Baptisms!

hahaha well as you can tell we had some baptisms this week. 5 to be exact and before i start i must say that EVERY prayer that was said was indeed answered and it was an experience that will never be forgotten. Good stuff as i approach 15 months in a couple weeks! wow time is going so fast!

Anyways dad happy to hear work is going well and that you love your job. That for sure makers it better. Real happy for you!! and obviously that youre gonna to the bike ride again! beast mode.  Keep it up in the paint. haha And mom as well with her new callingg!! Love hearing that you guys are killing it haha. good stuff good stuff. Im glad you liked those surprise pictures. Yea her son just got home like less than two weeks ago and he said he loved his mission!!  My fever is better now. Ive felt perfectly fine for a week now haha thanks :) as for the mission stuff i love the little travel pillow i always use it when i travel to juarez and yea. BY THE WAY I NEED MORE CONTACTS. I have a box left..haha and im glad to hear that parker is doing well. What has he said?

Also yea i wanna go to the Payson temple someday it looks beautiful!! and thats so cool with the new neighbors! Love hearing all thats going on this week! :)

Anyways this week was crazy. 

haha so you guys already know how we found the Martinez family right? We found them through the young woman (Maryanna) and so weve been teaching them and last week we put the date for the 26th of September to get baptized and we told them that the week before their baptisms would be filled with tests and satan would do everything possible so that they wouldnt get baptized and man oh man the tests came haha. People from school and work said stuff about the church and family members and it was hard but we passed almost every day to help them out doing everything possible to hlep them. but we had the interviews on friday and Laura, Evelyn, and Mari Carmen passed and then Maryanna who we thought was the most sure said she wasnt ready and didnt want to get baptized and had alot of doubts and was really sad and we were all ....darn so we prayed my companion, the district leader, and i and we decided to give her a blessing and told her to pray that night and to call us before 3 on saturday to tell us if she was gonna get baptized (by the way Laura is really strong she said she was going to go whereever God commands her to go). We prayed a bunch and i didnt murmur at all and just was leaving it up to Heavenly Father. So on saturday we didnt get any call....then the rest of the family got there for the baptism and she got out of the car and said she was gonna get baptized!!!! MIRACLE. Thats a story for the Ensign or Liahona or something haha. All four got baptized and it was awesome!! I baptized the mom and Laura and then later that night we went to Johnathans baptism as well. 

And then obviously this week is conference and we are pumped to see it!! and pumped to stay here for another cycle. so for the least ill be here until November. 

But remember the words of Jesus Christ...

• Be not afraid, only believe:Mark 5:36;
• All things are possible to him that believes:Mark 9:23–24;

Its true. We need to remember that in the church what we know ALWAYS TRUMPS what we do not know. Just believing isnt bad. All the faith we have and all the knowledge we have all started from a small seed of belief. This is the most important work in the history of the world. I know no other organization or church or group that is trying to do what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is doing. We we find ourselves with little speedbumps in the road let us hold fast to the things we know and to always ALWAYS fan the little flame of our faith. This is the true church.

ENJOY CONFERENCE THIS WEEK!! TAKE ADVANTAGE. It will be historic!

TEAM MEDEIROS HARD IN THE PAINT 2k15 yeeeee!! haha

Elder Joshua Chad Medeiros

This is Grant Sheperd! hes a convert of my companion. Hes from Michigan and he came here to 

Casas Grandes to get married to Andrina! haha it was cool getting to know him!! hes hilarious

Happy rainy Monday!

JENNANANANA!

Im fantastic? How are you? Im glad youre doing good. Its raining alot right now. haha. Im glad school is good and soccer too! I saw your photo and you look awesome!! Youre a warrior jenna!  A champion! Keep playing hard. Champion in spanish is campeóna! I cant wait to play smash and wind waker with you!! less than 10 months! 

Sarah my main whats up!! Im so glad you could have that experience in the special efy! Never forget how you felt! Thats the holy ghost that testifies that this is the truth. Always be worthy of that spirit like you already are and paths will be opened for you that you never thought were available! Also take advantage of seminary!! Youre the best sarch!!!! Love you :)

Andrew my main man!!! Sounds like its been going crazy for you. Im so happy to hear you are getting alot of stuff done. I cant believe youre a junior either!!! Wow haha time flies my man. How the youth council going? I remember that haha those were some fun times bro haha. I love hearing that youre doing your snap as well. That must be an amazing experience. Take advantage of that as well and you truly can do some amazing things in the hands of the Lord. AND WOOO! HOCO! ;) I remember my first hoco. Its fun to go to the dances and just hang out with a bunch of people. Take advantage of those. I love you man! Keep the faith!! Stand in holy places!!

Well happy monday family!!! haha

First off im glad everyone has been working to support the crowleys and ive been praying for them as well. Just keep helping them out. Sounds like stake conference went well. Keep it up with your calling mom!! Youre a beast!! haha thats awesome!! and dad going beast mode as well with all the candidates!! Thats awesome. Keep it up as well...sometimes i get tired of talking too but hey thats my job right now... hahahaa

Anyways speaking of the temple today me and my companion and Isaías are gonna go visit the one in Colonia juarez... just outside... but we are gonna go to take some pictures!! (despite the rain) and as for the apostles and the confirmation it was more like i love hearing them speak and how inspired they are so any chance i have now to listen to them testify and speak i just search for the confirmation that its true. Thats it haha. And yea Eyring doesnt speak spanish... haha but it was awesome! 

But yea this past week i read my patriarchal blessing as well. there is some crazy stuff in there and some stuff is already being fufilled!! Its so cool and doing all i can to get all those promises!!

And by the way i am sharing with my companion ahha dont worry ;) 

Anyways well heres some stuff from this week

Wednesday was independence day here in Mexico and of course everyone went crazy haha. Theres a shout thing at midnight and there was screaming and music and yea hahaha we couldnt sleep but it was cool. Everyone gets real excited here but its basically jsut an excuse to party and drink hahaha. But i woke up that morning with a fever of 102 and yea wednesday was terrible and the mission doctor wouldnt answer me all day so i had to go out and work anyways and it was hard. but by friday i was better and now i feeel perfectly fine :D would ya look at that haha. 

But this week we taught the christian family and we were teaching the plan of salvation and as we were going about teaching we realize that they dont have the right concept of God or like..they think the Father and the Son are the same and that they dont have bodies so we were like uhm uhm uhm yea no lets back up to level 1 again and we taught them using scriptures and how it all makes more sense with tthem as they are and how important it is that Joseph Smith had that vision. 

Also the Martinez family is getting baptized this week!!!! They are 4! Mari carmen, maryanna, evelyn and Laura!! We are super excited! Pray alot because they are going through alot. Half of the family doesnt want to go to church but they do and Lauras husband was taken away like 7 months ago by bad people...so yea its hard. But we are excited. 

Also we had to drop the Figueroa family because they got lazy and put up pure excuses and dont realize how amazing and true the gospel is. They were THIS THIS close to getting baptized... it was hard but i think we are going to leave them for sometime. As Alma in chapter 37 to Helaman  we see people who fall away because they become slothful in the small things such as excercising faith and diligence. They become blinded by the easiness of the path. Really when we have and eternal perspective and understand the blessings taht ALWAYS come through obedience the gospel becomes easy to live.  

This week i have absolutely loved my studies and been studying more deeper in the Book of Mormon and the New testament and reading all the references and i have just truly realized how amazing and TRUE this gospel is. This church. Its perfect. Yes we are imperfect but Christ and the gospel is. We may be latter day saints but we arent saints or perfect. We are latter day saints because we are "sinners who keep on trying" :D 

This week i came across my favorite scripture again in Romans 8

 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us allthings?

 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK!!!!

EXPECT GREAT PHOTOS NEXT WEEK! TEAM MEDEIROS!!!

Elder Go hard in the paint Joshua Chad Medeiros

Mexican Independence Day....so I put on my socks!

Outside the chapel in Colonia Juarez

From our lesson on Sunday

Dedication of the Mexico City Temple was tight...yeee!!

Wow... first off with sister crowley i feel really bad.. thats terrible. That took me by surprise thats really sad. It sounds like everyone doing their best to support them and comfort them. Thats so sad. Well im going to look to send Josh an email to let him know im here to help too and what not. Dang thats really sad. Yea dont worry if youre not on to chat its all good! Man i hope you guys are good and could go to the temple because thats actually what i was going to write about today. 

But im glad to hear parkers farewell went...well hahaha. I have been sending him emails to pump him up and i hope it can do good. Does he go in two weeks? And thats awesome about dallin too!

and by the way yes i am indeed taking care of my teeth well..perhaps better than i have in my whole life because i dont like the dentist...haha i brush multiple times every day and i floss.

and i know right??? ill be twenty in like 3 weeks wowza...haha thats old!! what the heck. and btw I DID GET THE PACKAGES!! haha THANK YOU SO MUCH. You are all hte best. I havent opened everything yet but im so grateful thank you. 

So i have two experiences to share this week. I got my testimony confirmed BIG TIME of two things. The Book of Mormon and the divine calling of the prophets and apostles of OUR days. 

First of all we are teaching a christian family and christians are hard to teach because they are really stuck on the bible and are great people but their doctrine isnt correct and yea and say there is no one true church because WE the people are the body of Christ and that there shouldnt be prophets today. We introduced the book of mormon and the dad said to us straight up taht it didnt interest him and we were like darn but we finally got him to read Alma 32. We returned tuesday of this week and he and the family had read it and THEY FELL IN LOVE and this guy was so against it just days earlier and he was happy and was like "it teaches the same thing!! I feel the same way i do when i read the bible!!" and i was like hermano thats the spirit my friend!! Then we all read Moroni 10 together and they are progressing. The temple of Mexico City was rededicated on satruday but this family went to the cultural celebration the night before with us. So thats awesome. NEVER DOUBT THE POWER OF THAT BOOK.

Second so as i said we went to the dedication of the temple this week. It took place in the stake here in Dublan. I havent been to a dedication since the brigham city temple i think..i dont know but it was only for members with a reccomend obviously cause it was like an extension of the temple and obviously i havent been to the temple for over a year and oh man it was the most peaceful thing ever it was incredible!!. We sang the Spirit of God. There was President Eyring and Elder Holland and then Elder Richards of the 70 and the mexcio area presidency. I was praying for an answer or confrimation about the general authorities and i got it!! I felt so happy seeing President Eyring and his genuiness as he adressed the people. He spoke in english and then at the end he was just like Gracias a todos. Les amamos!! (thanks to all we love you) and then Elder Holland spoke and it hit me hard. He talked about the (in english) sealing power and quoted the scriputre and prophecy from malachi how the hearts of the children will turn to the fathers and those of the fathers to the sons and that if it werent so the earth would be utterly wasted at the coming of the Lord. He said this scriputre is so important that it is quoted in each of the four standard works (malachi, in 3 nephi when the Lord himself quoted it, D&C 2, and in Joseph Smith History). Every good or bad feeling or accomplishment or thought or experience would be wasted if we didnt have the sealing power. But thanks to the Restoration we do have it. We can be sealed as eternal families NEVER AGAIN to be seperated by death. Gods loves us that he has entrusted us in these last days with His gospel to bring to all. Go to the temple as often as you can!! Its a blessing. To end Elder Holland suddenly bore his testimony in spansih. The spirit hit me so strong as he testified that God lives and that the church is true emotionally in his broken limited spanish. 

so yea this life isnt the end. If we keep our covenants we are promised eternal life. What more do we want?

Love you all TEAM MEDEIROS HARD IN THE PAINT YEE!!!

Love

Elder Joshua Chad Medeiros

sombrero heheheheh 

Got to play some guitarra!!! woo! with Brother Isaiah! haha our third companion

a cool painting of Christ in his home. I shall make you fishers of men  

a funny sign that says why do i love nuevo casas grandes? because even though im an outsider here i found my home haha

Stake Conference Week

Well this week...sadly we didnt get to work that much.. we had the training with president in Juarez then we had the Stake Conference saturday and sunday so we were running all over Chihuahua haha. But ill get to that in a sec. Thanks for keeping me and the families and everyone in your thoughts and prayers. They are really so helpful and i love them. And tell Jenna thanks for fasting as well!! what a boss. I love her! And tell sarah congrats on the play!! that doesnt surprise me at all!! She is a beast as well. Im sure she will do great. as usual. And also to andrew congrats on asking the girl to homecoming!!! beast mode as well!! hahaha thats what im talking about. Oh man good stuff i wanna hear all about it! when is his homecoming?

Ive also been emailing parker to encourage and excite him as well. 

But yea to answer some of your questions we had some pretty good food this week...lets see... we had some super super good tacos this week with like a green salsa with pieces of pineapple and idk but it was fantastic. and it was with carne de puerco oh man and the sister who sends you photos made us some amazing tortas but yesterday they gave us pure beans and rice and coleslaw and cold it was tough to down and it was heavy haha but the family was nice to give us food.. :) I think i like the food better here than in Juarez

Anyways as i said we went to Juarez for the training and i think President likes us now haha hes a beast he should for sure be a General Authority soon. Hes super smart and hilarious. Wetook the 4 hour bus ride both ways so..that was boring but i caught up on some sleep i needed. i havent gotten the packages yet...i should get them the 19th when president comes again.. haha

But yea as i said this week we were running all around super busy and everything... none of the families went to the stake conference because they said it was to early :/ yea so this week we are gonna go hard in the paint and see what we can do.We are praying for them. 

But anyways we had the stake conference this week like i said was sick! The presidency was reorganized so a general authority came!! It was Elder Benjamin De Hoyos from the first quorom of the 70. He was super powerful and i got to talk to him for a little. But yea so i went and translated on saturday and sunday morning. But up on the stand there is like a little excluded hidden area where there is a sink for the sacrament and music and stuff and we were back there hidden and we had a little antenna thing and we had our headsets and whatever was said into the microphone we heard and then we talked into the mouthpiece and then there were people in the congregation that had headsets and they would see the speaker but would hear our voices haha. So we were up there getting ready and we peaked out before it started and saw a bunch of people with the headsets and we were like perfect haha they arent gonna understand anything thanks to us haha we were pretty nervous. I had been practicing for a few weeks and all but yea. The guy who asked us to do it came up to us and told us that the gift of interpretation of tongues exists as well so we prayed and we did it and it was actually sick!!! It was fun and i got pretty good at it too!! I mean at least we didnt hear any complaints until now haha but i really enjoyed it and i could acutally feel my mind being quickened and everything and i translated Elder De Hoyos talk on saturday and sunday! He spoke for like half an hour haha. 

But yea that was my week!! Hoping this week goes better!! I know it will! Today we have the zone conference so imexcited for that as well!! Keep the faith!! #GoHardInThePaint #GeneralConferenceNext #TommyMonsonCallMeUp

No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.” 

― Jeffrey R. Holland

View of Juarez

Fun in the hotel

Divisions with Elder Hernandez

Wow Almost Septiembre Wowza!

HELLO FAMILY!! 

Hey so first off i should get the packages this week and i will take some pictures so dont worry ;) hahaha. But sounds like the normal year is starting up again with school GOOD LUCK TO ALL. Better get good grades this year because ill be home next year haha. But interesting with the ward changes. They will all do great. How are you with your calling mom? 

Sounds like you had a good week!! youre right it goes good sometimes and then its hard. But dont worry i got some solid experience now and im feeling pretty good. I love your experience dad!! Thats sick! honestly thats amazing and I love that you focused on the people and not just on them being baptized. Thats super cool. 

Thats honestly how i feel with the Figaroa family. Satan is working real real hard with them. Theyhad a tough trial this week. The daughter is kind of going behind the parents backs and the mom still feels really sick but we went to their house on thursday and they were all crying and we didnt expect it at all. we had just planned to put their baptismal date but instead we talked about the atonement and it was super powerful. the daughter felt really bad and yea but I shared the scripture from Isaiah 1:18 that says even if our sins are like scarlet they can become white as snow. The mom couldnt go to church this week because she was sick and the dad worked but the kids went anyways and we are helping to turn things around. Maybe this family wont get baptized while im here but they have progressed so much and we are helping them. We think the daughter could be a missionary someday. 

Maryanna went to church again with her mom and they are progressing as well!!! President came to Casas Grandes this week and he commented to us that he is pleased because before we got to Alamedas the area and the ward were a wreck and we are turning it around little by little but we are staying humble and working hard. This week i go to Juarez again for the training leader meeting and then we have the stake conference this saturday and sunday which i get to translate. That should be interesting. haha but Elder De Hoyos from the 70 is coming down because we are getting a new Stake president...so we will see what happens. 

So my spiritual thought. Well with some scriptures and quotes and thinking and counsel from president i studied alot about love and here is some stuff i got. 

1.Love is the measure of our faith, inspiration, obedience and discipleship. 

2. Love is the great commandment and should be the central point of all we do in the family, callings in the church and they way in which we gain things in life. 

3. .Love is the healing balm that repairs personal and family diferences and the tie that unites families and nations. 

4 God doesnt need us to love Him but oh how we need to love God!

5what we love determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are and who we will come to be. 

6. Love has been the source of the most sublime happiness and the heaviest of burdens. 

7 Aunque estemos incompletos, Dios nos ama completamente; aunque seamos

imperfectos, Él nos ama perfectamente; aunque nos sintamos perdidos y sin brújula ni

guía, el amor de Dios nos rodea por completo. Even though we are incomplete, God loves us completely and fully. Even though we are imperfect He loves us perfectly. Even if we feel lost and without compass or guides the love of God surrounds us completely. 

8.He loves each one of us even the imperfect, rejected, sorrowful and broken. 

9the love of God is so big and grand that it includes the prideful, egoistics the arrogant and wicked. 

10ur Heavenly Father is infinitely compassionate and desries us to get close to Him so that He can draw near to us. 

11. “ (1 Juan 5:3)

12.  (1 Juan 2:4)

13. The divine love of God converts ordinary acts into extraordinary service. 

14. El amor divino es la fuerza que transforma las palabras sencillas en escritura sagrada. Divine love is the force that transforms simple words into sacred scripture. 

15. El amor divino es el factor que transforma el cumplimiento renuente de los

mandamientos de Dios en una bendita dedicación y consagración. Divine love is the factor that transforms the fufillment of the commandments into dedication and consagration. It guides us. It fills us. and should be shown through word and acts. 

Well thats my letter this week!!!! Love you TEAM MEDEIROS HARD IN THE PAINT!!!

Wooooooooooo WHAT A WEEK! 6 people in church on Sunday!

Thats so awesome you guys went to Elder Castletons homecoming!!! Thats so cool you got to meet him and everything. But yea he has had some interesting experiences...y told me a lot about them. But thats awesome i hope he is good and can get his life started and thats so funny about the woman who thought you were his girlfriend...hahah WOOPS. and also thats awesome with Bronco Mendenhall! haha

Andyea grammy told me about the movie...hahah oh man. Thats really so sad though all of that but darn... the ugly cry with snorts and everything. hah she told me everyone was crying.  and dang all that food sounds super good...im jealous.. hahaha but i got good food here too :)

Stake conference here is the 5th and 6th of September and so ill translate with some other american missionaries. Its cause there are some families that only speak english..well at least the kids do so we gotta translate it. Then the 12th and the 13th will be the rededication of the Mexico City Temple so i will be able to see that!

and birthday ideas!! yes! Maybe some more music? Stuff with cool hymn arrangements. Drink mix like fruit drinks or gatorade or chocolate milk.. maybe socks.. a cool book or study item would be cool. A couple photos of you guys would be nice as well!! i just have been seeing the same 20 for a 13 months haha. Also i wouldnt mind hearing more mission experiences from dad!!

Anyways this week was crazy. 

First of all the Figaroa family went to church again!!!! all 5! unfortunately we couldnt find them all together for a lesson this week but we talked to the daughter and she is kind of the type who is into science but she told us that her teacher is atheist and that in a class discussion she was defending God AND His church and she told us that she believes that this is the true church. We were all like yes perfect haha shes already a missionary. 

On saturday we decided to fast to look for an investigador. Someone who was chosen and prepared. We knocked doors and contacted and we were rejected for literally 3 hours straight by 8 different people or families. Then before lunch we decided ONE more. We knocked..and knocked and no one answered then behind us a girl came up and introduced herself and we started to explain a little of the church and the Book of Mormon then she said "im gonna be honest with you guys.." and we thought great shes gonna tell us shes not interested or  shes catholic but she said"ive always wanted to be a mormon. I have frriends and i want to know and be a member...." 

WHAT WAHT WAHTHWAHT WHAT.

 We invited her to church and she went!! and the daughter of the Figaroa famiily was fellowshipping her as well and everything. the girl is named Maryanna and her mom is interested too and we have a lesson with them tonight!! this week we hope to put 7 baptismal dates! crazy. Also i spoke in sacrament yesterday on the missionary work and the Atonement so that was cool. But wow fasting works hahahahhaa. 

Here is a cool scripture i found this week. Its sick and Alma compares the Liahona to the word of Christ and how if we simply follow the Spirit and Him we will not fall. We will not fail. Really the gospel is easy. It blesses us. ONWARD TO VICTORY!!!

 44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word ofChrist, which will point to you a straight course to eternalbliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass,which would point unto them a straight course to thepromised land.

 45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For justas surely as this director did bring our fathers, byfollowing its course, to the promised land, shall the wordsof Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond thisvale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.

 46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for sowas it prepared for them, that if they would look theymight live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, andif we will look we may live forever.

 47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacredthings, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto thispeople and declare the word, and be sober. My son,farewell.

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! TEAM MEDEIROS!!!!

hard in the paint :D

Hurt my ankle a little this week over a rock hahaha but I'm ok now, don't worry

The leaders of Casas Grandes at the hotel

Hotel business yeeee

The Zone!!!