A hard week & transfers

This week was not the easiest by any means. Pero sigo feliz. This is not an easy work. I love a quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that says "Salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy." In that same quote he talks of Jesus Christ an his suffering, his agony, and his pain. It was excruciating. I would surely not have been able to handle what He went through. But just as Elder Holland said, "How could we  believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?" It might not always be easy, but I know that Christ suffered much more than I ever will, and He is always here to help me when I look for His help. (See "Missionary Work and the Atonement" by Jeffrey R. Holland)

Well, now you´re probably all wondering what was hard this week. The most difficult part of this week was that I got really sick. Last week I commented that I was getting sick, and it got worse. I got really dehydrated, and that day my immune system basically shut down. I first got bad headaches accompanied by an inability to eat for who knows why. After that I got really sick in the throat and lungs. At this point I went to a member in our ward who is a doctor. She gave me two medicines (with authorization of mission doctors, of course) and I started taking them. I got much worse. I couldn´t eat almost all week. I had a bad fever and couldn´t stay warm. I spent one whole day at home almost inable to move. All that time I was coughing and hacking up phlegm. I have been feeling much better the last 2 or 3 days, but I haven´t been able to hold down food, so I went to the doctor again today. He said I have gastritis from all of the medicine and perscribed me more. We couldn´t work much this week for this reason. It was pretty rough.

In less gross news, tomorrow is transfers. We found out yesterday. The whole time we thought I would stay and Elder Mendez go, but things turned out differently. I´m not staying in las Alamedas. I´m not staying in the zone. I´m not staying in Atizapan de Zaragosa. I´m not even staying in the State of Mexico. I´m going to the area Carmen in Tula Hidalgo. My companion will be Elder Karmac, the same Elder that I went with on exchanges my first day in the mission field. Elder Mendez will be district leader and train again. Elder Finlinson also stays and trains. Elder Candelario will go to Prados as a zone leader. Everything is going to be very different. Next week I´ll explain my new area. So far what I´ve heared is that in Tula there are more napales than people. Also I´ve heard there´s some cool big heads there. It´s a joke in the mission to say "you´re being transferred to Tula". I´ll be there in the morning, so I´ll let you know how it is next week.

I am certainly sad to leave this area, I´m going to miss a lot of people. There are great people here in Mexico, and I´m sure that´s the same in Tula. I love this work. I love the Lord. I know that Jesus Christ is my savior and that He will help me in everything that I do as I continue in faith.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Fancy new treat

Día de los Muertos: The first day is for the dead children and the second (not pictured) is for dead adults. This is an ofrenda for the first day, with food, water, milk, treats, and everything else a dead child could want.