Elder Cade Mooney: I'm 6 Months old!!!!!

Wow! What a week! So much has happened, I don’t even know where to start!

On Tuesday, we got up, got ready, and went to the La Paz chapel for Interviews with President Rodriguez! We had a great meeting with the Hermana while Pres got started interviewing people. Ha. We finished up with our meeting and our weight/blood pressure taking at around 1 pm. I will have you know that I have lost 15 more pounds since our last weigh in 3 months ago… After the seminar we got some lunch, and then went on a short intercambio with Elder Ramos and Elder Rodriguez cuz it would’ve cost 100 pesos to go back to our area, and it would’ve been lame to sit in the chapel and do nothing for 4 hours while we waited for our turn to be interviewed. At about 7 P.M. we were finally interviewed, and then got out of there at around 8! It was a long day! But I was grateful for the interview! It’s good to feel safe and be able to speak freely about anything and everything! Our President sure is a good guy!

Our final district meeting. 10/3/12
Back row: Elder Laifson, Me, Elder Rodriguez
Front Row: Elder Alba, Elder Carter, Elder Ramos

Wednesday was fairly normal. But as we all know, Fairly Normal in the mission field = Full of Miracles! We taught Kenia and Ruca, and we asked Kenia about her reading and asked her to share something she’d learned. Well she told us she read from Alma 7, “like we told her to,” but I honestly can’t remember leaving that with her for homework… Ha. Anyway, we ended up having an incredible discussion about the Atonement, and she cried. It was AMAZING! I am so grateful for the Spirit and his ever guiding light!

Thursday I turned 6 months old in the mission, and my companion turned 21 years old in real life. Ha. It was a happy coincidence. We celebrated.

In the morning we had a Zone Conference, and all the missionaries went to lunch afterward, but my companion wasn’t feeling like eating Pica Pollo for the 92828743523762398th time, and the Hermanas in our Zone refused to eat there, so Elder Ramos, Elder Rodriguez, the Hermanas, My Companion, and I all went to Pizza House and ate birthday pizza. Ha.

I made my companion Pan"Cakes" for breakfast (thank you Elder Cabrera!) 10/4/12

Our Birthday lunch. Hermana Sweeney and I 10/4/12

Hermana Rodriguez and My Companion.

While were eating pizza Hermana Sweeney saw a cockroach, and said “why did God make those things???” I told her it was because somebody had to clean up all the garbage and leftover food that humans make, and it might as well be the Cockroaches. Ha. Well as weird as it sounds, that short conversation about the world’s most disgusting insect got me thinking about some pretty deep stuff. Lol. I asked myself what cockroaches think about humans… I mean really. If you think about it, we are the reason they are so nasty, not to mention the fact that we are constantly killing their brothers and sisters and friends. Lol. Weird, but I felt a sliver of charity towards those little bugs… Well, that little perspective change made me think about how I need to look through other people’s eyes ALL the time. If I have an argument with my companion, all I have to do is take a step back and look at his perspective, and suddenly the argument isn’t an argument anymore. If I am frustrated with an investigator that just isn’t progressing, I just have to step into their shoes, and magically I understand what they are feeling, and I can better see their needs, and how I can help them. So my challenge this week is for everyone to check their perspective! Whether it be an “out of date parent” that just doesn’t “get” how the world works these days, or a stubborn teenager that wants to go to the sketchy party at the boyfriend’s house, or a mission companion that wants to work your area in a way that really just doesn’t make sense to you… Look through their eyes; try to see them as Christ does. Miracles will happen. I promise!

After lunch, we came home and still had some time to burn before our first appointment, so I called the Colmado and had them bring me some flour and some sugar, and I made BROWNIES!!! Ha. Our oven is ghetto, and has to be lit with a lighter, and it only has options one through five on the “how much gas it will emit” scale. I chose number three, and then checked it with the “poke the knife in, and if it comes out clean...” trick at 30 minutes. Ha. Apparently number three is pretty hot, cuz the brownies were a bit over done, but not to worry, we enjoyed them anyway!

Brownies

Then we had some great lessons to make a good day an even better day! Plus, in our last lesson of the day with Josefa and Kimberly, Josefa (the mom) surprised us with Mangú (a mashed potato like substance made from green (as in not ripe yet) plantains) and scrambled eggs for Elder Alba’s Birthday dinner! Ha. It was SO good!

Elder Alba with Joséfa and Kimberly and his Mangú 10/4/12

Me with Joséfa and Kimberly and my Mangú

Mangú

The Burning of the tie 10/4/12

Then we came home, and ate some more brownies while I participated in the burning of a tie ceremony to celebrate my 6 month mark. Ha. We didn’t have access to gasoline, but we happened to have a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the bathroom, so when the tie wouldn’t light up on it’s own… We improvised!! Ha. So much fire! So much fun!

Elder Suaste and I on our Intercambio 10/5/12

Friday was another good one! We had intercambios with the CCM again, so Elder Suaste and I were reunited for one last time before his birth into the mission field! I took him up to Café again, and we had some incredible lessons! I would bet my bottom dollar that that kid is gonna be an assistant someday. Ha. I learned a TON from him in the two (last Friday and this one) short days we spent together!

Elder Carter thinks he's funny 10/5/12

Also, while we were at Oliva’s she was cooking dinner and introduced us to “dumplings.” Ha. They are boiled balls of dough. Kinda like pasta, but more dense. Ha. They were surprisingly delicious.

After we sent the CCM kids back to finish out their sentence, Elder Alba and I headed to teach AnaMaria (my first baptism, if you don’t remember). After our lesson, AnaMercedes (AnaMaria’s twin) brought out some refreshments. Ha. It was saltine crackers with Sweetened condensed milk. Sounds sorta weird, but I highly suggest that you all try it! It was SO good!

Axel's Baptism 10//6 12

Saturday and Sunday Rocked! On Saturday night between the 2nd and 3rd sessions we had Axel’s baptism! He asked me to do it… Which of course I was happy to do, but I dunno if he was so happy about it after it was over… Ha. I had to baptize him 5 times…. SO funny, and SO sad at the same time! The water was FREEZING, so he really just didn’t wanna go under. So every time I tried to dunk him, one of his appendages would come up. Ha. Finally I just said the prayer, and then bent down and laid his back on the floor. Lol. Poor kid. But hey, at least we can be sure that he’s COMPLETELY clean! Ha.

Also, as I’m sure you’re all aware, it was General Conference Weekend! We had at least one investigator attend all 5 sessions so we got to go to 4 of the 5! Sadly, we watched conference live, and because our time is 2 hours ahead of SLC time, Priesthood session ended an hour after missionary curfew… So we didn’t go. But the other 4 sessions were AWESOME!!! This church is true! I know it just from hearing our prophets’ voices!! Conference was exactly what I needed! I love how perfectly those talks apply to ME!

I almost peed my pants when I heard President Monson say that the ages to leave on missions have changed! Ha. I had to turn to my companion and have him tell me again to make sure I didn’t misunderstand!!! That is SO awesome! I hope and pray that each and every one of you that can now serve a full time mission will waste NO time! Get those papers in!!!

As for my conference report… yes Nana and Granddad, even though I moaned and groaned about the family get together every 6 months, it really has become a part of me that I will probably never let go! My favorite talk was Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk on Sunday morning. He talked about the disciples, and how they went back to their fishing after the Savior died… I love how he recounts the stories of the Bible, it seems so REAL! I vote we all pay him a bunch of money to narrate the whole thing! Ha. Anyway, his talk hit me pretty hard, cuz even though I still have three-fourths to go, my mission is pretty short… I only wear this plaque for 2 years…. But really, my calling as a disciple of Christ will never end! I will love Him and serve Him till the bitter end! I will NEVER go back to those nets!

Then… Last night at like 10:20 we got Transfer Calls! And it’s good news!!! Neither of us are moving, but we are both getting new companions and they are splitting our HUGE area into two much smaller areas! My new companion’s name is Elder Maner (the spelling is based on my Dominican companion’s Phonetic skills… So I will include the correct spelling of his name in my email next week), he is American, and he has been in the mission for 13 months. Ha. At this point that’s all I know. Our new area is the east side of Independencia. The side that doesn’t include Café….. :( I’m sad about it. But I will still be in the same ward, and I will DEFINITELY be present for the baptisms of Oliva, Mulk and Prenda! I am excited to keep working here in Independencia, and I am sure that Elder Maner and I will continue to see all kinds of amazing miracles!

Anyway, My time is far spent.

I love you all! Keep the faith, and NEVER return to your nets!

Love,

Elder Cade Mooney