world here is cheap bread. I could eat it forever.

Dogs- oh my goodness the poor dogs. I don't even know where to start. They are all skin and bone and all of them are beaten by their owners. Every dog I see won't let me come within 10 feet of touching it or if it does and realizes I'm not going to hit it with a machete, won't leave me alone haha! Because I don't beat them. I see them tied up to trees everywhere just alone and starving. Some with their paws half cut off from being hit with a machete or worse. The other night while my comp was sharing a message to a guy, his kids were playing with the dog. They would rub their hands in the dirt and then rub all over the dog to get it dirty then they'd grab it by its hind legs and drag it across the asphalt. I went up to the dog and started loving on it and I swear this dog started just crying in my arms. It just tucked its head in between my neck and shoulder and refused to leave.

All animals here are beat haha but I have the most sympathy for the dogs. 

I don't mind sleeping in a hammock at all, I am getting better at it everyday its actually a skill to know how to configure yourself and distrubute your weight. For those of you who don't know, it's too hot here to have beds so everyone sleeps in hammocks. 

And, the heat. I average like 36-41 degrees centigrade here which is like 96-105 degrees fareinheit. The humidity will be as low as 30 and as high as 80. I don't mind it really I just have come to expect nothing less than to sweat my guts out haha.

Oh and the house. We lose power and water pretty frequently so it'll get hotter in here sometimes than outside haha. There was one day when we were trying to do comp study in the house without any fans or anything and we we're just pouring sweat. I couldn't look down at my book without soaking the page haha! But just all part of the fun here.

I'm sure there are things I've forgotten but at this point I'd be surprised if most of you read this far so I'll end it here.

I'm so happy to he here and I already love it. I love my Lord and I can't wait to see you all again.

Merida

 Date: 8 May 2023  

Dear family of Elder Bastian,

We are pleased to receive Elder Bastian to the México, Mérida Mission.  President and Hermana Olguin have met with him and your missionary is with his trainer Elder Cline! We are grateful for the service of Elder Bastian in this great work of gathering Zion.  We love him already!  

Bye CCM, Hello Merida!

Paxton got up at 1:45 this morning, gave his companion some knuckles and headed to the airport to fly to Merida. He was one of 8 people from the CCM traveling to Merida and the only one from his district.  We just got a call from him so that he could tell us he made it to Merida safely. He was able to meet his Mission President and now he has a 3 hour bus drive to his first assigned area. He did meet his first companion in the field who surprisingly is a white guy. He said most everyone in the mission is Hispanic and speaks Spanish fluently. It’s pretty intimidating but his Spanish is coming along. He can teach gospel lessons in Spanish but regular conversation is still a work in progress. 

He said is unbelievably hot. It’s almost indescribable as it’s 101 degrees at 78% humidity so he just went from 70 degrees to 107 (with the humidity) it’s going to take some getting used to for sure!

He didn’t have long to talk, they had to hit the road but he is safe, and he is happy! ❤️

(This is his last picture with his CCM district that he has been with since day 1 of home MTC. They are all heading to different parts of the world speaking Spanish). 

What incredible young Men and Women!! I am so impressed and amazed! I know the Lord is watching over them but please keep the missionaries in your prayers as they go forth to preach the gospel of Jesus  Christ!