I´ve been having a great time here in Mexico! This is the greatest thing I could possibly be doing.


A few thing that are on my "Happiness project" list this week:


- We met a guy at a dry cleaners who offered us free dry cleaning (we brought our suits there today).


- We had a great lesson with the Adorno family. We helped them to repent and change.


- I had a watermellon flavored Arizona.


- Brother Bautista, when the appointment he was accompanying us to fell through, decided to take us to meet an old friend who lives close. His old neighbor Guadalupe is really excited to hear more about the church.


As you can see, there are lots of different things that can make a missionary happy. For that matter, there are lots of things to make us all happy. That really is why we´re here. That´s life´s purpose (2 Nephi 2:25).


Plus it´s just a lot funner being happy.


As most of you know, the mission isn´t always the happiest experience. In a talk in stake conference last week a recently returned missionary shared the story of how she got a scar on her leg, specifying that her purpose was not to scare off anyone thinking of serving a mission. But she said that she loved that scar. Although the long day that it reminds her of was not fun in the moment, she remembers all of the people she served and the great times she had. And most of all, she remembers the Savior who never will forget us (Isaiah 49:16).


I hope we can all remember the Savior and joyfully live in His service.


Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Promises Worth Keeping

El Pirámide del Sol

El Pirámide de la Luna y la vista desde encima

My companion and I by this cool jaguar thing, me in front of "El Pirámide del Sol" (The Sun Pyramid) and halfway up it.

A guy teaching us about natural paints used by the Aztec people.

And a Puma that they painted in a similar manner anciently

My companion and I by this cool jaguar thing, me in front of "El Pirámide del Sol" (The Sun Pyramid) and halfway up it.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I shouldn´t have to write anything after sending so many photos. But I guess I´ll say something, although it might be short.

The work in which I am engaged here is so important; I realize it more and more every day. Just the other day on the bus I was just looking out the window over the vast sea of concrete houses that are all within the area asigned to my stewardship. In that moment it hit me, maybe more than ever before, the importance of my calling. Every person that lives within my eyesight from that elevated viewpoint is looking for what we have. They are waiting for us.

They are waiting for all of us.

Whether you´ve been called to a full-time mission or as a primary teacher, or if you don´t have a calling at all, you have a great responsability as a member of the Lord´s church. This truly is Jesus Christ´s church. You have been baptized, recieving sacred covenants and, above all, the obligation to represent Christ at all times and in all things and in all places (see Mosiah 18). How often do you think of those promises? Do you live up to them?

You have recieved in return the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, something generations of believers have longed for. When was the last time that you thanked your Heavenly Father for sending a member of the Godhead to be your constant companion?

I hope that each one of us can take the time to ponder these things prayerfully. I promise that the Lord will give us all the guideance that we need as we do so.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Proyecto de Felicidad

Sister Titensor, my mission president´s wife, has asked us to participate in a "happiness project" in which we write down every day at least three things that make us happy. It´s been quite fun writing those things out and, although I haven´t been perfectly diligent since we started the project, I´ve seen that it really does help when you notice the simple things that make you happy. Today I would like to simply share a few of those thoughts in no particular order.

Yesterday we were walking in the street and we heard someone yell "¡Élderes!". We went to talk to her and she said that her grandson (who was about 12) had seen us go by and wanted to meet us. Now the whole family could have the chance to hear the restored gospel.

We had a good, productive ward council meeting.

I learned a bit about the history of Teotihuacán from some members. They offered to bring us there.

One member always asks my companion what it´s like in "Skachetoon" (my companion is from Saskatchewan).

We had a cool zone meeting, in which I felt strongly the spirit.

Jared, an investigator, understood why he needs to be constant in the little things, such as reading the scriptures and praying, in order to have a true personal conversion.

The new missionaries in the district bring new "animo".

I got a package full of candy from my cousin! (Thank you!)

We helped a stressed-out sister clean her dining room, allowing the spirit to enter into her home.

We found chinese food!

These are a few of the things I´ve written in my agenda next to a smiley face over the last few weeks. I hope that something from there will be of interest for you. I know that The Lord can always guide us to the personal revelation that we need in small and simple ways. If you look, he will tell you something out of this. He sure has to me.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Miguel

This was a pretty great week. We did all sorts of different things. But I would like to focus more on what happened at the end of the week: Miguel`s baptism.

We met Miguel a while ago. He`s dating Marisol, a member of the church in our ward. She of course had talked to him about quite a few things, and he must have liked it, because when we first met him he invited us to go eat breakfast at his house (some delicious tacos). While eating we were talking about various things, but the conversation was interrupted by an abrupt question: "Can you guys help me to get baptized?"

At first in shock, we responded something along the lines of "of course we can" and shared a short message. Over the last few weeks we`ve been visiting him and helping him to develop faith in Jesus Christ and to repent in preparation for his baptism. The last little while we`ve tried to help prepare him not only for baptism and confirmation but also to be able to perseverar hasta el fin, although ya estaba listo.

Sorry, but having an English-speaking companion in a Spanish-speaking country leads to quite a bit of spanglish.

Miguel is a super cool guy. I`m so blessed to be able to help him in the process of his conversion. I`ve seen him come to know and love his Savior, and that is what this is really all about. I`m so grateful for the conversion and mighty change of heart that I am experiencing as well.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Brother Monroy’s descendants

This week has been fun. I´ve done lot´s of things; I feel like it´s been quite some time since last time I wrote. Let´s see where I get started.

If you remember the history of the church in Mexico (of which I´ve sent a bit of information before) you might remember Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales, two of the first members of the church here in Mexico. They lived in San Marcos, Hidalgo (in my mission but quite aways from my current area), and the citizens of San Marcos were not glad to see the church come into their town. On threat of death, these two men stayed faithful. Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales were martyred soon after their conversion, but their faith opened the path for the church this part of the Lord´s vineyard.

A couple of weeks ago Elder Macinnes and I were walking to an appointment and we saw a family walking the other way. We took the time to talk to them. They were all really friendly and accepted that we visit them. But for a couple of weeks we were unable to find them in their house.

When we finally found them they were in a hurry to get to the funeral of a family member. But we set an appointment to see them a few days later. As we talked he told us of his father who was a member of the church but had passed away years ago. As we testified of God´s plan for us and the restoration of the knowledge of that plan, Daniel Monroy and his family began to feel the truth of this great work.

I am so greatful for being a part of this great work, and for being able to help one of Brother Monroy’s descendants come to a knowledge of the restored gospel that he adored so greatly.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Progress -- What are your plans?

This has been a great week.

I would like to take this time to testify of the priciples of setting goals and plans and rendering an account of your stewardship.

In Chapter 8 of Preach My Gospel you can learn lots about those principles that have recently changed my life. It seems so simple -- set a goal, make a plan to achieve that goal, and tell someone how you´re going with those goals and plans.

I´ve seen it in my life and in those I serve. When we put a baptismal date, for example, people begin to progress much quicker. This week we had three investigators who were progressing slowly but for different reasons didn´t have a specific date for baptism. We realized our error and helped them to set that goal. Interestingly all three chose the same day. Now Jared, Miguel, and Flor are all starting to work much harder to get to baptism than ever before.

I have personal goals as well, and as I share them with God through prayer and with my leaders and mission president I´ve seen huge changes. I´m still far from perfect, but I´m certainly progressing.

And, of course, that progress is really thanks to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser

Well, This week I only have a couple of days to write about, but they were a couple of good days!

This week I seem to have distracted myself in other stuff during my time here in the internet, so sorry that I´m not going to write much. But just know that everything is well here.

I´m loving the mission. Time really flies here. I feel like I just got here! I´ve got to work hard in the time I´ve got left. I´m gonnea give it my all!

Love,
Elder Jayson Fraser