Big Foot and Fry Bread ~ 3-19-2018

Howdy Howdy Everyone!!

This week has been an average week, not much new going on beside my title of my email.......We learned out how to make the traditional Indian Fry Bread..... super good, but I might need to get transferred soon or I'm gonna pack on the weight! We also found out that there has been a few Big Foot sightings here on the REZ....started talking to this guy about it too and apparently there is a whole tribe of Big Foots?? Kinda funny!

This Saturday if anyone wants to make the drive out here we are having a baptism for our main guy Arturo Garduno at 3PM. He is doing awesome and right on track for baptism! If y'all could pray that he will continue to see the blessing come from this gospel that would be awesome though!!

This morning I was doing a little studying before we came to email and I read a super short but sweet scripture. And that is Luke 17:32. In it is says, "Remember Lot's wife."

Some of you may not know the story behind this but Lot and his family were commanded to leave Sodom and Gomorrah by the Lord because of how wicked it was!

Elder Jeffery R Holland gave a talk about this scripture. 

In the Story Lot's wife looks back on the city after being told by an angel to never look back! Lot's wife looked back and was turned to salt.........Elder Holland in his talk talks a lot about how we shouldn't look back on life longingly. But we should look forward on all of the good things that are to come!! Sometimes in life it is easy to remember the mistakes and things where we could have done better.....but why look back when there is a bright path in front of us! We all have so much potential that we may never realize, but all we can do is do our best to Follow in the footsteps of our older brother Jesus Christ!!

Challenge of the week.......don't look back but look forward.

Love you all and hope y'all have a great week!!!

-Elder Rose

Elder Rose shared another little story with his Mom this week:

The Apache's have this old witch doctor tale that they used to do to avoid being sick.......they would kill a skunk and then they would get the sack of the smelly stuff in the skunk and smell it......and apparently it clears out your sinuses and stuff hah! So, every time we drive past a dead skunk I take a big wiff and it clears out my nose, kinda gross but it works haha!!!

3-12-2018 ~ More Mescalero

Howdy Howdy Everyone!!

So I got some good news.....we got our transfer calls last night and I found out that I am staying another transfer out here with the Mescalero Apache Indians:) I was super relieved to know that I was staying another one!! The work here is definitely different from anywhere else in my mission!! Plus our main Investigator Arturo would have been baptized and there would have been no way that I would have been able to make it!! Him and is wife Edith are awesome!! So grateful for another transfer here even though the people here are so hard to figure out!! A perfect scripture that explains missionary work here in Mescalero is Alma 26: 27-31  ..........

"27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to aturn back, behold, the Lord bcomforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with cpatience thine dafflictions, and I will give unto you success.

28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their asynagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our ​cheeks; and we have been bstoned, and taken and bound with cstrong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us."

 the work is not easy whatsoever, but we are being blessed for our works and our efforts that we are putting forth!!

This week not much new has been going on but I thought that I would share an experience that I had yesterday morning making some breakfast!! So my favorite breakfast to make as a missionary is Blueberry Muffins!! SO I got up a little early yesterday to make some!! I was almost all finished making them when I realized that I forgot to put some eggs in....i whipped open the fridge to find out that we were completely out of eggs.....so I thought I would try and substitute the eggs with some milk and butter......long story short the muffins turned out terrible!!! They looked pretty good, smelt even better, but tasted absolutely nothing like my favorite Blueberry muffins!! I though about that a lot and it compares to the gospel!!  We have a list of ingredients (principals of the gospel), but sometimes we don't truly recognize how lucky  we are to have those things!! If we go about our life and ignore those little things than what is going to make our life sweeter?? The Book of Mormon is something that I compared to the eggs! Sometimes it is easy to not read the Book of Mormon and go long periods of time without even thinking about it.....but in my life so far I have truly noticed the difference in my life when I have been reading it and studying it!!! I have been able to be much happier and also find questions to things that I have had for a long time!!! 

So I challenge you all this week to get out you BoM, and take at least 5 minutes to read a passage out of there! And promise as you do that consistently you will find peace, happiness, and even possibly an answer to a question you may have!!!

Have a great week everyone!!

Love, Elder Rose

From Momma Rose - A piece of Elder Rose's note home today:

"Hey Momma:)

Well....I am staying another one here on the REZ!! I am actually very happy about that!! I have gotten pretty close to a lot of people out here and 2 transfers is just not long enough in one area!! Plus I would have missed Arturo's baptism! But I have at least 6 more weeks out here!!! Day light savings sucks hah!! Going to bed is super nice but waking up is a pain in the booty!!

The Investigators are doing great!! The work is honestly super hard out here, but the success we are having I never thought that  we would be having any of that! So I am super pumped about that!!"

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We miss this boy! It is now the beginning of track season - his favorite. It's hard to believe we aren't heading off to watch him this season. But, I'm so grateful he has chosen this path. We are seeing him grow and mature and serve and love those around him. We are recognizing blessings for his choice to serve an LDS mission. He is such a wonderful example to us.

God lives and loves His children.

What makes the Redman Red??

Howdy everyone!!

This week has been pretty slow not going to lie! There were a couple of scares at the schools in Mescalero that shut down the work for a while. Don't know why but it seems like when there are gun threats the only people that still want to go outside are the missionaries....beats me? We stayed safe though and nothing to sketchy happened!! Funny story of the week though! So we were at the church for like 2 minutes and we heard this knocking at the door.....so we ignored it for a minutes but the guy just kept knocking so we went to see who it was and we had never see this guy before! We go outside and this guy's name is Emerson....and I have heard from the branch members a lot about Emerson.....one thing is that he is always drunk!! So we start talking to him and he is toasted haha!! He was looking for some food, so we found some Ramen in the church to give to him.....and the whole time we were talking with him, he was telling Elder Stilson that he has the smallest mouth that he has ever seen!! And he went on for about 10 minutes, funniest thing this whole transfer!! Elder Stilson by the end of it was about ready to kill him but we were just grateful it was Emerson not some other psycho Apache!!

This week we also had the wedding for Arturo and Edith! It was an amazing experience to go to! They had some extended family there but was pretty lowkey for the most part! During the ceremony the spirit was so strong and undeniable! The best part was most of the family was not members and they were able to recognize the spirit that was in the room!! The spirit was so strong that after the ceremony nobody even wanted to talk because they felt like they would make the spirit leave!! 

Love you all and appreciate all of the support that y'all show me!! Hope you all are doing great and have a great week!!!:)

Love Elder Rose

2-26-18 ~ Life Counseling

This week has been a great week!!  

A little update on our Investigator Arturo.....well all week we helped him plan Him and Edith's Wedding because they decided that they wanted to get married tomorrow!! We were so pumped when they told us that because that is just helping him become one step closer with being worthy for Baptism!! He has been on fire with reading the Book of Mormon and already knows that it is the word of God!!

This week we also had the opportunity to drive to Lubbock to here from President Ballard! And that was the most spiritual experience that I have had so far on my mission. He gave us all some great advice and answered many questions and gave some comfort that I have been looking for for a while now!! 

This week we also had a few crazy things happen...... and does anybody know where I can complain? Cause in my call letter they didn't tell me that I would be a Marriage/Life counselor........ ha this week we stopped a suicide, mended a marriage, and on top of that we were with an INvestigator when he called the cops to tell him where he was so they could come arrest him.....

But other than that this week has been pretty sweet!!! I don't have tons of time today because I have to go bake a wedding cake now, but love y'all and hope everyone has a great week!!!

Jesus loves you.

-Elder Rose