Lomas Verdes

[Email dated April 30, 2012]

Hello everybody,

It´s good to hear from everyone. Looks like it was an exciting week....that´s weird that so many people from our ward are going to the same mission [the 4th member of our ward has been called to serve in the Independence, Missouri mission]. Why don´t they send anyone my way here in Mexico?? Lame. Also, GO LAKERS. Although, it sounds like Miami´s road to the finals just got a lot easier with Derrick Rose out of the picture. Ok, also Mother´s day call is in 2 weeks. I´m assuming I will do it on Skype although I do not have the details quite yet.  It´s weird. Seems like I just talked to you guys haha. [Haha?? This is not funny!  It’s been 5 months!   I don’t think he misses us enough!!]

Ok, so I know you are all wondering what happened with the changes. Well, as we suspected, my time in Puerta Grande came to an end and I was transferred. Also, as I said before, I am no longer a zone leader and I will be training, and it will most likely be the last time I change areas before I go home. My new area is called Lomas Verdes 2 in the zone Lomas Verdes.  It is in the estado de Mexico...but still in Mexico City....kind of like Chamapa was. It is a RICH area. The houses are big and it is pretty green everywhere. I have a Cinnabon, Starbucks and McDonalds in my area, just from what I have seen so far. So I was thinking that for my birthday I’d really just like money in my account and I´ll go with my kid to some good restaurant to celebrate. I think I would like that more than a package. [um, too late…] Just money to buy food and to buy some more souvenirs before I go home. Although, I really haven´t seen any of my area yet. My house is a little apartment on the top story of what looks like a store. It has carpet in it which is a first for my houses in Mexico, but it´s a new house so we have like nothing in it still so we´re going to have to get it set up with furniture and appliances and stuff like that. The zone Lomas Verdes is a richer zone...a lot nicer looking....but I think it will be a very challenging change...getting to know the area, training, and everything else...but I am excited!! I do not know who my kid is yet however...tomorrow I will go to the offices and pick him up. Supposedly there are like 20 new missionaries coming in so there will be quite a few to choose from. [It’s like he’s going to the missionary store to pick one out!]

On some other news....the mission hit all time highs this month. We finished with 425 baptisms and 433 confirmations in the month. We had never broken 400 before....It´s amazing. Tacubaya (the zone where I just was) finished with 67 baptisms and 66 confirmations...I´m pretty sure we were the bautizona but I am not sure. It was an amazing month in the mission and we are all extremely grateful to our Heavenly Father for the great blessings He is giving us.

So, Spiritual Experience for the week. I was on exchanges last week and was working in a different area. We went and visited this family where most of them are members except for one of the daughters who is about 25 years old. We started teaching her and for one reason or another she just didn´t want to accept baptism. We finally got her to tell us why. She explained to us that she had had a baby about 1 year ago and she gave her baby to another family because she couldn´t provide for it...and she felt that that was a terrible sins in the eyes of God and she felt like she could NEVER ever receive forgiveness for it. She also explained that she had been praying for peace in regards to her baby and also for her Mom (who got baptized the week before) so she could overcome her drug addictions...but then sorrowfully told me that God had not been answering her prayers. I testified to her in that moment that God had heard her prayers. That is why he had sent us there. I testified to her that God was acting through us...and that is how she was receiving the answers to those prayers...she just hadn’t recognized it. I then testified to her about the power of the atonement and that God will forgive us for sins both big and small. She began to cry. She accepted baptismal date for the 6th of May....and in her prayer she said “thanks for sending me Elder Pavo Real to help me realize that I can be forgiven of my sins”...it was a really powerful experience.I know that Christ lives and I am happy to be one of His representatives in this great dispensation.

And this is my Joy

Elder Peacock